If you have Lyme Disease, should you consider throwing yourself into a hive of African killer bees? Probably not. However, if you do have Lyme Disease, the idea might seem tempting, especially if you are one of thousands of people who never truly shake the disease off in their lifetime. So let’s talk about this.
Is bee venom a viable cure for Lyme Disease? More importantly, is bee venom something long-term Lyme sufferers can actually access to discover for themselves if it really works?
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection predominantly spread by ticks carrying the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. While not deadly, the effects of infection on even healthy people can be catastrophic. This is due to the fact that the corkscrew shape of Borrelia burgdorferi allows the bacterium to invade several complex groups of cells in the heart, brain, joints, organs, and central nervous system.
Given the systematic way Borrelia burgdorferi targets the human body, Lyme Disease symptoms can range from chronic flu-like symptoms to chronic fatigue, brain fog, and debilitating muscle and joint pain that is often indistinguishable from arthritis.
Traditional Lyme Disease Treatments Aren’t Always Effective
Since first being formally identified in 1975 in Connecticut, treatment approaches to Lyme Disease have changed little. Upon diagnosis, doctors will usually prescribe rounds of high-strength antibiotics. Moreover, treating Borrelia burgdorferi with antibiotics does work, especially when treatment starts soon after infection.
There is just one problem.
In many cases, if not the vast majority of cases, Lyme Disease symptoms can bounce back with a vengeance when treatment with antibiotics ceases. Some researchers suspect that this happens because of residual Borrelia burgdorferi biofilms, as well as antibiotic-resistant round body forms (as opposed to the corkscrew shape) of the Borrelia bacterium, which are able to evade treatment.
What’s All the Buzz About Borrelia Burgdorferi and Bee Venom?
The idea of throwing a Lyme Disease sufferer to the mercy of a hive of angry African honey bees to see what happens might seem absurd. However, in June 2011, this actually happened—kind of.
For 15 years, Dr. Ellie Lobel suffered from chronic Lyme Disease. These 15 years were made worse by the fact that it took several years of being misdiagnosed with everything from arthritis to several different viruses before it was discovered that Ellie had Lyme.
Finally, Ellie took herself to California for a last holiday of sorts, as she felt her body slowly shutting down system by system. Shortly after, though, Ellie had the best bad luck possible.
Taking a walk in June 2011, Ellie somehow came to disturb a hive of invasive African honey bees. Subsequently, she was stung repeatedly but was adamant about refusing hospital treatment. If this was the way Ellie was going to go, so be it. All that Ellie Lobel didn’t expect was to awake a few days later feeling better than she’d felt in years.
Why Getting a Bee in Your Bonnet Might Be a Good Thing
Realizing that there must be a curative link between bee venom and Borrelia burgdorferi, Ellie quickly got to work trying to identify exactly what this link was. Now, thanks to Ellie and several independent studies, we know for certain that components of bee venom, such as melittin, are far more effective at neutralizing Borrelia biofilms and bacterium round bodies than even high-strength combinations of antibiotics such as doxycycline and cefoperazone.
Let me repeat, this is not speculation. This is hard science in action. To examine one such study, click here.
There is just one problem…
The Lyme Disease Cure with a Sting in Its Tail
If you suffer from Lyme Disease, you will likely welcome any new prospective curative on the market. However, the most potent part of bee venom (melittin), proven to work against Borrelia, is also the component in bee venom responsible for the burning pain people experience when stung.
Because melittin causes pain, as well as, in some cases, allergic reactions, mainstream physicians are reluctant to even consider melittin as a curative for Lyme Disease. Neither are there pharmaceutical companies making isolated melittin available to the public.
So yes, if you want to find out if bee venom might be able to cure your Lyme Disease, you do kind of need to go and kick a beehive or two.
I’m joking. Don’t do that.
The Rise of the Therapy Bee
While it is not yet possible to procure bee venom isolates or even have a doctor prescribe these, it is possible to buy “therapy bees” online. Specifically, live caged bees to use as therapeutics from vendors such as Meyer Bees and Busy Bee Acres.
I will also hazard a guess and say that there are likely several more such vendors out there. Just remember, to some, bee venom can be deadly. Just one sting can result in anaphylactic shock. This being the case, if bee venom is something you might want to try to alleviate your Lyme Disease symptoms, do your own research and consult with a few real medical practitioners beforehand.