Hirudotherapy is the most ancient direction in medicine.For the treatment of leeches used thousands of years ago. This method was known in ancient India, Greece, Egypt. Mentioned about hirudotherapy in his writings and treatises Avicenna, Hippocrates.
History of hirudotherapy
In Europe, the peak popularity of hirudotherapyaccounted for the XVII-XVIII century. In those days, doctors believed that almost all diseases caused "bad blood". To get rid of it, bleeding was performed on patients. In the Middle Ages, the method of notches was used for this, which were made by a special tool - scarifier.
But in hard-to-reach and very tender placesapplication was difficult. And in these cases, medical leeches came to the rescue. Home treatment allowed the doctor to put on the patient's body up to 40 leeches in one session.
In the middle of the XIX century, European medicinehas undergone major changes, many concepts have been radically transformed, and hirudotherapy has faded into the background. But at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists again became interested in this method. They found useful substances in leech saliva. During this period, hirudotherapy experienced a rebirth.
Надо сказать, что «пиявочный промысел» в нашей The country was quite well developed and brought high income. Russia in the 19th century supplied over 60 million leeches to European countries each year. But after official medicine abandoned hirudotherapy, the business of breeding, catching and selling leeches almost disappeared.
Using
Медицинская пиявка относится к кольчатым червям.It lives on the territory of almost all European countries, but in recent years its numbers have declined significantly due to mass fishing. A medicinal leech is a parasite that feeds on blood. She lives in freshwaters, attaching to different surfaces and trapping the victim. Having adhered to it, the leech drinks in one session up to 15 ml of blood, increasing in weight up to 9 times.
How are leeches used?
Today, there are three ways to use leeches for treatment:
- In live view. Live worms are placed on the patient's skin. They stick and drink blood, secreting saliva into the wound. It contains substances with healing properties.
- Extracts They are prepared from leeches or from their salivary glands.
- Preparations.For their production, the genes of parasites, which are responsible for the formation of various proteins, are isolated. Then they are introduced into the DNA of microorganisms, after which they synthesize the substance necessary for treatment.
In the mouth of the leech there are three small teeth. With their help, she bites through the skin and sucks (depending on the duration of the procedure) from 5 to 15 ml of blood.
Hirudotherapy, being partly a methodalternative medicine is closely related to acupuncture. Most hirudotherapeutists also have acupuncture skills: they choose points on the skin for putting leeches in accordance with the rules of acupuncture.
Leech provides suction of a small amount of blood. Due to this, the local blood flow is discharged and blood pressure is slightly reduced.
Кроме того, обеспечивается биологический эффект.Worm saliva contains bioactive substances that thin the blood and stimulate certain biological reactions in the body. The composition of leech saliva includes more than 60 substances. Some of them have a powerful therapeutic effect:
- Hirudin. It is a protein that is an anticoagulant. It suppresses blood clotting. Interestingly, this substance is part of the poison of some snakes.
- Collagenase and apyrase. Enzymes that prevent adhesion of platelets. They improve blood flow.
- Proteinase inhibitors.Substances that block proteinase enzymes that break down protein molecules. They have an analgesic effect. That is why during the procedure a person does not feel the pain of a leech bite.
Leech therapy at home
There are situations when a person cannotattend hirudocenter. In this case, you can invite a specialist to the house or carry out the procedure yourself, after receiving detailed instructions from the hirudotherapeutist.
The fact is that it is very important to know before starting treatment with leeches at home, the points where these “healers” are put, to determine their exact number, duration of the session.
How is the procedure?
It should be divided into several stages:
- Skin preparation.Carefully wash the area where the leeches will be placed with baby soap and rub it well with dry gauze until the skin turns red. Do not use cosmetics with strong aromas - this will alienate the parasites.
- Staging.Take the leech using a clean vial or tube and bring it to the desired point. This is where the first question arises for those who first conduct leech therapy at home - where to put it? It depends on which disease you are treating. We will discuss this below. If the leech does not want to bite, take another. You can smear the skin with water with added sugar, or make a small puncture with a sterile needle so that a drop of blood comes out.
- Hemorrhage.At the moment of the bite, the patient may feel a slight burning sensation, which disappears after 20 seconds. The analgesics contained in the salivary glands begin to act. With both suckers, the leech sucks and keeps on the skin itself, so the tube can be removed.
- Completion of the procedure.After almost an hour, the leech becomes saturated and disappears. Sometimes, for medical reasons, when treating with leeches at home, the patient needs a session of no more than 25 minutes, in which case the bloodsucker is removed as follows: Bring a cotton pad moistened with any aggressively smelling liquid - vinegar, ammonia, alcohol, iodine to the front suction cup. Pulling, cutting, tearing a leech is strictly forbidden - violent actions will only make her go deeper into the skin.
What to do after the procedure?
In place of the bite should impose a sterilebandage: within a few hours (sometimes a day) from the wound, which has the shape of a three-pointed asterisk, blood will ooze out. This is completely normal. Just change the dressings regularly. It should not be disinfected and greased with something prokusa. The tiny scar will disappear completely in two weeks.
