/ y ? |1 Z& @$ O: s0 F ]# pWomen turn to leeches in Tbilisi 22 June 2011 ) G( C1 g% s8 O9 @! l, f! h+ f# u- I# n
Leeches 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.3 |. p2 ^1 n! I5 ^; k
" U( S8 J; n" v, Z7 \The idea being that disease could be banished by releasing the infected blood.人在德国 社区) f7 J, q" F! u! f* z
4 ~9 B: w. C' N; j# L6 s# X% t6 gThat 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.# o, a% I9 L | }: k
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Damien McGuinness in the capital Tbilisi has been finding out why.