Usage status and satisfaction with pharmacopuncture in Korea: A survey among Korean medicine doctors

Bee venom is a complex natural mixture with various pharmaceutical properties. Among these properties, its peptides and enzymes have potential medical therapy for pain relief and inflammation. In clinical settings, this therapy has been used widely to treat diseases by injecting into acupoints. In this article, we have conducted various research from PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Clinical Key from inception of July 2020. The results revealed that bee venom therapy has been reported effective in anti-inflammatory, antiapoptosis, and analgesic effects. Moreover, bee venom acupuncture has been commonly used for clinical disorders such as Parkinson disease, neuropathic pain, Alzheimer disease, intervertebral disc disease, spinal cord injury, musculoskeletal pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, skin disease and cancer.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Applications of Bee Venom Acupoint Injection

Lin

Hsieh

2020

“…BV-PA is a therapy in which venom extracted from the poison sac and then processed is injected into the human body at specific acupuncture points [20]. The most commonlyused PA solutions are bee venom, ginseng, and hominis placenta [5]. Since experiments in mice have shown that BV can have toxic effects on the liver and kidneys, damage the adrenal glands, and be a strong irritant, care should be taken in clinical applications [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of treatment, the PA was 24.1%, similar to that of the herbal medicine (26.8%) [4]. Eighty-eight percent of Korean medicine doctors (KMDs) administer PA, 35% of whom use BV, which is diluted to a ratio of less than 1:10,000 to minimize the side effects when as a PA solution [5,6]. BV is a complex compound consisting of several substances, some of which have anti-inflammatory [7], antinociceptive [8], radioprotective [9], antimutagenic [10], and anticancer [11,12] activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Adverse Events in Bee Venom Therapy Reported in South Korea: A Survey Study

Kim

Jeong

Lee

et al. 2021

Self Cite

This study was aimed at investigating Korean patients’ experience with bee venom therapy (BVT) and providing evidence to enhance BVT safety. Thus, an anonymous online survey was conducted between August 22 and 28, 2018. Five hundred respondents who underwent pharmacopuncture (PA) within one year were surveyed (sample error: 95 ± 4.38%). Of these, 32 respondents were excluded and 468 were evaluated. Of the 468, 61 reported experiencing adverse events after PA. The adverse event rate was higher in the BV-PA(Bee venom-Pharmacopuncture) group than in the non-A group; however, intergroup differences were insignificant. There were no significant differences in mild symptom intensity between the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups (p = 0.572). However, there was a significant intergroup difference in severe symptom intensity (p < 0.001). Additionally, the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups did not significantly differ in their level of satisfaction either overall or in terms of effectiveness and safety (p = 0.414, p = 0.339, and p = 0.675, respectively). Furthermore, the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups did not differ regarding intent to re-treat (p = 0.722). Severe adverse events such as anaphylactic shock were not reported; however, BVT practitioners should be cautious when applying it.

“…A comparative study of the effects of BV injections and BV phonophoresis should be conducted to determine whether they are safe and effective treatment methods. In particular, the fact that Korean medicine doctors use many pharmacopuncture treatments for musculoskeletal diseases (frequency of 41.7%), neurological diseases (18.0%), and gastrointestinal diseases (9%) indirectly shows that BVA affects musculoskeletal disorders [41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Effectiveness and Adverse Events of Bee Venom Therapy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Jang

Kim

2020

Self Cite

Bee venom has been used to treat many diseases because of its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. However, the secretions of bee venom can also cause life-threatening adverse reactions. The objective of this paper was to review the clinical effectiveness of bee venom and adverse events induced by bee venom, regardless of the disease. Four electronic databases were searched in April 2020. The reference lists of the retrieved articles and previous review articles were also hand-searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using any type of bee venom other than live bee stings for the clinical treatment of any disease other than cancer were included. The studies were selected, the data were extracted, and the quality of the studies was assessed by two authors. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias standards. Twelve RCTs were included in this review—three on Parkinson’s disease, four on arthralgia, four on musculoskeletal disorders, and one on polycystic ovary syndrome. The types of bee venom used were acupuncture injections, ultrasound gel, and an ointment. Six studies reported adverse events, and skin reactions such as pruritus and swelling were the most common. The large-scale clinical trials of bee venom therapy are needed to verify the statistical difference, and the reporting system for adverse events is also required to increase the safety of bee venom therapy.