Leeches: A scary animal? Or a life-saving medical device? (Leech Therapy)

The mention of a leech makes us shudder, doesn't it? None of us like this little creature that sucks blood and clings to our bodies. Some people even make fun of it when talking about ancient medical methods. But, have you ever thought that this scary creature has become an indispensable "medical tool" used to save lives in today's high-tech medicine, especially in very delicate surgeries? This is a really surprising story, and one that many people don't know. Let's talk about it.

The story of leeches from the past

Long ago, before the 20th century, the leech was a king of medicine. The main medical belief at that time was that many diseases were caused by "bad blood" or "impure blood" in the body. So they thought that by removing this bad blood from the body, the disease would be cured. The best solution for this problem was leeches. Just think, doctors at that time used leeches for almost every disease. From headaches to joint pain, hemorrhoids, and even various mental illnesses, this treatment was used. Some reports say that leeches were used to remove eyeballs for cataracts, and tied to a string and inserted into the throat for sore throats. The leech that was most common in Europe at that time was scientifically called `(Hirudo medicinalis)`. That means "medical leech". In the 1830s, France alone is said to have used about 35 million leeches per year. However, as science advanced, this concept of "bad blood" was realized to be incorrect, and leech therapy fell out of favor as a hoax and a hoax.

The return of leeches: a miracle of modern medicine

The leech, which has been in the past, has quietly but powerfully re-emerged in the medical field over the past few decades. But this time it's not here to cure headaches or joint pain. It's here to help with reconstructive microsurgery, one of the most advanced and delicate surgical techniques available today.

What is reconstructive microsurgery?

Simply put, this is a very delicate surgery in which a body part that has been completely severed in an accident, for example a finger, an ear, a piece of nose, or a piece of scalp skin, is transplanted back into the body. Here, doctors use a microscope to reconnect very small blood vessels (blood vessels). One of the biggest challenges for surgeons here is that while it is possible to transplant the main blood vessels, the arteries , back into the body, it is very difficult to transplant the very small veins that carry the used blood back into the body. What happens then? New blood flows to the newly transplanted part, but the old blood does not leave it and stagnates in one place. We call this ``venous congestion''. When blood stagnates like this, the new oxygen-rich blood has no place to enter, and the hard-to-transplant tissue can die.

How can this little animal do this big help?

What a leech does is truly amazing. It's like a "one-stop shop." It's like doing a lot of work in one place. 1. Removing excess blood: A leech can suck up to ten times its own weight in blood. When the leech is placed on a surgical site, it sucks up the old blood that has accumulated. It's like making a new path for a blocked waterway. 2. Releasing natural medicine: This is the most important thing. When a leech sucks blood, it releases several special chemicals into the wound from its saliva.

• Hirudin: This is the main thing. This is a very strong anticoagulant . This is why even after the leech has sucked blood and left, the wound will continue to bleed for several hours. This allows the stagnant blood to continue to drain.
• Other compounds: In addition, saliva also contains substances such as `vasodilators` that widen blood vessels and `platelet inhibitors` that prevent blood platelets from clumping together. All of these things thin the blood and make it easier for blood to flow .

What do doctors and patients think about this?

Despite its success, this treatment is still used in a very limited field, so many doctors are not aware of it. One plastic surgeon says that when he was training as a doctor, he was surprised when his boss asked him to bring some leeches from the pharmacy. "I needed them for a finger transplant surgery. The first time I had to take a leech from a bucket of water and put it on the patient, it was a completely new experience," he says. Patients react the same way. At first, when they are told that they are being treated with leeches, they cannot believe it. Many are afraid to even look at it. But after a while, when they realize that it helps them and that it does not hurt, they like it. Some patients even give names to the leeches that treat them!

Let's also be aware of fake treatments.

In addition to these genuine medical uses of leeches, there are still places in the world where leeches are used to treat various diseases, just like in the old days. These people claim that they can cure things like high cholesterol and infertility. There is no scientific basis for these. If you hear about such treatments, be sure to talk to a qualified doctor and get proper advice before you fall for them. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved leeches as a "medical device" in 2004, only for this specific surgical use. Leech therapy, Leech therapy, Hirudo medicinalis, surgery, reconstructive microsurgery, hirudin, anticoagulant, medicine