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Brooklyn Leech Therapist Will Solve All Your Medical Problems
By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 11, 2014
Modified Mar 11, 2014
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Mircea BEZERGHEANU/Shutterstock
By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 11, 2014
Modified Mar 11, 2014
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People will go to great lengths to promote good health, as long as is doesn't involve anything as plebeian as a balanced diet and the occasional brisk jog. Acupuncture just not having the same calming effect it used to? Is the oil pulling taking too long? It's time for more drastic measures. It's time for leeches.
Leech therapy has all the trappings of a viral hit: It's old-world, it's alternative and most importantly, it's sufficiently disturbing that it makes for excellent party chatter. (Oh honey, you haven't lived until you've had a carnivorous worm suckling your face!")
It's also convenient: The Silesian Holistic Center, which offers several types of leech therapy, is located right in Greenpoint. Therapist Andrew Plucinski tells the Guardian that 98 percent of "all health problems can be cured through leeches, diet and annual colonics." He claims to have helped a client with paralysis walk unaided after eight sessions, and relieved another of her ovarian cysts without the intervention of Western medicine.
“Leeches work on many different levels,” Plucinski tells the paper. “You feel pain there, you put a leech there." He offers examples: The knee for a torn meniscus, the gums for a gum infection, and...hemorrhoids. For hemorrhoids.
What can you expect from your leech therapy session? The Silesian Holistic Center has very thorough answers:
A creature so small has a mouth and teeth that are extremely tiny. The leech first attaches itself with a mouth and tail suction pad, and then with its initial bite. Patients describe the bite as feeling like a “light pinch” or “small insect bite.” The leech’s attachment may last between 20 and 50 minutes, after which it is gently coaxed to release itself from the patient. All leeches are used only once and are then sacrificed to prevent any chance of reuse and infection. (Note: leeches, which are often used to clear the worst infections, cannot impart infections to others because all bacteria are killed through contact with leech enzymes. So, using each leech one time only is really a double precaution to ensure that bacteria are not passed along.)
After the leeches are removed, there is some residual seepage, which is considered an important cleansing part of the procedure. At the very end the wound is properly dressed and the patient is provided with any additional information she or he may request.
Sounds relaxing! The website notes that leeches will detoxify the entire body—except, of course, for the colon. Don't worry, though: Plucinski has you covered.
Tagged
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leech therapy
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Lauren Evans
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