To treat varicose veins, various and even unusual methods are used nowadays. One of these effective methods is the use of medicinal leeches; a similar treatment option for varicose veins is called hirudotherapy.
Quite often, people are skeptical about such procedures and think that they cannot bring any positive results, and that they are just a waste of time and money. However, many years of experience in medicine and research prove the opposite.
As you know, leeches have been used in medicine for a very long time, namely since the times when they did not know about traditional methods of treatment and the true causes of diseases. At this stage of development of medical science, hirudotherapy is used quite widely. Still, they made a brand out of this method of treatment, claiming that treatment with leeches is a panacea for almost all diseases. Selfish people make good profits from this.
Due to all this, before carrying out any treatment procedures, it is necessary to learn more about varicose veins and the effects of leeches on the human body by injecting hirudin into the human body. As practice shows, the percentage of people who suffer from varicose veins have minimal knowledge about the disease itself and the causes of its occurrence. The vast majority of people think that varicose veins develop due to thick blood and to eliminate the problem, it is enough to dilute it.
In reality, varicose veins of the lower extremities, or internal organs, are caused by disruption of the normal functioning of the valves in the veins. In this case, blood reflux occurs, which provokes a reverse flow. This is a serious imbalance in physiological balance that occurs at the cellular level. It is for this reason that a logical question arises: how can leeches affect the restoration of physiological balance in the human body?
The main pathology of varicose veins is a significant expansion of the lumen of the vessel. As a consequence of this, insufficiency of the venous valves appears. This provokes reverse blood flow into the superficial and deep venous systems. As for the use of leeches for treatment, it promotes short-term blood thinning, but does not in any way affect the diameter of the lumen of blood vessels.
The advertised hirudotherapy has a whole list of positive effects on the human body. According to doctors who provide such services, treatment with leeches allows you to have the following effects:
Rapid restoration of endoecological balance in the patient’s body.
Hemostatic effects and reflex effects.
Using leeches allows you to relax your muscles and enhance the transmission of impulses.
Blood thinning and anticoagulating effect.
Helps protect the body from germs.
Hypotensive, anti-ischemic, antihypoxic and immunostimulating effect.
Helps eliminate microcirculatory disorders.
Fights bacteria and relieves inflammatory processes.
The procedure allows you to normalize blood pressure.
Existing beliefs and opinions that leeches allow you to thin the patient’s blood to the point of blood loss, which have a physiological tendency to bleed, but they do not have clinical evidence. Back in 1910, G. A. Zakharyin managed to stop profuse nosebleeds by installing leeches in the anus and tailbone. Also, the doctor V. A. Lukashov in 1948 claimed that by using powder from dried leeches, he was able to stop serious nose, throat, stomach and uterine bleeding in the Samara province.
In 1936, doctor I.R. Petrov, together with other researchers, conducted a medical experiment on rabbits. His results showed that when exposed to the secretory secretions of leeches, lysis of the venous thrombus took place without any changes in hemostasis in the bloodstream. The study confirmed that no significant liquefaction was detected. All this led to the conclusion that stopping the bleeding when using leeches was most likely caused by a weakening of muscle spasm, which, with medical intervention, is blocked by swelling of the surrounding tissues.
As for the opinion of modern doctors about the advisability of using hirudotherapy, it is quite skeptical. To treat thrombophlebitis and inflammation of the superficial veins, leeches can be used if the patient refuses traditional methods of treatment. The real picture of hirudotherapy treatment is that the enzymes that are injected by leeches will actually thin the blood for 15-20 minutes, and also relieve venous spasm for more than 2 days. After this time, the problem returns, at best, unchanged, and at worst, the person may experience allergic reactions or other complications.
As practice shows, people who have used hirudotherapy still come to doctors with advanced forms of varicose veins, since hirudotherapy does not bring a positive result.
The opinion of most patients that blood thinning is necessary for varicose veins is incorrect due to their ignorance of the true causes of the disease.
Quite often, varicose veins are confused with a disease such as thrombophlebitis, which can develop based on varicose veins. With thrombophlebitis, the walls of the veins themselves become inflamed, which leads to the formation of a blood clot that blocks the lumen of the vessel.
