Wonderful World of Apitherapy
Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course Conference (CMAAC)
Parsippany, New Jersey
May 19th – 21st 2023
Who is Charles Mraz:
An Introduction To Bee Venom Therapy
On September 13, 1999, following a brief illness, Charles Mraz died peacefully at the age of 94, surrounded by his family. He was born on July 26, 1905, in Woodside, New York, the son of Karl and Maris Mraz.
In 1928 Charlie moved to Middlebury, Vermont, where he established Champlain Valley Apiaries (which eventually became New England’s largest apiary), a firm that he maintained for more than 60 years. Charlie, who traveled to South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as a consultant on beekeeping methods and technology, was recognized in 1992 by the American Beekeeping Federation as one of the five most distinguished beekeepers in this country for his advances in commercial beekeeping. He was a columnist and contributing writer for Gleanings in Bee Culture and the American Bee Journal, respectively.
Charlie was recognized in the United States as the pioneer of bee venom therapy: the use of bee stings to treat various disorders, primarily autoimmune diseases. In addition to initiating clinical research with scientists at the Sloan-Kettering Institute and the Walter Reed Army Institute, he established the standard for purity for dried whole venom for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and was the supplier of venom to pharmaceutical companies throughout the world. Read More
Keynote Speaker: Frederique Keller, DOM, L.Ac
The Role of Apitherapy in Integrative Medicine
Part 1) Discover the synergistic use of honeybee products;
Part 2) Practical Bee Venom Therapy
Get to know our speakers …
Frederique Keller, DOM, L.AC.: Keynote Speaker, Past American Apitherapy President
Frédérique Keller DOM, L.Ac is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and has been a guest of Martha Stewart, Dr. Oz, and featured on multiple Netflix series. Ms. Keller is quite often the go-to for celebrity talk show hosts, and numerous periodicals.
Licensed Acupuncturist, medical herbalist, apitherapist & classical homeopath in private practice in Commack, New York. Treatment specialties include pain management, sports injuries, osteoporosis & rheumatoid arthritis, women’s health & Lyme Disease. She has been a hobby beekeeper for 32 years and is the creator/owner of BeePharm, Apitherapy Rx for Health, custom proprietary health & beauty formulations made from products of the beehive. Frederique has been a member of the American Apitherapy Society Inc. since 1993 & serving as President of the AAS for 12 years, a non-profit scientific organization dedicated to the education and research of apitherapy and remains on the teaching faculty. Frédérique is an international teacher & speaker in the field of apitherapy. She has 30+ years of experience in the integrative & holistic health fields and dedicates her time to helping people choose better health options as they make the connection between their food & medicine while understanding the importance of maintaining a sustainable relationship with the environment. Frederique has appeared several times on Dr.Oz, Martha Stewart, Veria Living, and The Barefoot Contessa as well as in several magazines including most recently Town & Country. In September Frederique appeared on a Netflix wellness documentary on Apitherapy, {UNWELL}, Episode 6.
Saturday, May 20th – 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Keynote
Andrew Cote: President New York City Beekeepers Association, Author and Professor
Andrew Coté, the author of Honey and Venom, is New York City’s most well-known beekeeper. A fourth-generation apiarist, he is the founder of the New York City Beekeepers Association, executive director of the nonprofit Bees Without Borders, polyglot, Fulbright scholar, a black belt in aikido, and former college professor. Coté and his bees have been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, CNN, CBS, Cake Boss, Dr. Oz, Nightline, Good Morning America, and Today, and in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Times, HuffPost, and many other news outlets around the world. Coté also runs Andrew’s Honey out of the NYC Union Square Greenmarket.
Urban beekeeper reveals his rooftop rescue — and a beef with Martha Stewart
Profile: Andrew Cote, Urban Beekeeper
Sunday, May 21st – 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Beekeeping in New York City and Hangzhou
Dr. Allen Dennison: MD from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University in 1980
Dr. Allen Dennison obtained his BA from Harvard University in Biology in 1975 and MD from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University in 1980. He trained in internal medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and practiced office and hospital medicine there until 2021. He is on the faculty at the Albert School of Medicine at Brown University.
Family Fact(s): I have been married for 40 years to pediatrician Jane Dennison MD. We have four sons in their thirties who are all married. We have four grandchildren. My wife and I keep seven beehives. I make an ointment by mixing honey from the bees and Aquaphor ™ in equal parts to make an excellent wound-healing dressing. It also prevents blisters on the feet of athletes, hikers, and dancers.
Unique Fact(s): I work as a primary care internist at Medical Associates of Rhode Island and I am also Medical Director at Evergreen House, a skilled nursing facility in East Providence, where I work with Drs. Jose Benitez and Steven Roth. We love solving problems for older patients. I speak poor but enthusiastic Spanish. My hobby is doing stand-up comedy with my medical partner Dr. Howard Schulman.
Saturday, May 20th – 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
Part one:
40 minutes will be Honey on wounds: the science behind accelerated, odor-free closure.
Part Two:
40 minutes will be a practice session on making honey ointment and applying effective wound dressings.
Dr. Patrick Fratellone: President American Apitherapy Society
Dr. Patrick Fratellone, MD, RH (AHG) FIM FACC.
Dr. Fratellone has the distinction of being one of the few integrative cardiologists in the United States. He is also the only integrative physician in New York City with active hospital admitting privileges at Mount Sinai Hospital. He completed his Internal Medicine and Fellowship of Cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. His first position was Director of Cardiology at the Atkins Center of Complimentary medicine with the late Dr Robert Atkins Dr. Fratellone is a Fellow of Integrative Medicine with a degree from the University of Arizona, where he studied under the directorship of Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D.
