The pain caused by osteoarthritis of the thumb is incapacitating enough for people to experience trouble when turning door handles and writing. It has recently been discovered that longer lasting relief from the pain of thumb arthritis can be provided by using blood-sucking leeches rather than from conventional medicines and ointments. The blood-sucking leeches inject hirudin, a blood-thinning chemical, along with several other substances that fight inflammation. This results in the continuous flow of blood in the leech's prey thereby providing relief to those suffering from thumb arthritis. The patients who were subjected to the leech therapy were reported to have suffered from half the pain a week after being given the treatment as compared to those patients undergoing normal medication. The relief caused by the leeches also lasted longer.

 

Source : Spider