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Bee stings beneficial for PMR?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Dec 24, 2024 | Replies (11)Comment receiving replies
Interesting ... however, the human study that is cited says the following:
"Over the course of 8 weeks, one group received the drug treatment, and the other received 5–15 bee stings every other day. Both groups showed a reduction in their arthritis symptoms, with no significant difference between the groups."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29888580/
Study flaws: study was not double-blind and did not compare the treatment effects with those of a placebo. This greatly reduces the reliability of the results.
The human study compares Methotrexate (10 mg, once a week) and Celecoxlb (0.2 g, once a day) vs. bee stings acupuncture. Personally ... I would opt for either Methotrexate or Celebrex before doing the bees stings.
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The study was done in China. In the USA research proposals are submitted to Institutional Review Boards (IRB). I have submitted research proposals to the local University IRB and this study would never be approved for humans and maybe not even for animals.
I used to think funding was difficult to get but our federal government funds some bizarre studies but the beekeeper lobby in the USA isn't very powerful.
American Beekeepers Federation:
This organization lobbies on behalf of beekeepers and spent $40,000 lobbying in 2022.
Cultural differences are hard to overcome.
Replies to "Interesting ... however, the human study that is cited says the following: "Over the course of..."
@dadcue
I would personally pick the medications over letting a bee sting me too!
😂😂😂. (I’m allergic to bees!!) But even if I wasn’t allergic I still would not want multiple bee stings!😂
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The effectiveness of melittin in treating some cancers has been researched.
"MEL [melittin]was considered an attractive candidate for cancer chemotherapy causing more damage to the tumor cell membranes since its membrane potential is higher and cells are less likely to develop resistance to a membrane pore formation."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5682937/
The main problem seems to be that melittin loses potency quickly and drug companies would want to produce a stable, probably synthetic, version that they can patent and make money from. All that costs a lot, so I can't see bee sting therapy research being of much interest to drug companies who fund a lot of research.
I'm just happy to have received two all natural fresh doses of melittin delivered two weeks apart via toe (ouch!). If there is any benefit from it, good.