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。 . i! J8 c( u9 N7 N0 h $ J: l+ n- i1 L4 |- N9 k! ^! Vrs238848.rs.hosteurope.de 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。2 S5 a0 n% Q1 I. z/ v
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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。, c& a( x+ G& K C
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Women turn to leeches in Tbilisi 22 June 2011 9 s" X% T6 V4 v# t f & x: N7 x' l% @ s7 gLeeches 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. 2 w$ E1 A, b0 r4 ?" d) s6 g: hrs238848.rs.hosteurope.de1 O7 N4 @# C& X! v9 D/ u
The idea being that disease could be banished by releasing the infected blood. % b s Q1 t% k& V- l- \% N0 H8 u1 w% e. _1 Y( A+ |( P* Y
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. , a$ y3 z+ ]$ q 1 s* n; `+ k% k, g# WDamien McGuinness in the capital Tbilisi has been finding out why.