Today, along with the latest drugs and technologies of modern medicine, proven methods of treatment that have been known to man for many centuries do not lose their relevance. They include leeches. The benefits and harms of such treatment cause a lot of discussion. Let's figure out how leeches act on the human body.
Medical Leech
Leech is a blood-sucking ectoparasite that belongs to the class of annelids.
There are about 500 varieties found in ponds in the wild. They cannot be treated. Doctors use special medical leeches, the benefits and harms of which are controlled when grown in laboratories. They come in only two types: medical and pharmacy.
A medical leech has an oral cavity with three jaws, each of which has a hundred chitinous teeth, on the front sucker. This worm has five pairs of eyes, excellent hearing and sense of smell. Thanks to this, the leech itself finds a place with biologically active points on the human skin.
Treatment principleleeches
Despite the fact that leeches are located on human skin, they affect
deep tissue. The hyaluronidase produced by them has the property of increasing the permeability and sensitivity of tissues. Biting through the skin and sucking out blood, the worm gives back biologically active substances, among which hirudin is especially valued. It helps cleanse blood vessels.
No more than 7 leeches are usually used in one session of hirudotherapy. Each of them sucks out about 15 ml of blood. The leech is used only once. After the procedure, it is destroyed in acid. This eliminates the possibility of patient infection.
Wounds left by leeches can bleed within a day after the session. This is considered normal, so you should not be afraid. However, if bleeding does not stop after 24 hours, see a doctor.
Hirudotherapy: benefit or harm
Hirudotherapy - the treatment of diseases with the help of medicinal leeches - is quite popular today. Usually, before a session, patients try to find out what benefits and harms can be from a leech. Reviews of such treatment are often positive.
The effectiveness of hirudotherapy lies in the fact that the beneficial substances secreted by the worm go directly to the focus of the disease. They have a resolving effect on scars and stagnant formations in tissues, help to reduce benign tumors and nodes. Improve metabolism and rejuvenate the bodytreatment with leeches will help. The benefits and harms of this technique are usually noticeable after the first session.
The secret produced by leeches is able to break down fats and remove cholesterol. Thanks to this, hirudotherapy is used for weight loss, getting rid of cellulite and atherosclerosis.
Efficiency of hirudotherapy
Will leeches help me? What benefit (harm) is possible after the session? These questions are asked by many people. Hirudotherapy is highly effective due to several types of effects on the human body. The reflex action consists in biting the skin in the right places with the worm. This effect is similar to acupuncture.
Mechanical action is expressed in bloodletting, leading to the release of blood vessels. More oxygen and nutrients enter the blood. Thanks to this, pressure normalizes and pain in the area of the focus of the disease disappears.
Biological effect is the ingestion of leech saliva into the blood, which contains many useful substances of natural origin. They have a healing effect and improve the functioning of the body.
When hirudotherapy is prescribed
Usually, hirudotherapy is prescribed for patients with hypertension, angina pectoris, various forms of dystonia, trophic ulcers, atherosclerosis, and varicose veins. The scope of medical leeches is quite large. They are used to treat the following diseases:
- Diabetes, gout, obesity and other diseases,which are associated with improper metabolism.
- Problems of the musculoskeletal system: osteochondrosis, hernia, myositis and arthrosis.
- Kidney disease.
- Skin diseases such as acne, psoriasis and furunculosis.
- Neurological diseases: migraine, sciatica, epilepsy, neurosis, and sleep disturbance.
- Eye diseases: keratitis and glaucoma.
- Gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.
- Thyroid disease.
- Fractures, hematomas and postoperative adhesions.
- Inflammation of the genital organs, prostatitis, ovarian dysfunction and menstrual irregularities.
This is not a complete list of ailments that leeches help get rid of. The benefits and harms of such treatment depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, which a qualified doctor can determine. It is he who is able to prescribe an effective course of hirudotherapy.
Treatment of the spine with leeches
In the treatment of diseases of the spine, hirudotherapy is often used. Impact
leech helps restore normal physiological processes that occur in the tissues around the spinal column. Hirudotherapy is prescribed for spinal hernia as an addition to the main method of treatment. After surgery, leeches can prevent various complications. They accelerate the healing of scars and reduce the possibility of a new hernia.
Leeches are an effective tool in the treatment of osteochondrosis. They contributeimprove blood circulation in tissues. Thanks to them, the muscles relax and pain is reduced. The secret of leeches, which enters the bloodstream, restores damaged intervertebral discs. After several sessions, swelling disappears, which often accompanies osteochondrosis.
Contraindications
Hirudotherapy has contraindications. Not all patients can be treated with a leech. The benefits and harms of such medical procedures depend on the state of he alth of the patient. It is forbidden to use this method for people with low blood pressure, poor blood clotting, as well as those who have had a stroke. Contraindications are allergic reactions, the presence of malignant tumors, pregnancy and lactation.
When taking anticoagulants - drugs that help reduce blood clotting - treatment with leeches is not recommended.
Is treatment with leeches dangerous
Many patients often ask: is there any harm from leeches? Along with
with existing contraindications, hirudotherapy in some cases can cause complications in the form of an infection introduced through the wound. However, according to doctors, the likelihood of such consequences of treatment with leeches is very small.
To avoid complications, it is required to observe the necessary precautions during and after the session. It is best to have a session in a specialized clinic, where a qualified doctor will conduct the necessary tests and draw up an individual course of treatment.
Sohirudotherapy can be used both in the complex treatment of diseases, and as an independent remedy. It relieves many ailments and heals the body.
