LEECH THERAPY

How much blood does a patient lose during the treatment?
Leeches (European specie Hirudo Medicinalis) can consume between 5 and 15 ml of blood – 4-6 times their body weight in a single feeding. An American specie Macrobdella Decora can consume 10 times less blood than Hirudo Medicinalis. That's why only the European specie is used in medicine. Generally leech therapists use up to 10 leeches so the patient can lose up to 150 ml of blood during the treatment With 8 leeches the blutverlust for the patient is including to the Nachbluten with approx. 200 to 350 ml blood. "a small leech sucks 2g - the quantity doubles itself 3 g, more largely to 30 g, on average by the postoperative hemorrhage. Generally one counts on an average value of 20 - is limited 30 g total blood loss per leech and to setting 4 - 12 copies in a meeting "

Does a leech bite cause pain?
The bite of a leech is felt by the patients like 2-3 mosquito bites.So the bite of the leech is not painful. The leech saliva is filled with a chemical that contains a painkiller, which stops you from feeling the bite. The saliva also has a chemical, which keeps the blood from clotting.

How can I accomplish the leech therapy?
1. Wash hands.
2. Select appropriate personal protective equipment (gloves).
3. Cleanse area with normal saline soaked sterile gauze.
4. Apply leeches with gloved hand on tweezers.
5. Allow leech to attach large posterior end first and direct smaller head end to the desired site. ( Leeches can be loaded into an empty syringe without a plunger “rear end first” and the open end of syringe is placed over the desired site to ensure proper placement. )
6. Apply the other leeches if neseseary.
7. Monitor leeches until they fill with blood (10-20 minutes). Usually the leech falls off itself (if not use salt. Leeches do not like salt and will drop off)

Why does a leech sometimes not want to bite?

With certain site conditions leech bite more badly:

• with cold skin
• with smokers
• with perfume-pure
• with older humans

Are there side effects?
Leeches can relieve blood pooling around a muscle or skin flap better than drugs or other treatments. They are used to keep the blood flow in muscle, skin and fat tissue that has been surgically moved from one part of your body to another. These tissues are also called flaps

Why is leech therapy used instead of other medical treatment?
In some cases, leeches do a better job by removing pooled blood than any other medical therapy.

What are the benefits of leech therapy?
The benefits of leech therapy are not only the amount of blood that the leech removes: It is the anti-blood clotting enzymes in their saliva that allow blood flow from the area where they have been.

Why do some people reject using leeches ?
Many people are afraid of these creatures crawling on their body and biting them.