Medical leeches hirudotherapy. Video: health benefits of leeches

Leeches(lat. Hirudinea) - a subclass of annelids from the class of belt worms (Clitellata). Most representatives live in fresh water bodies. Some species have mastered terrestrial and marine biotopes. About 500 species of leeches are known, 62 species are found in Russia. Russian word“leech” goes back to the Proto-Slavic *pьjavka (cf. Czech pijavka, Polish pijawka), formed from the verb *pьjati, a multiple verb from *piti “to drink”.

general information

Leeches can move both in water and on land using contraction of body muscles. In water it swims, making wave-like movements, on land it moves with the help of suction cups and crawling, like other worms. Both suction cups are used to move along the substrate and attach to it. Due to the strong muscular body active leeches can, freely held by the rear sucker, lift the body and make roving searching movements with the anterior end of the body. When resting, it prefers to climb under stones and snags and lie down, partially hanging out of the water.

Leeches are able to respond to light, as well as temperature, humidity and water fluctuations. They have a reflexive reaction to shadows, which may indicate the approach of potential food. The sensitivity of leeches sharply decreases during sucking and mating, to the point that when the rear end of the body is cut off, the leech does not react and continues its behavior.

Nutrition

Under natural conditions, hungry leeches await their prey, attaching themselves to plants or other substrate with both suckers. When signs of approaching prey appear (ripples, shadows, water vibrations), they detach and swim in a straight line towards the source of the vibrations. Having found an object, the leech fixates on it with its rear suction cup, while the front one makes prowling movements in search of a suitable place to bite. This is usually the place with the thinnest skin and superficially located vessels.

The duration of blood sucking varies depending on the activity of the leech, the properties of the animal’s blood and other conditions. On average, a leech that has been starving for 6 months becomes satiated in 40 minutes – 1.5 hours.

Reproduction and development

Wild leeches reach sexual maturity in 3–4 years, feeding only 5–6 times until this age. In captivity, maturation occurs faster, in 1–2 years.

Reproduction occurs once a year in summer period from June to August. Copulation occurs on land, two leeches wrap around each other and stick together. Despite the fact that leeches are hermaphrodites, and cross-fertilization is possible, each individual, as a rule, acts in only one capacity. Fertilization is internal, immediately after it the leeches look for a place on the shore near coastline for laying a cocoon. One leech can lay up to 4–5 cocoons; they are oval in shape and covered on the outside with a spongy shell. Inside the cocoon there is a protein mass to feed the embryos, the number of which can be up to 20–30; their development until hatching takes 2–4 weeks. The hatched little leeches are miniature versions of the adults and are ready to feed on blood. They feed mainly on frogs, since they cannot yet bite through the skin of mammals.

History of the use of leeches in medicine

Hirudotherapy (Latin hirūdō – “leech”, ancient Greek θεραπεία – “treatment”) – method alternative medicine, one of the areas of naturopathy, treatment various diseases person using medical leech. Treatment with leeches was previously used in conventional medicine, but fell out of use in the 20th century due to the advent of synthetic anticoagulants, including hirudin.

The hiruda is a medicinal leech originating from Europe and has been used for bloodletting for many hundreds of years. Hippocrates, Galen, and Avicenna wrote about treatment with leeches. Drawings of the use of leeches were found on the walls of Egyptian tombs. Medicinal properties Medical leeches have been known to people for thousands of years. Descriptions of methods for treating various diseases with the help of leeches can be found in the medical collections of most ancient civilizations: Ancient Egypt, India, Greece. The use of leeches was described by Hippocrates (IV–V centuries BC) and Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980–1037).

Most wide application Medical leeches were obtained in the 17th–18th centuries in Europe for bloodletting in connection with the concept of “bad blood” that dominated medicine at that time. In order to release bad blood, doctors sometimes applied up to 40 leeches to one patient at a time. Preference was given to vein bloodletting if bloodletting was necessary from hard-to-reach or tender places (for example, gums). In the period from 1829 to 1836, 33 million leeches per year were used for treatment in France, in London - up to 7 million with a population of 2.3 million inhabitants. Russia supplied Europe with about 70 million leeches per year. After a paradigm shift in the mid-19th century, bloodletting was abandoned, and the use of leeches in Europe practically ceased.

Scientific research into the mechanisms of action of leech on humans began in late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century with the work of John Haycraft, who discovered the anticoagulant effect of leech extract. In 1884, he discovered an enzyme from leech saliva - hirudin, and in 1902 preparations from hirudin were obtained. These studies laid the foundation scientific application leeches in medicine. Nowadays, treatment with medicinal leeches is experiencing a rebirth.

Features of therapeutic action

Live leeches are applied directly to the human body according to specially designed patterns. The choice of attachment location is determined by many factors: disease, severity of the process, and patient’s condition. The sucking process lasts from 10–15 minutes to an hour, after which the leeches are removed with alcohol, iodine or, in the case of feeding to satiety, they are released on their own. Fed leeches must be destroyed by placing them in a chloramine solution; their reuse is not allowed. The therapeutic effect of live leeches is due to several factors:

  • Dosed bloodletting (from 5 to 15 ml of blood for each leech, depending on the mass of the leech and the duration of the attachment). Used for treatment arterial hypertension, glaucoma, congestion in the liver, general intoxication of the body.
  • The action of biologically active substances in leech saliva, the main of which is the anticoagulant hirudin, which reduces blood clotting. Used to treat angina and myocardial infarction, thrombophlebitis, vein thrombosis, hemorrhoids.
  • The complex of body responses to a bite, biologically active substances leech saliva and subsequent blood loss.

