Hirudotherapy - Treatment With Leeches At Home

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Hirudotherapy - treatment with leeches at home

The first mentions of leech therapy date back to the third millennium BC. The hirudotherapy procedure is depicted on ancient Egyptian frescoes, and later the famous healers Hippocrates and Avicenna wrote about this technique in their works. By the seventeenth century, hirudotherapy reached its peak in popularity in Old Europe: in those days, the cause of all diseases was considered "bad blood", which had to be released using a scalpel or leeches.

Medical statistics say that between 1829 and 1836, 33 million leeches were used in France alone and 7 million in England. For comparison, the British Peninsula was then home to just over two million people. It is noteworthy that the main supplier of leeches to Europe (about 70 million per year) was Russia with its huge pond farms.

Like any method of treatment, hirudotherapy should be used wisely, carefully and in dosage, and private practitioners of the nineteenth century put leeches to their patients for any reason, sometimes up to two hundred at a time per patient, which led to discrediting hirudotherapy. Young specialists scornfully rejected this technique as a barbaric relic of the past. The leech boom ended, and with it interest in medicinal leeches passed, but only for the time being.

In 1884, the English physician John Haycraft discovered the enzyme hirudin in the saliva of leeches and described its therapeutic anticoagulant effect, and already in 1902, the first drugs based on hirudin appeared. And although by the beginning of the third millennium mankind managed to thoroughly study the properties of leeches and develop synthetic analogues of almost all useful substances that make up their saliva, the hirudotherapy procedure itself cannot be replaced by anything, and the benefits from it are enormous. That is why leech therapy does not lose its relevance to this day.

Content:

• The effect of hirudotherapy on the human body
• What leeches are used for hirudotherapy?
• Indications for hirudotherapy
• Treatment with leeches at home
• Side effects and complications of hirudotherapy
• Contraindications to hirudotherapy

The effect of hirudotherapy on the human body

The leeches attached to the body at the right points have the following types of therapeutic effects on the human body:

• Reflexogenic - in this sense, hirudotherapy is similar to acupuncture. Leeches land on biologically active points associated with certain organs and systems, and they do it consciously. And biting through the skin and sucking out blood has a much more pronounced stimulating effect on the active point than setting needles using the Su-Jok or Zhen-Chiu method;
• Hemorrhagic - one leech sucks in one procedure from 5 to 10 ml of blood, depending on the duration of the session and the size of the worm, moreover, bleeding from the wound continues for another 6-24 hours after the removal of the leech, since the injected substances interfere with blood coagulation. Thus, there is an effective removal of stagnation and unblocking of small vessels, compressed by edema and clogged with blood clots;
• Decongestant - the leech enzyme hyaluronidase opens drainage pathways and promotes active lymph flow in diseased tissues and organs, due to the breakdown of hyaluronic acid and resistance to human heparin. Thus, during the hirudotherapy procedure, the permeability of cell membranes is greatly increased and the deepest drainage effect is achieved;

• Anticoagulant - another important leech enzyme, hirudin, normalizes blood clotting parameters, resists the formation of blood clots, provides an anti-ischemic effect and promotes oxygen saturation of cells. But it is cellular hypoxia that is the main cause of all non-inflammatory pathologies, including oncology;
• Immunostimulating - a local effect is achieved due to the bacteria living in the digestive tract of leeches, which penetrates the wound and causes an immune response in a person. The number of lymphocytes increases, macrophages are activated and the body's defenses are strengthened;
• Antihypertensive - active lymph flow, elimination of edema, release of blocked vessels and capillaries, combined with an actual decrease in the amount of blood as a result of suction, leads to a natural decrease in blood pressure;
• Anti-inflammatory - leeches not only help immune cells to cope with microbes and bacteria, promoting the synthesis of interleukins and removal of histohematogenous barriers, but also release substances into the blood that are similar in their action to antibiotics and destroy pathogens right in the outbreak, at the place where the leech is placed;

• Pain reliever - the leech injects substances into the wound that act as a local analgesic, and also increase endorphin levels and reduce bradykinin levels. Thus, hirudotherapy can help to cope with muscle, joint and headaches;
• Anti-sclerotic - substances secreted by the leech accelerate the breakdown of fats, normalize the lipid balance of the blood and help to lower the level of LDL ("bad" cholesterol). Therefore, hirudotherapy is indicated for obesity and vascular atherosclerosis;
• Regenerating - the hirudotherapy procedure activates the processes of cell regeneration, which contributes to the speedy recovery from injuries of soft tissues and joints;
• Neurotrophic - substances contained in the saliva of leeches maintain the vitality of neurons, stimulate their development and activity, which means they help the brain and strengthen the nervous system as a whole.

