In the complex treatment of hypertension, the method of hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches) plays an important role.

The course of treatment usually consists of 7-9 procedures (5-6 leeches for each procedure), it is recommended to repeat the treatment twice a year-in autumn and spring, i.e. during possible exacerbations.

I have seen from my own experience how effective this treatment is. Having hypertension of the II degree, with the help of herbs, leeches and an appropriate diet, I was able to normalize my blood pressure without medication, refuting the opinion of doctors that hypertension of the II degree is not treated (really not treated-with medications).

Treatment with leeches is indicated not only for hypertension, but also for many other diseases. Let’s briefly get acquainted with this interesting method.

The first information about the treatment of leeches appeared in 100-200 BC. Hippocrates, Avicenna in their writings paid great attention to the treatment of leeches.

In Russia, the heyday of hirudotherapy falls on the beginning and middle of the XIX century. Great Russian doctors, such as Pirogov, Zakharin, etc., attached great importance to hirudotherapy.

There are about 400 species of leeches on the globe. Only a medical leech is suitable for use in medical practice. It can be black, dark brown, brown, dark green. It has 4 stripes on the back: red, light brown, yellow or black.

The therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy consists of several factors: reflex, mechanical and biological. The reflex action is due to the fact that leeches are applied at biologically active points.

The mechanical effect is explained by the improvement of local blood circulation due to the rheological properties of blood and its fluidity.

The biological effect is provided due to the presence in the saliva of a leech of a whole complex of biologically active substances, among which a special place is occupied by girudin – a powerful thrombin inhibitor that blocks the formation of fibrinogen and prevents the activation of platelets. Girudin was first described in 1884 by Highcroft. This is the most studied component of the leech secretion. It is especially effective where the pathological process is accompanied by intravascular coagulation syndrome. All this is also important for hypertension.

The secret of the salivary glands of leeches contains other biologically active substances, including destabilase, an enzyme recently discovered by Prof. Baskovoy. It is this substance that has an anti-sclerotic effect, i.e. it cleans the vessels from sclerotic plaques. It is not necessary to say how important this is for hypertensive patients.

Hirudotherapy is well combined with other methods of treatment – phytotherapy, homeopathy, manual therapy.

Due to the improvement of the rheological properties of blood (under the influence of the saliva secretion of leeches), the effect of the active components of medicinal plants is enhanced.

The therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy is also based on neurophysiological, neurochemical, neuroendocrine and immunological mechanisms. In addition to hypertension, leeches are successfully used for diseases such as cardialgia, angina, bronchial asthma, gastric ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, inflammatory skin diseases, abscesses, furunculosis, varicose veins, acute and chronic thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids, acute mastitis, vascular lesions of the brain, sciatic nerve neuralgia, glaucoma. Treatment is carried out by specially trained doctors.