Treating Lyme Disease with Bee Venom Therapy

Numerous studies are being done with Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) for its effect against Parkinson's Disease, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis. I've also seen BVT used for scar therapy, mole removal, bone spurs, even pain relief!  Thanks to medical practitioners like Dr Klinghardt for incorporating BVT into a complementary treatment protocol .

The Treatment of Lyme Disease with Bee Venom

by Dietrich K. Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D.

Apitherapy Review, Apitherapy Commission Apimondia 

PART 1

Introduction

Lyme disease has become, after AIDS, probably the fastest spreading infectious disease. "Classical" Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is passed to the patient by a tick bite. Since several other infections that cause similar symptoms can be transmitted by the same tick bite, and other infectious agents not transmitted by a tick can cause similar symptoms, the term "New Lyme Disease" is used by most holistic physicians. Lyme disease is not only a frequent underlying causal factor in chronic human illness, but also extremely common in pets, especially in dogs and horses.

The following microorganisms have to be considered when making the diagnosis of "New Lyme Disease."

Borrelia burgdorferi;

Babesia microti (a protozoan intracellular invader);

Ehrlichiosis;

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (associated with MS, ALS, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia);

Chlamydia pneumoniae;

Bartonella henselae;

Rickettsia rickettsiae.

The following symptoms can be caused by Lyme disease:

Chronic Fatigue (more severe in the early afternoon);

Lack of endurance;

Non-healing infections in the jaw bone, devitalized teeth, dental pain;

Fibromyalgia;

Joint pains (especially in the spine);

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity;

Cranial Nerve Problems:

- Facial nerve: Bell's palsy (60% are caused by Lyme disease, 30% by one of six common viruses from the herpes family, such as EBV, Herpes simplex type I, type II, type 6 etc);

- Trigeminal nerve: sense of vibration in the face, TMJ and facial pain, headache, tension and cramps in the face/skull/jaw;

- Ears (VII, VIII): tinnitus, vertigo, and hypersensitivity to noise;

- Eyes (II, III, IV, VI): decreasing and changing eye sight (fluctuates during the day), light sensitivity, floaters;

- Vagus (X), Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) and Hypoglossus (XII): difficulty swallowing, faulty swallowing, reflux, hiatus hernia, heart palpitations, supraventricular arrythmias.

CNS problems:

- Physical: epileptic seizures, insomnia, tremor, ataxia, movement disorders (torticollis, etc.);

- Emotional: irritability (key symptom in children), depression, bi-phasic behaviour (manic-depression), bouts of anger, listlessness;

- Mental: confusion, difficulty thinking, poor short term memory, increasingly messy household and desk, difficulty finding the right word, feeling of "information overload;"

- Mixed pictures: can resemble or imitate any known psychiatric illness.

Peripheral nervous system problems:

Paraesthesia, burning, vibration, numbness, shooting pains.

Pelvis: interstitial cystitis, prostatitis, sexual dysfunction, loss of libido, pelvic pain, menstrual disorders.

Immune system failure: with all known secondary illnesses such as herpes virus infection, intestinal parasites, malaise.

General symptoms: hair loss, loss of zest for life, sensitivity to electric appliances.

Laboratory Testing

Until recently laboratory testing has been unsatisfactory with a detection rate of probably below 30%. In the past it was believed the laboratory evaluation of the spinal fluid was a reliable way to confirm or refute the diagnosis of Lyme disease. This has been proven wrong. The test with the broadest detection rate, the Western Blot ELISA test, has low specificity. The test with the highest specificity but with a fairly low detection rate was the PCR test. The B. burgdorferi is a master at evading the body's immune system and evading laboratory detection by modulating and changing its surface antigens. It can form a cystic stage, which is resistant to antibiotics, evades laboratory detection, and gives birth to healthy spirochetes once the antibiotics are discontinued.

A new test has become available recently: the C6 Lyme Peptide ELISA test (BBI Clinical Laboratories, Tel.: 1-800-866-6254 or 860-225-1900, test code: 556 - C6LPE. The test is based on the discovery of six peptides on the surface of the spirochete, which are consistently present and do not evade detection by the laboratory as many of the other surface antigens of B. burgdorferi do. This test detects all B. burgdorferi strains and genospecies. It is highly specific and more sensitive than conventional tests for chronic Lyme disease. It is also sensitive in early Lyme disease (which used to be problematic) and can be used for accurate antibody results for Lyme vaccinated patients.

Treatment

Treatment has often been unsatisfactory in spite of correct diagnosis. Multiple antibiotic regimes have been tried with varying successes. The cystic stage responds only to one antibiotic: metronidazole (Flagyl). This drug should be given intravenously. The oral version is less effective and hard on the liver. It should always be given together with the herb "milk thistle" because of its liver-protective effect. A less toxic alternative is tinidazole, a Flagyl-derivative that is available in compounding pharmacies.

I use proteolytic enzymes for the purpose of breaking up the cyst wall and making the dormant form of B. burgdorferi inside the cyst vulnerable to both the host's immune system and the medications given for treatment.