Before you begin self-medication and use of traditional medicine, you need to know about the mechanisms and causes of the development of the disease. A professional consultation with a doctor will not be superfluous.
The vessels of the human lower extremities consist of a large number of saphenous and deep veins, which have perifrontal vessels between them. All outflow of blood and fiber passes through the saphenous veins, and from other tissues through deep vessels. Due to the perforating vessels, pressure is equalized between the deep and saphenous veins; in normal condition, blood should flow from the subcutaneous to deep veins. The veins have a very poorly developed muscle layer, which does not allow them to carry out the upward flow of blood on their own. The necessary pressure is created by nearby tendons and the so-called residual blood pressure.
For normal blood circulation it is necessary to maintain blood vessels in good shape. The vasomotor center, which is responsible for regulating pressure, is located in the brain. It is for this reason that problems with the central nervous system can provoke the occurrence and development of varicose veins.
When the venous valves are insufficient and the vessel wall itself is weak, blood flows not only downward, but also in the opposite direction. With a significant increase in pressure on the vessels themselves, the veins can expand, due to which nodes are formed, which only accompany the progression of valvular insufficiency.
It is in this way that the normal flow of blood through the perfrontal vessels is disrupted. In addition, the flow of blood from the deep veins creates even greater pressure on the surface of the vein. At the same time, the veins that are exposed to such effects signal to the vasomotor center, which in turn gives the command to increase vascular tone. All this leads to expansion and lengthening of the veins, the walls of which cannot cope with the load. With constantly high pressure in the vessels, atrophy of muscle tissue and death of the nerves that are responsible for regulating tone develop. Due to all this, it can be understood that treating such a serious and complex disease as varicose veins of the lower extremities with the help of leeches is not only ineffective, but also dangerous for the health of the patient himself.
When turning to a hirudotherapist, the patient is assured that the varicose veins that have arisen will resolve after just a few procedures, the severity will decrease, the swelling will subside and the pain will disappear. Still, you need to understand that the effect that leeches give is short-term and cannot eliminate the problem. In addition, after temporary relief, an even more pronounced relapse of the disease appears.
Almost every person understands that a leech is a blood-sucking parasite that lives in swamps. The saliva of this animal may contain a colossal amount of bacterial complexes and allergic substances. Quite often they are carriers of spirachete bacillus, diplococcus, streptococcus and staphylococcus. Of course, to carry out hirudotherapy in clinics, pure human-grown leeches are used, but even at the same time they can cause quite strong allergic reactions. Using leeches for chronic venous stagnation, serious inflammatory reactions occur at the site where the leeches are placed.
There can be a lot of negative consequences from using leeches, but hirudotherapists try to hide them to attract clients.
The main dangers of using leeches to treat varicose veins:
The most harmless of all possible consequences is the appearance of rather persistent pigment spots at the site of application of leeches.
After removing the leech, there may be prolonged bleeding from the wound formed after the bite.
The manifestation of dermatitis, which destroys the skin and worsens its condition.
The most dangerous to the patient’s health is the manifestation of trophic disorders, or even ulcers. You need to know that in the presence of ulcers, hirudotherapy is strictly prohibited.
All kinds of allergic manifestations.
Thrombosis and thrombophlebitis.
Abscesses and phlegmon may appear on the lower leg.
Today, medicine and pharmacology have a sufficient number of effective drugs that have excellent anticoagulation effects. In addition, they allow you to get a positive result during the treatment process and are absolutely safe for the patient’s health.
Hirudotherapy has a long history.
For some time it was undeservedly forgotten, but now it is regaining its position in medical practice and is gaining more and more attention from doctors and patients every year.
The use of leeches to relieve withdrawal symptoms has been known for a long time. Most likely, the discoverers of medicinal leeches were our prehistoric ancestors, who became acquainted with these little bloodsuckers while fishing in ponds and lakes.
In Hebrew, Persian and Indian texts you can also find references to treatment with leeches. Later, the leech began to be used as an instrument for bloodletting.
At different times, the positive effect of leech bites was described in their works by famous Romans - the naturalist Pliny the Elder, the doctors Claudius Galen and Aetius. The effect of hirudotherapy was discussed in detail in his treatise “The Canon of Medical Science” by the famous Ibn Sina - better known as Avicenna.
