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Bee Venom Therapy
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[2008 updates are highlighted in red]
| Description: |
Bee venom therapy (BVT) is one form of apitherapy, a term used to describe the use of bees or bee products to treat medical conditions. Apitherapy was used in ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. Areas of recent interest in BVT include MS and arthritis. In BVT, tweezers are used to place bees on particular body parts. Typically, there are three treatment sessions each week, and each session involves 20–40 stings. |
| Rationale: |
There are several theoretical explanations for a beneficial effect of BVT in MS. One explanation is that the inflammation of the bee sting causes the body to produce an anti-inflammatory response. This response is then thought to act towards the sting but also towards other inflammatory conditions, which could include MS or arthritis. Recent studies suggest that the chemical components of bee venom inhibit an enzyme (cyclo-oxygenase 2) and the production of proteins (tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta) involved in inflammation. Finally, apamin, a bee venom constituent, inhibits the actions of proteins on cells known as potassium channels. This is similar to the effects of 4-aminopyridine (4AP), a conventional medication that may decrease MS-related fatigue. It is not known whether blood or nervous system levels of the venom are high enough after a sting to produce any of these biochemical effects. |
| Evaluation: |
Clinical studies of BVT are limited. The preliminary report of a study in the animal model of MS found that BVT was ineffective or may actually have produced worsening relative to placebo-treated animals. A safety study of BVT in humans was conducted at Georgetown University in the United States. The results of this study have not been published. In the highest quality study to date, 26 people with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS were randomly assigned to receive either no treatment or bee venom therapy for 24 weeks. After this initial phase, people “crossed over” to the other treatment method for another 24 weeks. No therapeutic effects were found on the basis of numbers of attacks, neurological disability, various MRI measures, fatigue, and overall quality of life. |
| Risks: |
BVT is usually well tolerated. Very rarely, bee stings may cause anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction. It is sometimes recommended that bee stings be given around the eye for people with MS-related visual problems. This practice should be avoided because bee stings in this area may actually cause optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve that is associated with MS. |
| Costs: |
BVT is a low–moderate cost therapy |
| Committee opinion: |
In the opinion of the Committee, bee venom therapy has not been adequately studied in MS. There is no evidence that it produces therapeutic effects. It is of low–moderate cost and may rarely produce severe side-effects. |
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