Bee Venom Therapy
Helps Fibromyalgia
By John P Ewing

On August 29, 1994, life dealt me an unexpected card. I had a sore throat so I went to see my family doctor. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me home. Three days later I was back in his office and now I had bronchitis. He prescribed a different antibiotic and sent me home. A few days later I returned to his office and now I had pneumonia and I was sent to the hospital. I was released the same day. For the next six weeks I was flat on my back and could barely move. I didn't have enough strength to drive a car so my wife had to drive me to the numerous doctor's appointments. I was diagnosed as having post-viral fatigue. I slept 14-16 hours a day and was taking steroids, multiple antibiotics and various other prescription drugs. 

After several months I was diagnosed as having chronic fatigue with Epstein Barre Virus (EBY). I was pressuring my doctor to get me off of the steroids and antibiotics because I was concerned about the side effects. Without his support I turned to alternative medicine in hopes of reducing the amount of drugs I was taking. I tried many things and I got good results but I reached a plateau and couldn't make any more progress. A year later I was able to work part time and still required 12 hours sleep per day. I was still on an antibiotic for respiratory infection. It was at this time that I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia along with the EBV and chronic fatigue. I took drugs at night so I could sleep and I had to avoid direct contact with our children because I caught every little bug that came along. A common cold could put me in the hospital. 

In January of 1996, I was working full-time again out of financial necessity. I worked 8 hours, came home, took a two hour nap, was awake for two hours, then went back to bed. I slept most of the time on the weekends. I got tired of this routine but I didn't know what to do. Then something happened by accident that would change my life.  A friend of ours who has MS asked my wife to take her to see someone about bee venom therapy, it was a 45 minute drive away. While there my wife started asking questions about therapy for chronic fatigue. This person gave her information to read and she came home all excited. needles to say I wanted no part of this. I did however read the information and my curiosity got the best of me. My wife was pushing me and I was balking but I finally said if she could find someone closer I would try it. Two days later she came home with the phone number of John Ewing. I put off for two weeks but I finally called him. He explained the pros and cons and I agreed to try it. In March of 1996 my wife and I went to his home. Before I tell you about the results I want to describe in detail my condition in March of 1996. 

Symptoms/limitations:
  • Aches and pains throughout body 
  • Sleep disorder required 10 hours of sleep each day 
  • Weak ankles and wrists 
  • Muscle Spasms 
  • Struggle with depression 
  • Wake up with stiff clenched and numb hands 
  • Upper respiratory infection 
  • Too tired and stiff to play golf 
  • My wife wants me to say irritable although I was oblivious to this 
  • Short term memory loss 
  • At times my knees and ankles would buckle 
  • Couldn't walk around the block 
  • Crave Sugar 
  • Overactive bowel syndrome 
This is the classic textbook profile of a person with CHRONIC FATIGUE or FIBROMYALGIA. 

I started with 6 bee stings a week and gradually worked up to 16 stings once a week. I did this regimen for 3 ½ months and now I'm taking 8 stings three times a week to see how that works. I'm still experimenting because there is no documentation records for my particular condition. John and I are keeping records so we can share it with others. 

And now for the good news: 
  • My aches and pains are subsiding 
  • We now have to hunt to find sore trigger points 
  • I sleep better at night and I only need 8 ½ hours of sleep and no more naps 
  • My wrists are much improved and my ankles are so-so I need more stings in that area 
  • My hands are no longer numb but I still have some stiffness in the fingers 
  • The muscle spasms aren't as severe 
  • My mood is greatly enhanced, this alone makes it worth it. 
  • My respiratory infection cleared up and I'm off all antibiotics 
  • I walked 18 holes of gold last weekend 
  • My wife thinks I'm more loveable these days !! 
  • I can remember my home phone number now and I don't need as many lists. 
  • I walk around the block as much as I wish now 
  • My posture has improved and I can stand-up straight 
  • I run and play with the kids again 
  • I think I still crave sugar but not as much as before 
  • My bowels are normalizing. 
I still have a ways to go but I'm making quicker progress with the bee venom therapy than anything else I've tried. I think a good combination of alternative medicine and bee stings along with Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis is the only way to go. Anybody with chronic fatigue and or Fibromyalgia should at least try bee venom therapy. I have made more progress in three months than I did the pervious 18 months.

