Title: 'I was stung by 1,500 bees and I feel great': MS sufferer's pioneering therapy | Daily Mail Online
Headings: 'I was stung by 1,500 bees and I feel great': MS sufferer's pioneering therapy
'I was stung by 1,500 bees and I feel great': MS sufferer's pioneering therapy
Content: More than 85,000 Britons have MS, a condition in which immune cells attack the protective myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord. Initially, the body can repair the damage, but over time the nerves become scarred and stop transmitting signals. The bee sting treatment is based on the theory of 'counter irritation' - a new pain firing up the body's immune system to produce a response which dampens the effects of an existing condition. The exact composition of bee venom is not known. It is a chemical cocktail containing enzymes and proteins. Experts have warned the treatment is potentially dangerous with the risk of anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. And a spokesman for the MS Society has previously said U.S. trials on purified bee venom extract had not found any lasting effect. He said MS was a disease with a variable course. Some patients had fewer symptoms than others or even none at times, making it difficult to tell whether therapy was working.