Treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches: rules of procedure, contraindications

The therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy

There are several main advantages in treating hemorrhoids with leeches - safety, effectiveness, and ease of implementation. Just a few sessions can achieve the following results:

reduce the size of hemorrhoidal cones;
normalize blood circulation in the pelvic organs;
clear blood vessels from blood clots;
improve blood quality;
relieve swelling;
eliminate signs of inflammation;
get rid of pain;
reduce the risk of secondary infection.

The therapeutic effect of leeches in the treatment of hemorrhoids is achieved through a complex effect on the body. Blood-sucking creatures, in contact with the skin and mucous membranes, violate their integrity, reaching small capillaries and injecting saliva containing biologically active substances into the blood. As a result:

the blood is thinned and renewed;
the body’s protective functions are launched, due to which inflammation is reduced, damaged tissues are regenerated, blood composition and lymph function are improved;
bacterial flora is suppressed, since saliva contains enzymes that have an antibacterial effect;
pain syndrome decreases.

Treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches gives a quick symptomatic effect. Judging by numerous reviews, the clinical manifestations of the disease decrease after the first procedure. This is due to the fact that during the session the body begins to experience blood loss, but reacts to it in a positive way:

reduces blood clotting;
resolves blood clots;
increases blood circulation;
breaks down fat deposits;
gets rid of toxins;
starts regeneration processes.

During hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids, leeches bite the skin exclusively in the area where biologically active points are located (they “feel” them).

Hirudotherapy is an excellent alternative to acupuncture therapy; it is used not only in proctology, but also in other areas of medicine (gynecology, endocrinology, neurology).

Contraindications

Contraindications are determined by the risk of bleeding due to blood thinning and the hypersensitivity of individual people. Therefore, the list of people who should not use hirudotherapy includes patients with the following complications:

diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs, anemia;
liver damage (viral hepatitis, alcoholic illness, cirrhosis), disrupting the synthesis of enzymes of the coagulation system;
stomach ulcer;
frequent nosebleeds;
elevated temperature;
tumors of various origins that have undergone surgical removal;
hypotension;
in the first 3 months after acute myocardial infarction or stroke;
exhaustion of any etiology.

It is not recommended to use hirudotherapy for women during pregnancy and lactation, and for preschool children.

The benefits of placing leeches in the treatment of hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are a disease that is accompanied by varicose veins of the hemorrhoidal veins of the rectum, stagnation of blood in the pelvis, resulting in the formation of inflamed, painful hemorrhoids. The application of leeches for hemorrhoids allows you to achieve a thinning and anticoagulant effect, due to which:

the outflow of blood from hemorrhoidal cones improves, a decrease in their volume is noted;
blood circulation in the pelvic area is normalized;
pain is relieved, itching is eliminated;
swelling decreases.

Leech saliva contains hirudin, which has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, and metabolic properties.

Saliva also contains destabilase, which has a bactericidal effect. The substance protects tissues from infection and disinfects the bite site.

In short, the therapeutic effect of leeches is as follows:

venous congestion resolves;
blood circulation improves;
intestinal motility is restored, constipation is eliminated;
digestive processes are normalized;
the gastrointestinal microflora is restored;
prevention of complications and relapses of hemorrhoids is carried out.

But it should be noted that hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids is used to a greater extent to get rid of unpleasant symptoms in the initial stages. The procedures do not help cure advanced forms of the disease. It is possible to get rid of hemorrhoids with the help of leeches only if they are used in the first and second stages of the development of the disease in combination with drug treatment.

How to place leeches correctly

The location of the leeches is selected individually in each specific case. This may be the anal area, the tailbone, or the hemorrhoid itself. There are several rules that must be followed during hirudotherapy.

