I get my husband to sting me with bug-busting bees ... 10 times a day
Look away now if you’re the slightest bit squeamish, but...
FOR most of us, bee stings are incredibly painful and best avoided.
But Ingrid Watt subjects herself to 30 every week in a radical attempt to cure herself of debilitating Lyme disease.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday her husband Darren makes sure ten bees, ordered online from a postal supplier, deliver their burning venom to her back, leaving the stings embedded in her skin for 20 minutes for good measure.
Bizarre as it sounds Mrs Watt, 36, believes the venom is bringing the bacterial infection under control – something conventional medicine has failed to achieve.
She said: ‘When I first read about it, I thought, “No way”. But then I read more and decided I could spend thousands on longer courses of antibiotics, or herbal preparations that may or may not work, or spend a lot less on treatment that seems gentler.’
Mrs Watt, from Inverness, believes she contracted Lyme disease as a teenager while helping out with lambing on Orkney.
The bacterial infection, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is spread by infected ticks.
If spotted quickly it is treatable with antibiotics. But if undetected – blood tests are often inconclusive – the bacteria can cause heart failure and meningitis, plus immune system and memory problems. For some it is fatal.
Mrs Watt suffered apparently unrelated health problems, including severe pain, fatigue and confusion, but doctors struggled to find a cause.
She later contracted 39 painful bouts of shingles and was forced to sell her successful dog walking business. Eventually she concluded she had Lyme disease and took courses of antibiotics, which failed to work.
Then she found reports suggesting honeybee venom could help her, including testimony from US Lyme sufferer Ellie Lobel, who credits bee stings with saving her life.
Desperate, a year ago Mrs Watt starting having two stings three times a week.
She said: ‘Within two weeks I had more energy and my cognitive functions had improved.
‘It’s the best painkiller I’ve ever had. When you feel the benefits you feel it is worth doing.’
‘Bee sting venom is not for everyone but for me it has been amazing. Hopefully in two years I will be completely better.’
Mrs Watt said she was conscious that the bees, which she orders at £12.50 for 50, died after delivering their sting. She hopes to set up hives after recovering fully to give something back. Dr Sandra Pearson, medical director of the Lyme Disease Action charity, said: ‘There are anecdotal reports, patient testimonials, from those saying they are trying bee venom therapy and it improves symptoms.
‘It is important to remember that no treatment, even a natural therapy, is without side effects. In this case one of the side effects could be anaphylaxis, which for some people can be severe.’
Eva Sapi, professor and head of biology and environmental science at the University of New Haven, Connecticut, said: ‘We are publishing a paper which shows effectiveness of bee venom on Borrelia [bacteria].
‘But it is test tube data. To make it a clinical treatment, the safety of the treatment needs to be studied. We have to do more research.’