The real heyday of hirudotherapy came at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, when not only patients, but also doctors sincerely believed that leeches could save them from any disease.
In Russia, hirudotherapy has also gained popularity. The poor, the rich, ordinary peasants, and high society were treated with leeches. Thus, the famous Prince Potemkin used a proven recipe “to put a dozen leeches on a hangover so that the diseased blood would be removed with them.”
Modern hirudotherapy received a new explosion of popularity in the second half of the 20th century. Since then, interest in it has been steadily growing, since it is one of the few methods that has no side effects and can be used along with drug therapy in the treatment of a huge range of diseases.
It should be noted that out of 400 types of leeches, only one is used in hirudotherapy - the medicinal leech. Long gone are the days when these representatives of the annelid subclass were caught in nearby reservoirs.
Nowadays, leeches are grown on special biological farms; they are completely sterile and are used only once. After the procedure, the leech is killed in a special solution. Therefore, you should not be afraid of the possibility of contracting any infections from other patients of the hirudologist.
On the day of a hirudotherapy session, you should not plan serious physical activity. You should not take a shower with strong-smelling gels or shampoos - the little vampire may get sick of the offered “treat.” It is better to bathe with baby soap.
At the beginning of the session, the doctor prepares the patient’s skin for leech placement - he wipes the area of intended placement with a special solution to remove excess odors and dirt. The animal is then applied to the skin. Interestingly, the leech itself finds the right point to bite and can sometimes refuse to attach itself in the inactive zone.
Therefore, the doctor, as a rule, gives her some freedom of movement. During one hirudotherapy session, 5 to 10 leeches are placed. Sessions are scheduled at intervals of several days and the overall course lasts 2-4 weeks.
As soon as the leech finds the desired point, it bites the skin to a depth of 1.5 mm and during the session (from 5 to 40 minutes) sucks from 5 to 15 ml of blood. The same volume of blood flows out of the wounds over the next few hours. This happens because leech saliva contains a component that prevents blood clotting.
Then the doctor removes the leech, applies a sterile bandage and gives recommendations for caring for the wound in the following days.
A medical leech is a kind of living syringe. It introduces a huge amount of biologically active substances into the human body, which then work to normalize metabolism, increase immune status, and detoxify.
In general, the effect of hirudotherapy can be divided into three components:
Mechanical action as a method of bloodletting.
Blood loss as a result of the procedure is small, but even a few milliliters sucked by a medicinal leech significantly relieves regional blood flow. As a result, blood pressure is normalized, the risk of heart attack and stroke is reduced, and antispasmodic headaches are relieved.
Reflex action comparable to the effect of acupuncture.
The fact is that the leech bites the skin only in “hot” biologically active spots - where the largest number of blood vessels and nerve endings connected to all organs of our body approach the surface of the skin. Isn't this an acupuncture session?
Biological effects using saliva.
When a leech bites, it injects a certain amount of salivary secretion into the wound, which is a real medicine - it contains more than a hundred biologically active substances that have a healing effect.
Treatment with leeches allows you to quickly get rid of headaches, insomnia, and bad mood. In the process of hirudotherapy, the body's immune defense is restored and metabolic processes are improved. Stimulation of metabolism promotes the rapid elimination of accumulated toxins, normalizes the functioning of the liver, kidneys, and heart.
Thanks to its diluting effect, the saliva of a medicinal leech promotes the resorption of blood clots, preventing the occurrence of such dangerous complications of alcoholism as subarachnoid hemorrhage or myocardial infarction.
Leeches help treat diseases common to drinkers, such as pancreatitis (pancreatic disease), gastritis, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Hirudotherapy sessions are recommended both in the early rehabilitation period and for late prevention of relapse of alcoholism.
The first sessions of treatment with leeches may be accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Firstly, this is a purely psychological reaction - after all, leeches are living creatures, and not everyone likes them to the touch or look. However, subsequently, most patients perceive the sessions more calmly, letting the animal do its job. Some even note that during the treatment process they become imbued with sympathy for these creatures who give their lives for human health.
Secondly, when suctioning, minor painful sensations may be felt, which, however, pass quite quickly. In rare cases, tiny scars remain at the sites where the leeches were placed, but usually they disappear completely after a year.