Dosage: Wobenzyme, 8-10 tablets three times/day between meals and first thing a.m.

Treatment protocols using antibiotics are outlined in the website of J. Borrescano, MD: www.lymenet.com. I use, in selected cases, a combination of azithromycin or clarithromycin 250-500 mg two times/day in combination with trimethoprim 100 mg twice/day for 6-8 weeks.

My preferred treatment is a combination of enzymes, herbs, specific transfer factors and the injection of honeybee venom.

Herbs

I follow the recommendations of Dr. Zhang, MD, LAc of New York (http://www.dr-zhang.com).

His special garlic extract with a high concentration of Allicin:

2 mg Allicin/kg of bodyweight per day for 6 months; HH (Houttuyniae Herba):

3 tablets three times/day for 6 months.

His special Artemesia (wormwood) combination: 1-2 tablets three times/day for 6 months

(usually recommended when Babesia is involved).

In addition I use the specific herbal combinations from the Monastery of Herbs in Los Angeles

(Tel.: 818-360-4871). These are very effective 18-day programs. I use Autonomic Response

Testing to determine the most effective combination.

I rotate different regimes over the 6-month treatment period.

Specific Transfer Factors

When a pregnant cow is infected with a certain illness, her first milk (colostrum) after the calf is born contains specific peptides that prevent the illness in the calf. Based on this principle, specific transfer factors have become available for the treatment of B. burgdorferi, Babesia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae etc.

Most readily available are oral capsules with dried peptide extracts (Chisolm Biological Laboratory,

Tel.: 803-663 9618 / ext. 9777). By adding the specific transfer factors into the treatment regime, the success rate can be dramatically increased.

To be continued …

RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION

Books, Booklets and Literature

Beck, B. F., MD (1997) The Bible of Bee Venom Therapy. Health Resources Press, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA, book, ISBN 1-890708-03, pp. 238. Reprint of the original 1935 edition of Dr. Beck: Bee Venom Therapy - Bee Venom, Its Nature, and Its effect on Arthritic and Rheumatoid Conditions. (available from Apitronic Services: Tel.: 604-271-9414)

Broadman, J., MD (1997) Bee Venom - The Natural Curative for Arthritis and Rheumatism. Health Resources Press, Silver Spring, MD, USA, book, ISBN 1-890708-01-3, references, index, glossary, foreword by Harold Goodman, DO, pp. 224 (available from Apitronic Services: Tel.: 604-271-9414)

Klinghardt, D. K., MD (1990) Bee Venom Therapy for Chronic Pain. The Journal of Neurological & Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 195-197

Klinghardt, Dietrich, MD (1999) Treatment Protocol for Bee Venom Therapy. Apitherapy Education Service - Apitronic Services, Richmond, BC, Canada, booklet, 11 pp.

Lubke, L. L. and Garon, C. F. (1997) Bee Stings as Lyme Inhibitor. J. Clin. Infect. Diseases, July, 25 Suppl. 1, pp. 48-51

Marinelli, Rick, ND and Klinghardt, Dietrich, MD (1999) Methodology for Injectable Bee Venom Therapy. Apitherapy Education Service - Apitronic Services, Richmond, BC Canada, 12 pp.

Mraz, Charles (1994) Health and the Honeybee. Queen City Publications, Burlington, VT, USA, ISBN 0-9642485-0-6, pp. vii+92 (available from Apitronic Services: Tel.: 604-271-9414)

Organizations

American Apitherapy Society, Inc., 5390 Grande Rd., Hillsboro, OH 45133 USA, Tel.: 937-364-1108, Fax: (937) 364-9109, e-mail: aasoffice@in-touch.net, web page: www.apitherapy.org/aas

American Academy of Neural Therapy, Inc., 410 East Denny Way, Suite 18, Seattle, 98122 USA, Tel.: 206-749-9967, Fax: 206-723-1367, e-mail: neuralt@aol.com, web page:

Internet Resources:

American Academy of Neural Therapy, Inc.

Bee Venom Therapy Supplies and Books

www.beevenom.com

Apitherapy Bookshop

www.apitherapy.net

Apitherapy Reference Database

www.saunalahti.fi/~apither/

Bee Venom Therapy Supplies and Books Bee venom products and therapy related books, literature and Apitherapy Education Service.

Apitronic Services

9611 No. 4 Road

Richmond, BC

Canada, V7A 2Z1

Ph./Fax: 604-271-9414

e-mail: msimics@direct.ca

www.beevenom.com

Conversion Table 0.10 ml = 0.10 cc0.60 ml = 0.60 cc 0.20 ml = 0.20 cc0.70 ml = 0.70 cc 0.30 ml = 0.30 cc0.80 ml = 0.80 cc 0.40 ml = 0.40 cc0.90 ml = 0.90 cc 0.50 ml = 0.50 cc1.00 ml = 1.00 cc

Thanks to the Apitherapy Commission for reprinting this article.