How harmful are leeches. The impact of leeches on humans during treatment

Hirudotherapy is a therapeutic method of treating certain pathologies with the help of medical leeches. The term "hirudotherapy" is translated from Latin as "treatment with a leech." The use of leeches in medicine in ancient times was mentioned in their writings by such famous doctors as Galen, Hippocrates and Avicenna.

Hirudotherapy - translated from Latin "treatment with a leech", is an ancient method of treating pathologies, which Hippocrates and Avicenna mentioned in their writings

Description of leeches

The salivary secretion of leeches contains the following substances:

Hirudin. Prevents the formation of blood clots, as it thins the blood and improves blood flow. It also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Apirase. Promotes the removal of harmful substances from the blood that provoke the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
Destabilase. This complex of substances dissolves existing blood clots and protects against the appearance of new ones.
Hyaluronidase. Favorably affects adhesions and scars, dissolving them.
Eglins. They have an anti-inflammatory effect, regenerate tissues. They have a therapeutic effect in rheumatoid and other diseases of the joints.
Bradykinins. Remove the inflammatory process.

Note! A hirudotherapy session can be performed on an outpatient basis in a medical facility or at home. In both cases, the effect of them will be the same. However, the cost of the procedure can vary significantly.

The price of hirudotherapy depends on the patient's diagnosis, the number of sessions, the location and the number of leeches used. On average, a hirudotherapy session costs 800-1700 rubles. A consultation with a specialist costs an average of 600-1200 rubles. The course of treatment consists of 4-12 procedures.

Of more than 400 species of leeches, leeches of the species Hirudo medicinalis are used in medicine; these are annelids of green-brown color, 10-15 cm long.

Leech therapy can be done at home. First, you should be examined by a doctor, pass all the necessary tests to determine the exact diagnosis. Then find out if there are any contraindications for the use of leeches, and only after that you can start treatment.

You can buy leeches in a pharmacy in the required quantity. The price of 1 leech, depending on the region, varies between 50-220 rubles.

Advice! In case of back diseases, it is advisable to call a hirudotherapeutist at home. Medicinal leeches are very active, so they can easily penetrate the body and become a serious problem for the patient, even death.

Setting 1 leech on the skin by a specialist will cost from 200 to 600 rubles. If it is necessary to place leeches in the anus or on the female genital organs, then setting up 1 medicinal leech will cost from 600 to 1100 rubles.

Indications and contraindications for hirudotherapy

Hirudotherapy has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of the following diseases:

Gynecological pathologies: a tumor in the muscular layer of the uterus, growth of the inner lining of the uterus, inflammation of the vaginal mucosa, infertility.
Dermatological pathologies: ulcers on the skin, scaly,.
Pulmonary disorders: pneumonia, emphysema, bronchial.
Cardiovascular pathologies: consequences after.
Gastrointestinal disorders: ulcer, viral inflammation of the liver, liver.
Neurological disorders: constant, .
Inflammatory lesion of the prostate gland.
Pathology of the kidneys.
Endocrine disorders:, overweight.
Diseases of the ENT organs.
Phlebeurysm.
Violations of the functions of the organs of vision.
dental problems.

Along with the indisputable benefits of hirudotherapy, it also has contraindications - this is pregnancy, physical exhaustion of the body, low blood clotting. Therefore, before starting treatment with leeches, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

Hirudotherapy is contraindicated in such cases:

in the presence of a neoplasm;
during pregnancy;
in the acute period of a stroke;
with physical exhaustion of the body;
with anemia;
with mental disorders;
patients with low blood pressure;
with allergies to the salivary secretion of leeches;
patients with;
people with low blood clotting.

