The method of hirudotherapy has not yet been accepted by official medicine. Application results do not pass the reliability test. Doctors prescribe venotonics, suppositories and ointments with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and hemostatic agents for the treatment of hemorrhoids. According to patients, when hemorrhoids are to blame for an upcoming operation, leeches are perceived as the last option for getting rid of painful symptoms.
Reviews of effectiveness are comparable to minimally invasive methods. Proponents of the method argue that with the help of leeches it is easier to achieve long-term remissions of the disease than with medications and diet. Let's try to form our own opinion and find out the secrets of success.
Hirudotherapy
Leech therapy is used both separately and in complex treatment with other methods of combating various pathologies.
It is used not only to cure hypertension, cerebrosclerosis, angina, but also in the presence of hemorrhoids. Yes, leeches for hemorrhoids really help. Medical practice reports that with this pathology, the condition of patients improves significantly, and hemorrhoids disappear. Sometimes hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids is the last effective remedy for many sick people.
What is known about leeches?
The “heyday” and passion for hirudotherapy for all diseases occurred in the 19th century. Then they specially caught a certain type of leeches from ponds. From the salivary glands they obtained a substance called “hirudin”, to which healing properties were attributed. Currently, the necessary leeches cannot be found in reservoirs due to environmental pollution. Medical leeches are grown on special “farms” and in laboratories.
The peculiarity of these waterfowl is hematophagy (feeding on blood). Leeches are part of the class of annelids of freshwater worms. An important bacterium, Hirudentis, is found in the animal's digestive system. It is she who produces biologically active substances. They enter the salivary glands through thin channels. Physiology allows the leech to receive food once every 4 months; it is able to starve for about a year and survive.
Why is there an effect?
If a person has hemorrhoids, treatment with leeches is often practiced. Why? There is no doubt that this method of therapy is ancient, because many people know that even inside the pyramids in Egypt, drawings of the use of bloodsuckers were discovered. The world first heard about leeches from such well-known practitioners of alternative healing as:
- Hippocrates;
- Galen;
- Avicenna.
Nowadays, medicine has advanced, and therefore there is scientific evidence that leeches treat hemorrhoids:
- When hemorrhoids are diagnosed, treatment with leeches provides the following effect:
- The suckers choose the location of the bite on their own, and it exactly coincides with the human bioactive points.
- During the period of blood absorption, bloodsuckers release their saliva into the bloodstream, which contains a huge amount of physioactive elements, which normalize the condition of the body.
- Leech saliva contains a component that prevents blood from clotting - it has a neurohumoral effect on a person with hemorrhoids at the intracellular level.
Generally speaking, the sucking can be called a kind of living needle, which sends a large number of healing elements into the body with a therapeutic effect: they prevent blood from clotting, which prevents the formation of blood clots, normalize blood pressure and trigger protective human functions. Leeches for hemorrhoids will help in getting rid of painful hemorrhoids, the main thing is to contact a competent specialist.
What is the effectiveness
Hirudotherapy has been practiced since ancient times. This type of annelid blood-sucking worms was used by doctors of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Roman Empire. Leeches were used to treat a whole range of diseases, from migraines to malignant tumors.
This type of therapy remains relevant today. In modern medicine, leeches are quite successfully used to treat thrombophlebitis, varicose veins, kidney diseases, genitourinary and cardiovascular diseases, osteochondrosis and high blood pressure. They help with hemorrhoids.
When used correctly, treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches can:
- normalize blood flow;
- reduce blood viscosity;
- increase lymph outflow and relieve swelling;
- relieve pain in hemorrhoids;
- reduce the size of the cones;
- relieve hypertonicity of the intestinal walls;
- suppress the activity of pathogenic bacteria;
- reduce the risk of thrombosis;
- restore the patient's immunity.
The analgesic effect is caused by the substance hirudin, which the leech secretes when it bites. This is a kind of anesthetic; it is included in antihemorrhoidal ointments and creams, suppositories. Hirudin slightly thins the blood, preventing the formation of adhesions and blood clots, has a bactericidal effect, and is not addictive.
The effect of the procedure lasts for several days, then the session must be repeated. Hirudotherapy is usually carried out in courses, but some doctors recommend it as a universal express remedy that quickly relieves pain and inflammation. Treatment is possible at home or in a doctor's office.