A reliable guarantee of protection against the transfer of infectious agents by leeches is the use of artificial conditions and animals that have starved for a sufficient time and have no pathogenic flora in their intestines. The use of leeches in therapy was revived in the 1970s: in microsurgery they are used to stimulate blood circulation to save grafted skin and other tissues from postoperative venous stasis. Other clinical uses of medicinal leeches include the treatment of varicose veins, muscle spasms, thrombophlebitis and arthrosis. The therapeutic effect occurs not only from the flow of blood through the tissue while feeding on the leeches, but from the further and steady bleeding from the wound left after the leeches are detached. Leech saliva has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and vasodilating properties.

What leeches can treat?

Of the several dozen medicinal types, there are only three:

  • pharmacy;
  • medicinal;
  • eastern

We hasten to disappoint those who like to self-medicate with leeches. Caught in a local pond, they best case scenario will be useless, at worst they will cause irreparable harm, rewarding a person with a number of unpleasant diseases that they can be carriers of. Leeches intended for hirudotherapy are grown in completely sterile special laboratories and are used only once.

Indications for use

There are a number of diseases in which treatment with leeches significantly improves the patient’s condition:

  • Problems with blood vessels, blood formation, tendency to form blood clots, blood stagnation.
  • Diseases of connective tissues and joints.
  • Dysfunction of the genitourinary system.
  • Diseases of a neurological nature.
  • Menstrual irregularities, genital inflammation, ovarian dysfunction, endometriosis.
  • Neuroses, epilepsy, migraines, sleep disorders.
  • diseases associated with disorders of the thyroid gland.

The benefits of leeches in the treatment of blood vessels and blood

For varicose veins, treatment with leeches stimulates blood formation and helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Hirudin, secreted by the leech in saliva, is a natural biologically active substance that helps improve metabolism and prevent the formation of blood clots. On early stages The disease can be completely cured or its development stopped with the help of hirudotherapy.

Treatment for arthrosis and osteochondrosis

Not inflammatory lesions joints and cartilaginous tissues caused by circulatory or metabolic disorders, large or improperly distributed loads, injuries, are successfully treated with the help of leeches. Treatment is aimed at reducing pain, increasing joint movement and stopping progression. The secretion that leeches secrete when they bite contains a natural analgesic enzyme that helps improve the patient’s condition. It’s not for nothing that a couple of centuries ago, military doctors placed these bloodsuckers in the area of ​​soldiers’ wounds to prevent painful shock.

Treatment of spinal diseases

Hirudotherapy plays an important role in complex treatment diseases of the spine. It helps restore normal physiological processes occurring in the deep tissues surrounding the spinal column. As effective remedy, complementing the main one, is treatment with leeches for spinal hernia. If there is no required result from conservative treatment, you have to resort to surgical intervention. During postoperative rehabilitation, leeches can bring a lot of benefits to the patient. Their use helps prevent postoperative complications. Thanks to hirudotherapy sessions, scar-adhesive processes in ligaments and tendons are reduced, the likelihood of the formation of new hernias due to load redistribution is reduced, and congestion in the vertebral veins disappears.

Treatment with leeches is also effective for osteochondrosis. The cause of this pathology is dystrophy intervertebral discs, ligaments that lose water become thinner and become covered with microcracks. As a result, the distance between the vertebrae decreases, pressure appears on nerve roots, causing pinching, spasms and inflammation in the paravertebral muscles.

The benefits of leeches for weight loss

Medical leeches are actively used in aesthetic medicine for weight loss and cellulite treatment. This effect occurs due to the influence of substances in the saliva of annelids on metabolism and blood circulation. The biologically active substances of leeches have a lipolytic effect - they burn fat. In addition, the process of microcirculation is improved and the supply of oxygen to cells is enhanced, and stagnation of lymphatic fluid in adipose tissue is eliminated. All this contributes to the reverse development pathological changes for cellulite and reduction in body volume.

The effect after using leeches for weight loss will be even more noticeable if you combine hirudotherapy with balanced diet and regular exercise.

Treating acne with leeches

Treating acne with medicinal leeches is very effective. After just a few sessions of applying leeches to the face, the rash is significantly reduced, and after the entire course it completely disappears. The result of this treatment is the amazing and varied properties of these animals on the skin.

Firstly, the saliva of leeches has a powerful bacteriological and antiseptic effect. It destroys all pathological pyogenic microorganisms, which cause the formation of acne. Secondly, the substances that leeches transmit with their bite have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, due to which inflamed areas heal quickly. Thirdly, thanks to the mechanical and biological action of animals, the blood supply to the skin increases, which plays an important role in establishing the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands.

As you can see, hirudotherapy in cosmetology has a wide range of applications. Do not refuse this treatment just because you are disgusted by leeches. You just have to be patient a little and, perhaps, you will get rid of the cosmetic problem that has tormented you for many years forever.

Contraindications

Contraindications are:

  • diseases accompanied by bleeding due to decreased blood clotting;
  • hemolysis;
  • anemia (anemia);
  • weakening or exhaustion of the body;
  • intolerance by the body to leech enzymes (allergic reactions);
  • tuberculosis of various localizations;
  • oncological diseases.