Preparation for the procedure

Before the procedure, you must follow these rules:

24 hours before a hirudotherapy session, the patient should stop taking alcoholic beverages and spicy foods, do not use perfume and refrain from smoking.
Before the procedure, do not bathe using cosmetics with a strong odor. The fact is that leeches have a very developed sense of smell. Feeling a pungent smell on the skin, they may not stick to it and not make a healing bite.
5 minutes before the hirudotherapy session, wipe the places where the leeches will be placed with cotton wool soaked in warm water.

For 1 procedure, you can use from 12 to 15 medicinal leeches. They should be carefully lowered into the intended places with tweezers so as not to hurt her. Leeches should be on the body until completely saturated - up to 1 hour.

The leech is carefully lowered onto the prepared skin with tweezers. Up to 15 leeches can be used in one procedure. The duration of stay of leeches on the body - up to one hour

At the end of the session, it is necessary to disconnect the leech using a cotton swab dipped in medical alcohol. It should not be torn off with force, it is enough to bring cotton wool, and the leech will fall off on its own. It is not recommended to lubricate the wound after the procedure with any gels and creams. It is allowed to cover it with a clean cotton-gauze bandage. Bleeding from bite sites can take about 24 hours - this is normal. After a day, the bandage should be removed and the place treated with a disinfectant, for example, iodine, then a new bandage should be made for more than a day. Wounds must be well monitored to avoid infection.

Note! After hirudotherapy, a decrease in blood pressure is possible. This usually happens after the first session. In the future, after 2-3 procedures, the pressure stabilizes.

It is advisable not to wet the bite site with a leech after the session. It is allowed to take a shower only on the 3rd day after hirudotherapy, a bath - on the 5th day.

Hirudotherapy schemes

Only an experienced hirudotherapist can correctly position medicinal leeches on the body. With varicose veins and on the lower extremities, leeches are placed on both sides near the vein, but not on top of it.

If the patient has back pain with an intervertebral hernia or, then the leeches should be located on the left side and on the right side of the spine along its entire length.

With increased intracranial pressure, 2-3 leeches should be placed on the sacrum. This procedure is effective for women with menstrual pain. Leeches will eliminate the inflammatory process in the uterus and bladder.

Only an experienced hirudotherapist can correctly position the leeches on the body

At low pressure, it is enough to put 1 leech on the back of the head.

To eliminate stagnation of blood in the abdominal cavity, reduce colic and normalize appetite, leeches should be placed on the stomach in the region of the right hypochondrium and stomach.

With and rhenitis, leeches should be located above the eyebrows and on the side of the nose.

To eliminate pulmonary and nasal bleeding, it is necessary to install 2-3 leeches around the anus.

Hirudotherapy is one of the most ancient naturopathic methods of treatment and prevention of many diseases, which has come to us since ancient times. The walls of the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, the works of Hippocrates, Avicenna, Galen are far from the only sources that acquaint mankind with the miraculous properties of a special kind of annelids from the subclass of leeches. Today, despite the rapid development of medicine and modern pharmaceuticals, the use of leeches for therapeutic purposes has not lost its relevance. What is the reason for the popularity of this method of therapy and where exactly medical leeches are used, MedAboutMe will tell.

Since the times of Ancient Egypt, Greece and India, mankind has known the possibility of using small blood-sucking creatures for therapeutic purposes. If the Egyptian queen Cleopatra used leeches to preserve youth and beauty, then such well-known luminaries of medicine in Russia as N.I. Pirogov, M.Ya. Mudrov, G.A. Zakharyin and others in practice confirmed the therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy. Some, with the help of leeches, saved the lives of the wounded, avoiding significant blood loss, pain shock and infectious complications, others fought against severe pulmonary, hemorrhoidal and nasal bleeding.

The peak of the popularity of hirudotherapy in the territory of modern Russia was noted at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, when leeches were so in demand that they were equal to cereals in terms of state exports. However, already in the second half of the 19th century, against the background of the active development of microbiology, the attitude towards the expediency of using leeches for therapeutic purposes changed dramatically. They began to be considered a source of possible infection, and bloodletting methods began to be used to obtain the effect of hirudotherapy.

