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。www.csuchen.de' Q4 l; R9 K' f* X
5 d9 U5 F' r( x: j8 X! X) k- F1 U" I 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。6 b6 n8 f( g- r8 c+ s( X1 r c& z
8 w8 K- _& X: }1 wwww.csuchen.deWomen turn to leeches in Tbilisi 22 June 2011( E" ?' V% @0 `1 m: O, T
6 ~. z) m5 n, R; [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. . E; ?/ [1 t) S( e; R/ N 8 { e2 |+ c i1 J( a4 Pwww.csuchen.deThe idea being that disease could be banished by releasing the infected blood./ `. m: S% T8 s) k, Z6 e
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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.. m3 i$ \6 U7 m
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Damien McGuinness in the capital Tbilisi has been finding out why.