前苏联共合国乔治亚这一阵子流行用水蛭治疗疾病,以往欧洲人会用水蛭治疗痔疮,乔治亚人把这项疗法发扬光大,用来治疗其他疾病。rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de( J! `& N' B1 M4 r+ m7 n" Y4 j2 l
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乔治亚很多诊所都提供水蛭疗法,病人得先跟诊所买一只水蛭,更年期妇女先把水蛭放在脖子上,经过一、二十分钟,水蛭吸完血,身体膨胀4倍,就可以取下,接着医师再把另外2只水蛭放在这名妇女上下牙龈上,等吸完血再取出,医师在患者伤口上贴上绷带,就算完成治疗。接受过治疗的妇女说,她们在更年期会出现的潮红和盗汗都有明显改善。9 h' ^1 d9 x7 A9 b% f1 B
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另外,有一些高血压或是经常性头痛病人,也会用水蛭疗法降低血压,或是治疗头痛。一名医师说,不但乔治亚人用水蛭治病,乌克兰、波兰、甚至德国,也有不少人接受这种疗法。; C5 T0 ^) j) E3 p1 E. [6 J m% W
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8 h {6 @' n* drs238848.rs.hosteurope.deWomen turn to leeches in Tbilisi 22 June 20117 t9 o0 d6 Y; D5 T3 M9 D
# [1 L; E4 q/ \$ }( i; c8 W' T4 oLeeches have been used in medicine for thousands of years. By attaching themselves to the body, and sucking blood from a patient, they were thought to bring health benefits.# p& | M6 i, M/ A) P; O W
$ L' {/ Q1 Q& g. Q7 g2 i人在德国 社区The idea being that disease could be banished by releasing the infected blood. , z" c8 c6 i5 `1 |6 R% J5 g! e# _! q; J
That idea fell out of fashion during the 20th century, with the discovery of modern drugs. But today, as interest in traditional medicine grows, they are making a comeback - particularly in the former Soviet State of Georgia. ' _6 g- w4 s [. F& H# { / b3 \1 |8 x6 a( l" b7 P/ xDamien McGuinness in the capital Tbilisi has been finding out why.