At this point it’s pretty clear that Gwyneth Paltrow has backed some unconventional wellness practices, but perhaps her most intense one was bee venom therapy. The “Shallow Hal” actor has promoted getting stung by bees on purpose for skin care. She revealed to The New York Times, “I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring.” Paltrow praised it, but did admit, “Man, it’s painful.”
Paltrow left that last part out when she wrote about it for Goop, dishing, “I was recently given ‘bee venom therapy’ for an old injury and it disappeared.” While that all may be true, doctors still advised against it, and not just because it hurts. Dermatologist Gary Goldenberg explained to Health (via Refinery29), “I do not recommend bee stings as anti-inflammatory agents. Many patients are severely allergic to bee stings and may not know it.”
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Unfortunately, a woman in Spain did have a severe allergic reaction to bee venom therapy and died because of it, according to the BBC. While she of course had the worst outcome, other people have suffered from it as well, including “300” star Gerard Butler. The actor talked about his experience, which was much different from Paltrow’s, on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He said his heart rate increased drastically, adding, “I ended up in the hospital.”
