HIRUDOTHERAPY IN NEUROLOGY
Tatyana Vasilyevna Savchenko, hirudotherapist, reflexologist
In neurology, leeches are most often used for disorders cerebral circulation, neuritis facial nerve, neuralgia trigeminal nerve, traumatic lesions nervous system. Here is what the famous hirudologist, Professor A.I., writes about this. Krashenyuk: “Leeches have one more amazing property– they have a neurotrophic effect. We first encountered this when we began to use leeches in the treatment of children suffering from childhood cerebral palsy(cerebral palsy). The babies who were brought to our clinic in our arms began to move independently after a few months!.. Uncertainly, with support. But before that they didn’t move at all!” And further: “To explain this phenomenon, we, together with Dr. biological sciences E.N. Chalisova from the Institute of Physiology studied the effect of leech extract on culture nerve cells. It turned out that it causes their growth and the appearance of additional processes in them, with the help of which they contact each other.”
Brain concussion. I will quote the father of Russian surgery, N.I. Pirogov: “As soon as a little color appeared in the patient’s face and the pulse rose, I now put leeches behind the ears.” For bruises and concussions of the brain, leeches significantly alleviate the condition, reduce or stop headaches. The mechanism of action of leeches here is not only an analgesic and distracting effect, but also hemorrhage and vasodilation, which helps restore impaired functions of the brain, and above all, its cortex.
Pre-stroke condition and stroke. Stroke - acute disorder cerebral circulation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of new cases of stroke during the year ranges from 1.27 to 7.4 per 1000 population. IN last years The number of stroke sufferers with complications in the form of transient or lifelong paralysis in our country has increased. The main reasons are hypertension, cerebral atherosclerosis, and frequent stressful situations.
There are hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. In hemorrhagic stroke, the disease develops as a result of a rupture blood vessel in one or another part of the brain. When ischemic stroke The cause is cerebral vascular spasm. More dangerous is a hemorrhagic stroke, which most often leads to the development of paralysis that is difficult to treat. Hemorrhagic stroke, as a rule, develops at the age of 45-70 years and, as a rule, manifests itself suddenly, during the day, after sudden overwork or anxiety. Often a stroke is preceded by headaches and flushing of the face; there may be vomiting, increased breathing, increased or slow heartbeat, and confusion; An arm or leg stops moving, speech is lost, a crooked smile appears on the person’s face. The earlier treatment is started, the greater the hope for restoring lost functions. Treatment is usually carried out in inpatient conditions neurological institutions or departments.
From the long-term practice of hirudologists, we can conclude: leeches are very effective when used in the pre-stroke period, as well as after a stroke has already occurred. Thanks to leeches, the blood in places of thrombosis is diluted and passes through the capillaries more easily. In this case, the intercellular fluid and lymph are set in motion, which thoroughly wash and cleanse the source of pathology. The tissues are freed from waste products and begin to be better nourished, which brings recovery closer.
An important issue is the prospects of hirudotherapy for patients who have had a stroke for a long time. There are indications related to the presence hypertension and atherosclerosis. If we focus on the likelihood of improvement in brain symptoms after hirudotherapy, then we should focus on the edema syndrome - in this case, the use of leeches is absolutely justified and will give a clearly positive clinical effect.
Inflammation sciatic nerve (sciatica). Sciatica is a lesion of the roots of the lumbosacral spine, manifested by unbearable paroxysmal pain in the lower back, extending into the buttock, the back of the thigh and lower leg, the outer edge of the foot, as well as sensory disturbances. Most often, the disease is observed in people suffering from spinal osteochondrosis.
Radiculitis familiar to many and caused by damage to the roots spinal nerves. There is lumbosacral radiculitis, characterized by pain in the lower back and leg, and the much rarer cervicothoracic radiculitis, in which pain in the neck first appears with irradiation to the areas of the affected nerve roots of the cervical or thoracic spine. Sometimes numbness occurs in the affected areas. The pain intensifies with movement of the head and neck and can spread to the occipital and thoracic regions.
Hirudotherapy for radiculitis helps very well - up to full recovery, although this does not necessarily imply the abolition of allopathic prescriptions.
Trigeminal neuritis. Neuritis is a lesion of individual peripheral nerves, caused by the influence of various factors (in particular, hypothermia). The disease manifests itself as attacks of excruciating pain in the facial area, accompanied by redness of the skin, lacrimation, and sometimes unilateral or bilateral painful tics. Treatment is carried out by a neurologist. Hirudotherapy gives a good therapeutic effect: after the second session, patients feel a significant improvement, pain decreases or disappears. Recovery occurs quite quickly.
