A woman with Lyme disease has spoken out about her decision to ditch her doctors’ advice, and instead opt to sting herself with bees up to 30 times a week in order to manage her symptoms.
In 2015, Brittany Elliott’s life was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with Lyme disease - a bacterial infection that can cause unbearable pain and fatigue.
The infection stemmed from a tick bite that Brittany suffered during a camping trip in San Diego at the age of seven - fifteen years before her diagnosis.
Speaking to VT about her illness, the now-28-year-old Brittany revealed that “there wasn’t a lot of awareness” about Lyme disease when she was bitten.
After her mom noticed the tick bite, Brittany was taken to a doctor who proceeded to “light” it out, and she was sent home with “zero antibiotics and zero supplements”.
Nevertheless, she would live the next 15 years of her life like any other kid.
“Growing up, I was honestly pretty healthy,” she told VT. “I was outgoing and fearless. Nothing was stopping me”.
However, during her time at college, Brittany started feeling more and more fatigued. But it wasn’t until she graduated and moved into her new home that she knew something was seriously wrong.
After living for a month in a property that she describes as being “covered in mold”, she said her brain just “turned off”.
“Something really weird happened. I was waking up with extreme dizziness, I felt so ‘out-of-body’, I was so shaky, I was so… off,” she said. “I kid you not, it happened overnight.”
After being diagnosed with Lyme disease, Brittany - who now lives in Denver, Colorado - did what most people would do and followed the advice of her doctors.
Nearly a year into her treatment and she was spending $1,000-$2,000 every month and taking “50-60 medically-endorsed pills a day”. The extensiveness of her treatment meant that Brittany was unable to maintain a social life.
But as well as crippling her financially and stealing away her social life, Brittany was also left with the heartbreaking realization that her treatments were not working.
Then one day, while browsing a Lyme disease community Facebook page, Brittany was introduced to Bee Venom Therapy (BVT).
Watch Brittany's morning routine“Here I was on modern medicine, taking 50-60 pills throughout the day, not getting better - then I kept seeing these testimonials raving about Bee Venom Therapy,” she said.
BVT is a form of apitherapy that involves the therapeutic use of honey bee venom, in which the patient either injects the venom into their body with needles or directly from live honey bees through stings.
Due to a lack of extensive research, BVT is not a medically endorsed treatment in the US or UK, and charities such as Lyme Disease UK urge people not to attempt BVT without precautionary measures and the observation of a medical professional.
That being said, marketing manager Brittany explained that BVT has allowed her to finally “live her life again”.
“People say I’m crazy for doing Bee Venom Therapy, but everyone I know who has switched from that route to where we are now says that it’s a night and day difference,” she said.
Admittedly, Brittany was “hesitant and fearful” of trying the treatment herself for the first time, but after researching BVT over the course of a year, she finally decided to give it a go.
So, how does it work? Well, Brittany told me that, every month, she receives a stock of live bees in a small container from supporting beekeepers.
She then transfers the bees into a bee hut (which she now sells on Etsy), where they live until she is ready to use them for stinging. Until then, she feeds them raw organic honey to keep them hydrated and nourished.
“I was terrified the first time I got my bee shipment. I was shaking in my boots,” she told VT. “We have been raised to fear these amazing, beautiful, gentle creatures - so I was terrified.”
And explaining the stinging process, Brittany said: “I do ice [the area] before, so the pain isn’t that bad, but regardless, the adrenaline and the anxiety that came with that first sting was just insane.”
When I asked Brittany about the pain caused by the stings, she tells me: “The amount of pain and suffering that we go through as Lyme patients - and it’s invisible so it’s hard for people to really tell - but, that in comparison to a bee sting is nothing.”
Brittany openly admits that she did not feel better immediately, and said that the first few months trying BVT “were not easy” - but she chose to stick with it.
“Spiritually and mentally I just knew it was working,” she said.
And after eight months on BVT, Brittany started to feel better - much better than she ever had when taking antibiotics.
Now, she stings herself 10 times every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, meaning she endures 30 bee stings a week.
“I do it in the mornings for about 30 minutes, then I’m on with my day,” she said.
Brittany now shares her BVT journey to her social media channels, where she posts under the name BritterBeez.
And, as to be expected with such a controversial form of therapy, Brittany is constantly facing criticism for opting to use BVT, with some people branding her “cruel” and a “bee killer”.
But she shrugs off these comments, and insists that her payment for the bees will eventually help the bee populations “further down the line”.
Additionally, she tells me that bees are her “only way out.”
“Nobody knows until they’re actually going through it,” she said. “I wouldn’t be doing it unless it was a necessity.
“Any beekeeper that I’ve talked to, I have their full support.
“We are getting [the bees] from certified beekeepers, and these beekeepers - out of anyone in the world - are the ones who love bees and know how amazing their impact is on our world. And if they’re okay with it, everyone should be.”
The bees that are sent to Brittany are “at the end of their lifespan” with about “2-3 weeks left to live”.
“They are worker bees, and have already done their work within the hive,” she said. “What I use in three years is what one queen will lay in three days.
“It has zero impact on the health of the hive.”
She added: “I see it as the full circle of life, and I know everybody isn’t going to see it that way. But the end of their life is giving me mine back.”
Speaking about the other threats bees are facing, Brittany said: “I don't think people realize just how many bees are just, for one, naturally dying. More bees naturally die than what we’ll use within the entire [treatment] span.”
She added: “Pesticides, EMFs, almond farms - all of these things that contribute to bee die-offs are really where we should be putting our focus.”
Brittany knows that BVT isn’t for everyone, and has seen many of her friends in the Lyme community heal using other ways. That being said, she wants people in her situation to listen to their own bodies.
“I am not the first person to do [BVT], and I don’t claim to be. What I really want to do is spread awareness and let people know that it is out there.”
“There are still a lot of people out there - and I do think it’s a generational thing - that are still just believing anything their doctor says, even if they don’t feel better.”
And she insisted: “I am a huge bee lover and this is changing my life for the better... It’s just a matter of spreading awareness and letting people heal.”
Putting the trolls to the back of her mind, Brittany said: “I just remember why I’m doing this, and that is to help other people.
Now, Brittany’s inbox is full of people thanking her for introducing them to BVT and sharing their stories about how their lives have improved.
“That overrides any negative comment I’ve ever got,” she told me.
And desperate to give back to the bees, Brittany now dreams of one day being an apitherapist, as well as caring for her own hives.
“My goal is to have a bee shop in California and to be able to sting people and help people heal,” she said.
However, until BVT is a licensed treatment in the US, Brittany’s dream is on hold. Nevertheless, she believes Bee Venom Therapy will be “bigger than we anticipated”.
And to keep up with Brittany's journey, you can follow her here:
- Website: BritterBeez.com
- Instagram: @BritterBeez
- TikTok: @BritterBeez
