Rural Missouri - July 2011 - (Page 24)

Sting of relief Mary Reed uses honeybee stings as a more natural pain reliever Apitherapist Mary Reed applies a honeybee to Nancy Hale’s leg to relieve Nancy’s knee pain using a practice that can be traced back to ancient Greece, China and Egypt. believes previous stings from Mary meridian or acupuncture points on when she learned that they could be stay with her long after she is stung. the body that inﬂuence different body used to help treat allergies from which “In the wintertime when I haven’t organs. her husband, Harry, suffered. seen Mary in several months for bee “You can do the trigger point “He gave me the green light to get ou hear them long before stings, I’ll begin to have a headache or method or the acupuncture meridian bees because I always wanted to and you ever see them. The genan ache or pain,” Pat says. “The welts method, or you can just zero in and someone told us that if he would eat tle buzz of thousands of bees from the bee stings she has given me treat one limb, one knee, one elbow if the honey that contained the ﬁlls the air as they to treat those areas in the past will you want,” Mary says. pollen from our own backyard swarm in and out of two begin to swell up and soon the pain is MS damages myelin in the central that it would be a remedy,” hives in Mary Reed’s backgone.” nervous system, which interferes with Mary says. “And sure yard just a few miles outside While there are no guarantees with messages between the body and the enough, we have had of Farmington. apitherapy, if someone is willing to try brain, she says. bees ever since.” “Ouch! That one got me Farmington • it, Mary says she is more than willing Bee stings targeted in speciﬁed She believes that right on the thumb,” says to share her bees and her knowledge areas of the body help to soften scar “each person is like Mary, drawing away from of the practice. tissue that builds up on the central an experiment, and the hive with a newly ﬁlled Mary treats from early April to late nervous system from the MS, allowing we have to look at it and humming bee hotel. “It’s October and recommends patients the individual increased healing and like that because medicine is like an alright, though, the sting is all come twice a week to see the best function. experiment.” part of my therapy.” results. Mary explains that on the ﬁrst visit Mary became involved in the pracMary reaches into her glass jar bee However, she does say that each with a new patient, she likes to edutice after seeing an apitherapist in hotel with a pair of long tweezers, individual is different and she will cate, go over protocol, get acquainted action at a state beekeepers meeting. slowly removing a small honeybee help customize a plan and schedule with the individual and their pain and “I asked for a copy of their protothat she positions over Nancy Hale’s based upon his or her own speciﬁc ailperform a test sting to make sure they col and a few guidelines, and so I got leg. She gently squeezes the bee’s ments and needs. are not allergic. into it on my own,” Mary says. In the abdomen, and the insect instinctively “As far as I can see down the road, “In apitherapy, we try to look at beginning, she only treated family injects its venom into Nancy’s leg. I’ll die with bees in my backyard,” the whole person,” she says. “We try members, but after word spread, Mary Mary is performing apitherapy, a Mary says. to give them a little idea of it’s not a was treating people from all over Mispractice that can be traced back to quick ﬁx, it’s not like you’re going to souri. ancient Greece, China and Egypt. The For more information on apitherapy, take a pill.” However, Mary is quick to tell you therapy uses honeybee venom to treat contact Mary Reed at 573-747-0505 or Pat Coonce of Pevely has expeshe is not “practicing medicine.” She medical conditions such as arthritis visit The American Apitherapy Society rienced more than 1,000 bee stings does not charge people for what she and multiple sclerosis (MS). website at www.apitherapy.org. since ﬁrst coming to see Mary. She does. Oftentimes, she will just provide “The sting activates the body to people with the counteract the venom of the bee by bees so they are producing its own cortisol, and that’s able to sting themwhere you get the medicinal value,” selves. Mary says. “Rather than getting an Mary explains expensive cortisone shot,” to help that there is no with arthritic inﬂammation and pain. certiﬁcation in Nancy, a Black River Electric Coopapitherapy. “This erative member, sees Mary twice a is not a treatment week for bee stings that help with approved by the pain in her right knee. U.S. Food and Drug “Mary has been a friend of the famAdministration, the ily for years, so I went to see her about American Medical the pain because I trust her,” Nancy Association or any says. “I didn’t want to use medicine other regulatory or but wanted to do something more recognized sciennatural to help with the pain.” tiﬁc body,” Mary Mary releases the bee from her says. tweezers. It soon dies since it cannot She does reclive without its stinger and muscular ommend reading venom sac that still pulsates in NanAmber Rose’s “Bee cy’s leg. in Balance: A Guide She will be stung nine more times to Healing the along her right leg before all the stingWhole Person with ers are removed. For maximum effect, Honeybees, Orienthe stingers are removed after the tal Medicine and muscular venom sac stops pulsating. Commonsense” if “I can feel relief right after the someone is interstings usually and then for about a ested in pursuing couple days after,” Nancy says. apitherapy. This Mary became interested in the Apitherapist Mary Reed applies a cold compress to patient Pat Coonce’s ankle before stinging her with a book illustrates medicinal attributes of the honeybee honeybee to relieve pain in Pat’s right leg. Mary has been practicing apitherapy for 25 years. by Caitlyn Emmett cemmett@ruralmissouri.coop Y 24 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP http://www.apitherapy.org http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - July 2011

Rural Missouri - July 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Raising the Great White Arabia
Now showing: rural broadband
Missouri snapshots
Out of the Way Eats
The changing tide
Pyrotechnic pros
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
Sting of relief
Harmony
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - July 2011