Beekeeper therapist uses venom to heal his patients

Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, shows a beehive used in the process of treatment for a variety of ailments on the roof of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

CAIRO (Reuters) - On his rooftop in the outskirts of Cairo, Omar Abulhassan raises thousands of bees -- not for the honey, but their venom.

After reading about the benefits of bees in the Koran, Abulhassan, 30, decided five years ago to raise the insects and use the venom in alternative therapy. He believes bee stings can relieve pain and cure illnesses such as rheumatism.

"These are not the only benefits," said Abulhassan, who has no medical background. "It helps with having a better mood."

The sting of a honey bee held by Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, is seen during a treatment session of a patient suffering from neck problems in the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

He now treats about five people a month. In a typical session, he'll use six bees to sting his patient in different parts of the body.

Mohamed Abdelfattah, 29, a regular patient, said the therapy improves his mood and makes him feel healthy.

"I constantly receive treatment using bees to increase my immunity and body strength," said Abdelfattah.

Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, uses smoke to calm the bees used in the process of treatment for a variety of ailments on the roof of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The benefits of bee-sting therapy have not been scientifically proven, said Mahmoud Abdullatif, an experienced beekeeper and member of the Arab Federation of Beekeepers.

"This needs studies and scientific equipment and research so that we can understand what the bee venom contains and how we can benefit," he said.

Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, allows one of his bees to sting a patient suffering from arm problems in the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

(Reporting by Amr Dalsh and Sayed Sheasha; Writing by Lena Masri; Editing by William Maclean)

Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, allows one of his bees to sting a patient on the roof of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A patient who suffers from nerve problems receives bee-sting therapy by Haj Omar Abulhassan at the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A swollen red mark from a bee sting is seen on the skin of a patient during therapy by health practitioner Haj Omar Abulhassan at his home in Cairo, Egypt November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner, reacts with a plastic bag filled with bees used in the process of treatment for a variety of ailments on the roof of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A girl patient holds one of the bees as she receives bee-sting treatment by health practitioner Haj Omar Abulhassan at his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

An Egyptian patient, who suffers from nerve problems in his back and neck, receives bee-sting therapy by Haj Omar Abulhassan in the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Children look at a plastic bag filled with bees used in the process of bee-sting therapy by Haj Omar Abulhassan in the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A girl patient reacts after receiving bee-sting therapy by health practitioner Haj Omar Abulhassan at the treatment room of his home in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A general view of the street where the house of Haj Omar Abulhassan, a health practitioner who uses bees as a form of treatment for a variety of ailments, is situated, in Cairo, Egypt, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh