Treatment with leeches is known as hirudotherapy, which is still regarded as a controversial method. Proponents of leech therapy emphasise that animals possess nearly 100 valuable compounds that help humans cope with various ailments. However, sceptics claim that the method is not supported by any research. In today's article, we dispel the myths, promote the facts and look at what leeches cure. Be sure to check it out!
A brief history of leech therapy
This ground-breaking method has already been written about in the Bible and in the works of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. In medieval Europe, leeches were used as a bloodletting methodwhich was supposed to cure sufferers of hypertension. For centuries, it was one of the most popular methods that effectively dealt with circulatory problems. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the French believed that leeches alone could cure all diseases that afflicted man. In India, they were used to treat varicose veins on the legs. By contrast, in the 19th century, leeches gained their popularity among ladies who wanted to look youngerusing the animals as skin packs. It was only officially in 2004 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognised the hirudotherapy as a therapeutic method.
Hirudotherapy - what does it look like?
Only certified leeches are used for hirudotherapeutic treatments to avoid obtaining animals from the wild that may carry diseases and viruses. The leeches are applied to healthy undamaged skin near the treatment site. It then attaches itself to the body by means of its mouth, and its jaws prick the body and collect the host's blood. In this way The leech is able to suck out up to 10 times more fluid than it weighs! At the same time, therapeutic substances such as endorphins with anaesthetising properties are released from the secretions of the salivary glands, which cause the A leech bite is virtually painless.
What do leeches treat?
Thanks to their wealth of valuable substances, the secretions of leeches are recognised as effective against many conditions. They are ideal for in the treatment of varicose veins. Leeches also reduce blood clotting and triglyceride levels, which contribute to venous congestion. After just a few treatments swelling disappears and the thickening on the legs is visibly reduced. The modern use of the method differs little from what leeches treat according to our ancestors. Hirudotherapy also supports the fight against cardiovascular disease, haematoma or hypertension. What else can these fantastic animals help us with?
Cuts, burns and abscesses - leeches accelerate the wound healing process after skin transplants and plastic surgery. Hirudotherapy is used in all kinds of inflammatory conditions, such as in spinal disease, radiculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, headaches and sciatica.