Harm of leeches

Due to the specific structure and feeding methods, the use of leeches in medicinal purposes may be associated with the following risks:

  • IN digestive tract medical leech constantly contains the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila, which protects it from infections when feeding on the blood of sick animals and promotes proper absorption of nutrients. In humans, it can cause gastrointestinal disorders, poisoning and even diseases of the mucous membranes. Although hirudotherapists deny the possibility of bacteria getting into the leech’s jaws, this hypothesis has not been definitively refuted.
  • Pathogens of various types enter the leech's body with the blood of infected animals. dangerous diseases. Once settled on the jaws, they can be transmitted through a bite to other people and animals. The use of leeches grown under artificial conditions has eliminated this problem.
  • Leech saliva contains substances that thin the blood, and after removing it, the wound may bleed for a long time. In addition, in some cases these substances can be very irritating to the skin.

The process of breeding leeches is simple and accessible to anyone. In order to organize a leech farm, you need to find a room with several rooms, since leeches at different stages of their growth: cocoon, fry, adult, must be kept separately. As an option, you can adapt one room by dividing it into sectors. The main conditions for breeding leeches are maintaining a favorable microclimate for them: air temperature from 25 to 27º C. Although wild leeches in their natural environment live in colder waters, the reproduction and development of their medical relatives in warm conditions occurs much better. The temperature of the water in which the leeches are located should be room temperature, that is, the same 25-27º C. The air humidity in the room should be at least 80%. Containers for leeches are ordinary 3-liter jars filled with water purified through special filters. Aquariums can also work, but it will cost much more. It is necessary to carefully monitor all stages of growth of leeches and promptly “transfer” the animals to other rooms (sectors) when they reach the next “age”. By the way, all work on feeding leeches, purifying water in containers, replanting leeches, etc., is carried out only by hand. Even on large leech farms. Leeches feed on blood, which can be obtained from livestock farms, private farmers, or slaughterhouses by concluding appropriate agreements with them.

Special biofactories are engaged in breeding leeches on an industrial scale. Currently, there are only four such factories in Russia: two in the Moscow region, one in St. Petersburg and one in the city of Balakovo, Saratov region. In total, they grow 5–5.5 million leeches per year, which makes Russia the leader in the production of leeches in the world: only 0.5 million per year are grown in France and the USA.

A leech is a worm that has a kind of “brain”. Nietzsche's Zarathustra tried to claim that he was familiar with the mental, or rather mental, activity of the leeches of these interesting worms. Researchers, of course, have not yet found the “brain” of leeches, but it is quite possible to say that the leech has a fairly branched nervous system, consisting of a peripheral part and a sympathetic autonomic system.

There is an opinion that a leech “loves” a person. Researchers of this “crawling world” have long been interested in whether leeches or any other worms have any feelings. Well, animals, of course, cannot love like people. But some species of mammals are characterized by certain emotional experiences associated with devotion, friendliness, and affection.

Sources

    https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeches http://www.pijavki.com/o_pijavkah.html http://polzovred.ru/zdorovie/piyavki.html#i-2 http://pomogispine.com /lechenie/girudoterapiya.html http://www.aif.ru/health/life/1188201

Medical leeches: Fig. 13 - pharmacy; rice. 14 - therapeutic; rice. 15 - Persian. Rice. 16. Horse leech. Rice. 17. False horse leech. (On the left is a view of the leech from the dorsal side, on the right is a view from the ventral side.)

Medical leeches have long been used as a blood extractor and anticoagulant. They inhabit shallow, well-warmed water bodies of the Caucasus; feed on the blood of cattle. Medical leeches are bred at a biofactory in Moscow.

Horse leeches attack animals and people while swimming. They are dangerous because small young leeches can stick to the nasopharynx, pharynx, larynx, and cause difficulty breathing and swallowing; attempts to remove the leech instrumentally are usually unsuccessful and often end in throat bleeding. Surgery is required.

Medicinal uses of leeches(hirudotherapy) is based on the ability of leeches to secrete hirudin, which reduces, has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Leeches are widely used for a number of diseases: glaucoma, etc. Leeches are used in 4-6 pieces (less often up to 20), repeating occupational therapy after 5-6 days if necessary. Leeches are placed along the affected vessel for thrombophlebitis, on mastoid processes and to the back of the head in case of hypertension, in the area of ​​the liver - in case of circulatory failure, in the area of ​​the heart - in case of. The skin is pre-washed hot water without using odorous substances (soap, etc.) and wipe with cotton wool. The patient must lie down during the procedure. The leeches are placed in a test tube or glass, which is pressed tightly to the skin, and they wait until the leech attaches. If the leech does not stick for a long time, it needs to be replaced. Each leech sucks 10-15 ml of blood within 1/3-1 hour. If the leech does not fall off on its own or needs to be removed earlier, you should touch the head end of the leech with a swab moistened with alcohol. After the leech falls off, apply a sterile bandage to the wounds. The wounds bleed from 6 to 24 hours, sometimes longer. If the bleeding is too profuse and prolonged, apply a pressure bandage; at threatening bleeding, which is usually associated with reduced blood clotting of the patient, hemostatic agents are necessary; in rare cases, braces are applied. Used leeches are not suitable for reuse. Leeches are contraindicated in case of anemia, exhaustion, diseases characterized by decreased blood clotting, hemolysis.

