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Above:  Effective ... the suction bottles on camera-shy Helen Leong enhance the bee acupuncture treatment.

At right:  REVIEW ... Chan who sought treatment for a nerve system disorder, being checked by Ho.

Apitherapist Daniel Ho removed a bee from a clear plastic box, pulled out its sting, parted the hair on the crown of the woman's head and applied the sting.  She sat unflinching.

Ho repeated the procedure at the nape of her neck, her back, arm and the soft fleshy area between her thumbs and index fingers, using a fresh bee sting for each location.

The entire treatment was over in less than 15 minutes.

Declining to reveal her name, the woman, a clerk at the Eden Handicap Service Centre had gone for treatment for her droopy eyelid problem.

Ho started treatment on her more than a year ago when he was senior physician there.

"After receiving the stings from three bees, my eyes opened slowly," the woman said.

"Now I have no problem with them, and I also find that my memory is coming back.

"These two ailments were the result of my exposure to bird droppings," she claimed.

"I still visit Ho for the bee sting treatment whenever I don't feel good," she added.

Ho did not charge her any fee and this free service is also available to other disabled persons.

"They just have to bring their welfare cards.  I am also offering this service to residents of old folks homes," Ho said.

"But they have to bring along a letter from the management authority of the home or organisation," he said.

Elaborating on his free treatment, Ho said his stint at the Eden Handicap Service Centre made him realise the plight of the disabled.

"Our association hopes to bring relief to our disabled friends and reduce the burden on their families," he said.

An apitherapist for more than seven years, Ho was a teacher before he quit to study the subject in China.

Describing apitherapy as the medicinal use of honeybee products - honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax and the venom - he said the practice "is as old as beekeeping."

He added that the subject had been mentioned in Chinese texts that were more than 2000 years old.

Ho is now senior physician and chairman of the Malaysian Association of Apitherapy.

"The association is registered with the Health Ministry.  There are about 50 members but only five are trained in bee acupuncture.  Of the five, three are non active, leaving only myself and another practioner in Johor.

"We use Italian honeybees as their venom is more potent.

"Bee venom therapy has been found to be effective for the treatment of skin problems like eczema, corns, warts and shingles, gout, rheumatoid arthritis and other related problems including tennis elbow and bursitis.

"The venom works by triggering our immune system," he said.

"Mellitin, one of the components of the venom, has powerful anti-bacterial properties.  It has been found to be more than 100 times more potent than hydrocortisol, an anti-inflammatory agent."

Helen Leong, 58, who was unable to walk because of her knee problem a year ago, said she was now mobile.

"Imagine my joy when I can ride my motorcycle again," she said.

Chan Yin Teng, 34, who had a nerve system disorder, said she had been successfully treated with bee venom three times a week for six months.  Before treatment, she said the ailment caused her neck and head to bend to the left.

Khoo Hong Seng admitted being sceptical about the treatment at first.

"I was surprised my persistent cough is letting up after a few treatments," he said.

"Doctors say I have acute bronchitis.  I have this problem since childhood and cough mixtures do not work," he said, adding he is continuing treatment.

For details about the therapy, call 012-455 7897 / 04-656 7897 or visit the centre at 32, Jalan Mesjid Negri.

Above: NO PROBLEM ...
Ho applying bee sting to the crown of a patient.

At Right: EASY DOES IT ... removing the sting from a honeybee requires deft hands.