We use sterile leeches, that is, grown, transported and stored in compliance with all pharmacy requirements.
Contraindications to hirudotherapy:
diseases accompanied by bleeding due to decreased blood clotting;
hemolysis (the process of destruction of red blood cells with the release of hemoglobin into the blood plasma);
anemia;
severe exhaustion of the body;
hypotension (low blood pressure) blood pressure);
individual intolerance to leeches;
unclear diagnosis.
Caution in using leeches should be exercised when:
childhood patient;
elderly patient;
pregnancy;
general weakness of the body.
WE ARE GLAD TO SEE YOU HEALTHY, FULL OF STRENGTH AND HAPPY!
The foot consists of 24 bones. The bones of the foot form two arches: longitudinal and transverse. Every day the foot endures heavy load. It softens shocks when walking and running, helps to maintain balance and push off. Feet hurt for various reasons.
Why do my feet hurt?
Foot pain is a symptom of injury or disease. Distinguish following reasons foot pain.
| Disease | Manifestations of the disease |
|---|---|
| Flat feet | Fatigue, heaviness in the legs at the end of the working day, swelling in the ankles. Legs get tired quickly, and women find it difficult to walk in heels. The foot becomes wider. |
| Injury | The most common foot injury. Causes pain in the foot, swelling, swelling, and hematomas on the skin. |
| Sprain | Occurs after sports, large physical activity. Calls severe pain in the foot and swelling. |
| Ligament rupture | Sharp sharp pain in the foot immediately after injury. The foot hurts at rest and it is impossible to step on it. |
| Fracture | The feet are very painful, swollen, and it is impossible to step on one’s foot. |
| Arthritis of the foot joints | Pain in the foot, under the toes, swelling and stiffness in the joint. The skin over the joint becomes red and hot to the touch. |
| Tibialis posterior tendonitis | Aching pain in the arch of the foot goes away after rest. Without treatment, the pain becomes chronic, worsens when walking, and does not go away after sleep. |
| Valgus deformity thumb and little finger | The thumb or little finger moves towards the other fingers. Part of the joint on the inside or outside of the foot is enlarged. |
| Metatarsalgia | Pain in the sole of the foot. It is impossible to lean on your leg while walking. |
| Plantar fasciitis | Pain in the heel or inside of the sole. Acute pain occurs in the morning after getting out of bed. During the day the pain goes away. |
| Heel spurs | Severe pain in the back of the foot. It is difficult for a person to walk and even stand. |
| Achilles tendonitis | Sharp shooting pain in the back of the foot and leg. Feet hurt when walking after a long rest. |
| Osteoporosis | My feet hurt when I'm at rest, painful sensations worsen during physical activity. Pain occurs when pressing on the bones of the foot, which are close to the skin. |
| Phlebeurysm | The disease begins with a feeling of heaviness in the feet and legs. Foot pain appears on late stages varicose veins |
| Obliterating endarteritis | Numbness, chronic pain in the foot, acute pain in the legs after hypothermia, the appearance of ulcers, lameness. |
| Diabetic foot | Complication diabetes mellitus. Accompanied by pain and swelling of the foot, ulcers appear on the skin. There is numbness in the feet, weakness in the legs. |
| Ligamentite | This is an inflammation of the ligaments that causes foot pain. The foot may hurt on the side, in the instep, in the area of the sole, or ankle joint. |
| Gout | Pain in the foot occurs suddenly and is felt most strongly in the first toe. Swelling appears and the temperature rises in the area of the affected joint. |
Complications of foot pain
Without treatment, diseases of the foot joints lead to serious complications.
Flat feet cause deformation of the foot, pain in the legs and spine. As a result, a person may develop scoliosis.
If varicose veins are not treated, thrombosis may occur - blockage of the lumen of the vein with a blood clot. Another complication of varicose veins is phlebitis, or inflammation in the vein wall. Often two complications occur simultaneously.
Gout in advanced cases leads to the formation of kidney stones. They can cause renal failure and death.
With progression diabetic foot Deep ulcers appear on the legs, the person ceases to feel touch to the legs or, conversely, feels pain in the foot and at rest. Loss of sensation and blockage of blood vessels can lead to amputation of one or both legs.
Treatment with leeches is the most ancient method in medicine. Often, just the mention of leeches causes disgust in most people, but it is worth saying that hirudotherapy is used in the treatment of many pathologies, including the widespread treatment with leeches of osteochondrosis or other diseases of the spine that occur with severe back pain.