Dr. Fratellone completed his course studies at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine under the supervision of 7song. Dr. Fratellone is a Registered Herbalist and a professional member of the American Herbal Guild making him one of the few medical doctors in the United States with this distinction. He regularly lectures at the American Herbal Guild Annual Symposiums. He was an adjunct professor at the College of Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport from 2015 – 2022. He is also an adjunct professor at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City. He practices medicine in New York City and Fairfield Connecticut. Dr. Fratellone was elected to the American Apitherapy Society Board of Directors after attending CMACC 2014 and served as Vice President (2017-2021) and is now President of the American Apitherapy Society, Inc. (2022 -?),
Saturday, May 20th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Lyme Disease and Bee Venom Therapy
Bee Venom Therapy and tick-borne infections:
Testing of Tick-borne infections
Treatment with:
Antibiotics
Herbal
Colloidal silver
BVT
SOT
Kristine Jacobson: Beekeeper & Apitherapist

Saturday, May 20th, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Group Stinging, a non-clinical setting of stinging for camaraderie, and support sharing emotional and physical challenges using BVT with a variety of ailments, injuries, and pain. A review of various treatments and results.
Dr. Petrusia Kotlar: Vice President American Apitherapy Society
Dr. Petrusia Kotlar is a chiropractic alternative health care provider practicing for over three decades, Vice President of the American Apitherapy Society, and a part-time farmer/beekeeper/research practitioner since 2004 on her New Jersey-based Linden Hill Farm and Apiary since 2006. The Towaco Honeybee Sanctuary was established here where she grows medicinal herbs, and linden trees and produces high-quality apitherapy products.
She believes that apitherapy is a healing modality that is due to become integrated into the preventative health and wellness care system in our lifetime. She would like to be a part of this accomplishment.
Dr. Kotlar has been a member of the American Apitherapy Society for many years and an active beekeeper. She now serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors. She participated in Dr. Stangaciu’s Apitherapy course in 2011 and attended Charles Mraz’s Apitherapy Course and Conference on October 26-28, 2018, in Providence, RI.
Currently, Dr. Kotlar is involved in supporting fundraisers for The Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers, and The School Hive to aid families, children, and apiaries of those affected by the War in Ukraine since 2022.
Saturday, May 21st – 9:00 am – 10:30 am: Unique Products of the Hive andTheir Use in Apitherapy
C. Marina Marchese: Author, Beekeeper and Honey Sensory Expert
C. Marina Marchese is the international best-selling author of The Honey Connoisseur: Selecting, Tasting and Pairing Honey with a Guide to More than 30 Varietals, Honey for Dummies and her personal journey into beekeeping Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper. Never Ending Creativity was written as a humanitarian effort to inspire the youth of Turkey and underserved countries.
She is the first U.S. citizen to be accepted into the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, where she received her formal training. Marina is the founder of the American Honey Tasting Society, an educational organization that teaches the Italian method of tasting and evaluating varietal honey.
A graduate of The School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Marina enjoys combining her passion for honey with her design and illustration skills.
Sensory Analysis of Honey: The Missing Link -45 minute PowerPoint presentation on Sunday 8:45 am- 9:30 am
Every taste of honey by a trained palate is an opportunity to learn about its botanical source, region, and even the beekeeper’s practices. These 1.5-hour workshops provide an introduction to applying the method of sensory analysis to tasting and evaluating honey. Through interactive olfactory and gustatory exercises, attendees will build a foundation to understand the psychology and physiology of how humans experience flavor. Learn how to evaluate honey by color, aroma, taste, flavor, and texture. Emphasis will be on describing the sensory characteristics of each honey with descriptors using the honey aroma and flavor wheel then writing detailed tasting notes for 5 uni-floral honey samples. Attendees will leave with the confidence to write tasting notes for any honey sample. Each workshop is limited to 25 attendees.
Go to: https://www.americanhoneytastingsociety.com/american-apitherapy-society
Workshop – Sunday, May 21 at 8:45 am- 9:30 am
***Deadline to register to participate is May 6th, 2023 for these workshops
Michael Szakacs: Beekeeper & Apitherapist
The year was 1996 and Mike was living and working in Hungary when he became so ill that he was admitted to the hospital. His sister from Connecticut was inspired to send him Charles Mraz’s book, “Health and the Honeybee” and the rest he says is history. “Apitherapy changed my life in an incredible way and I have been captivated and amazed by this approach to healing ever since.” Mike was born and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut where he received a BS degree from the University of Bridgeport. Upon graduating he moved to Europe and spent 10 years working in Hungary and Scotland completing an MBA degree at the University of Edinburgh. Presently Mike lives in Boynton Beach, Florida with his wife Katalin, his daughter Roxanne, and their dogs, cats, and honeybees. Michael has worked in the field of finance and accounting for his entire career and currently works as the Revenue Manager for the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. Michael is an apitherapy patient, a therapist, and a beekeeper from when it all started back in 1996. “I was my first patient and successfully treated myself for psoriatic arthritis. I have been an AAS member since 1998 and attended my first CMACC in 2004 (Stamford, CT).” Additionally, Mike is an associate member of the Hungarian Apitherapy Society (Magyar Apiterapias Tarsasag) since 2013 and in his spare time enjoys cooking and playing ice hockey. Michael recently attended CMACC 2015 in New York where he offered his services to become an AAS Board member joining us as Treasurer.
Saturday, May 2oth- 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Overview of Beehive Air Therapy:
- Volatile compounds
- Therapeutic inhalation
- Commonly treated conditions
- Pheromones
- Design considerations
Our Conference Will Be Held in Beautiful
Parsippany, New Jersey
Volunteers:
We are looking for volunteers to assist with our upcoming conference on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. If interested, please submit the form below. All volunteers will receive American Apitherapy Society merchandise.
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Registration
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Silent Auction
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Raffle
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Photos and short videos
Thank you!