PHILIP McCABE
Drogheda,
Ireland
Brief introduction of Philip McCabe:
- Third generation beekeeper, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
- Active member of the Federation of Irish Beekeeper's Associations' (FIBKA) for the past 20 years. During that time he has worked tirelessly to improve beekeeping for the beekeepers of Ireland .
- Since 1993 served as an Executive Council Member of the Federation, and was elected Vice President from 1998 – 2002 and President 2002 – 2005.
- President of Apimondia Ireland 2005
- At the Congress in Dublin ,was appointed an Honorary Member of Apimondia and Special Adviser by the President Asger Jorgenson, and have represented him in Brazil , Hungry, Mexico , Turkey and the Ukraine .
- He achieved Lectureship status (C.F.L.) in 1994 through the FIBKA examination system and in 2002 was awarded the Nat. Dip. Sc. (Apiculture) from University College , Cork
Q. Did traditional Irish healing in the past included Apitherapy (and Apipuncture)?
Q. W hich is the earliest date we have references in the Irish medical texts about honey bee products or bee stings?
A. Again there is no recorded reference and Irish persons who wrote books about always quoted from other writers
Where treatment occurred it was usually for small burns and skin rashes.
At present funding coming from the EU into Ireland is being used to determine the effects of treatments for Varroa in the Irish climate.
Which treatment is best suited to the Irish conditions.
There has been no final report yet but one is expected by year end.
Yes, it would now be a major feature in Ireland , We have many apipuncture clinics in Ireland and honey is now being recognised, albeit quietly, by many medical practitioners.
As an alternative medicine.
In Ireland today more healing, but this is changing .
At this time only honey would be regarded as a healing product.
Yes, there are no restrictions, however it is usual for patients to sign to say they accept the t reatment at their own risk.
This has not yet been tested in court so there is no evidence.
It is not that well known in Ireland except where we beekeepers are now advocating it use.
The loss of bees means much less local honey and this in turn leads to less health for many people.
At present I would advocate that there are at least 12 different reasons depending on what part of the world you live in. In Ireland Varroa and the failure to control it plus starvation would be the main reasons.
Q. What would you like to see in the near future in the Apitherapy world
A programme of promotion and education of the value of the hive products. This is not evident in Ireland but would be a little better known in the UK . However the beekeeping lecturers in Ireland now strongly advocate the use of pollen and propolis as well as honey, as healing products.
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