We know that Lyme disease — the tick-borne illness that is rapidly spreading across the United States and which can make you seriously ill — is not something you want to get.

It's possible to cure Lyme disease if you catch it early and attack it aggressively. Unfortunately, for some people, the symptoms — which can include semi-permanent fatigue and nausea, among other ailments — don't go away and can stretch on for years.

And some folks understandably get desperate, as People Magazine reports:

[After being diagnosed with Lyme disease, Savannah] Spoor turned her attention to finding a treatment that might help. Bee venom therapy was already on her radar after she followed another woman's experience with it on Instagram, even before learning she had Lyme disease.

"People often find bee venom therapy after they've exhausted a lot of options," she says. "For many people struggling with Lyme disease, it's a last resort."

That is correct: Folks infected with a tick-borne disease are turning to a bee-borne venom to help them treat it.

Well, as we said, it can be a very rough disease. And it's not surprising that people who have been suffering from it for years might opt for some unconventional approaches to it.

Surprisingly, there is some semi-official literature to back up at least the theory of "bee venom therapy." One 2024 paper from an international team of researchers claims that bee venom is "rich in proteins, peptides, enzymes, and other types of molecules in low concentrations that show promise in the treatment of numerous diseases and conditions."

Among its alleged beneficial qualities, bee venom is reportedly "neuroprotective," "antimicrobial" and "cancer-fighting." That paper also notes its use in Lyme disease treatments.

Well, however beneficial it may or may not be...it certainly doesn't look pleasant:

And it's really not for the faint of heart. Spoor, for instance, "says she administers 10 stings three times a week, for a total of 30 stings: she began with one sting on her lower back and gradually increased the number until reaching 10 per session."

So does it work? Well, apparently it did for this young lady:

Today, Spoor says she can once again take long walks, hike and run. She also says her pain has subsided, her dizziness is now rare and she no longer feels as though she is 'walking around with an endless flu.'

'My capacity to work, travel and be creative is back,' she says.

I mean, it's gotta be better than Lyme Disease.

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