Research on therapeutic uses of bee venom is ongoing because it does show promise. The 45-year-old English woman was in palliative care in California because she was dying from Lyme disease. About 476,000 people per year get Lyme disease in the U.S., according to a CDC report from March. Bee venom therapy in particular has been used as far back as ancient Egypt, says a 2024 article from research database company EBSCO . The top of Hayward’s article on the Lyme Disease UK website recommends not attempting self-treatment “without precautionary measures and oversight by a medical professional.”