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Leech therapy is one of the oldest therapies in medical history. Leech saliva contains histamine and hirudin,
which prevent the blood from clotting. It also contains antibacterial and antiviral agents, which enable the
leech to survive for a long time on this meal, without dying from it. A serious illness in the host can mean
death for the leech. With each leech bite, the leech delivers 1 to 1.5 mg of hirudin into the host's body. With
even this small amount of hirudin, the coagulation of 60 ml of blood can be prevented, for 24 hours. This
blood thinning allows the leech to suck for a long time at the source, because the hirudin prevents the wound
from closing. The leech then digests the blood for a period of 5 – 18 months. The animal needs no further
nourishment, during this time. Even before it begins to suck, the leech holds tightly to its host, with its head
plate, and does not let go, until it is full. The star-shaped wound, which is left by the leech, has three cuts of
equal length, which form exact 120º angles, meeting in the center, to resemble the "Mercedes star".
Continuous bleeding is an important part of this treatment. For this reason, we perform the leeching in the
morning, and change the bandages in the afternoon. This is an important part of the therapy, since the
bleeding can continue for up to forty-eight hours. There is no reason to be afraid of the leeches, since they
are under the watch of experienced medical experts. If the patient or therapist is frightened or nervous, this
feeling is transmitted to the animal, and it will not bite. Additionally, perfume, deodorant and soap should not
be used before treatment, or the leech will not bite.
Indications
 Diseases of the joints
 Tendonitis
 Hip joint arthritis
 Muscular back pain
 Sciatica
 Carpal tunnel syndrome
 Venous congestion
 Varicose veins, phlebitis
 Prophylaxis of postoperative thrombosis
 Tinnitus
 High blood pressure
 Depression
 Headaches, migraines
 Sinusitis
 Asthma, bronchitis
 Liver disease
 Menopausal complaints
20 February 2013
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Paracelsus Clinica al Ronc AG • Centre for Biological Medicine • CH-6540 Castaneda GR • Telephone +41 91 820 40 40 • Fax +41 91 820 40 41 • [email protected] • www.alronc.ch
Leech Therapy
Dilation of the veins cannot be undone, but the blood flows better, and the legs feel lighter, immediately after
Placing the leeches on acupuncture points increases the efficacy. A leech is only used once for treatment on a
patient, in order to avoid the spread of disease.
Once the leech has had enough, it lets go of its own accord. It will have sucked up to 8 ml of blood, and
grown to several times its own size and weight. A person loses 25 - 40 ml of blood per leech, due to the
continued bleeding. This blood loss does not happen all at once, but over a period of 12-24 hours. With 10
leeches, this totals 250-400 ml of blood.
The body can re-balance this loss of fluids very quickly. In this way, blood, which was too thick, is thinned, the
lymph is decongested, and white blood cells are stimulated, to avoid inflammation. This steady cleansing of
body tissue enables the body to flush out waste products, deposited in the interstitial spaces.
Leech therapy is usually repeated 2-3 weeks after the first treatment, according to the needs of the individual
case.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Dr Petra Wiechel and Anila Lohn
20 February 2013
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Paracelsus Clinica al Ronc AG • Centre for Biological Medicine • CH-6540 Castaneda GR • Telephone +41 91 820 40 40 • Fax +41 91 820 40 41 • [email protected] • www.alronc.ch
treatment. Up to 10 leeches are used at one time, according to the patient's symptoms. The treatment has
both a systemic effect, and a local effect.