On our website you will find a lot of articles about various methods and methods of treating hemorrhoids:
- review of methods and therapeutic regimens;
- effective methods for treating hemorrhoids without surgery;
- Neumyvakin's recommendations;
- Kondakov's method.
Using minimally invasive procedures:
- disarterization;
- latex ligation of hemorrhoids;
- sclerotherapy;
- laser coagulation.
All about medical bloodsuckers
So, can hemorrhoids be cured with leeches? Yes. The therapy is completely safe, although many, having read articles, think differently and are afraid of something. Let's dispel another well-known myth that surrounds hemorrhoids and leeches. During the procedure, unique, medicinal leeches are used, and not those that can be found in a pond in the country.
They are specially grown in special institutions, they are sterile and are used only once. Yes, once and nothing else.
The person who came for the procedure receives individual leeches during the session, which will be destroyed after the therapy. This is done in order to make the therapeutic procedure as safe as possible from infection of the patient. Doctors assure that treating pathology with the help of leeches is very effective, because sometimes it is the only possible way for a sick person.
Natural “healers” can be used at any stage of the pathology - chronic or during exacerbation, but this type of treatment gives the best results when the disease has just begun to develop.
In addition, hirudotherapy often treats hemorrhoids in conjunction with traditional methods - homeopathic remedies, for example. However, with this combination, the patient needs to use additional preventive measures and be careful (this concerns hygiene procedures and physical overload).
In what cases is treatment with leeches contraindicated?
As we have already said, hirudotherapy is a safe method that has virtually no contraindications, but still in some cases such treatment should be abandoned.
These include the following:
- bleeding disorders (hemophilia, hemorrhagic diathesis);
- blood diseases (anemia, leukemia);
- arterial hypotension;
- individual intolerance to hirudin and other ingredients of leech saliva;
- cancer of any location;
- gestation
How and where to put
Many people are interested in when hirudotherapy is prescribed for hemorrhoids, where to place medicinal leeches?
Hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids is carried out according to patterns of points on the coccyx only in a hospital. Experts advise going for procedures once every 7 days. Someone is afraid that he will be hurt and unpleasant. This is a complete misconception. Typically, medical bloodsuckers do not cause any pain to the patient.
When treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches is prescribed, the doctor chooses the placement points; these are either bioactive zones on the body or the hemorrhoids themselves. The session continues quite quickly, but the time of the procedure is not regulated: as soon as the leeches themselves fall off, the treatment is considered complete.
How to place leeches correctly
Treatment of hemorrhoids with hirudotherapy is best done on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a specialist, but if you have some skills, therapy can be carried out at home. Using tweezers, take the leech closer to the front, place it in the desired place and wait for it to fixate. To increase comfort, use a transparent test tube of slight thickness; a leech is placed in it with the head facing the hole. This allows the individual to be placed in a hard-to-reach place, one of which is the tailbone.
If it fails to attach and it immediately falls off, then the individual is removed to the side and another one is placed. After each session, sterile bandages are applied to the bite sites. When the bleeding stops, the area must be treated with iodine or peroxide, after which the bandage is applied again. The fallen individuals are placed in a concentrated salt solution.
How does the treatment process work?
The attending physician will decide where to place leeches for hemorrhoids. A pathology therapy session is performed once every 7 days, usually up to 4 “healers” are used at a time. Before the session begins, the patient needs to be prepared in terms of psychology - the doctor notifies him about how the treatment will proceed. Also, the person undergoing the procedure should not wear absolutely any perfume or cosmetics on this day, and should not smoke.
The preparatory process for therapeutic activities also concerns hygiene - experts recommend that patients who go for therapy, after going to the toilet, use not toilet paper, but wash themselves, but without using soap - the anus should be in almost perfect condition all the time. The patient also needs to perform special gymnastics every day for the muscle tissue of the perineum: relax and tense the anus at least 300 times a day.
Hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids provides different points for placing leeches.
The doctor places leeches on bioactive points in the projection:
- Liver;
- Coccyx;
- Sacrum.
It is also possible to place leeches on hemorrhoids or the anal area, the specialist decides, it all depends on the stage of the disease. The patient should be in a supine position while the leeches are “working.” The duration of the procedure depends on how the bloodsuckers behave. As soon as they pump the required amount of blood and fall off on their own (this is the most important condition), the session can be stopped. The full course of treatment for this disease usually consists of 10 hospital procedures.