The therapeutic use of leeches (hirudotherapy, bdellotherapy) is based on the ability of leeches to have a variety of effects on the human body: hemorrhagic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and local anticoagulant. The mechanism of action of leeches has not been studied enough, however, hirudotherapy is widely used for hypertension, thrombophlebitis, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, with congestive liver, diseases of the female genital area, neuritis and radiculitis, appendicular infiltrates, furunculosis, glaucoma, etc. Leeches are contraindicated in cases of collapse, hypotension, anemia, increased bleeding and general exhaustion. Leeches are used in 4-12 pieces (rarely up to 20), repeating hirudotherapy after 5-6 days if necessary. Leeches are placed on the area of ​​the organ that they want to influence: along the affected vessel with thrombophlebitis, on the mastoid processes and to the back of the head with hypertension, on the liver area with stagnation, on the heart area with angina pectoris, etc. The skin is first wiped with alcohol and washed with hot water. water without using odorous substances (soap, ether) and wipe with dry cotton wool. The leeches are placed in a glass or test tube, which is pressed tightly against the skin, and they wait for it to stick (Fig.). Each leech sucks 10-15 ml of blood within 1/2-1 hour. If the leech does not fall off for a long time, you need to sprinkle it with salt or touch the head end with a swab moistened with alcohol. After the leeches fall off, apply a sterile bandage to the wounds. The sores may continue to bleed for 6 to 24 hours. If this bleeding is profuse and prolonged, apply a pressure bandage; if bleeding threatens, the wound is sutured or a staple is placed on it. Used leeches are not suitable for reuse.

Attaching leeches: 1 - from a glass; 2 - from a test tube.


Rice. 1 - 3. Varieties of medicinal leeches. View from the dorsal (left) and ventral (right) sides. Rice. 1. Pharmacy medicinal leech. Rice. 2. Medicinal medicinal leech. Rice. 3. Persian medicinal leech. Rice. 4. Horse leech. View from the dorsal (left) and ventral (right) sides. Rice. 5. Life-size medical leech cocoon: a - whole; b - in a longitudinal section; c - in cross section. Rice. 6. False horse leech from the dorsal (left) and ventral (right) sides.

Previously, the medicinal leech lived in almost every corner of Europe, but now its numbers have sharply decreased. This happened because active commercial fishing in the past, as well as drainage of swamps, significantly reduced the population.

The body of the medicinal leech is flattened, rounded, with two suckers that grow at the front and rear ends. The anterior sucker is crowned with a mouth opening.

In its natural habitat, the leech attaches itself to various underwater plants, where it waits for prey. The leech is very voracious; with a weight of about 2 g, it can easily suck up to 15 ml of blood in one go, while its body weight increases almost 10 times.

The blood that the leech has sucked from the victim does not clot and can remain in a liquid state for up to several months. The period that she can live from the first meal to the next is about 2 years.

To digest blood and keep it in its original liquid form, special bacteria called Aeromonas hydrophila are found in the leech’s intestines. Leeches have a symbiotic relationship with these microorganisms. This means that both participants in the tandem benefit. In addition, if there are unwanted bacteria in the leech’s stomach, the symbiont destroys them, purifying the blood contained in the worm.

The use of leeches in domestic medicine is aimed against diseases such as varicose veins, bleeding (hemorrhage), and ulcers. In the West and in Europe, with the help of these worms they fight venous stagnation, which is formed during tissue transplantation. Some medicines contain leech extract. Today, technological progress allows attempts to create an artificial leech.

Distribution area of ​​medicinal leeches

They live in large numbers in the north to the border with Scandinavia, in the south – to Algeria and Transcaucasia. There is an assumption that within the boundaries of their habitat, they live in isolated populations, avoiding contact with groups of other leeches. The form of leeches used in medicine lives mainly in Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia. Another form, pharmaceutical, lives in the Krasnodar region and Stavropol region.


Typical habitat of leeches

Leeches are adapted to aquatic and air habitats. To pump from one body of water to another, they are able to travel long distances overland. They live only in fresh waters. They do not tolerate salty water sources. The usual place where they live is lakes or ponds, the bottom of which is lined with silt. Prefer clean water, where frogs live and reeds grow thickly.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies medicinal leeches as numerically vulnerable animals. Some habitats that have long been familiar to leeches are no longer areas of their distribution. The reason for the decline in numbers is the massive outflow into medical purposes. Today, the intensity of population depletion has decreased due to the fact that the bloodletting technique has become irrelevant.

Also, biofactories are being created in which leeches are artificially grown, however, this does little to restore the population. Another clear factor that leads to the death of a large number of these animals is the reduction in the number of frogs. They are the main source of nutrition for small leeches that are not able to penetrate to larger animals.


Features of the body structure of leeches

As mentioned earlier, the medicinal leech has elastic body, elongated, with well-developed muscles. It is divided into 33 segments. It has two suckers, the back one is larger than the front one, its function is to attach itself to the substrate. Each segment is divided into a certain number of segments (3 or 5), in central ring Each segment contains sensory papillae.

The abdomen and back differ in color, the back is dark, with brown stripes. The outside of the body has a cuticle; it is shed repeatedly during growth. By the intensity with which the animal sheds, you can determine the health status of the leech.


The leech has four layers of muscles. The first consists of circular fibers, responsible for swallowing blood, followed by a layer of diagonal and deep longitudinal fibers, they provide contraction of the body, the last layer is the dorso-abdominal muscles, they serve to make the body flat. Connective tissue very elastic, dense, it covers both muscle fibers, and organs.

The nervous system consists of ganglia and segmental nerves extending from them. At the anterior and posterior ends of the body, the ganglia unite and form a pair of synganglia, one pharyngeal and one anal.


The receptors that are located on each segment are divided according to the type of sensitivity into three types: baroreceptors, thermoreceptors and chemoreceptors. All of them serve to search for food and navigate in space. On top of that, on the first five segments there are five pairs of eyes, which include special pigment cells, with the help of which the leech can distinguish light from darkness.