BVT for 
Fibromyalgia
By Daphne Shell

I have been using BVT to treat Fibromyalgia, a health problem similar to arthritis, but mainly affecting the connective tissues in the muscles. It causes wide-spread pain, stiffness, and soreness throughout the body. Another debilitating symptom is extreme lethargy and fatigue. There is no known cure for Fibromyalgia, therefore physicians are able to offer only a degree of pain management to the patient. This is often through physical therapy, diet, and prescription medication. I tried diet and medication to control my pain, but unfortunately neither were very effective. I finally decided that this ailment was something that I would simply have to live with. Thank goodness I was wrong! The Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis gave me renewed energy right from the start and helped to reduce the pain then I made the decision to start with BVT. 

My experience with BVT began last November. After a bit of encouragement from a beekeeper who uses BVT for treating his own aches and pains, I decided to give it a try. At the time I was having severe pain in my upper back. When I began receiving the bee stings I had no idea that they would have such an incredible effect on my Fibromyalgia. I started out with two stings at a time to the most painful areas. I really experienced little discomfort or itching at the sting site. I continued using two stings, two to three times per week for a period of two weeks. I began to notice a remarkable improvement in my degree of back pain within the very first week. To my amazement, after only three weeks of BVT, I was experiencing almost no symptoms of Fibromyalgia at all! Greatly encouraged by this, I continued my therapy, gradually working up to six stings per session about once a week.

I am happy to say that I currently experience very little pain or stiffness at all. At the first sign of onset, I simply give myself several stings and the symptoms quickly disappear. It is still amazing to me that the little honeybee has this mysterious ability to heal with its sting. I have a new appreciation for this remarkable creature and will be forever grateful to it. 

I highly recommend apitherapy to anyone who has aches and pains and knows that he or she is not allergic to honeybee stings. The thought of stinging oneself may be frightening at first, but it is far less painful than I ever imagined. I certainly prefer the mild discomfort of a few bee stings now and then to the constant pain that was a daily part of my life for so long. I definitely credit my recovery to the amazing power of Apitherapy. 

GETTING MY LIFE BACK
By Heather Finch

I have been diagnosed recently with Fibromyalgia. At the time, I felt that my life had ended. I am a very active 31 year old individual who works full time and rides and cares for horses as a second job. After I caught pneumonia in January, I felt as if I would never get better. People told me it took time to get over pneumonia, but three months later I was still having horrible aches and pain and fatigue.

I had not ridden a horse for months, except on a few good days. This was both my income and my stress relief, but as I watched the horses in the pasture, I knew that although I needed to work them, I was unable to do so. As I started to come to grips with the idea that I might never be 100% myself again, I knew that I just wanted to feel better, even if it was only a little bit.

My father had been using bee sting therapy and bee products for years for his bursitis. I had never really investigated this avenue, thinking that I was too young and healthy. Now was the time to investigate. Besides Fibromyalgia, I have hyperthyroidism. I had heard that BVT could help my body regulate itself despite my autoimmune disease, so it sounded as if it could be a good therapy for my set of symptoms. 

The first day that I stung, I felt like I could breathe again. I still had pain and fatigue, but for the first time in months I could feel the air rush into my lungs and be absorbed. I committed to stinging for a least three to six months to see if it would help, at least with the fatigue, if not the pain. I had a typical healing crisis seven days after stinging two to three stings three times a week. The amount of stings may not sound like much compared to others, but it felt right for me. I started stinging again after the healing crisis and progressively became stronger and had less pain. 

Although it was gradual, I look back now after four months and I can't believe how healthy I feel now. I feel almost normal. I know the illness is still with me when I overdo it, but I just sting more often, and it helps. The doctor I saw for rheumatoid arthritis told me that I was doing everything I could do to help myself by drinking lots of water, taking vitamins and pollen, royal jelly and propolis and working up to increased levels of exercise and staying away from caffeine. He did not want to discuss the BVT, but did remark that whatever I was doing was helping.

I now take only two stings one two times a week. It is amazing to me that the stings have actually become painful. This made me realize how sick I was, because the stings did not hurt very much in the beginning, but I don't mind the pain now because I know it is helping me.
Back to Bee Venom Information Page