Before the procedure, it is necessary to clean the perineal and anal area and treat it with alcohol. Avoid using scented soaps or deodorants as the smell may repel living creatures.
The leeches must be hungry, which will allow them to attach to the node and inject active disaggregant substances into the blood.
No more than 4 pieces are placed in the anus area, and their number must be selected depending on the stage and severity of the disease and the presence of concomitant diseases.
After placing the leeches, they attach themselves to the body and actively work - sucking out blood. At the same time, they cannot be torn off from the body or tried to be removed in any other way; they fall off on their own when they drink blood. In one procedure, one leech can suck out up to 5 ml of blood. At the same time, it can increase in size by 5-7 times. If for some reason you need to remove it earlier, then you cannot use salt or sprinkle with other types of chemicals, as is recommended in many folk recipes. It is enough to take a cotton swab moistened with alcohol and carefully move the head of the leech away from the patient’s body.
On average, the procedure time is from 20 to 40 minutes. It is painless, since the saliva of leeches contains an anesthetic that allows the procedure to be carried out painlessly.
After the leech falls off, the site of its attachment may bleed. This goes away within a few minutes or hours. Blood, lymph or intercellular fluid may be released from the wound. This effect is also associated with the thinning effect of hirudin. The suction site (wound, hole) does not need to be treated with alcohol or brilliant green, otherwise it can cause a burn. It is better to apply an aseptic bandage or plaster to this place.

After the procedure there are no restrictions on daily routine, nutrition or activity. But you should continue to adhere to the recommendations given by your doctor for hemorrhoids.

Rules for placing leeches for hemorrhoids should be selected individually

Preparation and rules for the procedure

Treatment of hemorrhoids using hirudotherapy requires compliance with certain rules for the use of leeches. Every patient who decides to conduct such sessions needs to understand that the procedure should only be performed by an experienced specialist - a hirudotherapist. You should not make appointments with doctors who treat you at home or in other institutions that do not meet sanitary standards. Leech therapy for hemorrhoids should be carried out in a sterile room, in a hospital.

Before conducting a treatment session, you must consult a proctologist. The doctor must inform the patient about the specifics of the procedure, talk about possible risks, and prepare psychologically.

As a rule, sessions are carried out 1-2 times/week. During one dose, up to 5 leeches are installed. Treatment duration is 10 procedures. If the desired results were not achieved in 1 course, therapy can be repeated, but before that you need to take a break - at least 1 month.

How effectively leeches will help against hemorrhoids depends on the regularity of the procedures. Once you have started treatment, you cannot interrupt it. The maximum break between sessions is 5 days. Otherwise, the course will have to start again. Session duration is 20-40 minutes.

Many people are afraid to use hirudotherapy to treat hemorrhoids, as they believe that it is a very painful procedure. This is wrong. Leech saliva has an anesthetic effect, so the patient does not experience pain during the session.

Leech treatment is mainly used for external hemorrhoids. For the internal form of the disease, hirudotherapy is rarely used. During the procedure, it is important to use hungry leeches, otherwise they will not give the desired effect. It is impossible to tear blood-sucking creatures from the skin. You need to wait until they are saturated and fall off on their own. If this does not happen, sprinkle the bite area with salt.

For the procedure, special medical adult specimens are used, which are used only once and then destroyed. This is due to several factors:

after saturation, the leech digests what it receives for 2 years and becomes ineffective;
repeated use poses a risk of infection.

Before the procedure, the patient needs to prepare. The preparatory stage includes:

abstinence from alcohol 24 hours before the session;
quit smoking 6 hours before the procedure;
taking a shower/bath before medical procedures without using detergents;
refusal to use eau de toilette and perfume;
removal of hair in the area where leeches are placed;
going to the toilet immediately before the procedure.

To minimize the likelihood of negative consequences after hirudotherapy, the patient should ensure that the doctor is also well prepared for the session. He must be prepared:

sterile instruments (test tubes, syringes);
napkins;
bandage;
towel;
ammonia;
glucose solution;
medical gloves;
boiled water;
container for used tools.

The procedure itself is carried out according to the following algorithm:

the patient lies on the couch;
the place where leeches are applied (determined individually) is treated with water, then with alcohol;
apply medicinal leeches;
After the bloodsuckers have disappeared, a sterile napkin is applied to the bite sites, which is fixed with a dressing for a day.