The digestive system includes: the mouth, in the central part of the front sucker, jaws - one upper and two lower, each with 100 chitin teeth, they can damage the skin of the organism to which it is sucked. A special secretion also enters the mouth opening, which prevents the blood from clotting at the moment of absorption. The stomach is presented in the form of an elastic tube, which has 11 paired pockets. The muscular sphincter separates the stomach from the intestines. In the latter, feces accumulate, when excreted, the water becomes colored dark color.


Urine, which is formed in the leech’s body, is released through the nephropores. According to the type of reproduction, she is a hermaphrodite; she cannot fertilize herself alone; she still needs a pair.

Feeding and reproduction of leeches

It feeds mainly on the blood of warm-blooded animals, but can sometimes attack frogs and fish. The duration of blood absorption always varies depending on the state of the leech.

A hungry individual can take blood for 2 hours.

It breeds once a year, in summer. The copulation process occurs on land, the leeches wrap around each other and stick together, after fertilization the leech lays 5 cocoons, from which babies will be born after 2 weeks.

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Despite scientific advances modern medicine, alternative ways therapy do not lose their relevance and are becoming increasingly popular among patients.

Leech treatment is widely used to treat various ailments, but has mixed reviews, both among patients and doctors.

Features of treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy)

Literally a couple of hundred years ago, most diseases associated with blood stasis were treated with leeches, which was considered the only way alleviating the condition of patients with vascular or neurological pathologies.

Today, hirudotherapy, due to the simplicity and accessibility of the procedure, is becoming quite popular among patients trying to find treatment methods that can speed up the healing process and eliminate side effects drug therapy.

For medical procedures apply healing worms, which are grown on specialized farms providing sterile conditions. It is strictly prohibited to use ordinary leeches that live in neighboring lakes for medicinal purposes. Treatment with such leeches can harm a person. Because nonspecific worms are carriers of infection, which may enter the patient’s blood during the procedure.

A medicinal leech needs blood to feed itself. Once on human skin, the healing worm, which has more than one row of small chitinous teeth, pierces the skin and begins to be saturated with the patient’s blood.

What does such an unusual method of treatment give the patient?

The secret of the beneficial properties of treatment with leeches lies in the content of the main thing in their saliva active substance – hirudin. Patients' condition is improving due to the combination of enzymes in leech saliva with blood, which is expressed:

Blood thinning;

Increased blood flow;

Relieving inflammatory reactions;

Effect on clots and blood clots;

Obstruction of blood clotting.

Treatment with leeches: what are the benefits for the body?

Treatment with leeches is a rather controversial technique, with ambiguous and radically different reviews and opinions. Proponents of leech treatment argue for the beneficial properties of leech enzymes, which, when entering the body, have a healing effect. There are actually more than 150 species in the saliva of leeches various enzymes And useful substances.

Due to these beneficial properties, leeches are used in the treatment of:

Diabetes mellitus, gout, obesity, and other pathologies associated with metabolic disorders;

Fractures, hematomas, postoperative adhesions;

Ailments of the musculoskeletal system: osteochondrosis, hernias, myositis, arthrosis;

Thyroid diseases;

Vascular pathologies;

Kidney diseases;

Gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis;

Dermatological diseases: acne, psoriasis, furunculosis;

Eye diseases: keratitis, glaucoma;

Neurological pathologies: migraine, radiculitis, epilepsy, neuroses, insomnia;

Inflammation of the genital organs, prostatitis, ovarian dysfunction, menstrual irregularities.

Treatment with leeches is usually carried out in courses, but after the first procedures positive changes are observed, manifested by:

Reduced swelling;

Reducing pain;

Improvement appearance skin;

Stabilization of pressure indicators;

Improving motor abilities;

Reducing the feeling of fatigue.

The obvious benefits to the body from treatment with leeches are due to healing effects as:

Restoration of microcirculatory functions;

Increasing the body's immune capabilities;

Relaxation of muscle tissue;

Preventing the formation of blood clots;

Accelerating the transmission of neuromuscular impulses;

Analgesic, anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory and healing effects;

Blood thinners;

Pressure recovery;

Increased blood flow.

To achieve lasting results and obvious benefits for the body, you should not stop treatment with leeches after the first improvements. Only the hirudotherapist can correctly determine the duration of each session and the number of procedures required.

The benefits of treatment with leeches will only be subject to the technique of planting worms. Because the animal is unable to choose for itself appropriate place. Hirudotherapists plant sucking healers according to certain patterns, taking into account the location of active points on the body, which makes it possible to achieve beneficial effects on the body.

Treatment with leeches: what are the possible harm to health?

Opponents of leech treatment argue that this type of therapy is harmful to the body, since it smoothes out symptoms without affecting the nature of the disease.

And the number of harmful consequences, according to conservative doctors, significantly exceeds the benefits of treatment with leeches.

Patients hoping for a cure serious illnesses expose themselves to unnecessary risks. As a result of treatment with leeches, the following may be observed:

Heavy or unstoppable bleeding;

Various manifestations dermatitis;

Allergic reactions in the form of a rash;

Formation of ulcers and suppurations;

Pain, both during the procedure and after it;

Permanent spots at the site of a leech bite.

To avoid the negative and harmful consequences of treatment with leeches, Hirudotherapy sessions are contraindicated for patients:

Those who have personal intolerance or allergic reactions to the components of leech secretions;

With low blood pressure;

With low hemoglobin levels;

For blood diseases;

With thin sensitive skin;

For any damage to the skin;

Having malignant tumors.

If the patient has personal dislike of leeches or disgust towards this method of exposure, such treatment with leeches will clearly not bring any health benefits.

