The image of a doctor in Diyarbakır removing the leech stuck in the upper part of the airway of his 70-year-old patient, once again brought leech therapy to the agenda. The doctor who shared the post stated that his patient said that the leech stuck to that area with what he ate, and pointed out that this was due to the wrong application of leech therapy.
While some experts supported this view of the physician, some experts gave examples of cases in which they also encountered ingestion of food or water-borne leeches in the past.
VERY HIGH RISK OF INFECTION
Speaking about leech therapy, Bezmialem Vakıf University Traditional and Complementary Medicine Advanced Research and Application Center (GETAMER) Coordinator Prof. Dr. Abdurrahim Koçyiğit explained that there are around 600 varieties and only 15 of them are used for medical purposes.
Mentioning that two types of medicinal leeches are common in Turkey, Koçyiğit stated that the application can lead to serious complications when used incorrectly. Koçyiğit pointed out that the risk of infection is very high if the medical leech is used by non-physicians.
Koçyiğit stated that one of these risks is that non-physicians use the same leech many times and therefore blood-borne diseases can be transmitted to others.
Emphasizing that leech is a useful treatment method when done properly, Prof. Dr. Koçyiğit said, “The blood sucked by the leech is thought to be treating there. On the contrary, the secretions that the leech gives, not the blood it sucks, are very important for us. The leech has nearly 100 teeth. It comes from the substances it mixes into the blood.” gave the information.
“DON’T EVEN HAVE A DOCTOR WITHOUT CERTIFICATE”
Koçyiğit said that according to the regulation published by the Ministry of Health, only dentists and physicians are authorized to apply treatments in the field of traditional and complementary medicine, provided that they receive certificates in 15 branches, and that one of them is leech therapy.
Koçyiğit said, “Those who do not have a certificate do not have the authority to perform this treatment, even if they are physicians. Such a treatment (the case on Twitter) may have been performed by someone who does not have a certificate and who is not a physician. One of the biggest problems in Turkey is cup and leech treatment by non-physicians. It’s done a lot.” said. (AA)