Dr. Billy Goldberg: There is no better impetus for a Body Odd blog than Demi Moore making a public declaration that she uses leeches to keep herself looking fresh and feeling healthy. Now, I can?t agree with Demi?s personal use of leeches (although she does look pretty fantastic), but the truth is, these little creatures are medical marvels.
In a throwback to the days of the medieval barber, today?s doctors use leeches, as well as maggots, with great success. Surgeons, for instance, use these creepy crawlers to remove blood from the site of skin grafts or reattached parts and to relieve congestion in the blood vessels.
The leeches used for medical purposes are a European variety called Hirudo Medicinalis and are raised on special leech farms. The Hirudo leech works some additional magic by secreting a chemical in its saliva that acts as an anti-coagulant to prevent blood clotting.
Oh, by the way, the bite of a leech is painless due to its own anesthetic.