Leeches, Creatine, Xylitol, Spinal Manipulation, Acupuncture

Abstract

l p r c m w e h b LEECH THERAPY ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT-TERM PAIN REDUCTION IN LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS Level 2 (mid-level) evidence Reference: Clin J Pain 2011;27(5):442 The medicinal use of leeches (Hirudo edicinalis) dates back thousands of years, here it occupied a central role in the ommon practice of bloodletting. When ttached to a patient, leeches pierce the kin with roughly a hundred sharp teeth, nject a mild anesthetic and an anticoaguant (hirudin), and proceed to contentedly uck blood. A large adult leech consumes n average of 5 to 15 mL of blood in a ingle meal. Because of their relatively ainless and tidy habits, leeches were ofen preferred over the lancet for the effiient removal of small quantities of blood. t was not until the late 19th century that loodletting, and along with it the medicnal leech, was finally abandoned as a ainstay of medical practice.