A dangerous consequence is unstoppable bleeding that lasts more than a day. If you encounter such a complication, you should immediately consult a doctor.

For pregnant and nursing mothers: is treatment with leeches beneficial or harmful?

Pregnancy is a contraindication for treatment with leeches. Since the effect of leeches on a woman’s body during pregnancy has practically not been studied, resort to this method of therapy undesirable.

There is an opinion that under the influence of hemorrhage and increased blood flow, placental rejection is possible, which leads to unwanted termination of pregnancy. Therefore, it is inappropriate to talk about any benefits for the pregnant woman’s body from treatment with leeches.

And here There are no special restrictions for nursing mothers. In addition to general healing and therapeutic procedures, hirudotherapists offer special methods of treatment with leeches for such women, which can even enhance lactation.

If does not exist special contraindications For women who are breastfeeding, treatment with leeches will not cause any harm.

Treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) for children: beneficial or harmful?

The use of leeches is approved for the treatment of children, starting from infancy. The difficulty of this type of therapy lies in the ambiguous reaction of children to the worms themselves and pain. However, by finding an experienced hirudotherapist who knows how to conduct sessions for children, you can help the child’s body cope with many problems.

If the doctor suggests that parents try to persuade and calm the baby on their own, there will be no benefit from such treatment with leeches. The baby should feel close emotional contact with both the parents and the doctor, which will relieve stress and fear of unusual manipulations.

Usually children calmly accept subsequent sessions; unusual worms even arouse interest. If the child clearly rejects treatment with leeches Don't forcefully torture a child's psyche. All the same, there will be no benefit from such treatment with leeches.

Most often, parents turn to a hirudotherapist for help when they detect children with cerebral palsy, PEP. It is sometimes possible to reduce intracranial pressure in problem children only by using leeches.

For older children, leeches are used to treat pathologies of the ENT organs, lungs, enuresis and nervous disorders.

IN adolescence with the help of leeches, problems of a vegetative-vascular and digestive nature are solved.

When properly carried out, leech treatment sessions are beneficial for child's body undeniable.

Is treatment with leeches for weight loss beneficial?

Oddly enough, medicinal leeches actually promote weight loss. Of course, they are not capable of breaking down, much less destroying, fat deposits. The benefits of treatment with leeches for weight loss are manifested by indirect effects.

Using hirudotherapy in patients with overweight, manages to achieve:

Normalization of metabolism;

Stabilization of hormonal levels;

Elimination of depressive and nervous conditions.

Taken together, these results of leech treatment bring tangible health benefits and promote weight loss.

Recovery metabolic processes leeches are placed on the sacral area. To stabilize hormonal background, they are placed behind the ear. The procedures are repeated every other day. To get a lasting result, at least 10 procedures will be required.

Remember that leech treatment is a controversial therapy. If you don't want to harm your body, try to find an experienced hirudotherapist having documentation confirming his qualifications.

Probably every person has known about leeches since childhood. They inhabit many ponds and lakes, hunt frogs, domestic animals, and can even attach themselves to a person who decides to swim in their habitat.

But is it really true that doctors use these terrible bloodsuckers, living in complete unsanitary conditions, to treat patients? Of course not. For these purposes, only medicinal leeches are used in medicine.

Let's figure out what medicinal leeches are. In total, there are almost four hundred types of leeches, but in medicine they are used only for medicinal purposes.

Species Hirudo medicinalis - medical leech, ringed water worm, ten to fifteen centimeters in length.

Medicinal leeches are greenish-brown in color. On the front and back parts Medicinal leeches have suckers on their bodies. An interesting fact is that the sucker located at the back is unchanged, in contrast to the front sucker, which appears only when necessary: ​​to attach to the body of the victim or to move along surfaces. But leeches not only crawl, they are excellent swimmers, so they can overtake the victim even on open water when it doesn't touch the bottom at all.

It is worth noting

Leeches, overtaking the victim, stick to the skin using the head suction cup, in the middle of which there is a mouth opening, and bite the skin, as if cutting with a knife. To do this, they serve three small plates in the mouth, on which there are hundreds of small teeth.

After medicinal leeches cut the epidermis, a special salivary secretion is released into the body. It contains active substances such as hirudin and histamine.

  • Hirudin(from the Latin "Hirudo", meaning leech) - an anticoagulant. It prevents blood clotting.
  • Histamine- causes local dilation of blood vessels.

note

Medicinal leeches used in modern hirudotherapy are absolutely “sterile”. They are grown in special biofactories.

There are four such leech farms in Russia: two of them are in the Moscow region, one in St. Petersburg and another in the Saratov region. Russia is the world's largest producer of medicinal leeches, producing almost six million per year.

But how long have people been using medicinal leeches?

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The first mentions of the use of medicinal leeches appeared three thousand years ago during the time of the pharaohs. Medicinal leeches are also often mentioned in the works of Hippocrates, Galen and Avicenna.

But the finest hour of leeches came in medieval Europe. From the end of the seventeenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century, medicinal leeches were considered a panacea by Europeans. Leeches replaced bloodletting. And this is quite understandable.

In order to open the vein and release the “bad blood”, a doctor was required, and many could not afford the financial luxury of systematic visits to the doctor. It was then that they came up with a natural biological method that replaced the bloodletting procedure. The leeches happily feasted on fresh blood, and they could easily be caught in any quantity in the nearest pond absolutely free.

Having set a goal to achieve best results during treatment, the patient was given more than a hundred leeches at a time. But, alas, often the disease did not subside, or healing effect was not strong enough. Thus, by the beginning of the twentieth century, medicine had lost faith in hirudotherapy as a panacea, and interest in it had practically disappeared.

