(6 Dec 2013) LEADIN
A medical clinic in the Indonesian capital is using the stings of live bees to treat various illness, including strokes and cancer.
The clinic claims that an active substance in the bee venom has healing properties.
But medical experts warn of inconclusive research and lethal side effects of the alternative treatment.
STORYLINE
Bee sting therapist Wima Mulaji Harsono opened his clinic in Jakarta in 2002.
It is one of a handful of clinics offering similar services in the Indonesian capital, claiming success in treating people with various illnesses by using the stings of live bees.
Wima has a university degree in biology and has also studied acupuncture for two years.
The 48-year-old says he has has long been fascinated by bees and their healing power.
After years of personal research, Wima says he has developed a medical therapy that involves pricking the skin with the stings of live bees.
He keeps a colony of bees on the roof of his clinic for the treatment.
The venom in a bee sting has a mixture of powerful chemicals, including melittin that is believed to boost the human body's ability to fight off many diseases, according to Wima.
"We can find something inside the stomach of bees that possesses healing properties for human beings, but we have to first explore and study these healing abilities of bees," he says.
The clinic has treated patients with a wide range of illness, including rheumatism, diabetes, asthma, cancer and stroke.
Before treatment, Wima always takes the blood pressure reading of his patients.
As the a bee sting can lower blood pressure, he has to make sure that his patients have a safe blood pressure level before the therapy.
Wima is also very careful with the dosage of bee stings that he uses to treat his patients.
New patients usually get no more than five stings per visit.
As they get used to the bee stings, they can eventually receive between 10 to 20 stings per day.
Patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer or stroke, can receive up to 50 stings during their treatment.
In recent years, the bee sting therapy has become more popular, especially among the low-income residents.
Wima charges patients just five US dollars for a visit.
But for those who cannot even afford this, he also accepts any voluntary donation.
The clinic is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day except on Sundays.
Wima greets patients, registers them and then conducts the therapy, all on his own.
On average, Wima treats around 10 patients per day.
On a really busy day, he can get up to 50 patients, he says.
Plantation worker Ajirwan has been a patient at the clinic for three years.
The 63-year-old is being treated for rheumatism and high blood sugar.
He was also experiencing pain in his legs when moving around.
Ajirwan says he had been to a number of doctors in the past but was never satisfied with their treatment.
He found out about bee sting therapy on the internet and decided to give it a try.
He says he began to feel better after his fourth visit and now receives up to 30 stings in each session.
"My legs are no longer swollen. I have felt a lot of changes since trying this therapy. I feel much healthier now and I have a safe glucose level in my blood," says Ajirwan.
Fifty-year-old Irianti has been coming to the clinic twice a week for the past three months.
Irianti suffered a stroke in 1993.
Since then, she has been in a wheelchair and has had some speech problems.
She says she felt better after being treated for a month.
Irianti is now receiving up to 20 stings during each visit.
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