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 Samour inherited the skill of bee-sting therapy from his father, who
used to raise bees. Then in 2003, the agricultural engineer started
to dedicate all his time to studying and developing the alternative
medicine treatment of apitherapy, which uses all bee-related
products, including honey, propolis - or bee glue used to build
hives - and venom.
"I am treating serious and chronic diseases which have no cure in
regular medicine, I have achieved excellent results," said Samour,
an Egyptian-educated specialist in entomology and bees in the Gaza
Strip, a Palestinian enclave.
“We speak about chondritis in the neck and spine, migraine, loss of
hair, alopecia areata, skin diseases, cerebral palsy, autism and
cancer," he said inside an apartment packed with patients on the
edge of a beach refugee camp in Gaza City.
The 58-year-old Palestinian said he makes bees sting patients at
certain points in their bodies that he has carefully studied. A bee
dies after being made to sting.
"I have been subjected to doubts, but bee-sting therapy has proven
itself as an excellent alternative medicine," he told Reuters. "Some
doctors, who value the apitherapy for certain illnesses, are among
my patients."
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The Islamist-ruled Gaza is under blockade by neighboring Egypt and
Israel, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out
of the territory. So Gaza lacks sophisticated medical equipment and
has patchy access to medicines.
Seriously ill patients must travel to Israel, Egypt or beyond for
specialist medical treatment.
Inside Samour's home, men and women wait their turn in separate
rooms.
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Alya Al-Ghafari, 10, has been suffering from facial palsy for over
two years. Mainstream medicine was both expensive and less efficient
than apitherapy, according to her father.
"Treatment by bee stings has been more effective than treatment by
regular medicine but you need to be patient," said Saeed Al-Ghafari,
a government employee. His daughter has been receiving treatment
from Samour for nearly nine months.
"At the beginning my daughter felt pain but as time passed Alya felt
she became better," said Ghafari. "Her face has become better and
now she is the one who reminds us of the therapy sessions."
Muneera Al-Baba said her son Anas, who suffers from cerebral palsy,
has made much more progress in a year and a half than he ever did
using mainstream medicine, which also cost twice as much.
"Communication between me and him was disconnected," the 44-year-old
mother told Reuters. "He lived in a world of his own, now he
responds to me."
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Brian McGee and Mark
Heinrich)
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