Indications for the use of hirudotherapy
Leeches for medicinal purposes can be used for the following diseases:
- various forms of dystonia;
- hypertension, prevention of heart attacks and strokes;
- varicose veins and;
- angina pectoris;
- trophic ulcers;
- various skin pathologies(acne, psoriasis, eczema, scleroderma, neurodermatitis and others);
- metabolic diseases, such as obesity or gout;
- kidney damage. Hirudotherapy is especially often used for urolithiasis;
- Leeches are also widely used for pathologies of the genitourinary sphere - for prostatitis, hemorrhoids, prostate adenoma and secondary male infertility, as well as for menstrual disorders, inflammatory diseases genital organs, menopause and ovarian dysfunction in women;
- in neurology, hirudotherapy is used in complex treatment, with frequent headaches and dizziness, sleep disturbances;
- leeches have also found application in the treatment of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Thus, hirudotherapy is effective for, rheumatic lesions, as well as when various injuries bones and joints;
- leeches can be used in the field of gastroenterology to treat patients suffering from gastritis or biliary dyskinesia, as well as cirrhosis;
- Oculists also prescribe a course of hirudotherapy to their patients. Often similar treatment used for eye injuries, glaucoma and keratitis, as well as various inflammatory lesions;
- In endocrinology, leeches are used to alleviate diabetes mellitus and various violations in the functioning of the thyroid gland;
- a pronounced analgesic and decongestant effect from hirudotherapy can be obtained for various bruises, fractures and hematomas;
- Increasingly, leeches are becoming widespread in the field of cosmetology, since the components of their saliva help make the skin elastic, elastic, soft and pleasant to the touch.
Despite such a wide range of applications of leeches with therapeutic purpose, it is necessary to identify individual conditions that are a contraindication to hirudotherapy:
- bleeding disorders and taking anticoagulants;
- low blood pressure;
- anemia;
- allergy to leech saliva (extremely rare - in 0.01% of cases);
- It is not recommended to perform hirudotherapy for children under 10 years of age, as well as for pregnant women.
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis with hirudotherapy?
This disease is characterized chronic course and the development of degenerative-dystrophic lesions intervertebral discs. It is extremely common and is registered among almost 90% of adults.
Hirudotherapy - treatment with leeches has always been practiced, but in recent years it has become more widespread.
What's the secret? therapeutic effects on the human body of medicinal leeches?
Their saliva contains a specific substance - hirudin, which is a polypeptide and exhibits the following properties:
Secret medicinal properties leeches - in their saliva
- prevents blood clotting and thrombus formation;
- reveals immunostimulating and sedative effects;
- dilates blood vessels;
- able to eliminate the inflammatory process;
- relieves pain.
In addition, the saliva of leeches also contains a number of biologically active substances that can affect the functioning of the entire body.
When leeches are used in patients with osteochondrosis, their blood supply to cells improves, which contributes to a more active removal of decay products from areas of inflammation. Since hirudotherapy improves blood circulation, the restoration of damaged intervertebral discs occurs faster. In addition, biologically active substances, found in the saliva of leeches, effectively relieves swelling and congestion in the affected area, so sometimes treatment with leeches can replace some pharmacological preparations, which are poorly tolerated by patients and negatively affect liver function.
It must be said that hirudotherapy itself is not able to completely cure osteochondrosis, but in complex treatment it helps patients forget about back pain for a long time.
Treatment is often carried out with leeches. This results in the following positive effects:
- reflex effect on the course of the disease - leeches bite the skin at points that are characterized by high biological activity, so hirudotherapy is similar to;
- mechanical unloading of vessels that become overfilled with blood during the development of inflammation;
- biostimulating effect - ensured by the presence of leeches in saliva large quantity bioactive substances.
Thanks to this effect, a good anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory result is achieved and is easily eliminated. pain syndrome and, microcirculation in the affected areas also improves, blood circulation through the vessels of the brain is normalized, which contributes to the disappearance of intense headaches or dizziness that are inherent in cervical osteochondrosis.
For getting positive results It is enough to undergo 7 sessions of hirudotherapy, between which there should be a 5-day break. It should be remembered that during treatment you should avoid strong odors, because leeches cannot tolerate them. Thus, they are sensitive to perfumes, skin impurities, alcohol, cigarettes or even unpleasant smell from mouth. When foreign odors leeches simply will not attach to the sore spot on the patient’s body, which will make it impossible to carry out hirudotherapy.
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