The Wonderful Benefits of Bee Venom on RA
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Apitherapy, a method of curing illnesses with honeybee products,
has been practiced since ancient times. However, within the past
few decades, conventional doctors have joined forces with holistic
practitioners to explore the "healing power" of bee venom.
More specifically, these medical professionals are attempting to
discover the anti-arthritic effect of bee venom for the treatment
of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a destructive, inflammatory
disease affecting the joints through:
Researchers discovered that melittin, a powerful anti-inflammatory
agent and component of bee venom, might aid in the treatment of
RA.
Therefore, to explore the potential benefits of this agent, researchers
conducted experiments on rats that were diagnosed with advanced
RA.
The researchers attempted to discover the anti-inflammatory effects
of bee venom on synovial cells, the cells lining the joints. (The
cells tested were obtained from human RA patients.) They found that
melittin has the ability to reduce inflammation, much like COX-2
inhibitors, through restraining a DNA binding activity.
Based on these findings, researchers came to the conclusion that
the key to the anti-arthritic effects of bee venom lies in melittin's
ability to deactivate inflammation.
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