To date, the popularity of the naturopathic method of treatment and prevention with the help of leeches is returning. The results of numerous scientific studies allow us to approach hirudotherapy more consciously, using it in combination with traditional official medical therapy. In addition, based on the saliva of leeches, the modern pharmacological field creates many drugs with clinically proven efficacy.

The popularity of hirudotherapy has returned today largely due to the discovery of the unique properties of the main "tool" of this technique - leeches. So, their saliva contains many biologically active substances, for example:

hirudin - a substance containing up to 65 amino acid residues that prevents rapid blood clotting and has anti-inflammatory properties;
hyaluronidase - an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid, which is important in the treatment of diseases in which cicatricial and adhesive processes are observed;
eglins - anti-inflammatory substances, most effective in rheumatoid arthritis, gout, etc .;
destabilase - a substance that cleaves E-lysine bonds between proteins and in stabilized fibrin.

Due to the increased content of biologically active substances in the saliva of leeches, their use can normalize and improve capillary circulation, relieve inflammation, and improve intracellular metabolism. The use of leeches also has an adaptogenic, anti-stress, immunostimulating, immunomodulatory and antibacterial effect.

Studies of the properties of leeches are continuously carried out to this day. This allows you to constantly supplement the already huge list of diseases in which hirudotherapy can be used as an additional treatment. So, the use of this naturopathic technique is practiced:

in surgery in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, hemorrhoidal veins and other diseases associated with impaired blood circulation;
for the treatment of certain dermatological diseases, for example, furunculosis, psoriasis, alopecia, carbunculosis, pyoderma;
in urology as an additional treatment for various kidney diseases, chronic prostatitis, prostate adenoma, etc.;
with cardiac diseases, for example, myocardial infarction, hypertension, etc.;
in gynecology for menstrual disorders, cervical erosion, infertility, adenomyosis.

In addition, hirudotherapy can be used in the treatment of certain ENT diseases, as well as ophthalmic, neurological and rheumatological problems. An equally significant role of medical leeches is assigned to modern cosmetology and the field of plastic surgery.

Do not forget about possible contraindications to hirudotherapy. These, first of all, include hemophilia, severe anemia, hemorrhagic diathesis, allergy to substances contained in the saliva of leeches, and some mental disorders associated with increased excitability. Also, hirudotherapy is not applicable for the treatment of children, pregnant women and people who are in a state of physical exhaustion.

Despite the numerous positive results of scientific research and the clinically proven effectiveness of hirudotherapy, it is worth remembering that only a doctor should prescribe treatment with leeches. Note that hirudotherapy as a separate medical specialty is not certified today. Accordingly, hirudotherapists are doctors of various specialties who have completed additional advanced training courses. Therefore, each person, going to an appointment with such specialists, must first undergo all the necessary examinations with a specialized doctor and provide the hirudotherapist with an outpatient card with a diagnosis and the results of the studies.

Leeches are carriers of infections.

Today, such a statement is fundamentally wrong, since medical leeches are grown in certified biofactories in absolutely sterile conditions. They are used only once and are disposed of after the procedure.

“When using leeches, there is a high chance of significant blood loss.”
For complete saturation of one leech, 5-15 ml of blood is enough. Approximately the same amount of blood is lost over the next few hours after the procedure. No more than 5-7 individuals are used for one session. Thus, the maximum possible blood loss will be 210 ml, and at the same time it will not occur abruptly, but gradually, which is safe for human health.

“A session of hirudotherapy is very painful, and not everyone can withstand it.”

When bitten, a leech injects an anesthetic agent into the blood, which ensures the complete absence of pain during the procedure.

"A place for a leech bite is chosen independently."

To obtain the desired therapeutic effect, the suction points for leeches are chosen by the doctor. And the leeches themselves, in principle, do not care where to start the "meal" - the main thing is that the place is warm and the blood flow is good.

