Apitherapy
APITHERAPY, or Bee Therapy (apis means bee in Latin) is the medicinal use of products made by Honeybees (Apis Mellifera). Apitherapy is the science and art of preventing and healing hundreds of health conditions, boosting vitality, strength and beauty using products from the honeybee hive: honey, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, apilarnil, bee venom and beeswax.
Importance of Bees
Recently, there’s been more interest in beekeeping and increased awareness about the importance of bees, as a result of epidemic bee disappearance due Colony Collapse Disorder that threatens our very food supply. Most honey bee disappearance can be attributed to the use of pesticides, hence our commitment here at The Source to have a Bee Sanctuary, where they are free to forage safely in our biodynamic permaculture garden and the pristine Otways rainforest, without a single commercial farm within reach.
Bees are essential in pollinating our fruit and nut trees, vegetables and other floral species, making them critical for sustainable food supply. In fact, one 1 of every 3 food bites you take are pollinated by bees! And when it comes to their most commonly consumed by humans product - honey - their work to produce it cannot be underestimated. To make a single jar of honey, bees work from sunup to sundown, fly nearly 80,000 km (twice the circumference of the earth!) and collect the nectar from 2 million flowers!
Learn more about how bees and plants communicate via electric signals and the secret life of bees here.
The Healing power of the Beehive
Besides securing our food supply, bees and their products provide us with extraordinary richness in nutrients and “soft” active compounds which can protect our health efficiently against over 800 diseases! No wonder beekeepers have been documented to have a high longevity and there virtually zero cases of cancer, as they regularly receive their bees’ “treatment”.
Some of the conditions treated with Apitherapy include stress and anxiety, asthma, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, wounds, pain, Lyme disease, gout, shingles, burns, tendonitis, infections and viruses.
An ancient form of healing
Therapies involving the honeybee have existed for thousands of years. The ancient rock art of early hunter-gatherers depicts the honeybee as a source of natural medicine. Bee venom therapy was practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece, and China — three Great Civilisations known for their highly developed medical systems. Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the “Father of Medicine”, recognised the healing virtues of bee venom for treating arthritis and other joint problems. Today, growing scientific evidence suggests that various bee products promote healing by improving circulation, decreasing inflammation, and stimulating a healthy immune response.
Apitherapy often includes the use of a combination of bee hive products, as well as the use of the Bee Venom or Bee Sting therapy. Bee products are also sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as essential oils and herbs, dependent on the condition treated.
Apitherapy at The Source
The Source offers Australia’s first Apitherapy spa, in our purpose-built ApiHouse - a unique micro-spa dedicated exclusively to Apitherapy treatments.
Our principal treatment is a deeply relaxing, soothing and restorative Bee Bed Relaxation and Aero Inhalation. Widely used in Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, China, Japan, Korea and Canada, this form of Apitherapy is non-invasive and can be safely enjoyed by most people.
The ApiHouse is a comfortable and beautiful space with two Bee Beds (with bee hives safely isolated in a chamber underneath the beds), and two seated recliners or massage table, depending on your treatment. Overlooking the rolling Otways hills, you get to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of Apitherapy, while the bees provide their healing properties in safety and isolation away from the interior of the ApiHouse.
How it works
Our ApiHouse is available for treatment for people of all ages, with children under the age of 16 needing to be accompanied by an adult. The ApiHouse is available for use by up to 4 people, so individual or family passes are available. Treatment is usually in increments of 90min, and requiring an average of 10-12 sessions for sustainable results. The ApiHouse open season is from November to May and season passes as well as Accommodation & Apitherapy packages are available.
There are 4 main therapeutic attributes that make our ApiHouse treatments and Bee Beds effective.
Micro-vibration and Electromagnetic Field
Bees create micro-vibration by bees fanning their wings within their hives to evaporate the moisture from the nectar and maturate the honey. For the person laying on the Bee Bed exactly above the hive it’s like a light vibro-massage that tones the nervous, circulatory and muscular system, producing a state of self-healing and balance. Without a mattress that would block this vibration, the Bee Bed is firm but comfortable and is covered simply by a sheet so the body can receive the maximum direct benefits of these micro-vibrations.
Like all living systems, the beehive creates a particular frequency of an electromagnetic field. Being in such close proximity to the hive, but safely separated from its inhabitants, your energetic field is directly influenced by this healing frequency. In fact, researchers report that after sleeping on the Bee Bed the human body’s energetic field is amplified 5 times, leaving you feeling revitalised, energised, yet calm, relaxed and balanced.
2. Inhalation
The ApiHouse is designed to safely release from the beehive and fill the ApiHouse with the clean, aromatic ionized air and bee pheromones created in the hive, to be inhaled by the person receiving the treatment. It’s reported that most microbes in bronchi and lungs are killed just after 10 minutes of simply breathing naturally in the ApiHouse or using a dedicated Beehive Aerosol Inhalator connected to the hive. Inhaling the Bee Aerosols aids in combating respiratory conditions like:
· asthma
· nasal congestion
· sore throat
· chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
· chronic bronchitis
· emphysema
· tracheobronchitis
· bronchiolitis, etc
Additionally, since the beehive produces highly ionized air (aka Ionotherapy), it reduces the level of free radicals in the human body, thus promoting vitality, wellbeing and anti-aging.
3. Aromatherapy
Experience passive aromatherapy from the aromas of the plant nectar brought by the bees, the scent of honey and propolis, which create a relaxing atmosphere, and which can aid with insomnia, stress, anxiety, and other nervous system conditions.
4. Natural White Noise
The white noise produced by the buzzing or humming of the bees is extremely beneficial in reducing stress, anxiety, insomnia and other conditions of the nervous system. Now you can safely enjoy the calming benefits of the bee humming while not being at any risk of being stung by them. Bee humming produces a deeply relaxing state of meditative trance that quietens the mind and triggers your natural restorative and self-healing mechanism.
Health Benefits
The preventative and healing benefits of all forms of Apitherapy (not just Bee Beds, but including ingestion of various bee products, bee venom therapy, etc) range widely, from nervous, to cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, immune systems, musculoskeletal conditions and chronic diseases.
Most conclusive results from use of Bee Beds are reported regarding upper respiratory conditions. It cleans the bronchi, relieves spasms and facilitates the withdrawal of phlegm. It eliminates the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, disinfects the body and stimulates the production of immune system cells.
Use of Bee Beds is also reported to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, remove fatigue, stress and tension. It promotes complete physical and emotional relaxation, which triggers an improved psycho-emotional states that translates to increased regeneration of tissues, improved immune system function, and balancing of the human body.
It facilitates detoxification, normalisation of metabolism, shedding of excess weight and tendency to overeat. The quality of sleep is also improved, positively impacting those suffering from insomnia and headaches. It’s also restorative for those engaged in heavy physical labor or enduring psychological stress.
For more info, please refer to the Library of scientific studies on Apitherapy and Apitherapy News
Contraindications:
Like with all complementary therapies, it is advisable to first consult your doctor or supervising medical practitioner. Contraindications include those with:
– allergy or intolerance to bees, bee products or their stings. Acute mental disorders.
– cancer neoplasms, severe atherosclerosis, increased body temperature, acute infectious diseases, with large stones in the gall bladder and kidneys. For these patients the therapy can be carried out only under medical supervision.
