As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I was lucky enough to get an apitherapy treatment from Todd Hardy the owner of Honey Gardens here in Vermont.
What is apitherapy?
Apitherapy is, simply said, the use of Bee Products to Prevent, Heal or Recover somebody from one or more diseases/conditions. It is also the Art and Science of Treatment and Holistic Healing through the honeybee and her products for the benefit of Mankind and all the Animal Kingdom. www.apitherapy.com
I woke up early on Friday morning to be at Honey Gardens by 7am. I woke up very excited and interested to see what this apitherapy treatment was going to be like. All I knew was that Todd would sting me with a bee and the venom would heal me!
When I arrived I was automatically taken away by the beauty of the land Honey Gardens sits on. You can just feel the energy of the bees all around you. I felt so calm and content. It is a really special place. Todd took me the shop and where the honey was made as well as showed me the beautiful elderberry plants they have for sale for $12.
My friends thought I was crazy to drive 30mins. to get stung by a bee. It was so much more than getting stung!
When we arrived at the hives, he had asked me what needed attention and after doing 5hrs. of chair massage, my hands and arms were in need of some healing. I was pretty positive I was not allergic to bees, but just to be safe Todd explained to me what to do if I did have a bad reaction. I had to take an epinephrine pen and stab it into my leg. Lucky for me in so many ways, I am not allergic to bees!
As we all know when bees lose their stinger they die. So was I going to kill a bee for my own health, I was not sure how I felt about that. I asked Todd what he thought, he said its taken him awhile but has come to terms with it. He feels that bees natural instinct is to heal. Todd and I then did a prayer for the bees, we asked them permission and I thanked them over and over for all they do, and gave thanks to the universe for letting me be connected to such amazing creatures. As we were standing there in the summer morning sun, with bees flying around and the breeze blowing a slow and soft wind through the field and hives I knew why I had fallen in love with such extraordinary creatures. When I was ready Todd grabbed a bee from the hive and stuck the stinger in my lower right arm. It hurt like a bee sting, but nothing painful. I could see the venom from the bee going into my arm and I thanked the bee so much for healing my arm. The spot where I was stung had a small amount of pressure while I was driving home. So I could not help but think about the session and the bees. I felt as though this bees venom was inside me now, I was being healed long after the actual sting. I felt closer to the bees than ever. If you have been around or met Todd you can tell he just loves the bees and they love him. Its a true blessing to have experienced the healing effects of apitherapy from someone so close to the bees.
The only negative thing I have to say about the whole experience is when the sting is healing it itches like CRAZY! You are going to want to have some anti- sting or itch medicine to help you through that. It only last a day or two. My arm did feel great after the sting and even days after when they usually would have been sore. I will not use this type of treatment again only because of the bees and I don’t really need it that much, but people use Apitherapy for MS, Lyme disease and so many serious illnesses and I totally believe in it!
I will be writing more about my experience in the September/October issue of the Healthy Hippie Magazine.
If you would like more information on Honey Gardens please visit www.honeygardens.com. They have honey, plant medicines and the best mead you will ever have! I am looking to have a mead tasting in the fall so I will be sure to let you know. Until then stop in at Honey Gardens on RTE. 7 in Ferrisburg or visit them online and don’t go another day without trying the meads, they even have one called Melissa named after Melissa, the greek goddess of the bees!
I also need to send a special thank you to Todd! Thanks for one of the most unforgettable experiences ever.
