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WHEN Mehdi Jaffari was told his left carotid artery was so severely blocked he faced the risk of an imminent stroke, he turned the clock back to medieval times.
The 52-year-old counsellor, from Chatswood, bought more than 35 leeches from a Victorian farmer and applied them to his body daily. Within five days, a CT angiogram showed the artery had cleared, stunning staff at Royal North Shore Hospital and his family.
Leech therapy, first documented in Greece more than 4000 years ago, is not new in Sydney. More than 50 Richardsonianus australis leeches are kept in a tank at Liverpool Hospital for use on patients who have had skin grafts or severed digits because their saliva contains hirudin, a chemical that acts as a powerful anticoagulant and vasodilator.
But using them on patients with severe cardiovascular disease has not yet become established practice in Australia.
"It should be, because the results have been amazing," Mr Jaffari's wife, Tracy, said yesterday.
"Mehdi was able to achieve more in five days than anyone of us thought possible."
Mr Jaffari's journey began when he had four heart attacks one morning last September and was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital for an angiogram and stenting.
Four months later he was back in surgery when the stent blocked and he was told he had advanced cardiovascular damage, with his left carotid artery almost 80 per cent blocked.
On the advice of his sister, a leech therapist in Iran, Mr Jaffari placed seven of them on his back, legs and neck five times a day. After five days, a scan showed the artery had almost cleared.
"I'm highly surprised that he improved so much in such a short space of time," Mr Jaffari's interventional cardiologist, Peter Hansen, said.
"But I do have a degree of scepticism. Perhaps the first scan overestimated the narrowing of the artery and the second scan underestimated it. Or perhaps it was a miracle and leeches do work. I am willing to keep an open mind on this because the results were impressive."
Dr Hansen said while hirudin was known to dissolve blood clots, it was not known to dissolve plaque.
"Nothing in Western medicine can make [plaque] disappear in a week, or indeed at all. Statins may reduce it but they rarely make it go away, so it's very interesting."
In 2001 an international trial involving more than 17,000 heart attack patients found that bivalirudin, a genetically engineered form of hirudin, was 10 times more effective than heparin, the most commonly used blood-thinning agent.
But anyone wanting to buy leeches privately could find it difficult, the co-ordinator of the leech program at Liverpool Hospital, Katie Laing, said yesterday. Her supply is sourced from a farm at Echuca and several times during the year she is called upon to supply hospitals throughout Australia.
"For now, people may have to wait until the treatment becomes a little more orthodox," she said.
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Sydney Morning Herald
Kate Benson Medical Reporter
July 26, 2008
Cardiovascular disease, our leading cause of death in Australia. Specialists amazed by results from Hirudotherapy.
A good diet and healthy lifestyle did nothing to prevent Mehdi Jaffari from suffering four heart attacks one morning in September 2007, leading to an emergency angiogram and stenting procedure. Heart specialists found Mehdi had a number of areas showing significant narrowing in his arteries and he was very lucky to have survived.
"My life changed dramatically" Mehdi explains, "as an active person, rehabilitation was lengthy and I experienced pain in different parts of my body, reaction to medications, shortness of breath and problems walking more than 100 meters".
Just Four months later, a routine angiogram confirmed his stent had become dangerously blocked and Mehdi was immediately admitted for life-saving heart bypass surgery.
Even though Mehdi had enjoyed a healthy diet and lifestyle, there was a history of heart disease in his family. Surgeons confirmed unusually advanced cardiovascular disease for his age of 52 years, which would be expected in an age group of 70 years and older. They also found a significantly diseased left vertebral artery supplying blood to the brain, which was of particular concern and placed him in great risk of another heart attack or stroke, let alone the possibilities he wouldn't survive a further attack.
"I had already contacted my sister, who works in the health industry and she immediately recommended Hirudotherapy [use of leeches] from her years of experience as a Specialist in this area" mehdi says.
His sister desperately tried to organise a flight to Australia, but her late arrival due to a lengthy visa application coincided just days before Mehdi’s bypass. Understanding the advantages of Hirudotherapy in cardiovascular disease, she had hoped to arrive earlier and treat Mehdi to avoid surgery. However, time had run out and the surgery went ahead.
During rehabilitation, Mehdi’s sister spent the following three months in Australia educating him about Leeches and the miraculous benefits they have on the human body. Mehdi managed to source leeches and placed them on specific parts of his body. Symptoms of pain, shortness of breath and being unable to walk very far began to improve considerably and eventually disappeared. "My previous active life returned and I felt great" he said.
After experiencing so many benefits, Mehdi was keen to begin Hirudotherapy on his diseased left vertebral artery. An ultrasound in February 08 had already shown abnormal waveform consistent with a 50 - 79% narrowing. Results from a recent ultrasound on 26th June confirmed continued significant narrowing requiring immediate investigation. A CT Angiogram of his carotid vessels was arranged for the following week with an appointment with a vascular specialist to discuss what options, if any, were available.
Undeterred by the alarming results, Mehdi ordered more leeches and began five days of intensive Hirudotherapy. On 2nd July, Mehdi had the CT Angiogram and took the results to the vascular specialist. Even more than Mehdi had hoped to achieve in a short time, results showed there was no evidence of any narrowing! Incredibly, after just five days, Mehdi's previous history of detected left subclavian artery narrowing was now not identified. Mehdi's heart specialist and the vascular specialist at RNS, aware Mehdi was using Hirudotherapy, were amazed at the results.
Leeches have been used for thousands of years. Recognised for their benefits, they are still widely used in Europe, America and many other countries around the world. In June 2004 the US FDA approved leeches for therapy and an application from French firm Ricarimpex to market leeches for medicinal purposes. "A few surgeons in Australia use leeches, particularly for skin-grafts" Mehdi says, "but it's surprising the Australian public hasn’t been made aware of these miraculous creatures".
International Counselor, Life Coach and Columnist, Mehdi has dedicated his life helping thousands of people from around the world. Understanding Cardiovascular disease affects more than 3.5 million Australians and is one of Australia’s leading health problems, killing one person every ten minutes, Mehdi feels passionate about helping others with Cardiovascular disease, as well as investigating how leeches can provide help to poor countries with little or no medical care. "After so many years working in diverse areas, my sudden health problem not only gave me an opportunity to achieve a new lease of life, but enables me to apply my knowledge and continue my commitment to helping others" he says.
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Media contacts: Mehdi & Tracy Jaffari. Telephone (02) 9410 3143 or (02)] 9403 5995, mobile 0432 574277, email tjaffari@optusnet.com.au
Download a high-resolution photograph of Mehdi Jaffari at www.wb-pr.com/mj/mj.htm .
