{"success":true,"data":{"id":"e8b36923-e40b-4275-9264-6e65626979e1","title":"Woman turns to bee venom therapy to treat Lyme disease symptoms","summary":"US Edition Change Support Now × \"Clear search box\") Custom Search Sort by Relevance Date NewsNews SportsSports CultureCulture LifestyleLifestyle MoneyMoney TravelTravel PremiumPremium ClimateClimate More More Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site t...","content":"US Edition Change\n\nSupport Now\n\n[×](javascript:void(0) \"Clear search box\")\n\nCustom Search\n\nSort by\n\nRelevance\n\nDate\n\n*   News[News](https://www.independent.co.uk/us)\n\n*   Sports[Sports](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport)\n\n*   Culture[Culture](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment)\n\n*   Lifestyle[Lifestyle](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style)\n\n*   Money[Money](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money)\n\n*   Travel[Travel](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel)\n\n*   Premium[Premium](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium)\n\n*   Climate[Climate](https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change)\n\nMore\n\nMore\n\n### Thank you for registering\n\nPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in\n\n# Woman turns to bee venom therapy to treat Lyme disease symptoms\n\n## Savannah Spoor, 23, used the treatment as a last resort after exhausting other options\n\n[Ellie Muir](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/ellie-muir)in New York Friday 24 July 2026 13:24 EDT\n\n*   Copy link  \n*   Bookmark  \n*   [Comments](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/lyme-disease-treatment-bee-venom-b3021177.html#comments-area)Go to comments  \n\n## Bookmark popover\n\nRemoved from bookmarks\n\nClose popover\n\nClose\n\nPowered By\n\n10 Sec\n\n0\n\n00\n\nLyme disease: Raising awareness\n\nNext video in\n\nNext\n\nKEEP WATCHING\n\n### Your support helps us to tell the story\n\nFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.\n\nAt such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.\n\nThe Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.\n\n**Your support makes all the difference.**\n\nA woman has shared why she turned to bee venom therapy as a last resort to treat her [debilitating Lyme disease symptoms](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/lyme-disease-bacteria-new-york-ticks-b2993108.html).\n\nSavannah Spoor, 23, began experiencing chronic symptoms from Lyme disease – an illness [caused by borrelia bacteria carried by ticks](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/lyme-disease-symptoms-treatment-miranda-hart-b2626282.html) – during her freshman year of college in 2021. Lyme disease is typically treated with antibiotics if the tick bite is acted upon quickly, but many patients have long-lasting symptoms.\n\nSpoor’s [list of symptoms](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/bella-hadid-lyme-disease-chronic-illness-health-update-b3003753.html) included dizziness, headaches, nausea, joint pain, numbness, difficulty recalling words and changes to her vision and hearing. They then [worsened to the point that](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/tick-removal-lyme-disease-risks-b3016322.html) she could no longer walk steadily, drive, attend class or participate in everyday activities.\n\nIn a new interview with [_People_](https://people.com/woman-stings-herself-with-30-bees-a-week-to-treat-lyme-disease-exclusive-12022622), the content creator from Seattle revealed that she has resorted to stinging herself with bee venom after exhausting other treatment options.\n\n“I couldn’t travel, couldn’t go out to dinner and, at my worst, didn’t even feel comfortable sleeping alone,” she told the outlet. “My experience was worlds away from my peers. I don’t even think most of them could comprehend what I was going through or the depths of the suffering I was experiencing.”\n\nUndo\n\nUndo\n\n[](https://www.searchresultoffers.com/)[New SUVs With Tiny Price Tags (Take A Look)SearchResultOffers | Search Ads | [Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)[Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)](https://www.searchresultoffers.com/ \"New SUVs With Tiny Price Tags (Take A Look)\")\n\nUndo\n\n[](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/product-update/quickbooks-improvements-2026)[The QuickBooks updates small businesses asked for. 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Now, she administers 10 stings three times a week, for a total of 30 stings.\n\nBefore the treatment, Spoor [spent months preparing her body](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ticks-lyme-disease-symptoms-bites-treatment-b2968437.html) for the increased exposure to the venom, acknowledging that she was relying on an animal that many people are allergic to.\n\n“I’m aware of the risk of anaphylaxis and other dangerous complications,” she said. “I always sting with an EpiPen with me. It’s something I’ve educated myself on extensively and continue to approach with caution every step of the way.”\n\n“It’s painful, uncomfortable and no small feat,” she added. “There’s a saying that ‘bee venom therapy doesn’t hurt as much as Lyme does.’”\n\nToday, Spoor credits her alleviated[symptoms to her new treatment](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/lyme-disease-symptoms-bella-hadid-justin-timberlake-b2831824.html). She told the outlet that she can now take long walks, hike and run. She also said her pain has subsided and her dizziness is now rare.\n\nSavannah Spoor, 23, has turned to bee venom as an alternative treatment for her debilitating Lyme disease symptoms(Getty Images)\n\n“My capacity to work, travel and be creative is back,” she said.\n\nSpoor now documents her journey online to raise awareness of alternative treatments for Lyme disease. Her most-watched post has amassed 56 million views.\n\nTo keep up with her treatment, Spoor receives the bees from a family who operates an apiary in South Carolina.\n\nShe said that purchasing the bees provides beekeepers with an additional source of income to help them maintain their hives and support local pollinators.\n\n“Any bees I don’t use, I release into nature, and the dead bees that I have used, I return to the earth,” she said.\n\nWhile an unconventional treatment option, bee venom is an ancient remedy that can be traced back to East Asia.","source_name":"The Independent","source_url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/lyme-disease-treatment-bee-venom-b3021177.html","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/lyme-disease-treatment-bee-venom-b3021177.html","author":"Ellie Muir","author_name":"Ellie Muir","published_at":"2026-07-24T17:24:09.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-24T17:24:09.000Z","image_url":"https://static.the-independent.com/2026/07/24/16/14/iStock-1367388988.jpg","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":5,"word_count":867,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot","language":null}}