Abstract
Objectives : To survey concept, meaning, and problems of beekeeper's bee sting therapy by reviewing and summarizing outline, indications, and clinical cases of 'Research on Bee Sting Therapy' described in Monthly Yangbonggye. Methods : As a narrative review, literature researches were carried out based on 'Research on Bee Sting Therapy' in Monthly Yangbonggye in the aspects of outline, indications, and clinical cases. In the concrete, outline was just summarized and described, and indications were categorized by recent version of international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems(ICD) of WHO(World health organization), and clinical cases were collected and summarized from the viewpoint of acupoints and methods of therapy. Results : 1. Bee sting therapy is to inject venom into skin by stimulating affected lesions or acupoints on meridian with sting of bee alive for therapeutic purposes. It can be divided into two classes(direct stimulation(直針法) and indirect stimulation(拔針法)) by the differences of methods, and is different from bee venom acupuncture therapy in the aspects of the way of extraction and injection. 2. In this material, bee sting therapy has 83 indications classified into 17 of 22 chapters of ICD. Among clinical cases, cases on neoplasm, goitre, lump, and haemorrhoids by direct stimulation were especially outstanding. 3. The therapeutic acupoints selected in bee sting therapy are mainly Ashi points(阿是穴), and partly acupoints on meridian(經穴), Extra points(經外奇穴), and New points(新穴) with careful consideration of patients' condition. Conclusions : Although bee sting therapy has more or less controversial points of diagnosis, treatment, and management of side effects, it is thought that the accumulated and inherited experiences from old times can be used as meaningful material by further experimental and clinical researches.