Treatment with leeches may result in minor bleeding. Blood may ooze from the bite site for another 6-48 hours, as leeches reduce blood clotting. But there is no need to be afraid at this moment.

Rules for using leeches

Treatment with hirudotherapy requires compliance with several rules:

Use only medicinal leeches. They are grown in special conditions, which eliminates the risk of introducing infection into the patient’s blood at the time of the bite. In medical practice, the reuse of leeches is not allowed. Individuals that have already been used for therapeutic purposes are destroyed.
Treatment by an experienced hirudotherapist. Leeches independently find a point for suction, but if they are placed in close proximity to a hemorrhoid, the risk of damage to the vessel wall and bleeding increases. After the second session, the patient may experience bleeding due to the addition of the enzyme hirudin. The bite points must be properly treated to prevent the development of complications.
Maintain a gentle regimen after each treatment session. The patient is prohibited from taking blood thinning medications, lifting weights or engaging in intense exercise, or scratching bite points.

Before the session, the patient’s skin must be clean; if it has foreign odors (perfume, soap), the blood-sucking creature may refuse to contact the person. Drinking alcohol within 3 days before the session may cause disruption of the hirudotherapy procedure or increased bleeding at the site of the bite.

How and where are leeches placed for hemorrhoids?

This falls within the competence of the doctor after examining the patient and obtaining all the necessary data about his health. As a rule, blood-sucking creatures are installed on the coccyx area, anus, lower back, and liver area.

But this strategy is used only when hemorrhoids occur without pronounced inflammatory processes and the formation of blood clots has not yet occurred. When a different picture is observed (there are inflammations, blood clots), leeches can be installed on the perineum, around the anus. However, here the doctor must ensure that the leeches do not come into contact with thinned veins (they are installed around it), which can lead to severe bleeding. Bloodsuckers are placed on the hemorrhoids themselves extremely rarely.

What is hirudotherapy

The name of the method - hirudotherapy, treatment with leeches, comes from the Latin hirūdō. This is an annelid worm, numbering about 14 thousand species of different individuals. In medicine we are talking about jawed representatives of the hirudinid family, or medicinal leeches.

They have two suction cups. The first is located in the front part, called the head, and has 3 pairs of chitinous jaws in the oral cavity. The second is located at the back and represents the anus. Suckers are also a way of moving worms.

They live in fresh water bodies. There are 62 species living in Russia.

It sticks to the body, thanks to its powerful jaws, it bites through the skin quite deeply, 1.5-2 mm, and begins to suck blood. A young individual is saturated with 5-10 mg per feeding, and an adult, experienced, can suck 10 times more in 20-40 minutes. This time is enough for it to get enough and disappear on its own.

In the process, the worm injects its saliva, which contains a large amount of substances beneficial to human health. It is the combination of bloodletting and saturation of the body with medicinal components that is the basis for the successful treatment of numerous diseases.

Historical reference

The first mention of the procedure, which today is called hirudotherapy, dates back to 200 BC. Nikandra of Colophon was the name of one of the pioneers of the method. Among his followers are Hippocrates, Avicenna, Galen. For several thousand years, leeches have helped cure a variety of ailments. And there is a lot of historical evidence of this: cave paintings, archaeological finds, written sources of Ancient Egypt and Greece.

In the 21st century, hirudotherapy can be said to be experiencing its rebirth. And this happens for a number of reasons:

medical discoveries are becoming rarer;
chemicals cause many negative reactions in the body, and some are downright dangerous to health.

People began to understand and accept the philosophy of harmony with nature, which was started by the inhabitants of Japan and China.

Consequences and possible side effects

After hirudotherapy, patients often complain of adverse reactions. As a rule, they appear:

redness of the skin;
increased temperature;
itching, swelling;
enlarged lymph nodes;
muscle pain.

It is normal for these symptoms to occur. This is a natural reaction of the body. The severity of side effects directly depends on the initial condition of the patient and the severity of hemorrhoids. Most often, unpleasant symptoms occur 10-12 hours after the procedure and end after 3-4 sessions.

