Leeches: good and bad. Treatment with leeches: reviews

Today, along with the latest preparations and technologies of modern medicine, the urgency and proven methods of treatment known to man for many centuries do not lose their relevance. These include leeches. The benefits and harms of such treatment cause a lot of discussion. We will understand how leeches act on the human body.

Medical leech

Leeches are blood-sucking ectoparasites, which belong to the class of ringed worms. There are about 500 of their species found in ponds in the wild. They can not be treated. Doctors use special medical leeches, the benefits and harms of which are controlled during cultivation in laboratories. They are only two types: medicinal and pharmacy.

The medical leech on the front sucker has a mouth cavity with three jaws, each of which has a hundred chitinous teeth. This worm has five pairs of eyes, excellent hearing and smell. Due to this, the leech itself finds a place on the human skin with biologically active points.

Principle of treatment with leeches

Despite the fact that leeches are located on the skin of a person, they affect Deep tissue. Hyaluronidase, produced by them, has the property of increasing the permeability and sensitivity of tissues. Biting the skin and sucking blood, the worm gives in return biologically active substances, among which hirudin is especially appreciated. It helps purify the blood vessels.

For one session of hirudotherapy, no more than 7 leeches are usually used. Each of them sucks about 15 ml of blood. Use the leech only once. After the procedure, it is destroyed in acid. This allows to exclude the possibility of infection of the patient.

The marks left by leeches may bleed within 24 hours after the session. This is considered normal, so do not be scared. However, if after 24 hours the bleeding does not stop, you should see a doctor.

Hirudotherapy: benefit or harm

Hirudotherapy - treatment of diseases with the help of medical leeches - today is quite popular. Usually patients before the session try to find out what benefits and harm can be from the leech. Reviews about this treatment are often positive.

The effectiveness of hirudotherapy is that the beneficial substances that secrete the worm come directly to the source of the disease. They have a resolving effect on scars and stagnant formations in tissues, contribute to the reduction of benign tumors and nodes. Improve the metabolism and rejuvenate the body will help treatment with leeches. 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. Due to this hirudotherapy is used for weight loss, getting rid of cellulite and atherosclerosis.

Efficiency hirudotherapy

Will leeches help me? What is the benefit (harm) after the session? Many people ask these questions. Hirudotherapy has great effectiveness due to several types of effects on the human body. Reflex action is to bite the worm skin in the right places. This effect is similar to acupuncture.

The mechanical effect is expressed in bloodletting, leading to the release of blood vessels. More oxygen and nutrients enter the bloodstream. Due to this, the pressure is normalized and the pain sensations in the area of the disease focus disappear.

The biological effect is the ingress of leech into the blood, which contains many useful substances of natural origin. They have a curative effect and improve the functioning of the body.

When appoint hirudotherapy

Usually hirudotherapy is prescribed for patients with hypertension, angina, various forms of dystonia, trophic ulcers, atherosclerosis, as well as with varicose veins. The scope of medical leeches is quite large. They are used to treat the following diseases:

• Diabetes mellitus, gout, obesity and other diseases that 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, radiculitis, epilepsy, neurosis, as well as sleep disturbance.
• Eye diseases : keratitis and glaucoma.
• Gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.
• Diseases of the thyroid gland.
• Fractures, bruises and postoperative adhesions.
• Inflammation of the genitals, prostatitis, ovarian dysfunction and menstrual cycle disorders.

This is not a complete list of ailments, leeches help get rid of them. The benefits and harms of such treatment depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, which can be determined by a qualified physician. It is he who can prescribe an effective course of hirudotherapy.

Treatment of the spine with leeches

In the treatment of diseases of the spine often resort to hirudotherapy. Impact Leeches helps restore normal physiological processes that occur in tissues that are located around the spinal column. Hirudotherapy is prescribed in the hernia of the spine as a supplement to the basic method of treatment. After surgery, leeches prevent various complications. They accelerate the healing of scars and reduce the possibility of the formation of a new hernia.

Leeches are effective in the treatment of osteochondrosis. They help improve blood circulation in tissues. Thanks to them, the muscles relax and the pain is reduced. The secret of leeches, entering the bloodstream, restores damaged intervertebral discs. After several sessions, there are swelling, 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 patient's state of health. It is forbidden to apply this method to people with low blood pressure, poor blood coagulability, and also to those who have suffered a stroke. Contraindications are allergic reactions, the presence of malignant tumors, the period of pregnancy and lactation.

When taking anticoagulants - drugs that help reduce blood coagulability - treatment with leeches is not recommended.

Is it dangerous to use leeches?

Many patients often ask: is it possible to harm leeches? Along with The available contraindications hirudotherapy in some cases can cause complications in the form of an infection entered through the wound. However, according to the 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 conduct a session in a specialized clinic, where a qualified doctor will perform the necessary tests and make an individual treatment course.

Thus, hirudotherapy can be used both in complex treatment of diseases, and as an independent means. It relieves many ailments and heals the body.