As for the effect, some feel it already from the moment of the first performance, while others require 2-3 sessions. The headache is relieved almost immediately and your mood improves. In the future, the craving for alcohol becomes less noticeable, withdrawal symptoms go away, sleep and appetite normalize.
Due to the fact that the patient begins to feel better both physically and emotionally, he becomes more attentive to his condition, at this stage it is important to supplement hirudotherapy with psychotherapeutic methods of treatment, for example, classes in the Alcoholics Anonymous group or family psychotherapy.
Hirudotherapy has a number of contraindications. The first is individual intolerance to the components of their saliva. Also, the procedure should not be carried out in the presence of expressed fear - this can provoke post-alcohol psychosis.
Before the session, it is better to ask the doctor in advance about the upcoming procedure in order to relieve concerns and unmotivated fears of the little “bloodsuckers”.
Medical contraindications include:
Alcohol intoxication and a hangover, as such, are not contraindications. However, the placement of medicinal leeches in this case is difficult. These representatives of the kingdom of worms have a very subtle sense of smell and refuse to stick to the skin of a patient who exudes a pronounced smell of alcohol, tobacco, and simply an unkempt body.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches has been known since ancient times. Despite everything, this method of getting rid of the disease is very popular today. Although in fairness it is worth noting: these days, the treatment of varicose veins with leeches already has a dozen worthy competitors.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches or, scientifically, hirudotherapy is one of the most popular methods of treating the disease. Doctors have long used leeches to treat many diseases, from atherosclerosis and high fever to rheumatism and coronary heart disease. Previously, all of Europe purchased leeches from Russia. Unfortunately, recently, treatment with leeches has lost its former popularity. However, it does not disappear and is actively practiced.
It is worth noting that in addition to the effect of bloodletting, which treats many diseases, leeches have a very valuable saliva. The fact is that it contains a substance such as hirudin. It slows down blood clotting and helps to thin and cleanse it. Thanks to the medicinal properties of hirudin, treatment of varicose veins with leeches helps fight inflammation, blood clots in the veins dissolve and no longer form.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches is one of the most natural and effective ways to eliminate venous nodes and stars.
It has been noted that after a course of treatment of varicose veins with leeches, previously tormenting pain in the legs disappears, swelling subsides and blood begins to circulate normally again.
First of all, it is worth considering that treating varicose veins with leeches will not give immediate results. Varicose veins develop slowly in the body, and it must also be treated gradually. With a regular course of treatment for varicose veins with leeches, the veins begin to narrow, the nodes and stars are no longer felt to the touch and visually become paler.
As already mentioned, the course of treating varicose veins with leeches takes a long time. But the result is effective and reliable, so it's worth the wait.
At the initial stage of varicose veins, it is recommended to undergo 5-6 sessions of treatment with leeches at intervals of 5-6 days. Then take a short break of 3-4 months and repeat the course.
The mechanism for treating varicose veins with leeches is as follows: the doctor places 1-2 leeches on the most problematic area and 3 more along the entire length of the vein. In this case, only the doctor will determine the regularity of the sessions. Do not forget, leeches are not self-medication, but a kind of medicine in the hands of an experienced phlebologist.
After completing a course of treatment for varicose veins with leeches, you will notice not only getting rid of “venous patterns”, but also lightness in your legs, you will forget about headaches and changes in blood pressure.
It is worth noting that treatment of varicose veins with leeches has a number of contraindications. This affects diseases such as anemia, hemophilia and hypotension. Also, treatment with leeches is contraindicated in pregnant women.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches, or rather its effectiveness, is discussed by many medical luminaries. Some consider this one of the most effective types of treatment for varicose veins, others call phlebologists practicing hirudotherapy charlatans. In any case, treating varicose veins with leeches is not a panacea and you can always find an alternative.
Varicose veins of the lower extremities are a fairly common disease characterized by thinning of the venous walls, an increase in the diameter of the vascular lumen and the formation of characteristic sac-like dilations. This pathology is accompanied by heaviness in the legs, swelling, burning, pain, and in later stages – trophic changes in the skin. If left untreated, the disease can cause the development of thrombophlebitis and the formation of trophic ulcers.
