The Buzz on Bee Sting Therapy

Though it may sound like an oxymoron, bee sting therapy is being practiced at a Beijing clinic where patients hope to be stung into good health. Don't get it? Me either...

The therapy, which includes placing live bees on a patient's body at certain pressure points, can be traced back to over 3,000 years ago in China. Doctors believe it is similar to acupuncture except the bees toxin is a natural medicine and the stinger is a natural injection.

Legalized in 2007, it has proved to be effective in curing diseases such as rheumatism and arthritis amongst other illnesses. The bees' poison can help blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and ease pain. Doctors say more than 90 percent of their patients have benefited from the treatment.

Despite the pain, patients have traveled long distances to try out the buzzed about treatment.