“Hirudotherapy is safe and suitable for absolutely everyone.”

It is because of this approach to any treatment that patients mainly suffer, harming their health instead of the expected therapeutic effect. Turning to hirudotherapy, you must first consult with your doctor, go through all the examinations, exclude the presence of contraindications and find a certified specialist.

My friend, long and persistently explained to me that preventive treatment with leeches, called "hirudotherapy", is extremely useful, and historically justified. Elderly high-society ladies were rejuvenated by bloodletting, using leeches, "sucking out bad blood." Thus, I became interested in this topic and occasionally discuss with my friends: “Hirudotherapy - good and bad?”

Having made my decision, I called the specialized medical office, had a short preliminary interview, and immediately went to the appointment.

Now, already at a personal interview, they explained to me that if there are no specific problems and wishes, it is proposed to take a standard course. This means that there is a medical course scheme, according to which one zone is treated sequentially during one session, with a course of at least 6-8 visits, twice a week. Equipment: feminine sanitary napkins, elastic bandage, sheet and band-aid.

The sacrum zone became the starting site - according to the doctor, this place is the most inactive, and, accordingly, blood stagnation in it is maximum. I must say that the first manipulation did not make much of an impression on me. After the session, the blood oozed for a long time, plentifully, but sealed with an absorbent female pad, did not cause me any particular inconvenience.

The second session took place three days later: this time the worms stuck to the kidney area. This time it was more interesting. The blood stood out quite actively, moreover, lighter than from the lower zone, and (it's hard to believe, but it's true) with the smell of urine. In terms of the number and duration of discharges, everything else was almost the same. The wounds did not hurt, but for some reason they itched later. As experts explained to me: “The enzyme secreted by leeches contains protein. For the patient, it is alien, so there is such a small allergic reaction.

And another interesting fact - the doctor said: "the leech bites the Mercedes star." Like this:

It turns out that the mouth and sucking device of this "animal" has the form of a three-pointed star, indeed, like the star of Mercedes. Here it turns out what is the original analogue of the symbol of the German super car.

At the third session, the heart zone was involved - (all terms are popular, accessible to generally accepted understanding). This time, their own peculiarities appeared: after removing the leeches, the blood continued to ooze profusely and was of a bright scarlet color. But what surprised me was that it thickened very quickly to a practically plastic clot that did not darken. When I changed the pad, the accumulated and thickened blood looked like a huge hard scarlet petal - this is how the clot formed.

It should be noted that after the third session, I was significantly haggard in appearance. The volume of the torso has noticeably decreased and the cheeks are slightly sunken. On the one hand, it was pleasing (there was a fair amount of excess weight), but at the same time, I began to notice that I got tired quickly, and fatigue increased. Girlfriends at this stage laughed at me (with noticeable envy of my determination). But the result was “on the face and on the face”, so the case continued.

The most interesting thing happened when during the next dose, the liver zone was involved. Firstly, the leeches swelled up a lot (the popular rumor says that they only suck out “spoiled” blood). It turns out that if they ate so actively and intensively, then there was a lot of “spoiled blood”. This can be explained by the fact that the liver is a filter that passes and cleans all the volumes of blood that circulate in the body and adsorbs the filtered toxins. This means that the precipitation of "impurities" has accumulated so much that the leeches just had a delicious holiday. And I want to clarify here that I lead a fairly healthy and proper lifestyle. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I eat as correctly as possible, and yet the toxins that clog the body accumulate and are deposited in the liver cells.

After the procedure, the swollen “animals” were removed from my liver, and my stomach was wrapped up, glued very carefully, as the thick, black as tar, substance continued to stand out profusely and smell unpleasant. It was evening time, as always after work, so when I got home, I went to bed, prudently wrapping myself in a thick towel. There were no special sensations - only it was very wet, and I decided that I needed to lie on my stomach so that as much of the “spoiled” discharge as possible would go away. I woke up at five in the morning from the feeling that I was lying uncomfortably on a hard surface. It turned out that a huge amount of black blood flowed out with a strong characteristic smell of the liver, which hardened to the state of the board. The towel was completely soaked and became hard and smelly (sorry for the detail). Holes on the skin, looking like cuts, opened up, and the liquid continued to ooze (and it had already been 10 hours). So intense and long, but very impressive, was this liver session.

