Leeches have become popular for preserving soft tissue and promoting healing after facial reconstructive surgery. In both old and new case studies, leech therapy has been shown to increase the chance of positive outcomes in reconstructions affecting the:. Leech therapy is both easy and has a lower risk of side effects than other therapies. However, there are some risks. For this reason, people who are immunocompromised by autoimmune disease and environmental factors are not good candidates for leech therapy.
If something goes wrong after a round of leech therapy, blood will ooze out of the area that has been treated and the site of the leech bite will not close. Sometimes leeches will try to move to another area of the body where you do not need treatment, causing unnecessary blood loss. On occasion, a person will discover during or after leech therapy that they are allergic to leech saliva. If complications such as these occur, you will know right away and will no longer be a candidate for this treatment method.
It makes some people squeamish to imagine leeches being used as a modern medical treatment. As we continue to find out more about the special properties in leech saliva, it may very well be that the treatment has even more practical use than we would have ever thought possible.
An imbalance in the proteins and cells responsible for blood and its clotting can cause thick blood. How this condition is diagnosed, and are there…. Having too much LDL cholesterol can put you at greater risk of heart attack or stroke. Read on to…. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which cholesterol, calcium, and other substances, collectively referred to as plaque, clog your arteries…. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and digestive fluids.
But high LDL cholesterol levels in…. Rose quartz is known as the stone of love. What does the evidence say? Some say the base of all the chakras is the key to feeling stable, safe, and secure. Want to boost your immunity with natural treatments? TCM has you covered. Can this ancient theory help you find balance in the modern day? Post-British education, she went on a search for her roots in Ayurveda. Structured water is said to have a unique structure that offers health benefits.
We'll review these claims and see if there's any evidence to support…. Colour lithograph after L. Boilly, Medicinal leeching reached a peak in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Leech trading became a lucrative business, with leeches exported across Europe and to the USA. France alone required millions of leeches annually.
The use of medicinal leeches began to decline around the s as diagnostic medical skills improved. Many books and papers have been published over the years, and the subject is scattered throughout the RCS Library collections, as you would expect given the popularity of the treatment.
Some of the 19 th century material has been digitised as part of the UK Medical Heritage Library project. For example, A practical treatise on the efficacy of bloodletting, in the epidemic fever of Edinburgh by Benjamin Welsh looks at the evidence for using leeches in fever cases during an outbreak in He describes treatment of 44 individuals in detail, as can be seen in this extract on Joseph Burkett, a Flaxman he survives. An excellent example of the efficacy of bleeding at a late period of the disease; instantaneous relief from the evacuation.
In the past, leeches were harvested from the wild and kept in leech jars filled with rainwater, which were often decorative. Now to avoid infection, they are specially bred and grown for medical use and humanely disposed of after one use.
Modern leech therapy has fewer applications than in the past, but is supported by scientific studies and case reports; research continues into their use in a number of medical fields.
Site Search Site Search Go. Account login Username. Integr Med Res. Slichenmyer W. Anti-cancer Drugs. Dec; 2 6 Whitaker, I. Research School of Biology. Current students Intranet Staff login Staff services.
Search query. Study Discover our degree programs and courses. Research Read about our research. Facilities Projects Research stories. People A directory of all members of the Research School of Biology. All people Academics. Visitors Students. Professional staff Volunteers. News Events. Event series Calendar.
Event recordings Newsletters. About Read about the school's history, governance and structure. Organisational structure Awards. Contacts Get in touch with us.
0コメント