Actress Demi Moore told David Letterman that she recently participated in a detox treatment in Austria that involved blood-sucking leeches. Before you give back your lunch, let me tell you that according to the BBC, "leeches have been used in medicine for centuries and are often used today in reconstructive surgery. The anticoagulant secreted by the creatures fights blood clots and helps restore blood flow to inflamed body parts."

Leeches are used in plastic surgery in both Europe and the United States, but only on one or two specific areas. Apparently, when they suck on a patient's blood, they release a detoxifying enzyme.

I was stunned to read that leeches are used in reputable plastic surgery procedures, so I went to several medical journals and did some research. I found many peer-reviewed studies that said leeches prevented blood clotting in tissue transplants and promoted blood flow. Apparently, there are some surgeries in which restricted venous blood flow makes for a failed surgery.

Quick take: This won't be something you will have to deal with except in rare cases of failure. But if it ever happens to you, at least you will be prepared and you won't think the surgeon has lost his/her mind.

posted by francine