Health and Wellness

Know About The Quirky Leech Therapy And Its Benefits

Leech? Yes, leech! And you think only vampires suck blood? Leech is a blood-sucking carnivorous segmented worm and lives in freshwater. Mythbusting this fact, to be precise leeches not only suck blood, they even eat small invertebrates or feed on some decomposing bodies.

Leech often cause disgust and pain in the humans. Leeches serve medical purposes as well. It is a simplistic and economical means of preventing complications.

leech therapy
Image Via: sanathanavedham.com  

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What is leech therapy?

  1. Medicinal leeches have three jaws with little rows of teeth.
  2. First of all, they intrude a person’s skin with their teeth and insert anticoagulants through their saliva.
  3. Then, the leeches are then allowed to extract blood, for 20 to 45 minutes at a time, and use suction and mucus to stay on their host.
  4. This averages to a relatively minute amount of blood, around 15 milliliters per leech.
  5. Finally removing this clotted blood, leeches can start blood flow again. This helps to prevent the tissues from dying.
  6. A slight stinging usually lasts for around 1 to 5 minutes, after that the natural anesthetic enters. The patient’s pain is connected evenly to their level of high anxiety than the bite. Thus it is advised to be relaxed.
origin leech therapy
Via: Shutterstock.com

Origin of leech therapy

The leech therapy was actually started in the ancient Indian and Greek civilizations. The physicians would set leeches on you if unwell to suck blood. And since the time of ancient Egypt, leeches treat and cure nervous system abnormalities, skin diseases, dental problems, and infections.

Benefits of Leech Therapy

  • In today’s world, their chief use is in plastic surgery and other microsurgeries. Majorly because the phenomenon facilitates blood flowing to wounds to aid them.
  • The perks of such therapy for blood circulation. Thus, some people use it for baldness and hair loss on the scalp and even hypertension.
  • Heals break blood clots, circulatory disorders, and cardiovascular disease because of its potential to improve inflammation and blood flow.
  • Doctors are exploring cancer treatments from leech therapy Furthermore.
  • Besides, this can be helpful in arthritis as leech’s saliva reduces pain and tenderness at the site of the affected joint.

This is used by many celebs like Demi Moore. Such treatments are available in specialized clinics. Seems like, it is not as disturbing as it appears at first. Hope you try this quirky technique at least once and witness the benefits.

Read also: Here’s everything you need to know about cancer and oncology

Image Source: zinguplife.com

Aishwarya Borgaonkar

A nature lover, logophile, and engineer in making. There's no love greater than love for writing.

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