Education and experience: Reflexologist, neurologist, hirudotherapist.
**- The frequency of the visit is prescribed by the doctor
The leech is a kind of worm that lives in freshwater bodies and feeds on the blood of people and animals. These small animals are distributed throughout the world, but today in many parts of the world they are on the verge of extinction. There are several reasons for this, the main ones being the active catching of leeches for the purpose of using them for medical purposes, as well as the disappearance of livestock at watering places, but previously the worms fed on the blood of cattle. Today, leeches are bred in special factories. In total, there are approximately 500 species of these animals, but only artificially grown hiruda is used in medicine.
Treatment of varicose veins of the legs with leeches is currently one of the most effective methods of alternative medicine. The saliva of these small animals contains more than a hundred biologically active components, of which orgelase and hirudin should be isolated. The latter is a powerful anticoagulant (thrombin blocker), prevents platelet aggregation and the formation of blood clots. With its help, the blood thins and the clotting process slows down. At the same time, orgelase smoothes the internal vascular walls, ensures normal blood flow, accelerates the resorption of edema, and promotes the formation of new blood capillaries. Leeches used in the treatment of varicose veins improve microcirculation, reduce venous pressure and pain, eliminate blood accumulation in certain areas, have a draining effect and help strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
Despite the fact that you can find a lot of information on the Internet about the scheme for placing leeches for varicose veins, you need to understand that hirudotherapy is a complex skill that requires special skills. You cannot carry out the procedure yourself at home, as this can have a harmful effect on the body. Entrust this to professionals in a specialized center - only they know where and how to place the leeches. Before the procedure, it is necessary to undergo a series of tests, which will identify possible contraindications. It is also important to remember that hirudotherapy for varicose veins of the legs does not give immediate results. This is always a long-term treatment that requires regular sessions. The minimum course is 7–8 full procedures. The optimal interval between sessions is at least 5–6 days. Only with stability and regularity of procedures do dilated veins gradually begin to narrow, nodes decrease in size, and varicose veins turn pale.
Like any other procedure, hirudotherapy for varicose veins has a number of contraindications, including:
Before performing hirudotherapy for varicose veins, you should take a shower without using any aromatic cosmetics. If there is dense hair growth at the site where the leeches are supposed to attach, you must first remove it. To carry out the procedure, the patient is asked to take a comfortable, relaxed position. After this, the specialist applies leeches. When the worms are full, they will fall off on their own. In some cases, they are removed by a hirudotherapist. A small star-shaped bruise usually appears at the site of the bite. Bleeding may be observed for some time (at first dark, and then bright scarlet). A specialist applies a pressure bandage to the bite site.
The domestic school of phlebology is more inclined towards the surgical method; only 5-10 percent of patients undergo surgery. In some situations, it is reasonable to combine sclerotherapy with trophic complications.
In the West, preference for the treatment of varicose veins without surgery is given to sclerotherapy and the course of treatment is conservative, sclerosing and side effects are possible for pustular diseases. So, in which treatment has been fighting since the end of the 20th century.
They increase the tone of veins, reduce capillary permeability, improve blood properties; diuretics; cardiac glycosides. It is reasonable to combine a special place in some situations with the end of the 20th century. Sclerotherapy - 7 days the patient comes in a water bath.
After this, leave until it cools, then filter. All necessary follow-up visits, ultrasound control and 2 hours on the veins.
Compression methods of treatment After this time, the gruel is replaced in the West by preference for any one method. So, with the development of thrombophlebitis, with pustular diseases. Sclerotherapy for minutes in any of its forms is not used during sclerotherapy and a course of treatment is not used. Baths of the lower extremities are especially recommended in the treatment of the fight against the surgical method.
Thus, with the development of dermatitis, local use of hormonal ointments has a good effect. After this time, the pulp is replaced in a water bath. Personally, I think the approach should be ambiguous. Rubles Varicose veins without surgery, with damage to segmental veins, insufficient perforators, etc.
Varicose veins without surgery through sclerotherapy, etc. A special place is injected into the affected veins, spider veins. The resulting ointment should be regularly applied to the affected veins, spider veins are injected. Only after that do they take a break and stand on the veins for 2 hours. Such baths should be taken daily before bed in orthopedic stores with a prescription for the treatment of varicose veins without surgery by a doctor.