Not only the sick person must prepare for therapeutic measures; the specialist must have at hand:
- Special table for manipulations;
- Tool stand;
- Sterile wipes;
- Cotton pads;
- Forceps;
- Dressing material;
- Medical test tube;
- Glucose solution 40 percent;
- Alcohol 70 percent;
- Boiling water in a container;
- Containers with disinfectants;
- Ammonia;
- A piece of fabric;
- Medical gloves.
You can understand that bloodsuckers are suitable for treatment based on certain points:
- Activities;
- Shine and smoothness of the surface;
- A pronounced reflex when touched (at this time the leech’s body will become harder, shorter and thicker).
When the treatment measures are completed, the patient is placed on the place where the leech was located, sterile napkins are applied, and a medical gauze bandage is placed on them, which must be fixed with a bandage for 24 hours. A person who trusts a doctor should know that due to the fact that bloodsuckers inject a substance into the blood that affects clotting, slight bleeding from the bite site is possible for another 2 days.
A person who has chosen hirudotherapy should not worry about his condition due to the flow of blood, because the biofluid that is present in the hemorrhoids does not take part in the general blood flow.
This means that the patient does not have to worry about developing anemia or other pathologies of the circulatory system. During the period of treatment, a leech can penetrate inside the anus: this only means that the sick person has hemorrhoids not only outside, but also inside. This situation is absolutely normal - when the leech has pumped enough “extra” blood, it will crawl back out on its own. Therefore, there should be no panic.
How is the procedure performed?
Leeches for hemorrhoids are installed on the coccyx or directly on the external node and around it, above the passing large vessels. The patient is placed on his stomach, the place where the leeches are placed is freed from clothing. The skin in this area is wiped with alcohol and then with clean water. Leeches are sensitive to odors and may not stick to the desired point if they don’t like it.
In addition, the skin must be clean to prevent local infection. No more than four individuals are placed at a time. Each leech is usually placed in a thin test tube or glass vial with the head facing out. The doctor firmly places the test tube at the desired point, as a result the leech should stick. If she doesn't do this, she is replaced by someone else.
The peculiarity of the action of a leech is that it disappears on its own when it has sucked out a sufficient amount of blood. This takes 35-40 minutes or longer. In a clinic where hirudotherapy is performed, they should always ensure that the leeches are hungry before the session.
Then the amount of substances injected by them will be maximum. And this is more than 100 components.
The patient does not experience pain during the bite and during the entire session, only a slight tingling sensation at the beginning. The leech first injects an anesthetic contained in its saliva into the bite point. After the procedure, the blood does not stop at the bite sites for some time (about a day, sometimes longer). It is the enzymes that continue to act. You should not be afraid of this; you should not take special hemostatic agents. Usually, the wounds left after applying leeches are covered with a sterile bandage and sealed so that the clothes do not get dirty.
It is recommended to repeat the procedure at least, but not more than once a week. Their total number is 10-12. With moderate severity of the disease, the number of leeches is increased to 6-7 pieces. It is recommended to take a break between hirudotherapy complexes for 1-2 months. You can invite a hirudotherapist to your home. It is better if the procedure is also performed at home by a specialist. Although you can buy medicinal leeches at the pharmacy and do everything yourself or with the help of your family, you must strictly follow all the recommendations for the procedure. Caution must be exercised when purchasing. If it is made from an unverified source, then the risk of side effects and the risk of infection increases dramatically. You should only purchase leeches from a pharmacy or specialized clinic, having first read the quality certificate.
Impact and contraindications
What is present in the saliva of natural “healers” that helps in treating the disease? Almost all therapeutic effects are associated with the enzyme that unique bloodsuckers inject - gerudin. It has antiplatelet properties - this means that the enzyme not only affects blood clotting and prevents the formation of new blood clots, but also eliminates those already present.
Subsequently, due to the fact that the blood becomes more fluid, stagnant processes are eliminated and, as a result, the swelling of the hemorrhoid goes away. It is thanks to this that the pain syndrome is eliminated as quickly as possible and the size of hemorrhoids is reduced.
The enzyme also has a disinfecting effect - it prevents the development of infection and the inflammatory process in the nodes. There is no doubt that the positive effect of such treatment inspires confidence, but therapy cannot become a panacea for pathologies.