The saliva of medicinal leeches contains the following biologically active substances:

• Hirudin;
• Inhibitors of plasmin, trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, chymazin, elastase, subtilisin, cathepsin, kallikrinin, granulocyte neutral proteases and blood coagulation factor 10;
• Enzymes hyaluronidase, apyrase, destabilase, collagenase, cholesterol esterase, triglycerolindase;
• Prostanoids, antihistamines, analgesics and many others.

What leeches are used for hirudotherapy?

In nature, there are more than four hundred species of these annelid worms: from the smallest, several millimeters long, to huge forty centimeter giants. But for medicinal purposes, only the medical leech (Hirudo medicinalis) and its three subspecies are used. They are grown in laboratory conditions and sold through the pharmacy chain.

Even if you are well versed in zoology, and are able to "recognize" the desired leech by sight, you should not pretend to be Duremar from the tale about Pinocchio and the Golden Key and go to the pond with a butterfly net. Leeches living in nature are almost always full, since they need saturation only once every one and a half to two years, and do not experience a shortage of victims. It is impossible to determine the degree of satiety by eye, therefore, most likely, you will have to keep "pets" for a couple of years before they agree to suck on you.

Indications for hirudotherapy

It is necessary to start treatment with leeches with an examination and consultation with a doctor, since this technique is far from always relevant, and has a number of contraindications. A qualified hirudotherapist, having your medical record and test results in hand, will be able to determine exactly whether leeches will help you, where, in what quantity and for how long to put them, how many sessions you need to carry out. Patients with serious illnesses or injuries are advised to undergo procedures in a hospital, under the supervision of a doctor, since undesirable effects and complications may occur during the session.

But there are also such diseases for which treatment with leeches at home is allowed:

• Hypertension, migraine, chronic headaches and climacteric hot flashes - leeches are placed vertically on the area of the mastoid processes behind the auricles, as far as possible from the veins passing nearby;
• Thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and varicose veins - leeches are placed directly above the diseased vein or venous node, unless the skin in this place is too thin - then the leeches should be placed side by side, at a distance of 1 cm, on both sides of the diseased vein;
• Local inflammatory processes, trauma, bruises, edema, hematomas - directly the focus of inflammation and around it;
• Diseases of the liver and biliary tract - leeches are placed on the tailbone and in the right hypochondrium;
• Renal failure and nephritis - just above the loin;
• Nail panaritium, furunculosis and other suppurations - next to the focus, on the most painful area.

You can carry out home procedures for hirudotherapy and for alcoholism, loss of strength, chronic fatigue, as well as to accelerate rehabilitation after injuries and surgeries, including on the heart, but this requires a thorough examination and consultation with a doctor.

List of diseases that can be treated with leeches to one degree or another:

• Pulmonary ailments - bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, tuberculosis;
• Skin lesions - psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema, alopecia, acne, rosacea, pyoderma, furunculosis;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system - angina pectoris, ischemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, gastroduodenitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, cirrhosis and fatty liver hepatosis, enterocolitis, stomach ulcer;
• Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract - pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, cystitis, chronic renal failure;
• Women's diseases - myoma and cervical erosion, endometriosis, dysfunction and ovarian cysts, PMS and severe menopause, secondary infertility, obstruction of the fallopian tubes, adhesions in the small pelvis, mastopathy;
• Male diseases - chronic prostatitis, prostate adenoma, erectile dysfunction and impotence;
• Diseases of the endocrine system - diabetes mellitus, obesity, gout, thyroid cysts, adrenal gland disorders;
• Neurological problems - radiculitis, osteochondrosis, hernia of the spine and joints, paresis and paralysis, increased intracranial pressure, migraines, sleep disturbances;
• Diseases of the ENT organs - neuritis of the auditory nerve, sinusitis, chronic rhinitis and otitis media;
• Injuries - bruises, fractures, dislocations, hematomas;
• Cosmetic defects - cellulite, wrinkles, acne, rosacea, skin laxity.

Hirudotherapy should not be considered as an independent and only method of treatment - it is much more effective to combine treatment with leeches and acupuncture, physiotherapy, homeopathy and traditional drug therapy. Moreover, the effect of drugs can be significantly enhanced by placing a leech at the site of subcutaneous injection.

Treatment with leeches at home

Anyone can carry out a home procedure for hirudotherapy, there is nothing complicated about it. But before starting treatment, you need to consult with your doctor and determine the exact number of leeches, the location and time of the session.