External manifestations were also very noticeable: the weight decreased, the stomach disappeared, practically, the back also lost weight, but the eyes were sunken. It seems to be good, but I felt a noticeable weakness. A friend began to demand from me to stop this bullying immediately. But I decided to bring the matter to the end (which I do not regret).

The doctor, a former practicing gynecologist, explained to me that it is especially useful to periodically put leeches on the perineal area, since such manipulation can indirectly serve as a substitute for menstruation (during menopause) and stimulate blood circulation in the pelvic organs. It should be noted that at this stage, contrary to expectations, nothing interesting was noted. If in all zones there was an abundant and prolonged discharge of blood, then the lower part of the body reacted in a very unusually sluggish manner.

The area of the thyroid gland, where the goiter was visible, was the next point of attack. Nothing really interesting either, although the swelling noticeably subsided after a while, but not immediately. I can only note that the itching was quite strong after this procedure. While the process of healing wounds on the neck was going on, it itched all the time. And left microscopic scars later. It should be added that all wounds heal quickly and do not hurt either during the procedure or later, during healing.

I was satisfied with the course, as such treatment makes it possible to visually track the process of cleansing the body. You just need to tune in, choose the time and plan your finances. This is not to say that this course is very cheap. In addition, quite a lot of discomfort causes profuse and prolonged bleeding. According to my estimates, about a liter of “blood” leaked out, which means that the process of hematopoiesis renewal has really begun.

After the first course, about six months passed, and I had a problem. As a result of the transferred stress, the capillary of the eyeball burst, and the sclera was stained with bright blood. I again went to the hirudotherapy office with this problem, and the doctor put two leeches on my temple near the injured eye. Before our eyes, the hemorrhage disappeared - it was simply sucked away by these medical worms, working like mini-pumps. Within half an hour, the eye cleared, and even began to see better (but this is my subjective opinion).

Doctors recommend such a procedure - the acupuncture point, which is located above the eyebrow, is activated. After its stimulation with a leech, vision improves. I saw how an elderly son brought his mother for this, a very old grandmother - an ophthalmologist advised her. And from time to time, a caring son takes his mother to acupressure hirudotherapy.

The re-treatment was already for cosmetic purposes. Biologically active points in the area of the second chin were involved - the jaw muscles were noticeably tightened. Moreover, cosmetically, everything is quite sparing - there were no bruises or large scars - the wounds practically did not bleed.

The most impressive sight was when the doctor removed the leeches from behind the ears. The recommendation was that there are very active biological points, which, when stimulated, improve blood circulation in the entire head area. There was some kind of black thread (like a black snot) on the tampon with which the doctor traced the trail of the leech. It turned out that a blood clot had been sucked out by a leech. That's how much useful information you can tell after real experience. There was no harm for me. I advise everyone.

Karol Yanina

Hirudotherapy: the benefits and harms of unusual treatment. Why are leeches useful and is there any harm from hirudotherapy

Hirudotherapy is an ancient naturopathic method of healing, which is successfully used along with modern methods of treating a variety of diseases. The benefits of hirudotherapy are undeniable, but only if the technique is correctly applied and real medical leeches are used.

Principles of treatment

Bloodletting was used until the beginning of the 20th century as the main treatment for many serious ailments. Since ancient times, healers have understood that many pathological processes in the human body are associated with blood stasis. That is why bloodletting has been used to treat all diseases for centuries: from colds to depression.

