Creepy Crawlies
It's called biodebridement, and it is highly effective in the treatment of severe diabetic foot ulcers and other difficult-to-heal wounds - frequently saving feet and limbs that would have otherwise been lost to amputation.
So why doesn't everyone with diabetes know about biodebridement? The treatment, also called larval therapy or maggot therapy, has suffered from a bit of a PR problem.
The therapeutic value of maggots (or fly larvae) has been known for centuries. When used in biodebridement, they thoroughly clean and debride the wound (removing dead tissue) and are thought to actual hasten the healing process with the antimicrobial agents they produce during digestion. But because of their more common association with garbage dumps and animal carcasses, the maggots use in medicine is perhaps second only to leeches in gross out value.
Today's biodebridement procedures use medicinal, or sterile, maggots, which are specially bred for use in surgical environments. The procedure involves placing the maggots on the wound and covering them with a sterile, breathable dressing for up to 72 hours while the creatures do their work; they grow up to 5 times their original size during the process. Some patients may experience a tickling sensation, but that's typically the extent of any physical discomfort from the procedure.
Find a maggot therapist near you.