Just because you're not familiar with a treatment doesn't make it second-rate. Would you be surprised to learn that US hospitals use maggots and leeches in FDA approved treatments? [1] It sounds like this therapy may have come out of difficult conditions though it appears to be quite effective -- the point of the article.
Back in pre-scientific days one had very little choice when it came to medical advice: it was either a lobotomy, a healthy dose of poisonous compounds, or bloodletting. Naturally, having a bit of one's blood sucked out was far less dangerous in comparison, hence higher survival rates.
"Hirudotherapy" has not been scientifically proven to be effective, and no appeals to ancient wisdom will change that.
Read the link I included. It's an FDA approved treatment [1] particularly beneficial in limb transplants. FTL, blood pools in attached limbs before the network of blood vessels to recirculate it can form. The leeches extract that blood, preventing potential loss of the attached limb. Also, similarly, in skin grafts. And in lots of other diseases.
Maggots are used to remove necrotic tissues, because they consume it and leave living tissue untouched. Nasty, but quite effective.
> "Hirudotherapy" has not been scientifically proven to be effective, and no appeals to ancient wisdom will change that.
Certainly you have references to back your argument?
Leech therapy, can be safely and effectively used to evacuate blood and morbid humours from deeper tissues and in diseases like psoriasis, chronic ulcers and eczema. Leech therapy can produce better results as a mono or an adjunctive therapy in diseases like angina pectoris, coronary thrombosis, hypertension, atherosclerosis, varicose veins and in many surgical and traumatic conditions.[0]
What does (lack of) wealth have to do with the effectiveness of the treatment? The article mentions that in the US there's enough donated human skin for grafts; that appears not to be the case in Brazil. Until that changes, this appears to be a better solution, and who knows - maybe it turns out to be better in general too (e.g., the article also mentions the prepared grafts can be kept in storage for up to 2 years).
Besides what another sibling comment has already pointed out, one needs to consider the patient's wealth (that region is not poor, but has huge economic inequality issues) and the absence of research using regional resources.
Sometimes a lot of progress can be made with materials located regionally that could be even more effective than technology developed elsewhere.
Please stop posting like this here.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Just because you're not familiar with a treatment doesn't make it second-rate. Would you be surprised to learn that US hospitals use maggots and leeches in FDA approved treatments? [1] It sounds like this therapy may have come out of difficult conditions though it appears to be quite effective -- the point of the article.
[1] http://bottomlineinc.com/health/medications/what-are-leeches...
Pardon my French, but I smell bullshit here.
Back in pre-scientific days one had very little choice when it came to medical advice: it was either a lobotomy, a healthy dose of poisonous compounds, or bloodletting. Naturally, having a bit of one's blood sucked out was far less dangerous in comparison, hence higher survival rates.
"Hirudotherapy" has not been scientifically proven to be effective, and no appeals to ancient wisdom will change that.
Read the link I included. It's an FDA approved treatment [1] particularly beneficial in limb transplants. FTL, blood pools in attached limbs before the network of blood vessels to recirculate it can form. The leeches extract that blood, preventing potential loss of the attached limb. Also, similarly, in skin grafts. And in lots of other diseases.
Maggots are used to remove necrotic tissues, because they consume it and leave living tissue untouched. Nasty, but quite effective.
Feel free to take a quick Google.
[1] http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5319129/ns/health-health_care/t/fd...
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> "Hirudotherapy" has not been scientifically proven to be effective, and no appeals to ancient wisdom will change that.
Certainly you have references to back your argument?
Leech therapy, can be safely and effectively used to evacuate blood and morbid humours from deeper tissues and in diseases like psoriasis, chronic ulcers and eczema. Leech therapy can produce better results as a mono or an adjunctive therapy in diseases like angina pectoris, coronary thrombosis, hypertension, atherosclerosis, varicose veins and in many surgical and traumatic conditions.[0]
[0]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717768/
2 replies →
What does (lack of) wealth have to do with the effectiveness of the treatment? The article mentions that in the US there's enough donated human skin for grafts; that appears not to be the case in Brazil. Until that changes, this appears to be a better solution, and who knows - maybe it turns out to be better in general too (e.g., the article also mentions the prepared grafts can be kept in storage for up to 2 years).
Besides what another sibling comment has already pointed out, one needs to consider the patient's wealth (that region is not poor, but has huge economic inequality issues) and the absence of research using regional resources.
Sometimes a lot of progress can be made with materials located regionally that could be even more effective than technology developed elsewhere.