[dhzhzjsbevs]

I'd hardly call a regular trip to give blood "medieval".

They're not giving out leeches.

[treeman79]

Medical leeches are a thing.

https://www.uhhospitals.org/Healthy-at-UH/articles/2020/03/h...

[hprotagonist]

right; those are for cleanly healing scars.

“your humours are imbalanced and you should be bled, you’ll feel better” is not far off from “your iron level is too high”, though…

[yjftsjthsd-h]

> “your humours are imbalanced and you should be bled, you’ll feel better” is not far off from “your iron level is too high”, though…

The difference is that now we have both empirical evidence that it works, when it works, what the side effects are, and generally why it works. As opposed to cargo culting, poor cost/benefit analysis, and inaccurate understanding of what's actually happening.

[hprotagonist]

we have a much better model now, i agree.

[phkahler]

>> those are for cleanly healing scars.

My go-to for that is Iodine.

[metadat]

I use those silicone scar strips. Wound healing technology is nearly magical these days.

[hprotagonist]

the normal use is reduction of venous congestion at an incision site after a major surgery, which i hope you’re not doing regularly enough to have a go-to!

[phkahler]

Think of it as helping tissue to find the correct shape and structure. Some claim this includes curing some cancers (skin cancer in particular). It is needed in some pathways to apoptosis.

[robonerd]

Medical leeches are used to encourage blood flow, particularly after reconstructive surgeries; the benefit is not from the leech sucking your blood, but from the bleeding that continues after the leach is removed. (Their saliva has anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties.)