You don't have to bleed with a knife. A more useful way was the use of leeches - blood-sucking worms that suck out "bad blood", alleviating the patient's condition. The worm sticks to the skin and with the help of "teeth", the role of which is played by chitinous plates, cuts through the upper layer of the skin.

The leech drinks so much blood that after an hour-long "meal" it does not need food for two years. The size of the animal increases no less than ten times. One leech per session can suck up to 15 ml of blood.

However, the benefits of hirudotherapy are not only that the worm sucks out a certain amount of blood, stimulating its renewal and increased production. The essence of treatment with leeches is as follows:

The saliva of the medicinal annelids contains the unique substance hirudin, and with it more than a hundred substances useful for the human body, which have a powerful healing effect;

By reducing the amount of blood in the vessels, leeches stimulate the ability of the hematopoietic organs to produce more blood - clean and healthy. Due to this, immunity increases, and a person begins not only to feel good, but also gradually becomes more and more healthy;

a large number of active biological substances that enter the bloodstream after a leech bite stimulates the lymph flow, which means it contributes to the removal of toxic substances from the body and global cleansing.

After a leech bite, the skin in the injured area itches. This is a normal reaction and should not be scary. A certain amount of “foreign” protein entered the blood along with saliva, and this could not but cause a skin reaction. The wound can bleed for quite a long time, up to several hours. This is within the normal range if the procedure was carried out by a specialist, and the leeches are guaranteed to be sterile.

Types of medicinal leeches

An important point is the use of "real" medical leeches. The fact is that unscrupulous suppliers can pass off some other kind of annelids as useful blood-sucking worms, of which, by the way, there are about six hundred in nature.

However, only three types of leeches are suitable for medicinal purposes:

1. pharmacy (or pharmacy) - this is Hirudo medicinalis officinalis, the owner of an olive-greenish belly and orange stripes on the back;

2. medicinal is Hirudo medicinalis medicinalis, which has characteristic narrow stripes with dark spots on the back on both sides;

3. Oriental is Hirudo medicinalis orientalis, which has a light back and an almost black belly with olive spots.

Pharmaceutical leech is found in the Stavropol Territory, in the Krasnodar Territory, the Rostov Region. Therapeutic lives in central Russia and Ukraine. The homeland of the eastern leech is Transcaucasia, Azerbaijan. If, instead of healing worms, a leech from a nearby pond is launched onto a person’s skin, then at best there will be no effect. At worst, the harm from hirudotherapy can be serious, since infection with infectious diseases is possible.

The "real" leeches used in hirudotherapy are useful due to the unique composition of the secretion secreted from their saliva. In addition, they are grown specifically for medicinal purposes in completely sterile laboratory conditions and are used only once.

The benefits of hirudotherapy

It cannot be said that hirudotherapy is a panacea for some serious diseases. The use of leeches can bring significant relief to the patient's condition, but it makes sense as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen. Hirudotherapy has the greatest effect in the following cases:

Thrombus formation, stagnation in the blood;

Sick blood vessels, poor blood formation;

diseases of the joints and connective tissue;

neurological ailments;

Gynecological diseases;

Disorders of the urinary tract and genitourinary system.

Hirudotherapy works well in the complex treatment of hypertension. This disease is considered incurable, however, medical leeches are able, if not to restore normal pressure, then to prevent serious complications of the disease. Moreover, leech saliva, unlike chemicals, is not addictive and does not give side effects. A few leeches, placed on the right part of the body in time, will quickly and safely lower blood pressure.

Indispensable leech in the treatment of varicose veins:

the bite stimulates blood production, strengthens the vascular walls;

Together with saliva, the same hirudin enters the bloodstream, which improves metabolic processes in the body and prevents thrombosis.

If you start treatment on time, you can generally forget about varicose veins and completely recover.

Exhausting pains in osteochondrosis or arthrosis caused by circulatory disorders, metabolic processes, injuries, heavy loads, can be treated with hirudotherapy. The patient's condition instantly improves: due to the anesthetic enzyme, which is part of the salivary secretion, the pain becomes less, the motor activity of the joints increases.

