Benefits, harms and indications of hirudotherapy

Several centuries ago, almost all human diseases were treated with this method. We will talk about hirudotherapy. Medieval healers were convinced that all diseases occur from blood stagnation, and the best remedy for improving blood flow was leech bites.

The benefits of hirudotherapy

Nowadays, treatment with leeches has long been no longer among the most popular methods of treatment. But it is still sometimes used as an additional non-traditional method of therapy. The main secret of hirudotherapy is hidden in the beneficial saliva of leeches, which has valuable properties.

The secret of leeches contains:

• Hirudin – activates the activity of blood vessels, prevents the formation of blood clots. But to be fair, it should be noted that not all leeches have such a positive quality.
• Trypsin is a special enzyme that has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It is necessary for a normal ratio of carbohydrates and proteins in the body and high-quality metabolism.
• Cathepsin effectively fights the formation of malignant tumors.
• Bacteria that protect human health and prevent harmful viruses and microorganisms from entering the body.
• Hyaluronidase is a special enzyme that is very useful for male reproductive function.

Under the influence of leech saliva, human blood thins. It is useful against the formation of blood clots and for increasing blood flow in the body. If you apply leeches to special reflex zones of the body, you can activate the formation of immunity and normalize the activity of human internal organs.

A leech bite is useful for relieving swelling and saturating the body with oxygen. This allows blood pressure to normalize, eliminates fever and localizes inflammation.

It is useful to carry out treatment with leeches to normalize the activity of the nervous system, to relieve pain and various psychological disorders. Hirudotherapy will help restore strength after long-term treatment and serious illnesses; in addition, it can help eliminate the consequences of the harmful effects of microorganisms.

Harm of hirudotherapy

Before talking about the dangers of treatment with leeches, it should be noted that only special medical leeches are suitable for hirudotherapy. The fact is that some suppliers, unscrupulous in their business, can provide a completely different type of annelid under the guise of medicinal leeches. Only three of the more than 600 species of annelids are suitable for treatment. These leeches include the apothecary leech, which has an olive-green belly and orange stripes on the back, the medicinal leech with narrow stripes on both sides of the body, and the oriental leech with a light back and almost black belly.

If, instead of medicinal leeches, an ordinary leech caught in a neighboring pond is placed on a person’s body, then either there will be no effect, or, on the contrary, some kind of infection will develop. Good real leeches are grown specifically for medical purposes and are used only once to avoid any contamination.

Indications for hirudotherapy

There are many cases in which treatment with leeches would be useful. This treatment is especially useful for diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Due to its properties, leech saliva significantly reduces the ability of blood to clot and dissolves blood clots. The oxygen supply to the body also improves, swelling decreases and fluid outflow improves. Such properties make it useful to use hirudotherapy for coronary artery disease, heart defects, heart attacks and atherosclerosis.

For gastritis, liver cirrhosis, food allergies and other gastroenterological diseases, leech therapy brings significant improvement. This treatment is also useful for a variety of neurological pain. This can include headaches, migraines, tremors, sciatica and other rheumatological pains.

A variety of diseases of the urinary tract and especially kidney diseases can also be treated using hirudotherapy. The same list includes a variety of lung diseases and gynecological diseases associated with poor circulation. Leeches help menopausal women - with them, the signs of menopause occur much easier.

Leeches cope well with a variety of skin problems - acne, warts, eczema and other skin diseases disappear after a course of hirudotherapy.

All these cases are an indication for the use of leech treatment. This can be either the main course of therapy or additional treatment. Please note that hirudotherapy in some cases can only be a means of pain relief, and it cannot completely cure the disease.

Contraindications for hirudotherapy

It is not advisable to use hirudotherapy in all cases. And for some people, treatment with leeches may be completely contraindicated. Such cases include:

• Poor blood clotting.
• Hard case anemia, in which the number of red blood cells in the blood is significantly reduced.
• Low blood pressure.
• Diathesis of hemorrhagic form.
• The period of pregnancy, as well as the period of menstrual bleeding.
• Malignant neoplasms.
• Hypersensitivity to leech saliva.