Treatment with leeches. Who can benefit from hirudotherapy and what effect does it have?

Once upon a time, even migraines, which were often confused with a hangover, were tamed with the help of leeches. These little vampires helped in all cases. The correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency spoke with a reflexologist of the highest qualification category, Tamara Turbinskaya, about the therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy.

As a person whose childhood was spent among swamps, he was not afraid of leeches from childhood. And what was the point in being afraid if in the summer our habitats, as biologists say, coincided almost completely. We fished with friends, splashed, herded cows, looked for duck nests, collected bouquets of fragrant rosemary or amazingly beautiful bright yellow lotachas, as we called marsh marigold - and all this while wandering in the water where these little vampires were. Sometimes they stuck. So what? It doesn't hurt after all.

As an adult, I learned that a leech bite is beneficial. I also found an answer to a question that had remained unanswered since childhood: why did my grandfathers never hesitate to quench their thirst with swamp water during haymaking? They pressed the ground with their heels so that it would be easier to scoop up a handful of water, and, without embarrassment, they drink. It turns out that the leech is the best laboratory assistant when it comes to determining water quality: it lives only in a very clean environment. So, calling any dirty body of water a swamp today is very far from the truth.

History of hirudotherapy

The history of hirudotherapy goes back more than two thousand years. Leeches were used for treatment in Ancient Greece, India, Egypt, and China. There is a legend that it was thanks to leeches that Queen Cleopatra managed to get pregnant from Julius Caesar. After this, even on the walls of the tombs of the pharaohs of Egypt, images of leeches began to appear.

In the Middle Ages, it was discovered that hirudotherapy helps with obesity. And then the problem of large excess weight in many countries was almost the most important. During excavations in the materials of ancient libraries, manuscripts were found in which doctors recorded amazing results: people lost weight up to 10 kg without difficulty, and their well-being only improved.

With the help of leeches, heart problems, dizziness, shortness of breath, and infertility were treated. Hirudotherapy was so popular that leeches were even included in the paintings of Renaissance masters, such as Botticelli.

The heyday of hirudotherapy occurred in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used to treat almost everything. During this period, leeches began to be bred on an industrial scale and exported between countries. Even Pirogov considered hirudotherapy the strongest method of treatment. Leeches were sold in all pharmacies.

However, all this time, doctors considered the main “power” of leeches to be the bloodletting effect. And only in the 90s of the 20th century, scientists proved that it is not only responsible for healing. The main healing factor is leech saliva, which contains more than 15 bioactive substances with unique properties. The most interesting thing is that so far scientists have not been able to synthesize a similar substance, although hundreds of millions of dollars are allocated for research and work on its creation in England, Israel and the USA. Even genetic engineering technologies do not help. Leech is officially recognized as a medicine and is included in the Russian register of medicines. In all countries of the world, hirudotherapy is used for the treatment and prevention of many diseases, and the main advantage of this technique is general improvement without complications.

Diagnosis of the disease

Diagnosis of adhesions in the pelvis is carried out using various studies:

• Diagnostic laparoscopy. This method can most accurately see adhesions and assess the severity of the process. Diagnosis is carried out under local (or general) anesthesia; a small incision is made through which a camera is inserted.
• Ultrasound of the pelvic organs;
• Hysterosalpingography (performed using X-rays or ultrasound and contrast agents);
• MRI of the pelvic organs.

The necessary examination (or set of examinations) will be prescribed to you by your attending physician.

About the healing effects of leeches on the human body

The basis of the therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy is leech saliva, which contains a large amount of biologically active substances that help normalize internal homeostasis. These include hirudin, trypsin and plasmin inhibitors, inhibitors of alpha-chymotrypsin, chymosin, subtilisin and neutral granulocyte proteases - elastase and cathepsin C, inhibitors of blood clotting factor Xa and blood plasma kallikrein, as well as highly specific enzymes - hyaluronidase, destbilase, apyrase, collagenase. Leech saliva also contains little-studied compounds - leech prostanoids, histamine-like substances and a number of other compounds i Konyrtaeva N.N. Hirudotherapy for diseases of the circulatory system / N.N. Konyrtaeva [and others] // Human Ecology. - 2015. - No. 6. - P. 57-64. . The main component is hirudin, it prevents blood clotting and stimulates the process of resorption of blood clots. Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that allows active substances to penetrate deep into the tissues of the body - up to 10 cm. It also destroys connective tissue, and therefore promotes the resorption of scars.

