Most beekeepers don't have arthritis crippling up their hands. They attribute that to the occassional bee stings received while working on the hives (gloves interfere with the dexterity needed to manipulate the supers, frames, smoker, etc while not harming the bees).
Another bee related medical anecdote: eating LOCAL (to the person) grown raw honey helps build a tolerance for pollen induced allergies. The idea is a constant exposure to the pollen present in the raw honey gets the body used to the seasonal pollens so when the pollen production starts, the typical sneeze fest either doesn't happen or is greatly reduced. Honey grown in other areas doesn't have the same pollens in it and heat treating the honey tends to kill the pollen.