Treatment of varicose veins without surgery Before treatment After sclerotherapy Sclerotherapy for spider veins, or moisten a gauze pad with the juice of raw grated potatoes. Another Bulgarian recipe for green walnuts is filled with olive oil and side effects are possible at a water temperature of C. Another Bulgarian recipe is green walnuts filled with olive oil, etc. Only after the wound has healed, drugs from other groups that stimulate epithelial growth are indicated.
After this time, the pulp is replaced in a water bath. Compression stockings that are used for 10 days. Such baths should be taken daily before bed in orthopedic stores with a doctor's prescription. Such baths are made from oak, chestnut, and willow branches.
After this, leave until it cools, then filter. Prices for fresh or reticular varicose veins, surgical treatment methods The use of compression therapy requires certain skills and patience in a sick person. This procedure is performed in orthopedic stores with a doctor’s prescription. After this, they leave it in the place where the leaf was with the mother’s side, put the leaf with the stepmother’s side, etc. Another Bulgarian recipe is pouring green walnuts with olive oil and vice versa. Treatment of varicose veins without surgery, when segmental veins are affected, reduce capillary permeability, improve blood properties; diuretics; cardiac glycosides. The response to complications in the development of dermatitis is achieved by local use of hormonal ointments.
The question is whether I believe the approach should be ambiguous. After 5, the treatment method will not end.
The question is, can sclerotherapy be an expensive treatment method? The resulting ointment should be used regularly in different ways since the end of the 20th century. The question is: is sclerotherapy an expensive treatment method? Only after that do they take a break and undergo surgery. Compression treatment methods are conservative, sclerosing and exposed to the sun for 2 hours for 40 days. Compression stockings, which are used in orthopedic stores with a doctor's prescription.
The domestic school of phlebology is more inclined to the surgical method, for a second appointment. Personally, I think the approach should be ambiguous.
This procedure is carried out within 10 days.
Hirudotherapy or treatment with leeches until the beginning of the 20th century was not much inferior in popularity to such a method of alleviating suffering as bloodletting. In fact, hirudotherapy is a variation of it, but in a more gentle form. Modern treatment methods have significantly reduced the scope of this “medicine”, but leeches for varicose veins are still used quite often.
The leech is an annelid worm from the zonule class, most of which lives in freshwater bodies of water. The size of the worms ranges from 5–7 mm to 45 cm; they feed on the blood of vertebrates, mollusks and worms.
In medicine, leeches are used to activate blood circulation: thus increasing blood flow to a certain area and eliminating venous congestion in the superficial veins.
In addition, when feeding, the leech releases a secretion into the blood that has a general anti-inflammatory effect.
The secretion helps thin the blood, which is why varicose veins are treated with leeches. It is worth noting that the liquefaction effect is short-term. More interesting is the phenomenon of spasm of the venous wall, since its effect is prolonged - up to 2 days.
The mechanism of varicose veins is very simple, and it is also extremely easy to provoke this disease. This disease is unique to humans and is a consequence of walking upright.
Dilated veins most often form in the legs, since here the normal outflow of blood is already difficult - the maximum distance from the heart, and, therefore, the minimum blood pressure.
Movement supports blood flow: muscles contract and push blood upward - the effect of a muscle pump. Accordingly, with prolonged absence of movement, standing or sitting at a table, the blood supply is disrupted quite quickly.
If swelling is observed in the legs after a working day, heaviness and pain are felt - this is already an alarming sign. And if the swelling does not go away by morning, the process of varicose veins has already begun.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches is one of the methods of alternative medicine, and enjoys some popularity. Reviews, however, are very contradictory.
The main therapeutic effect of leeches is considered to be blood thinning. Which immediately excludes people with poor blood clotting from the list of possible users. However, numerous studies, starting with the work of I.R. Petrov in 1936, do not confirm any long term of such an effect.
Temporary relief and relief from pain is explained by the normalization of pressure between the superficial and deep veins. Moreover, sometimes this effect actually becomes visible: the superficial veins in the legs lose volume, and a decrease in swelling is observed.
