It
is our greatest pleasure to write this report about the activity of the
Apitherapy Commission. Nearly 4 years ago, we started a humanitarian project in
Cuba. Earlier reports have described how we established with great care the
solid foundations of our program. We wanted it to evolve in close relation to
the government authorities and with the ongoing collaboration of the university.
Last
February, the members of and the consultants to the Commission gave a one-week
course at the medical college of Calixto Garcia University in Havana. Some 235
physicians and health professionals attended and nearly 200 of them were awarded
the diploma conferred by the Commission. We had already begun to set up an
apitherapy program in different hospitals, Outpatient clinics as well as in a
rural community that is typical of the population in the country side of Cuba.
In June, and only after all protocols of evaluation, selection and treatment
were approved by the scientific and ethics authorities, the treatment of
patients began.
We
experienced at our last trip to Cuba in October one of the greatest pleasures we
have ever had: satisfaction on all areas: scientific, humanitarian and historic.
The results as reported to us corroborated exactly the teachings we had brought.
The efficacy of the products of the hive as well as the whole concept of
Apitherapy in a health project were validated.
In
the first protocols we included three anti-bacterial aro-honeys and one propo-honey
for skin cicatrisation .The purpose was to replace antibiotics in the treatment
of infections in the bronco-pulmonary and the gastro-intestinal areas as well of
generalized infections (septicemias). The prop-honey aimed at treating skin
abrasions, burns and ulcers. The results obtained validated absolutely the
superior power of aro-honeys as compared to antibiotics, in relation to the
length of condition. Further, not a single case of recurrence was observed.
Included in this series were nearly 600 cases of acute infections such as
pneumonia, or chronic such the asthmatiform bronchitis. These patients were
exclusively treated with aro-honeys provide by the Commission. All the cases
treated with antibiotics, demonstrated the extraordinary power of the
Api-pharmacopea. The propo-honey so far has confirmed its reputation as a
superior healing agent.
The
ministries of agriculture and of health of Cuba declared this project to be of
national interest. From the initial humanitarian quality, it acquired today
another dimension. it becomes a milestone. Here we do not have a local medicine
and pharmacopoeia for countries without the financial resources needed by the
rich for their medical care. Rather, this approach puts the countries using it
in the forefront of modern development in concepts and technique.
The
Commission is also closely involved in another major activity: The creation of
the first official CD-ROM on Apitherapy. This endeavor proved immense both as
regard the beauty of its execution as the dimension of the work involved .For
reasons that are primarily human but also technical, our planning had to be
extended by four months. The CD-ROM will come out at the end of January 2001. We
wish to apologize to anyone who already subscribed, and we are grateful for
their patience and understanding, We wish to thank our sponsors and benefactors
and specially the airline Cub cabaña, the American Apitherapy Society.
The
Commission wanted the disc to be complete, scientific, playful and esthetic. We
have put all our enthusiasm towards achieving these aims.
TH.
Cherbuliez
President of the Apitherapy Commission