Ancient Egyptian leech therapy still popular in Kashmir Valley, demand soars during Navroz
Leeches are used to treat pain and cure nervous system abnormalities
Navroz, the Persian New Year is considered to be the first day of spring in the Kashmir Valley, and on the same day, hundreds of people in the valley gather at the leech therapy centres hoping to get rid of their age-old ailments. These people believe that leech therapy works best on the day of Navroz.
Leech therapy is an ancientEgyptian method where medicinal leeches are used to treat patients. Medicinal leeches have three jaws with tiny rows of teeth. They pierce a person’s skin with their teeth and insert anticoagulants through their saliva. The leeches are then allowed to extract blood, for 20 to 45 minutes at a time, from the person undergoing treatment.
According to the therapists, leeches are used to treat pain and cure nervous system abnormalities. They are also used to treat dental problems, skin diseases, infections, arthritis, chronic headaches and sinusitis.
Watch:Indian soldiers celebrate Holi across Jammu and Kashmir
''We have been doing leech therapy for around 30-40 years. It's an ancient method which was used by our forefathers, we have been treating patients in the Dooru area with the help of leeches. If there are people suffering from allergies, high blood pressure, frostbite and also lumps, they come to us, especially on the day of Navroz, and get themselves treated with the help of these medicinal leeches. We get patients from Ramban, Kishtwar, North Kashmir and South Kashmir. We specialisein leech therapy and have a huge rush around Navroz,'' said Showkat Ahmad Rather, a therapist.
People from various parts of the Union Territory come specially to these leech centres to get themselves treated. And some of them claim that what allopathic medicine could not do for them, leech therapy has.
''I have been coming here for many years to get the treatment. I was relieved after visiting the Leech Centre. I used to take a lot of medicines, but I was not benefited by it at all, and through social media I got to know that this therapy is being done here and I came here. It has really worked well for me. And specially on Navroz, they say it works the best, '' said Sameer Ahmad, Anantnag, South Kashmir.
In recent times, it has been observed that more and more people are shifting to Homeopathy treatmentin the valley.