Medicinal leeches and their properties were remembered again only in the mid-twentieth century. It was at this time that scientists identified their main assistance in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Now let’s figure out how treatment can be carried out, where and at what price to purchase medicinal leeches.

It is worth noting

Treatment with leeches can be carried out both at home and on an outpatient basis in specialized clinics; they will have the same effect on the body. However, prices may vary significantly. The cost of treatment depends on the number of places where the procedure is performed, the number of medicinal leeches used, placement sites and the number of sessions required for treatment.

IN medical centers a course of hirudotherapy is selected for each patient strictly individually, depending on the diagnosis and complexity of the disease.

A consultation with a doctor will cost an average of 500-1000 rubles. And one session of hirudotherapy costs on average 750-1800, depending on the number of medicinal leeches supplied and their location. It must be remembered that a course of hirudotherapy includes from four to twelve sessions.

Treatment with leeches can also be done at home. To do this, you need to undergo an examination with your attending physician and identify a diagnosis. possible illness. It is important to check with your doctor whether you have any contraindications for the use of medicinal leeches.

You can buy leeches at the pharmacy as much as you need. But it should be noted that in some pharmacies you should make a pre-order for medicinal leeches. One medicinal leech, depending on the region, costs from forty to two hundred rubles.

If you are going to place leeches on other than your arms and legs, then it is best to invite a hirudotherapist to your home. The fact is that medicinal leeches are quite frisky creatures and, if you place them, for example, on the face or in the tailbone area, then they can easily get inside the body and, sticking there, become a serious problem, and in some cases can be deadly . Therefore, it is better to play it safe and invite a specialist, under whose supervision the session will take place.

Placement of one leech by a hirudotherapist on the skin will cost from one hundred fifty to five hundred rubles. Placing a medicinal leech on the mucous membrane, in the anal area or on the female genital organs costs on average from five hundred to a thousand rubles.

The benefits of leeches during a hirudotherapy session: how it is carried out and how to prepare correctly

Preparation for a hirudotherapy session begins with the fact that the day before the leech is applied, the patient is advised to give up tobacco, alcohol, spicy food and spirits.

Before the procedure, the site of the intended bloodletting should simply be thoroughly wiped with cotton wool soaked in hot water. If there is such a need, you can shave the area being prepared.

Carrying out a hirudotherapy session involves placing leeches on the skin at the site of projection of the organ whose treatment is necessary.

For example, in case of liver diseases, the benefits of leeches will be greater if they are placed on the right hypochondrium, and in case of osteochondrosis, the greatest positive effect will be when annelids are placed primarily on those areas near the spine or tailbone where the most painful sensations are concentrated.

Traditionally, from two to fifteen leeches that have long been deprived of food can be used in one session.

They are carefully taken near the head end with tweezers or by hand and lowered to the supposed site of suction.

To help this blood-sucking creature determine the location of the bite, there is such a method: you just need to carefully, with force, rub the selected point, this simple action causes increased blood circulation in a small area of ​​​​the skin, which becomes the most attractive for leeches.

At the end of the hirudotherapy session, having received all the benefits from leeches, the little healer must be disconnected. You cannot forcibly tear off a leech, otherwise, due to the many enzymes contained in its saliva, the wound will bleed and hurt a lot, which will cause harm and probably worsen the disease. To do this, you just need to touch the leech with a cotton swab containing alcohol, and it will fall off on its own. The wound is not lubricated with any preparations.

The effect of a medicinal leech on the body includes several reasons:

  • Reflexogenic component- leeches stick to biologically active points.
  • Mechanical component- physical extraction of blood, which takes quite a long time.
  • Biological component- the leech injects its saliva, which contains many enzymes and biologically active substances.

As a result of all this, the benefits of leeches have been scientifically proven and are practically limitless for both women's and men's health. Thanks to hirudin, contained in the saliva of leeches and thinning the blood, the resorption of blood clots and adhesions is noted, which has found a great response in the treatment of varicose veins, postoperative conditions and gynecological diseases in women. Antimicrobial and analgesic effects are noted.

Protease inhibitors, which relieve tissue inflammation, are considered as a significant aid in the treatment of prostatitis, arthritis, emphysema and others.

But, although the benefits of leeches are great, it is necessary to remember the contraindications. These include hemophilia, pregnancy, malignant tumors, congenital incoagulability, anemia, hemorrhagic diathesis, low arterial pressure, allergy to leeches.

What diseases are treated with leeches and reviews of treatment with leeches

It is not without reason that they say that as many people as there are so many opinions. Reviews of treatment with leeches were no exception. But, after analyzing more than one hundred statements, we can derive the average idea of ​​hirudotherapy among our population:

  • For most people, leeches still cause a feeling of disgust, so they often turn to this method of treatment only after all other methods have been tried and often have not produced significant results.
  • Price per full course hirudotherapy, carried out in the clinic, bites no worse than that same leech.
  • From time to time there are reviews that the disease that they tried to get rid of during hirudotherapy sessions did not go away, but performance, immunity increased and overall well-being became much better. Most likely this is due to blood renewal in the body.
  • Along with positive reviews about self-medication, stories often emerge in which people who decided that they could do everything themselves had to seek qualified medical help. These include escaped leeches crawling into various orifices of the body, and profuse bleeding, which does not last more than a day, for example, when leeches are placed incorrectly on a vein, and the bite site becomes blistered due to allergic reactions, And so on. People who have experienced all these horrors strongly advise using hirudotherapy exclusively under the supervision of a doctor!
  • The overwhelming number of reviews about leech treatment are written in a positive manner. People who have experienced the effective help and healing power of hirudotherapy become its ardent adherents, write numerous laudatory reviews, and recommend it to family and friends.

