does copper cure a bee sting??

[med_student]

i recieved a mail recently...can anyone please tell me if this is true...and if it is what is the chemistry behind the reaction that occurs between the copper and the venom. (or please post your opinion as to why this is true or false.) thnx

Subject: BEE STINGS ! Do Not Delete

This information may be something to
remember, as this season will soon be here again...

It might be wise to carry a penny in your pocket
while working in the yard.......... BEE STINGS !


A couple of weeks ago, I was stung by both a bee
and hornet while working in the garden.

My arm swelled up, so I went to the doctor. The
clinic gave me cream and an antihistamine. The
next day the swelling was getting progressively
worse, so I went to my regular doctor. The arm
was Infected and needed an antibiotic.The doctor
told me - " The next time you get stung, put a
penny on the bite for 15 minutes".

That night, my niece was stung by two bees. I
looked at the bite and it had already started to
swell. So, I taped a penny to her arm for 15
minutes. The next morning, there was no sign of
a bite. We decided that she just wasn't allergic to the sting.

Soon, I was gardening outside. I got stung
again, twice by a hornet on my left hand. I
thought, here I go again to the doctor for another antib iotic.

I promptly got my money out and taped two
pennies to my bites, then sat and sulked for 15
minutes. The penny took the string out of the bite immediately.

In the meantime the hornets were attacking, and
my friend was stung on the thumb. Again the
penny. The next morning I could only see the
spot where the hornet had stung me No redness,
no swelling. My friend's sting was the same;
couldn't even tell where she had been stung.

She got stung again a few days later upon her
back---cutting the grass! And the penny worked once again.

Wanted to share this marvelous information in
case you experience the same problem. We need
to keep a stock of pennies on hand.

The doctor said that the copper in the penny counteracts the bite.
It definitely works!

Please remember and pass this information on to
your friends, children, grandchildren

[Martigan]

The clue is in the last para. It's a hoax chain e-mail.

[Anna L]

It sounds like a folk superstition. I have never heard about this!