The first written mention of treatment with leeches is associated with the name of the famous Imhotep. The heyday of hirudotherapy began in the 18th century, when Russia exported medicinal leeches along with grain. Contraindications in those days were not discussed. It was just fashionable. And here comes another boom.
Meet Hirudo medicinalis
Medical leech - annelids (length up to 12 cm). The dorsal surface is greenish with black dots and orange stripes. It has 3 movable chitinous jaws, 5 pairs of eyes.
The natural habitat of the medical leech is the fresh waters of Europe and Asia. The food for her is the blood of large mammals that have entered the water. Due to the presence of hirudin in her saliva, which prevents normal blood clotting, wounds bleed for a long time after leeches.
There are about 400 species of leeches on our planet, but only medical and some of its subspecies (pharmaceutical and medicinal) are used for medicinal purposes.
Indications for the use of hirudotherapy can be various diseases: infertility, arthritis, digestive problems, disordersblood circulation, varicose veins and many others. Achieving a therapeutic effect occurs due to the activation of the body's defense mechanisms. With the correct use of hirudotherapy, no side effects were observed.
It turns out that you can put leeches on everyone?
Contraindications for hirudotherapy are as extensive as the indications. And they follow from the biological characteristics of the medicinal leech. Each of the three jaws contains from 70 to 100 chitinous teeth. The ducts of the salivary glands located between them secrete a secret that prevents blood clotting.
In diseases associated with impaired blood clotting - angiohemophilia, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, hemorrhagic diathesis and coagulopathy, it is strictly forbidden to use a remedy such as leeches.
Contraindications for hirudotherapy:
-
cream with leeches iron deficiency anemia;
- hypotension;
- exhaustion;
- acute cardiovascular failure;
- cerebrovascular accident;
- heart attack;
- mental illness;
- fever of unknown origin;
- oncological diseases;
- children under 7 years old.
Use with extreme caution during pregnancy, diabetes, pancreatitis. With parasitic invasions, leeches are placed with caution. Contraindications to hirudotherapy are not only diseases, but also physiological conditions, especially the female body. After the birth of a child, during menstruation or shortlybefore it, setting leeches can increase bleeding. After caesarean section, hirudotherapy is contraindicated for 4 months.
The list of contraindications can be extended by the patient's extremely negative attitude towards leeches. And also they are not recommended for use in the case when there is a possibility of cosmetic defects from their use. In this case, it is better to apply a cream with leeches (based on piyavit). The modern market of medical cosmetics has dozens of similar drugs for various parts of the body, from the face to the legs.
The severity of contraindications obliges doctors and patients to treat hirudotherapy with appropriate attention. Treatment with leeches should be started only after a complete laboratory examination and consultation with your doctor.