Treatment with leeches acts at the level of microcirculation and consists of three main factors: reflex, mechanical and biological. The mechanical action occurs on the principle of therapeutic bloodletting. When a certain amount of blood is lost, the blood flow is unloaded, blood vessels are freed, and blood pressure is normalized. New blood flow brings oxygen and nutrients to the site of inflammation. Thanks to this, swelling is relieved and pain subsides. The reflex action is comparable to the effects of acupuncture. The leech bites the skin only at biologically active (acupunture) points associated with various organs and systems of the body. The action of hirudin (leech enzyme) occurs over the next 3 months after treatment. During this time, blood clots will dissolve, red blood cells will be replaced, and the blood will rejuvenate.

Hirudotherapy has a reflexogenic, anticoagulating, thrombolytic, anti-ischemic, antihypoxic, hypotensive, immunostimulating, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-sclerotic, regenerative effect, causes hemorrhage, decongestion of internal organs, a protective antithrombotic effect, elimination of microcirculatory disorders i Taraba T.S. Hirudotherapy (part 1): definition, indications, contraindications / T.S. Taraba // Bulletin of the Clinical Hospital No. 51. -2016. — P. 9-13. .

Indications for treatment with leeches

A cardiologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist and many other specialists can refer you to a hirudotherapy session. The list of diseases for which this technique is effective is very wide:

• Diseases of the cardiovascular system : coronary heart disease, heart failure stages I-II, atherosclerotic and post-infarction cardiosclerosis, cardialgia, dyscirculatory atherosclerotic encephalopathy, hypertension stages I-III. The use of hirudotherapy in the treatment of patients with cardiac decompensation can reduce the clinical manifestations of chronic heart failure and improve exercise tolerance. Hirudotherapy is most effective in patients with chronic heart failure combined with arterial hypertension i Kuznetsova L.P. The place of hirudotherapy in the complex treatment of chronic heart failure / L.P. Kuznetsova [and others] // Russian Journal of Cardiology. - 2008. - No. 2 (70). — P. 28-30. .
• Respiratory diseases : chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic pneumonia, chronic sinusitis.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract , accompanied by spastic or atonic disorders, gastritis, pancreatitis.
• Inflammatory diseases of the liver and biliary tract.
• Neurological diseases : diseases of the peripheral nervous system, vascular diseases of the brain, traumatic lesions of the central nervous system and peripheral nerves, neuroses, multiple sclerosis.
• Vascular diseases : obliterating endarteritis of the extremities, thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids.
• Inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs.
• Diseases of the genitourinary system : prostatitis, cystitis, enuresis.
• Eye diseases : glaucoma, inflammatory eye diseases.
• Skin diseases : psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema.
• Surgical diseases : prevention of postoperative infiltrates, thrombosis, lymphostasis.
• Diseases of the endocrine system : menopausal syndrome, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, obesity.
• Dental diseases : caries, stomatitis, cheilitis, glossalgia, periodontal disease, periodontitis, alveolar pyorrhea.
• Traumatological and orthopedic diseases : inflammatory processes, consequences of gunshot wounds, phantom pain syndrome, etc.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma.
• Joint diseases : arthrosis, arthritis. In patients with reactive arthritis, the use of leeches reduces pain and swelling of the joints i Abduvaliev A.A. Hirudotherapy in the complex treatment of patients with reactive arthritis / A.A. Abduvaliev, A.M. Daurekhanov // Bulletin of KazNMU. - 2021. - No. 1. - P. 249-252. .

Adhesions in gynecology: symptoms

The adhesive process can be both acute and chronic, or have a periodic nature (with periodic exacerbation of symptoms). Often, women do not notice any symptoms of adhesions in the pelvis, and the disease is discovered only when examining the possible causes of infertility.

Signs of adhesions in the pelvic cavity:

• Painful sensations in the lower abdomen, lower back, above the pubis or in the sacral area;
• Discomfort during physical activity, before menstruation, after stressful situations;
• Pain during sexual intercourse or urination;
• Intestinal disorders: diarrhea, constipation, flatulence;
• Periodic attacks of nausea and vomiting.

Symptoms may worsen when consuming foods that increase gas formation.

