Suffering from back pain or stiff joints? This Chinese doctor recommends bee sting therapy.

At a Chinese medicine hospital in the southern city of Shenzhen, Dr She Ruitao has pricked more than a thousand patients over the past three years with the stings of honey bees he has raised himself.

The doctor says the 2,000-year-old treatment relieves body aches and the symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as gout and some types of arthritis.

Some Chinese medicine practitioners believe bee stings help regulate the body’s energy flow in a similar way to acupuncture; they also believe the insect’s venom contains substances that reduce pain and inflammation.

With no evidence of its effectiveness, the procedure remains controversial and is only used by a few practitioners mostly in China, Malaysia, India and the Middle East.

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