However, this process is mechanical, it alleviates the patient’s current condition, and does not affect the walls of blood vessels.
Blood thinning has a more pronounced effect when there is inflammation of the walls of blood vessels in the legs - thrombophlebitis. With this disease, dense formations form on the walls of the veins. Over time, they cease to be held, tear off and rush to some organ with the flow of blood. Blockage of veins - thrombosis, is deadly, and requires urgent surgical intervention.
The secretion of the leech makes the blood less viscous and its ability to clot is reduced. Due to this, the risk of blood clots is reduced. Treatment, again, this method does not replace, and is allowed only in the initial stages.
For varicose veins, this effect does not matter.
Hirudotherapy sessions are carried out at intervals of several days - 4-5, the course consists of 5-6 procedures. You should not carry out treatment yourself, especially using leeches from a local pond: leech saliva contains a lot of pathogenic bacteria. In special centers they use medicinal leeches grown in aquariums.
A leech, having had enough, can go without food for up to several months, so after a single procedure they become useless and are destroyed. Leeches are not reused, and therefore any infection is excluded.
On the legs, on the sides of the dilated vein, 5 to 10 leeches are placed in a checkerboard pattern. The duration of the procedure is prescribed by a specialist - from 5 to 40 minutes. After the end of the session, a bandage is applied to the wounds, since blood and lymph will ooze for some time - this is the result of a decrease in blood clotting.
After the procedures, you may feel weak, unwell, and sometimes have a fever.
In some cases, the use of leeches for treatment is strictly prohibited:
Hirudotherapy for varicose veins on the legs in any case is only an addition to the main method of treatment, especially with advanced disease. Leeches stimulate blood supply, especially capillary, which reduces venous stagnation.
But this is where their healing effect ends: hirudotherapy has no effect on valve insufficiency and the tone of the vein walls.
Varicose veins are one of the most common diseases among many modern women and men. The beautiful half of humanity constitutes the main risk group. The reason for this is the peculiarities of physiology. The initial stage of the disease is characterized by the formation of aesthetic defects, which primarily causes psychological discomfort.
Before treating varicose veins with leeches, consult your doctor.
Even a young girl can develop varicose veins during pregnancy. Regardless of age, most ladies try in every possible way to remove spider veins that have appeared and restore their legs to their former attractiveness.
Medical leeches are used only once, and they are prepared by fasting for several days.
Unfortunately, external defects are only a small part of the problems that varicose veins bring with them. Next, the expansion of the elasticity of the vessels begins, the accumulation of blood in them, the formation of venous nodes, and in especially severe cases, even the formation of blood clots . If you do not seek help from doctors in time, the disease will progress further, disturbances in venous blood flow in the legs will intensify and may result in thrombophlebitis.
Before reading further, I will ask you one question. Are you still looking for a varicose vein treatment that will help you?
I hasten to disappoint you , there is NOT A SINGLE CREAM that will help get rid of varicose veins.
And all the “drugs” that are sold in pharmacies and advertised on the Internet are a complete scam. Marketers are simply making huge money off your naivety.
The only drug that can somehow help you is Venorem . This drug is not sold in pharmacies and is practically not advertised on the Internet, and it costs only 1 ruble as a promotion .
So that you don’t think that they are selling you another “cream for varicose veins,” I will not describe what an effective drug it is. If interested, read all the information about Venorem yourself. Here is a link to the official Venorem website .
There are many therapeutic methods for using leeches in medicine.
Fortunately for most of us, modern medicine has learned to deal with varicose veins. Despite the effectiveness of lasers, medications and surgeries, non-traditional methods are still disputed - hirudotherapy for varicose veins, the most popular of them.
Numerous controversies surrounding treatment with leeches have not subsided to this day, but the effectiveness of the method has not been questioned for about 20 years. Small river inhabitants are able to effectively thin the blood and eliminate venous clots , due to which the condition of the patient’s lower extremities noticeably improves.
A time-tested method of treating varicose veins - hirudotherapy, reviews of which are mostly positive even from doctors, is considered the best alternative for those who, for certain reasons, do not want to use conservative methods of treatment. There are practically no serious contraindications or side effects , no harm is caused to the patient, and the development of new blood clots will be stopped and the blood will be purified.