The use of leeches is also fraught with:

the appearance of hematomas (most often occur with loose skin);
the occurrence of inflammatory processes against the background of infection of the wound (this occurs when sanitary standards are not observed, scratching the bite site);
allergic reactions.

Treatment for hemorrhoids

Treatment of hemorrhoids with leeches at home is carried out only after proper preparation.

It consists of performing the following activities:

Proctologist

3 days before the procedure, stop taking aspirin;
exclude alcoholic drinks from the diet;
perform preparatory gymnastics;
do not use perfume.

The appearance of minor bleeding is normal and is not a reason to discontinue therapy. After hirudotherapy you cannot swim for 4 days. It is forbidden to touch the bites, much less scratch them. Contraindications include increased physical activity, which should be avoided during the entire treatment course.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

The main advantage of hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids is the rapid elimination of unpleasant symptoms. Positive results are noticeable after 1-3 procedures. The most pronounced effect is observed in the early stages of hemorrhoids, when the hemorrhoids are not yet so large, there is no anal bleeding, and the sphincter is not in spasm. However, in advanced forms, leeches for hemorrhoids also give good results.

The benefits of hirudotherapy also include:

ease of implementation (leeches themselves find problem areas);
increasing immunity;
improving the functioning of all internal organs;
stabilization of blood pressure.

Despite all the effectiveness and ease of use of leeches for hemorrhoids, hirudotherapy also has disadvantages. If procedures are carried out for advanced forms of the disease, a temporary decrease in symptoms will be noted. At the same time, many patients complain of pain and discomfort after the session. But these manifestations go through 2-3 procedures.

What is hirudotherapy

What is hirudotherapy
Hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids is implemented through the use of leeches grown in factories and laboratories. Simple ones from rivers and lakes are not suitable for these purposes, since they do not have a healing effect. The treatment reduces blood clotting, reducing the likelihood of thrombosis several times. The frequency of sessions is once a week, for this purpose 4 leeches are used.

An important step is preparing the patient; before the session, you should not use tobacco products or flavored products. Experts recommend that the patient, after a natural bowel movement, rinse the perineum with water without using soap. The anal lumen must be kept completely clean.

To increase the effectiveness of the method, you need to perform gymnastics that tones the muscle tissue of the perineum. The procedure is performed as follows: about 300 times a day it is necessary to tense and relax the anus.

The duration of the session largely depends on the leeches; they detach from the active points on their own. The effectiveness of the method depends on regularity, so the maximum pause is 14 days. After the first week, the patient’s well-being improves. The treatment course is designed for 12 procedures, repeated after 45 days.

Opinion of proctologist Abritsova

Dr. Abritsova is a famous proctologist who knows everything about hemorrhoids and methods of treating them. As for the use of hirudotherapy, the doctor does not recommend using this method of therapy, since no one can predict what complications leeches can cause (how much the blood will be thinned, how the body will react to hirudin, etc.).

Moreover, it is unknown how long the effect will last (will it exist at all?), how long the wounds will heal, and how the patient will feel during treatment. And the effect of drugs on the body has been fully studied, so the doctor considers their use for the treatment of hemorrhoids to be the most reasonable solution.

Preparation for the procedure

We have already answered in detail the question of whether hemorrhoids can be treated with leeches. Is preparation required for the procedure?

Before treatment, the doctor will notify you of the need:

Stop taking aspirin 3 days before therapy.
Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
Carry out special exercises that involve tensing and relaxing the anus (up to 300 times a day).
Stop using perfumed products.

Before placing a leech, the doctor will recommend proper hygiene procedures. So, after defecation, the anus should be washed with warm water without using soap.

It should be noted that leeches help with hemorrhoids. Even if after the procedure there is slight bleeding at the site of the bite, this is considered normal and should not be a reason for refusing treatment.

After a hirudotherapy session, it is not recommended to swim for 4-5 days. It is forbidden to touch the bite sites, let alone scratch them. Physical activity is also contraindicated throughout the course of treatment.