Leech disposal
Complete leeches are destroyed by placing them in a container withchloramine. Even in the event that they are not fully saturated, putting them on another patient in a few months is fraught with infection by pathogens that were in the blood of the first patient.
On average, one treatment with leeches inhome conditions require from two to five blood suckers, much less often ten. On the head do not put more than four pieces in one session. If you are prescribed subcutaneous injections, then it is better to make them before the procedure begins: during the session, the drugs will be more active in the blood and spread throughout the body.
Hirudotherapy in cosmetology
This is a special area involving the use of various means of leeches. The most popular of them are the following:
- Кремы на основе комплекса (биоактивного) medical leech HM1. These compounds are used to combat irritation, dryness, peeling of the skin. In addition, their use is justified in sensitive, fading skin.
- Creams made on the basis of leech water extract, which is subjected to biochemical treatment, - HM2. They are used to combat psychosomatic diseases.
- On the basis of leech saliva, HM3 creams are used, capable of combating inflammatory processes, stress, and fading skin.
- The main component of the Girudo gel is the HM1 complex. He has proven himself to eliminate edema and hematomas after surgery.
- Bath tablets can have a different composition. They are used to increase the tone or, conversely, to relax.
And now let's see if the treatment with leeches at home helps with serious health problems.
Osteochondrosis
This disease is causing physical suffering. In this case, leeches are set in the region of the vertebrae, more than others affected by pathology.
As a rule, the treatment is carried out in a comprehensive manner: manual therapy, physiotherapy, massage are recommended in parallel with hirudotherapy.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches at home: reviews and opinions
Immediately it should be said that experts refer to the treatment of varicose veins with leeches ambiguous. Some argue that this is a safe and effective method of therapy, while others consider it unacceptable.
Proponents of this method believe that it has a number of beneficial effects:
- blood flow improves at leeches;
- decreased swelling;
- blood is diluted;
- blood clots are prevented;
- pain disappears;
- vascular walls are strengthened.
Opponents of this method do not deny it.beneficial effects on the affected vessels, but they are strongly opposed to treatment of varicose veins with leeches at home, especially if the procedure is performed by an inexperienced person.
First of all it is necessary to remember that forthe use of leeches is necessary to have knowledge and special skills, so it is undesirable to use this method for self-treatment. Before you begin therapy, you should be examined. It will help identify pathologies that may be a contraindication to this procedure. It is necessary to pass several tests:
- on the prothrombin index;
- blood test (general);
- on fibrinogen.
Patients need to know what the effect of treatment is.will not appear immediately, you must be ready for long-term treatment. You must pass at least eight procedures. When symptoms return after six months, the treatment is repeated. The points at which the leeches put are important. They must determine the doctor during the examination.
Перед началом основного лечения проводится cleaning the liver and pelvic organs. To do this, during the first visit to the doctor a few leeches put on points located in the liver. On your next visit, three pieces are placed in the abdomen. During the third visit to the doctor, three leeches are planted in the sacrum area. After that, one is placed on the back, in the area of the kidneys.
In the next sessions, leeches put on the problemvaricose zones. The doctor fixes two leeches in the sore area. After that, he determines the length of the vein and places along it a few more individuals on both sides. The duration of treatment is determined by a specialist. The first procedure lasts an average of twenty-five minutes.
According to reviews of patients who have undergone a full course of treatment with leeches, they were able to completely get rid of the disease. The disadvantages of treatment, most of them include an unpleasant type of natural healers.
Liver diseases
We have already mentioned that instructing on“communication” with leeches should be obtained in the office of an experienced hirudotherapeutist. You will see how to properly put leeches, learn the techniques and some secrets that are known to doctors. This will allow you to treat the liver with leeches at home. But even in this case, the doctor must control the condition of the patient.
In diseases of the liver leeches put on the stomach inproblem area. When stagnant processes they are placed in the zone of the right hypochondrium. A contraindication to this procedure is hemophilia - blood coagulation. The course of treatment with leeches at home for liver diseases is at least 12 procedures. In each case, the duration of treatment is determined by the doctor.
Hemorrhoids
Treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches at homemay be conducted by a person who has experience of such procedures, after additional consultation with the hirudotherapeutist. Treatment will only be effective in the initial stages of the disease. In the started situations of a positive effect you should not expect.
Timely treatment will help relieve inflammation.nodes, in some cases they disappear completely. Most often, hirudotherapy in the treatment of hemorrhoids is prescribed as a supplement in drug treatment. Leeches in this case prevent thrombosis. It is important to know that leech therapy is used only for external hemorrhoids.
During the procedure, the patient should lie on his stomach. Leeches are placed in the anus, in the coccyx, often on the inflamed and enlarged nodes. Usually use no more than four pieces.
Reviews
Most patients find it effective.remedy treatment with leeches at home. Reviews suggest that it helps with many diseases. However, it must be remembered that the procedure should be carried out by an experienced person, it is better if it is a hirudotherapeutist. With self-treatment with leeches at home, the points on which individuals are placed must be well remembered.
This treatment has helped patients with varicose veins.varicose veins, hypertension, osteochondrosis, diseases of the liver and gall bladder, as well as other ailments. They advise you to consult with your doctor before the start of treatment and to undergo the necessary examinations.
