The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is accountable for the supervision and administration of foods and drugs. It oversees more than $2.5 trillion in ingestion of food, medical products, and tobacco. The agency handles the regulation of the United States food supply.
Its significance stretches to medical treatment as well. The agency superintends diverse medical device product groups. In essence, the agency promotes public health by placing strict regulations on foods and drugs.
Below are weirdest medical treatment approved by the FDA.
- Worms
FDA has ruled hookworms, whipworms, or other parasites as a medicinal tool. They are curative or preventative. The worms are biological products used as Immuno-modulators.
They use them on patients suffering from conditions such as asthma and autism. The administration of such treatment is allowed only when it’s for personal use.
As such, you need a doctor’s prescription, and the doctor has to be from the United States.
- Leeches
Medicinal leeches are not new in medical treatment. If anything, leech therapy was incorporated back then in the 1800s. Statistics show that approximately 5 to 6 million leeches were used annually in Paris only.
Currently, leech therapy is used in surgeries for reattachment. It comes in handy where a person’s tissues are suffering because of weakened blood flow in the veins. The leech, placed on the skin, creates continued restricted bleeding.
The conventional method of treatment was approved to the market and is overseen by the FDA. Aside from sucking blood to ensure easy blood flow, medicinal leeches are therapeutic. They preserve the leeches in cold temperature rooms
- Maggot Therapy
Maggot therapy applies to open wounds on both animals and human beings. The FDA had the method approved because it helps clean a wound that won’t heal. The procedure for cleaning is simple but sickening.
The first step is to ensure the maggots are disinfected to avoid furtherance of infections. They are then placed on the wound to clean the dead tissue surrounding the wound.
The FDA approved maggot therapy in 2004 because the medical treatment was efficient in pressure ulcers and non-healing wounds.
- Medications Containing Cannabinoids Chemical in Pill Form
Cannabinoids are Compounds located in cannabis plants. Some places in the world use marijuana for medical treatment. FDA is yet to approve it as a medicinal tool for therapeutic or preventative purposes.
The reason behind this is because the agency requires a great amount of time to research the substance before approving it as medicine. Yet FDA has permitted medicines that have cannabinoid chemicals in pill form.
When you think of maggots, leeches, and works, the first thing that comes to mind is a disgusting feeling. Yet, the three are some of the few therapies approved by the FDA as medical treatment.
Medicinal leeches are therapeutic because of the ease the tension around tissues with a compromised blood floor. Maggots help in cleaning dead tissues around a non-healing wound. Worms are Immuno-modulators for patients with autism.
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*This article was contributed.
