Woman Dies Following Live Bee Acupuncture Treatment

People like Gwyneth Paltrow have sworn by a form of acupuncture that involves using stingers of bees instead of needles. One woman has died from the procedure.

By Admin on March 21, 2018
bee
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Lately there has been a rise in bees’ association with health benefits. One of the new procedures that has gained popularity involves using the venom from bee stingers instead of needles for acupuncture.

A 55-year-old Spanish woman has died from repeated exposure to live bee acupuncture. She died from a severe allergic reaction, despite the fact that she never had an allergy before. She had the procedure done 24 times before her fatal session. According to National Post, she’s the first person to die from the therapy.

Live bee acupuncture falls under apitherapy, which is the use of honeybee substances to treat medical conditions. Authors of the woman’s case study think that there isn’t enough evidence in the benefits of apitherapy to recommend it.

However, celebrities like Gywneth Paltrow have sworn by it. She said in a 2016 interview:

“I’ve been stung by bees. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it’s painful.”

It’s possible to get an allergic reaction even if you’re not allergic to bees. That’s what happened in the case of the Spanish woman.

Authors of the study advise not to have this procedure done. There are too many risks that don’t make it worth it.

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