You may know them as blood-sucking worms used in medicine dating back as far as 2,500 years ago. But did you know the medical use of leeches is still very much a thing today?The therapeutic use of leeches has been documented in ancient Indian and Greek medicinal handbooks. Where they were used for the simple purpose of bloodletting which is the practice of blood withdrawal to prevent illness and infection. The ancient thought that bloodletting was the cure to everything from fever to tuberculosis. And while bloodletting turned out to have limited efficacy, nowadays, leech therapy is still used for variety of medical condition including circulatory disorders and cardiovascular diseases. As well as different forms of cancers and arthritis. Some patients with osteoarthritis have actually even said that leeches offer more pain relief than topical medications. People also may benefit from the practice if theory risk limb amputation as a result of the side effects of diabetes. It's even become a popular practice among people undergoing reconstructive or cosmetic surgery in which they risk losing soft tissue. But what are the medicinal leeches doing and how does it help?Leeches have three jaws and a hundred teeth, in which they bite into the skin and inject an anesthetic along with chemicals to dilate blood vessels, and anticoagulants to keep the blood from clotting. This helps the leech feast on blood more easily. And fun fact, leeches can suck up to ten times their weight in human blood. So how exactly does this work in the world of medicine? When it comes to reattachment operations or plastic surgery, leeches keep a patient's blood flowing in the damaged area which prevents blood clots and ultimately the veins gather together so the area can properly heal. This also improves circulation and prevents tissues death. A medical leech renaissance was sparked in 1985 for this very season. The leech therapy renaissance is still going strong, as it's simple and inexpensive way to prevent medical complications. But for all the amazing benefits of leeches,there are side effects. For instance, a leech may move from the area that requires treatment to another part of your body that doesn't an you wouldn't want that. It can carry a risk of bacterial infection, so it's important to do it in a regulated environment.