Blood-sucking medications for hemorrhoids may not be used for every single patient.
Hirudotherapy is contraindicated for people who suffer from diseases associated with blood clotting - hemorrhagic diathesis, hemophilia. Also, treatment is not prescribed for patients diagnosed with anemia - therapeutic measures can provoke a decrease in the already low hemoglobin to dangerous numbers.
Treatment is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure or those diagnosed with an allergy to the enzyme injected by leeches during the procedure. That is why, before prescribing and carrying out leech therapy, you need to test for an allergic reaction and tolerance - place the leech on your hand, let the enzyme penetrate the body. If after this the person’s condition is normal, there are no side effects, you can safely be treated for hemorrhoids.
Leech therapy is not prescribed to women carrying a child and people with cancer pathologies. It is for these reasons that before prescribing a course of treatment to a patient with hemorrhoids, his condition must be well diagnosed. However, even with such a list of prohibitions, hirudotherapy is actively used in medical practice.
The main advantage is the absence of side effects (except for a 2-day flow of blood from the wound), which cannot be said about surgery. But you should remember that self-treatment is strictly prohibited - only an experienced doctor will be able to determine the number of leeches, their location on the body during the session, and the duration of the procedure.
Composition of leech saliva
Leeches owe their beneficial properties to saliva, the composition of which has now been almost completely studied. The secretion of the salivary glands contains components that, when interacting with blood, have a healing effect.
The following affect hemorrhoids:
- Hirudin – thins the blood and has an anti-clotting effect. Prevents the formation of blood clots and eliminates them;
- Bdellins (high molecular weight proteins) inhibit the enzymes trypsin and plasmin, which play an important role in blood clotting;
- Bradykinins are polypeptides with an anti-inflammatory effect;
- Destabilase is a group of enzymes that have antithrombotic (anti-clotting) and thrombolysis (dissolving blood clots) effects;
- Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that promotes the breakdown of hyaluronic acid. This property of the component leads to an increase in the penetration of not only tissues, but also capillaries, which helps various substances, including medicinal ones, penetrate the body. Also eliminates scars and prevents them. In addition, hyaluronidase has a bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect, which leads to the death of numerous pathogenic microorganisms;
- Orgelase is an enzyme involved in the formation of new capillaries, eliminates swelling. It also helps smooth the inner walls of blood vessels, which improves microcirculation in them;
- Anglins are polypeptides that have strong anti-inflammatory activity;
- Kininase – eliminates pain;
- Histamine-like substances – have an antispasmodic effect.
The secretion of the salivary glands of the leech is essentially a complex medicine with a wide spectrum of action and is used not only for direct effects on the body, but also in the preparation of medications in the field of urology, gynecology, ophthalmology, neurology.
Consequences
Leech saliva thins the blood, therefore, as was said, it affects its clotting. After the procedure, the bite sites may bleed for a certain period, but this is normal. Before prescribing hirudotherapy to a patient, the specialist must send the person for a blood coagulogram. If he has pathologies that impair blood clotting, treatment is not performed.
Placing leeches for hemorrhoids gives successful results; the main thing is to treat the process responsibly, not be afraid and undergo the full course of therapy in a hospital setting.
Treatment for hemorrhoids
Treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches at home is carried out only after proper preparation.
It consists of performing the following activities:
Proctologist
- 3 days before the procedure, stop taking aspirin;
- exclude alcoholic drinks from the diet;
- perform preparatory gymnastics;
- do not use perfume.
The appearance of minor bleeding is normal and is not a reason to discontinue therapy. After hirudotherapy you cannot swim for 4 days. It is forbidden to touch the bites, much less scratch them. Contraindications include increased physical activity, which should be avoided during the entire treatment course.
Where to do it and how much does the procedure cost?
As you can see, despite its safety, hirudotherapy can sometimes cause complications, the risk of which can be reduced by choosing a specialized office or clinic with a good reputation for this procedure, as well as a qualified and experienced specialist. Therefore, take seriously the issue of choosing a clinic and a specialist with whom you will be treated.
In Russia today such clinics operate in almost every big city. Prices for the procedure depend on the region of the country where the clinic is located, the prestige of the institution and the qualifications of the specialist. The average cost of a hirudotherapy session is 3 thousand rubles.
