Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Michelle, Minneapolis — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:34:16 GMT

I love that you named your leeches. That's so funny! Please post more articles about life in Russia. This was really interesting.

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Kris Jackson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:38:30 GMT

There was an excellent New Yorker article on the medicinal use of leeches in England and America a few years ago. When (for example) a finger is reattached, it's easy to reconnect the arteries, but veins are tougher, so the finger fills up with blood. Leeches remove blood, then allow the finger to bleed until new veins develop.

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Robert, Provo, Utah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:26:49 GMT

Sounds like something Penn & Teller should cover.

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Christine, Invercargill, New Zealand — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:10:56 GMT

this is an amazing story! how tiny things can drive big powers. thanks for this!
(And what, if Dr. Murray would have given them a try...)

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

grace araujo, new york, ny — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:29:10 GMT

when i was a child my grandfather used to talk about the use of leeches on patients who had high blood pressure. i guess these methods have been used in the past for many years. read an article about 12 years ago about a child in germany who had surgery to re-attached a severed finger. this treatment prevents the possibility of gangrene. it is great you wrote this article to make readers aware of alternative treatments.

of course the leeches used on treatments are kept in a sterilized environment so there should be no fear. i wonder if they could be used for many ailments we have no cure for

thank you

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Joan Porter, Merced, CA — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:38:26 GMT

I have seen leeches used to cure gangarene. Leeches will eat only the dead/diseased flesh of a wound/infection. It works but you really don't want to watch it happen. better to apply the leeches and bandage up the area so they can't run away.

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

Mary Ann Owen, Wilmington, North Carolina — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:49:41 GMT

I received leech therapy after a mastectomy in December 2002. I was very freaked out. Since I was in a teaching hospital and leech therapy was not terribly common, I had quite an audience for the first session. After that however, the nurses were freaked out because they were expected to apply and remove 2 leeches every 4 hours for 3 days. Luckily, my husband and brother did the majority of the "feeding sessions" - the nurses were grateful. But the 2am feeding was always an issue and the night the leeches were running around my body after feeding was not at all pleasant. But, they did the job they were prescribed for and I avoided a second surgery. At least I didn't have to have maggot therapy like a patient down the hall!!

Loving leeches’ medicinal merits

David Carlson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:31:01 GMT

Fly maggots are Blowfly larvae that will eat dead tissue. Maggots and leeches are way different.