The hirudotherapy procedure consists of several stages:

1. Skin preparation. Wash the treatment area clean with baby soap and rub it vigorously with dry gauze until slightly reddened to whet the leeches' appetite, and do not use cosmetics with strong odors to wash them - this will repel them.
2. Placing leeches. Take the leech with a clean vial or test tube and gently bring it to the desired point with the front suction cup. If the leech doesn’t want to bite, take another one, or try to smear the skin with sweet water, or lightly prick the skin with a sterile needle to make blood come out. When placing leeches on active points by the method of hirudoreflexotherapy, piercing is mandatory.
3. The process of hemorrhage. At the moment of biting through the skin (1.5-2 mm in depth), a slight burning sensation appears, which disappears after 10-20 seconds, as soon as analgesics from the salivary glands act. The leech is sucked by both suction cups and adheres to the skin on its own, so the bubble can be removed. If she is reluctant to suck blood (undulating movements are almost invisible on the body), you need to moisten your finger in warm water and gently stroke the leech from top to bottom on the back.
4. Completion of the procedure. After 30-60 minutes, the leech will be saturated and disappear by itself, but if, according to the indications, the patient needs a shorter session (15-25 minutes, less is pointless), you need to remove the sucked leech. To do this, simply bring a cotton swab dipped in any aggressively smelling liquid - alcohol, vinegar, iodine, ammonia - to the front suction cup. If that doesn't work, you can fumigate the leech with cigarette smoke. It is absolutely impossible to pull, cut or pick it out - any violent actions make the leech only bite harder into the skin.
5. The period after the session. For 6-24 hours, a slight bleeding will continue from the wound in the shape of a three-pointed star. This is normal and even useful. Just change sterile tampons or dressings. Do not disinfect or lubricate the bite in any way. A small scar will completely disappear in 2-3 weeks.
6. Utilization of leeches. Fed leeches should be destroyed by placing them in a container with chloramines. Even if they are not completely satiated, setting on another patient after a few months can cause infection with those pathogens that were in the blood of the first patient (staphylococcus, tuberculosis, HIV and many others).

On average, one treatment session takes from two to five leeches, less often - ten. It is not recommended to put more than four pieces on the head area. Before starting the hirudotherapy procedure, you can make subcutaneous injections of medicinal preparations so that during the session their entry into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body accelerate. And after such a procedure, the blood sucked out by leeches, and also they themselves can be used as raw materials for a medical mask.

How to keep leeches correctly?

The very idea of keeping leeches at home looks dubious, because even if they are used to treat the same patient, you will have to wait at least a year and a half until they get hungry again. However, if the procedures are carried out regularly over the years, you can keep several containers at home, and mark them with the dates of the last use of the leeches.

All worries about the maintenance of leeches are to change the water twice a week. The water should be clean, settled, as for aquarium fish. During the change and washing of cans, you need to carefully review all individuals in order to sort out the dead and sick, if any are suddenly found. The unhealthy of leeches is evidenced by muddy water - even despite the presence of leech waste products in it, the water should normally be transparent.

A liter jar will fit up to eighty individuals, and a three-liter jar - up to two hundred. Several ventilation holes need to be made in the lid, but such that the leeches cannot crawl away. The best option is a fine, durable mesh. It is best to wrap the can body with paper and keep the leeches in a dark place with a comfortable, cool temperature.

Side effects and complications of hirudotherapy

Adverse reactions to leech therapy are rare, here is a list of possible complications:

• Lymphadenitis - inflammation and enlargement of the lymph nodes, as a result of too active work. Usually they go away on their own in a couple of weeks, but if lymphadenitis is accompanied by fever and pain, you need to seek help from a doctor - antibiotics may be required;
• Local allergic reactions - swelling, pain and itching in the area where leeches are placed, wounds that do not heal for a long time. This side effect is easily relieved by taking antihistamines;
• Common allergic reactions are rash, hives, shortness of breath, and in severe cases, Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. Urgent help is needed, and further treatment with leeches cannot be carried out;
• Darkening of the skin and pronounced scars - sometimes the pigmentation of the skin changes at the site of the bite, then you have to resort to vacuum therapy or autoblood injections;
• Prolonged bleeding - may indicate hemophilia - a blood clotting disorder. Such patients are not recommended to resort to hirudotherapy in the future;
• Massive hematomas are almost always the result of improper placement of leeches, too close to large veins.

Contraindications to hirudotherapy

There are diseases and conditions in which treatment with leeches is contraindicated:

• Pregnancy;
• Hemophilia;
• Hypotension;
• Asthenia;
• Cachexia;
• Iron-deficiency anemia;
• A tendency to allergic reactions and a history of Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock;
• Acute infectious diseases accompanied by fever;
• Severe immunodeficiency states, including AIDS;
• Poisoning of the body with poisons and heavy metals;
• Certain oncological diseases (consultation of an oncologist is required).

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.