*Remedies *Intuition - To Leech or not to Leech

I am less than impressed with this synchronicity!

I’m seeing a guy, Stefan Hafner, for acupuncture, another way to get Qi (aka Chi) flowing properly around the body. After our session the other day we were chatting and somehow ended up on the subject of leeches. I mentioned that the nurses had lost a leech at the hospital where I had my breast reconstruction (actually in the room I was staying in). Stefan then mentioned that he is one of only two Leech Therapists in Sydney. Hmmm, not sure what qualifications you require to become a Leech Therapist………….. I just looked it up and there are courses, go figure. I’m not sure if any kid in kindergarten ever said “When I grow up I want to be a Leech Therapist”, but if they do - there is a course!! You will now retain that piece of knowledge for life! Sorry, I digress.

While Stefan and I were talking the penny dropped and I suddenly thought “Oh No” and I recall feeling as if the colour was draining from my face. I had not seen any leeches for years and years, then, in the past week, I had seen two. One was on my arm in the veggie garden (I flicked it off). The next day there was one crawling around the bottom of the shower recess.

At the time I remember thinking “is that a synchronicity” but dismissed it. Only after Stefan was talking for a while did the memory of my “close encounters of the leech kind” pop into my head. WTF is the Universe planning now?

Stefan is investigating possible leech use for Scleroderma. When I arrived home I looked at Dr Google and yep, there it was, leeches have been used for Scleroderma. I bloody new it!

Now you may be wondering why I have categorised Leeches under “Remedies” and “Intuition”, well, intuition should be obvious. As for remedies, the way Therapeutic Leeches work is, as they are sucking your blood, their saliva enters your body and has pretty impressive benefits. Leech saliva has even been used in pharmaceuticals for hypertension. So I really couldn’t categorise the gross saliva puking worm like creatures anywhere else in my Blog.

Now one may ask “What makes your average leech a Therapeutic Leech?”. I hear you postulating “Education” or “A fancy shirt saying Therapeutic Leech”. Well my friends, you would be wrong.

There are three kinds of useful saliva puking leeches in the world and one of these is an Australian leech.

Now stop, sit back down and finish reading my post, please don’t go poking around in drains / gardens / waterways looking for leeches to whack all over your body in any haphazard order you feel like (well, at least not for therapeutic reasons, if you have some weird leech fetish - go for it). For therapeutic purposes, Leech therapy is serious business that requires proper certification to know where to put the little bastard suckers and which type of little saliva spewing creatures to use.

All I can say at this stage is “stay tuned”.

…. update 23rd November, 2020….

A friend, sitting here reading my post, just stated “have you seen the teeth on leeches?” I replied “no” She responded “well probably don’t”. This is not inspiring confidence.