If hirudotherapy is so widely used and discussed, then let’s figure out what diseases are treated with leeches:

  • Cardiovascular and vascular diseases : hypertension, “jumping” pressure, vegetative-vascular dystonia, cerebral atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, post-infarction cardiosclerosis, ischemic disease heart disease, myocarditis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, hypertensive crisis, thrombophlebitis, circulatory failure, trophic ulcers of any origin, thrombosis of arteries and veins, blood congestion, bruises, hematomas, swelling.
  • Gynecological diseases: female infertility, mastitis, mastopathy, fibromastopathy, chronic inflammation of the uterus and appendages, salpingo-oophoritis, endometriosis, adenomyosis of the uterine body, menstrual irregularities, menopausal conditions, ovarian dysfunction, ovarian cysts, colpitis, adhesions in the pelvis, cervical erosion, ovarian cysts, fibroids , postpartum purulent-septic complications, uterine fibroids, bartholinitis, chlamydia.
  • Androgenic diseases: male infertility, prostatitis, prostate adenoma, seminal canal cyst, testicular hypotrophy, cavernitis, elephantiasis of the scrotum and penis.
  • Urological diseases: ordinary, acute purulent and cystic changes in the kidneys, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, paranephritis, urinary and ligature fistulas, hepatorenal syndrome, hydronephrosis, chronic renal failure, urethritis, paraurethritis, ureteral stones, cystitis, paracystitis.
  • Endocrine diseases: thyroid diseases, diabetes mellitus, gout, obesity, diathesis.
  • Dental diseases: alveolitis, periostitis, chronic periodontitis, stomalgia syndrome, ganglioneuritis of the pterygopalatine ganglion, fibrous form of CRAS, keratinization of the oral mucosa, periodontitis, gingivitis.
  • Application in cosmetology: cellulite, wrinkles, poor complexion, dull skin, bags under the eyes.
  • Ophthalmic diseases: iridocyclitis, macular degeneration, inflammation optic nerve in the stage of edema, glaucoma, pseudotumor, pathological processes vascular tract of the eye, keratitis, epithelial-endothelial dystrophy of the cornea, iridocyclitis, hidden retinal pigment abnormality, edematous exophthalmos, corneal erosion.
  • Dermatovenereology and skin diseases : red lichen planus, dermatosis, dermatitis, genital herpes, papillomatosis, eczema, acne, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, furunculosis, carbunculosis, scleroderma, baldness, pyoderma, lupus erythematosus, elephantiasis, toxicoderma.
  • Surgical diseases: felons, umbilical, inguinal and postoperative ventral hernias, post-injection infiltrates.
  • ENT diseases: sensorineural hearing loss, diseases of the paranasal sinuses, sinusitis, pansinusitis, sinusitis, chronic sensorineural hearing loss, adhesive otitis media of the middle ear, acute non-perforative otitis media, tinnitus.
  • Nervous system diseases: insomnia, headaches, neuroses, dizziness, epilepsy, migraine, neuralgia, auditory neuritis, paresis, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, neuritis sciatic nerve and neuralgia of the sciatic nerve, paralysis of various nerves, arteriosclerosis of the brain, hemorrhagic stroke, concussion, consequences of brain injuries.
  • Diseases of the musculoskeletal system: radiculitis, myositis, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, damage to bones and joints after injuries, intervertebral hernias, fractures, scleroderma.
  • Digestive diseases: constipation, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis, duodenitis, cirrhosis, biliary dyskinesia, diverticulosis.
  • Colds: runny nose, acute respiratory infections, ARVI, flu.

Where and how to place leeches correctly?

The question of how to place leeches is not difficult to answer. They are applied to biological active points on the patient's body in the area of ​​painful sensations.

But only a qualified hirudotherapist knows how to place leeches correctly.

Regardless of whether the procedure is performed in a clinical setting or at home, he will be able to build correct scheme administering leeches to treat the illness that has affected you.

After all, it is not always obvious where to place the leeches. For varicose veins and atherosclerosis on the legs, leeches are placed on both sides near the vein, but not on it itself.

For back pain ( intervertebral hernia, radiculitis or osteochondrosis) small bloodsuckers are located to the left and right of the spine along its entire length.

It is much more difficult to understand where to place the leech for headaches or cerebral atherosclerosis. In this case, you need to feel on the head a couple of centimeters behind the ears on a tubercle on each side. These are the mastoid processes of the skull bones, and one leech should be placed on them.

At high and intracranial pressure It is recommended to place two or three leeches on the sacrum. This procedure will also help women feel better in critical days, will relieve inflammation of the uterus and bladder.

At low pressure, one leech placed on the back of the head will suffice.

Leeches placed on the stomach in the area of ​​the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines will help eliminate blood stagnation in abdominal cavity and will help get rid of obesity, normalize appetite and relieve colic.

Correct placement of leeches on the face, on the side of the nose and above the eyebrows, with great care, will help cope with sinusitis, rhinitis and obstruction maxillary sinuses. Placing leeches in the corners lower jaw, you can significantly improve the blood supply to the spine.

Pulmonary and nosebleeds will soon disappear if two or three leeches are placed around the anus.

Being healthy is easy. The main thing is not to be afraid of anything, find a qualified hirudotherapist and carry out the necessary course of treatment under his supervision.