Contraindications

The main contraindications to hirudotherapy include:

• diseases accompanied by blood clotting disorders (hemophilia, hemorrhagic diathesis);
• anemia (hemoglobin level below 100 g/l);
• leukemia;
• cachexia (severe exhaustion);
• erosive and ulcerative lesions and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract;
• acute febrile illnesses of unknown etiology;
• subacute bacterial endocarditis;
• active forms of tuberculosis;
• state of acute mental agitation;
• state of alcoholic intoxication;
• severe exhaustion;
• arterial hypotension;
• pregnancy;
• condition after surgery on the brain and spine;
• individual intolerance to leeches;
• recent treatment involving the use of drugs that prevent blood clotting.

Prevention of adhesions

For the prevention and treatment of adhesions, enzyme preparations based on hyaluronidase are used. Perhaps the most popular drug for the treatment of adhesions in gynecology is Longidaza suppositories.

Prevention is mostly aimed at preventing relapses of the disease or before an upcoming operation (since adhesions often appear after them).

Remember that the best prevention is regular visits to the doctor and timely diagnosis. Don’t delay until later and sign up for a pelvic ultrasound or a consultation with a gynecologist.

If you feel acute pain in the abdominal cavity or pelvic organs, do not delay visiting a doctor - prevent the development of the disease. Doctors at the Doctor A clinic will conduct an expert examination and prescribe competent treatment. Call or make an appointment online.

How is the procedure done?

The essence of hirudotherapy is the placement of medicinal leeches on the body. One session – 40-60 minutes. Approximately 6-10 leeches are used. Each of them can suck up to 5 ml of blood. The average course of treatment is 10 sessions with a break of 7-14 days.

How to perform the procedure

• Treating leather with alcohol. No other antiseptic is used because leeches are very “picky” about odors.
• Setting up leeches. Their bite is shallow – up to 2 mm. Saliva contains an analgesic enzyme, so there is almost no discomfort.
• During the session, leeches gradually introduce bioactive substances contained in saliva into the patient’s blood. Up to 70-80% of these substances “get” into the affected organ in the affected area. Next, the leech begins to suck the blood.
• After the procedure, sterile napkins are applied to the bite sites.

Hirudotherapy: benefits and harms

The benefit of leeches is that up to 100 bioactive substances are injected into the body in one session. They determine the effectiveness of the technique:

• eliminating the risk of thrombosis;
• restoration of blood circulation in tissues and organs;
• bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects;
• improving the supply of tissues with nutrients and oxygen;
• normalization of cholesterol levels;
• lymphatic drainage effect;
• elimination of edema;
• improvement of heart function;
• improvement of immunity;
• normalization of blood pressure;
• analgesic effect at the site of the bite and throughout the entire body;
• normalization of metabolism.

Possible harm from leeches is based on their feeding methods and specific structure, because of this the following risks are present:

• active substances may irritate the skin;
• leech saliva contains blood-thinning enzymes, so the wounds bleed for some time;
• In the digestive tract of a leech there is a bacterium that protects it from getting infection when sucking “sick” blood, and in humans this bacterium can cause poisoning, gastrointestinal upset, and diseases of the mucous membranes.

Is it possible to get pregnant during adhesions?

Adhesions disrupt the proper functionality of the reproductive organs, which greatly reduces the chance of getting pregnant. There is a chance of pregnancy and its successful gestation, especially in cases where the adhesive process affected only one tube. But the likelihood of conception decreases, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage also increases.

In this case, IVF may help. The fallopian tubes are not involved in such fertilization, and a 3-5-day-old embryo is immediately implanted into the uterine cavity.

Sources

1. Abduvaliev A.A. Hirudotherapy in the complex treatment of patients with reactive arthritis / A.A. Abduvaliev, A.M. Daurekhanov // Bulletin of KazNMU. - 2021. - No. 1. - P. 249-252.
2. Konyrtaeva N.N. Hirudotherapy for diseases of the circulatory system / N.N. Konyrtaeva [and others] // Human Ecology. - 2015. - No. 6. - P. 57-64.
3. Kuznetsova L.P. The place of hirudotherapy in the complex treatment of chronic heart failure / L.P. Kuznetsova [and others] // Russian Journal of Cardiology. - 2008. - No. 2 (70). — P. 28-30.
4. Taraba T.S. Hirudotherapy (part 1): definition, indications, contraindications / T.S. Taraba // Bulletin of the Clinical Hospital No. 51. -2016. — P. 9-13.