Bee Sting Relief

The moment a bee stings, you feel irritation and pain that ranges from mild to sharp in intensity. Usually, the discomfort disappears in 2-3 hours but leaves behind some signs of bee stings. These are - pain, redness, itching, swelling, skin hives and infection. All these symptoms usually remain localized to the skin around the stung spot. There can be, though rarely, some cases that experience serious allergic reactions on getting stung by a bee. Such cases need immediate medical assistance. The pain, soreness and uneasiness can be relieved to a great extent by trying out some easy-to-follow home remedies for bee stings.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings
Following are some of the home remedies that include easily available stuffs at home, that are sure to provide relief from bee sting.

• Bee sting treatment starts with the removal of the stinger. You can easily take it out with the help of tweezers. Do it as early as possible, to prevent the spread of venom to other parts of the body.
• The above step should be immediately followed by washing the stung area with cold water and soap. This will clean the injured region and minimize the chances of infection.
• You can provide yourself instant but temporary bee sting pain relief by placing a copper coin on the injured region for 5 minutes or so.
• Baking soda is a generally available household item. Take a teaspoon of it and mix it well with 2-3 drops of water. Apply it on the stung area to bring down pain and ease the discomfort.
• Take a tiny mustard seed and keep it on the bitten area. Many people recommend this as it helps in bringing down the pain and irritation due to bee sting.
• One good bee sting remedy comprises meat tenderizer and vinegar. Take little amounts of each, make a paste, and apply it to the stung area. This will not only provide comfort but also hasten the process of healing.
• Honey has antibiotic, soothing and healing properties. A simple way to make use of honey to relieve bee sting is to place a drop of it on the stung spot for about 10-15 minutes. Rinse it off well and repeat the same in an interval of 3-4 hours.
• One of the simplest and natural bee sting remedy is ice cube. Take one and place it on the injured spot for about 2-3 minutes. This will give you instant comfort and will relieve you from irritation.
• You might have heard that toothpaste treats acne. This is because, it can reduce inflammation on the skin. Make use of it as a bee sting treatment as well. Place it directly on the affected spot and leave it on for about 20-30 minutes.
• Aloe vera has antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties and hence, it is one of the very effective bee sting remedies. Take a little pulp from a leaf of aloe vera and cover the injured spot with it. Allow it to stay for about 5-10 minutes to soothe the bee sting. You may try it 3-4 times a day for fast relief.

Over-the-Counter Remedies for Bee Stings
You may try some non-prescription topical creams and oral medicines for getting bee string relief. Do look for the following points while choosing one.

• The topical cream should contain substances that are antihistamines, analgesics and corticosteroids. This will be able to relieve inflammation, pain, itching and swelling from the stung spot. Make use of such a cream as directed on the pack.
• The oral medicine should be an antihistamine. This will help your body to reduce redness of the skin by reaching the spot through bloodstream. It will also prevent the venom from spreading to other parts of the body.
• Over-the-counter pain killers like Ibuprofen and acetaminophen will help in relieving pain due to bee sting.

As mentioned earlier, there can be some people who develop adverse effects due to bee sting. For such cases, the above given ways on bee sting relief will not prove to be of much benefit. If you find your case to be similar, do visit a health care professional for necessary intervention.