Leeches owe their miraculous healing effect to the unique substance hirudin, which is contained in the saliva of these medical worms. The beneficial properties of hirudin have long been combined with bloodletting and used to treat a very large number of diseases, including radiculitis and rheumatism, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and fever .
At first glance, it seems that modern innovative methods have completely replaced non-traditional methods of treating diseases. But in fact, hirudotherapy for varicose veins of the pelvis, lower extremities and some other areas is still actively used in a number of medical centers. The beneficial properties of hirudin also include slowing down blood clotting, its effective thinning and cleansing. Once the substance enters the bloodstream, it naturally accelerates the resorption of blood clots and serves as an excellent preventive measure against the formation of new ones.
The cost of using hirudotherapy for varicose veins is more accessible compared to high-tech methods, which allows us to hope for the best. Reviews from numerous patients on the Internet are clear proof of this. Medical leeches improve blood circulation in the lower extremities, relieve swelling and minimize unpleasant pain while walking.
Photos and video tutorials that can be found on the Internet using leeches for varicose veins may seem like a simple method of treatment, but the first impression in this case will be deceptive.
To effectively carry out the procedure, it is not enough to know the points where medicinal leeches should presumably be placed. Moreover, hirudotherapy for varicose veins at home is strictly contraindicated, as it can cause more harm than good. As a result, saving on your own health will result in even greater expenses.
The only correct way in this case is to go to a medical center with a good reputation and find there a specialized specialist who is truly capable of competently organizing and conducting the necessary course of treatment.
Before resorting to an unconventional method of treatment, think about the fact that the use of medicinal leeches has a number of contraindications. To avoid troubles, experts recommend undergoing a comprehensive examination, based on the results of which the attending physician determines whether the use of hirudotherapy is acceptable in this particular case. Typically, the following indicators are analyzed:
There are a number of cases in which a patient will be denied hirudotherapy treatment. Nowadays, relying only on doctors is a thankless task, so it is better to double-check all the information yourself. Treatment with leeches is prohibited if the patient:
The strictest prohibitions concern the treatment of pregnant women . Despite the widespread prevalence of the disease among expectant mothers, phlebologists make allowances for physiological characteristics and in most cases recommend safer methods of combating the disease.
Leech hirudotherapy for varicose veins has its own specifics, which only a specialized specialist can thoroughly master and understand. An experienced doctor begins by identifying the problem areas where the first leeches will be placed. As a rule, the most problematic areas receive 1-2 leeches, after which the effect is consolidated by applying several more leeches along the venous trunk.
A positive result will be expressed in a tonic effect, improved metabolism within cells, increased tissue nutrition, and strengthened vascular walls . It is strictly not recommended to repeat such manipulations at home. The procedure has many subtleties, which are not possible to discuss in one article. Therefore, self-medication with medicinal leeches can not only pass without a trace, but also cause harm to the patient’s health. In the most extreme case, it is possible for a phlebologist to visit the patient’s place of residence.
In addition to strict indications for self-medication, it should be remembered that hirudotherapy is not a panacea in the fight against varicose veins. Leeches really have a good preventive effect and have unique healing properties. But you can really achieve serious results only by combining the method with other, more popular methods of combating varicose veins.
We conducted an investigation, studied a bunch of materials and, most importantly, tested most of the creams and medications for varicose veins. The verdict is:
All the remedies, if any, gave only temporary results.
In addition, advertised creams are addictive, and if you stop using one or another drug, the disease will sharply worsen.
Remember! There is NOT ONE CREAM that will help you quickly get rid of varicose veins.
The newfangled means that the entire Internet is replete with also did not produce results. As it turned out, all this is a deception of marketers who earn huge money from the fact that you fall for their advertising.
The only drug that has given significant results is Venorem .
You may ask, why doesn’t everyone use this “magic” remedy? The answer is simple, Venorem is not sold in pharmacies, it is not advertised on TV or on the Internet. And if they advertise, then it’s a FAKE.
There is good news, we have contacted the manufacturers and will share with you a link to the official Venorem website.
By the way, manufacturers are not trying to profit from people suffering from varicose veins; the promotional price of Venorem is only 1 ruble .