What to do after the session

After a leech bite, blood may ooze for another two days, which is considered normal. To avoid complications and consolidate the effect of therapy, you need to follow some rules:

At the end of the procedure, you should cancel everything and take a rest.
Places where bloodsuckers were located should not be touched or combed.
It is recommended to avoid taking a bath for a couple of days and give preference to a shower.
Wipe the bite areas with warm water without soap, wipe with alcohol and, if necessary, apply a bandage with a sterile bandage.
During the sessions, it is necessary to avoid heavy physical activity.
You will be able to go to the bathhouse, sauna or swimming pool only 7 days after the end of the course.
Do exercises for the anus three hundred times daily, relaxing and tightening it. This will ensure normalization of tone.
When blood stops oozing from the bite site, you can lubricate it with a special product that will relieve itching and burning, accelerating the healing of wounds.

INTERESTING fact: Benefits of leeches for women and men

Consequences of using hirudotherapy

Hirudotherapy may cause an allergic reaction.

Any medication has its own special contraindications and possible consequences of use. Just like any other medical intervention, hirudotherapy has them. So that this does not come as a surprise to you, below is a list of possible consequences of a leech treatment session.

In addition to the analgesic component, leech saliva contains a substance that thins the blood for ease of absorption by the leech. Consequently, after the procedure, the wounds left behind do not heal for a long time. If the patient's skin has not been properly treated, a complication such as local infection may occur.

It is accompanied by the appearance of a hematoma, anemia and low blood pressure. Another complication is hyperpigmentation of the skin at the site of the bite. Sometimes an allergic reaction occurs to components contained in leech saliva. These reactions are usually local in nature and disappear within four to five days. In addition, there is a separate list of contraindications and warnings that you should heed before using the services of hirudotherapists:

Diseases associated with blood clotting problems (for example, hemophilia)
Asthenia or other nervous diseases associated with a feeling of exhaustion
Allergic reactions to substances contained in leech saliva
Pregnancy or lactation period
Feverish conditions or serious infectious diseases

The presence of cancer also remains questionable. For more accurate information, consult your healthcare provider. Hirudotherapy for hemorrhoids significantly alleviates the patient’s condition, while at the same time healing the human body as a whole: venous stagnation of blood in the lower extremities and pelvis is eliminated, blood clots are destroyed, blood supply and stool return to normal. Leeches can also be used when there are prerequisites for the disease, without leading to its appearance, that is, as a preventive measure.

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What is leech treatment?

Hirudotherapy is understood as a physiotherapeutic method of treating various diseases, used by both official and alternative medicine, which is based on the use of medicinal leeches.

The medicinal leech is a type of annelid worm, a parasite that feeds on the blood of other animals. In nature, leeches live in fresh water bodies, attaching themselves to various surfaces and waiting for their next victim.

By attaching itself to the victim, the worm is able to drink 10 ml of blood, while the parasite increases in weight several times. Food in the gastrointestinal tract is digested extremely slowly, therefore, having had enough, an annelid can remain without another portion of blood for up to a year and a half.

Leech therapy is the oldest medical practice. This method was practiced several thousand years ago. Ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek and ancient Indian healers knew about it. Information about hirudotherapy is also found in the works of the famous Hippocrates.

The popularity of treatment with annelids peaked in the 17th century. European doctors used these parasites for bloodletting - removing “bad blood”. But gradually they abandoned hirudotherapy, considering this method of treatment not promising enough.

It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that scientists became interested in medicinal leeches again. In the saliva of these worms, many useful components were discovered that had a complex therapeutic effect on the human body.

Where to do it and how much does the procedure cost?

As you can see, despite its safety, hirudotherapy can sometimes cause complications, the risk of which can be reduced by choosing a specialized office or clinic with a good reputation for this procedure, as well as a qualified and experienced specialist. Therefore, take seriously the issue of choosing a clinic and a specialist with whom you will be treated.

In Russia today such clinics operate in almost every big city. Prices for the procedure depend on the region of the country where the clinic is located, the prestige of the institution and the qualifications of the specialist. The average cost of a hirudotherapy session is 3 thousand rubles.