Chinese stung by ancient bee therapy

An ancient therapy which involves bees stinging patients to cure their ailments is causing a buzz in China.

Doctors at a traditional Chinese medical clinic in northeast Beijing say the therapy has been proved effective in curing bone and joint diseases, as well as other problems.

The bee therapy dates back over 3,000 years in China, though it was only officially authorized as a legal medical service in 2007.

Doctors at the Kang Tai Bee Clinic keep the insects in regular beehives on the clinic grounds. When the patient is ready, the doctor uses tweezers to pick up bees one by one and places them on the acupoint of the suffering joint.

The doctors, who have passed strict training, decide how long the sting should stay in the acupoints, and how many bees should be used according to the individual patient's endurance.

At the very most, a patient can be stung more than a hundred times. At the very least, four or five times.

The centre sees an average of 30 patients every day, while more than fifty can queue up during the weekend -- many more than in past years. Doctor say more than 90 per cent of patients have recovered or improved their condition after receiving treatment.