Turkish summit creates a buzz on beehive therapies for Whitby businessman

The summit was looking at ways in which these powerful natural medicines can support orthodox pharmaceutical medicines in dealing with one of the major health crises of our time – antibiotic resistance.

James Fearnley said: “Antibiotics are miracle medicines but their role should be confined to emergencies, not to routine treatment.

"The problem is while killing the bacteria that have got out of hand they kill the good ones too, the ones that actually help us stay well.

"The overall effect of over prescription of antibiotics is a lowering of our bodies’ own ability – our wonderful immune system – to keep keep us balanced and well.”

The meeting was called by the Turkish Government - the Ministry of Health and Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan – to further develop, with the support of the World Health Organisation, the work to bring Apitherapy – a type of alternative therapy that uses products that come directly from honeybees – and other natural therapies more into the mainstream.

The meeting included Dr Ali Timucin, a medical doctor at Medipol, Turkey’s leading Medical University.

Dr Timucin has now trained more than 100 medical doctors in the use of Apitherapy and is president of the International Federation of Apitherapy.

Mr Fearnley said: “Turkey is now leading the world in the medical use of Apitherapy.

"Dr Timucin as director of the Medipol’ s Centre for Complementary Medicines is working with the Turkish government to coordinate global interest in natural medicines through the Global Conferences in Complementary and Traditional Medicines - GETAT.

"A second major conference is planned for April this year.”

Mr Fearnley and his team of researchers at Nature’s Laboratory, along with their university partners in Bradford, Teesside and York, are the UK’s leading researchers into medicines from the beehive.

The team is conducting a Global Propolis Survey which they believe will show how propolis from your own area is particularly helpful with antibiotic resistant infections common to your locality.