Scientific Basis of Leech Therapy, Indications and Contradictions, Leech Application Techniques |
The Scientific Basis of Leech TherapyThe Technique of Leech TherapyPreparation Application Procedure
Adverse Effects of Leech Therapy
Case history and articles:
Effect of leech therapy in different regional pain syndromes (T.Rampp)
Leeches can end your knee pain (by Brian Reid, Washington Post)
Where to buy the medical leeches
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To fully understand why leech therapy works in such a wide range of applications, one must realize that the therapeutic activity of leech therapy (which is still not fully understood) is not based on a single mechanism of action, but on a combination of multiple effects. If conceived as a form of local drug therapy, a complex model would have to be used to explain the pharmacological action of leeching. The leech could then be compared to a drug that acts locally in a palm-sized region. It reduces the viscosity of the blood in that region while simultaneously dilating the blood vessels, accelerating the lymph flow, inhibiting platelet aggregation, blocking numerous mediators of tissue infection, and exerting local analgesic and anesthetic effects, thus minimizing the pain of treatment. The active role and sensitivity of the leech is a special feature of leech therapy. The leech is equipped with an extremely sensitive nervous system, which it uses to inspect the host and the host's blood. The dosage of secreted saliva is presumably adjusted in accordance with the leech's "preliminary examination findings."
U. Storck, MD, Rheumatic Disease Center, Germany |
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Indications for Leech Therapy: Inflammatory Reactions Rheumatic Diseases Tendovaginitis and Tendinitis Venous Disease and Varicose Veins Vertebrogenic Pain Syndromes |
Contradictions for Leech Therapy:Hemophilia, Anemia, Anticoagulant Medications
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