Leech Therapy, a Step up from Plastic Surgery but a Step Down from Green Smoothies? You be the Judge.

The new beauty thing these days seems to be leech therapy. Yup, Demi Moore does it and it seems that it is going maintream. I’m always looking for the latest cutting edge news about healthy living and beauty and indeed I found something pretty interesting, if you can stomach it, I dare you to read on about leech therapy.

This is not for the squeamish.

What is leech therapy?

Hirudotherapy (from Latin hirudo-leech) is a treatment that uses medicinal leeches to cure certain ailments or to improve overall health.
It is said to help with:
-normalization and improvement of circulation;
- antiinflammation effect;
-antistressful effects;
-immunostimulating and immunomodulating effects;
-anesthesia;
-anticoagulation;
-antibacterial effect;
-improvement of an endocellular exhange ; detoxifies blood; helps you stay youthful

History

• We can find traces of leech therapy being used in ancient Egypt about 1500BC.
• In the 5th century BC, the Greek Philosopher Hippocrates’ was found to se leeches for bloodletting to create a balance in his patients.
• Bloodletting became so popular in Europe in the 19th century, that the commercial trade in leeches became a major industry and leeches were on their way to extinction.

About the leeches

Now before you go picking up the leeches from the nearest lake let it be known that not any kind of leech is applied for this therapy. The leeches used are called ( Hirudo Medicinalis leech) because of their saliva contains an anticoagulent (blood thinner) and they also release a numbing chemical for a painless bite. How nice! These leeches are now farmed and shipped to hospitals, beauty salons, or to anyone who orders them.

The procedure

1.All hair is removed from the body
2. The patient takes a turpentine bath
3. The patient experiences a stinging sensation.

4. When the sensation stops, leeches are allowed to suck the blood from the body.

5. When the leeches bite, they release a little enzyme into the blood stream which causes bleeding and suck out blood.
6. This treatment detoxifies the blood and makes a person healthier and look younger.

Dangers

There are no high risk factors for this procedure the only this that might be uncomfortable is having a leech slip and attach to some other, undesirable place.

Well Demi More does it! Does that mean you should do it too? Probably not. But I am amazed at these little creatures and their healing effects. Now I guess I have two issues to address before I book a session of Hirudotherapy. The first one is my psychological barrier and the second one being the moral issue. Is right to use leeches or any other insect for self-serving cosmetic purposes? Well I’ll ponder on that…sipping a green smoothie…prevention is always better!

Gabrielle