An interesting fact: in the old days, leeches were used by army doctors to save the wounded from pain shock.

However, it is even more surprising that the leech is able to treat such severe gynecological diseases as endometriosis, mastopathy, hormonal disorders, and chronic inflammation of the appendages. Helps useful blood-sucking worm and men, curing impotence, infertility and prostatitis.

Scientists believe that leech saliva contains enzymes that have a beneficial effect on the human nervous system and can even cope with Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, they help nerve endings to recover and cause increased growth of nerve cells. This helps the nerves to regenerate faster, which is especially important for patients who have had a stroke, lost their hearing or vision, and suffer from multiple sclerosis.

Harm of hirudotherapy

Bloodletting should be used with extreme caution. There is no need to try to master science on your own, since the harm of hirudotherapy lies primarily in ignorance of the treatment regimen or inability to apply worms to the desired areas of the body.

In addition, there are diseases in which the popular method cannot be used:

In hypotensives, that is, people with low blood pressure, bloodletting can cause an even greater decrease in pressure and fainting;

If the patient has anemia, then the loss of even a small volume of blood will further reduce hemoglobin and harm the human condition;

Manipulations with blood-sucking worms are strictly prohibited if hemophilia is diagnosed. Tissue damage can cause significant blood loss and result in the death of the patient;

Any tumors are a direct contraindication for hirudotherapy. The harm of the method is that you can cause open bleeding.

For obvious reasons, it is worth refusing to treat with leeches during menstruation, pregnancy and breastfeeding. In other cases, you can trust experienced hirudotherapists. Leeches in their hands are an effective therapeutic and prophylactic means of combating many ailments.

Hirudotherapy: what are the positive reviews based on?

Hirudotherapy and reviews: what do people think?

Treatment through bloodletting (this is how a leech works) has gained popularity due to the development of alternative medicine (homeopathy, herbal medicine, folk methods of getting rid of ailments). Hirudotherapy, according to user reviews, helps to deal with such problems:

Laktostasis (stagnation of milk during breastfeeding, seals form).

Varicose veins (but with thrombophlebitis and low blood clotting, hirudotherapy will be harmful).

Headache.

Leeches are used:

For easier flow of bronchial, pulmonary diseases.

In violation of the work of the organs of the endocrine system.

For women's ailments (even a course of treatment for infertility may include the use of leeches, they are placed on the area below the navel and just above the pubic zone).

For skin diseases.

In a word, there are no such pathologies in which these relatives of annelids would not be used.

Negative reviews do not occur, although some patients say that they did not notice an improvement.

Those who have tried say that the doctors themselves advised them to use hirudotherapy as a method of treatment. But only as an auxiliary way to fix the problem and improve overall well-being. Relying on treatment with leeches alone means risking your health. Also, a psychological factor cannot be ruled out, because self-hypnosis and self-programming are also an important stage on the path to recovery.

Hirudotherapy treatment methods: for those who want to try ...

Leeches can be placed in a medical cosmetology center. Before the course, they check with the hirudotherapist whether this is a new leech. There are other rules:

Before the session, you need to donate blood for clinical analysis (from a finger), sometimes ECG results are required (need to be clarified in advance).

Before the procedure, take a shower, but with odorless soap. Perfumes, creams, deodorants, cosmetics should be excluded.

Leeches also do not tolerate alcoholic drinks, and alcohols remain in the blood for 24 hours.

A scar remains at the site of the bite, and blood oozes for a long time after the procedure.

Some people can't get over the squeamishness, which is also normal.

If you want to conduct sessions yourself, you can buy a leech in a pharmacy (one piece - from 50 to 70 rubles on average), put one in a medical facility - from 500 rubles. You can use one leech several times (for yourself). To demonstrate how to apply hirudotherapy, the video will help.