This may also explain the beneficial effects of water taken by drinking or by lovage in gastrointestinal and gynecological disorders. Observers, other than those from Turkey, reported that bathers were enthusiastic about the doctor fish and none expressed disappointment.
DOCTOR FISHES :
The miraculous way of treatment by the fish which are in the thermal waters 36-37°C increases its fame, since this thermal is the last sort of hope for skin diseases which up-to-date science of medicine can not cure today. Skin diseases such as acne, eczema and psoriasis are cured by Cyprinion macrostomus (fish) 2-10 cm in length and by Garra rufa.
TREATMENT :
The water has been reported as being beneficial in rheumatic disease, neurologic disorders (neuralgia, neuritis, paralysis), orthopedic and traumatological sequela (fractures, joint trauma, and muscle disease), gynecological problems (by lavage), skin diseases, urolithiasis (by drinking), and psychosomatic disorders (a report from the Clinic and Institute of Physical Therapy and Hydrology, Faculty of Medicine Ankara University, March 2, 1967.
But psoriasis is the disease which has made the spring so popular as a therapeutic aid. The fish strike and lick the psoriatic plaque - or plaques of other skin diseases - which have been softened by the water.
Wide interest in the doctor fish encourages people with neurological and rheumatic diseases to visit the hot spring to immerse themselves in its pools. A school of fish surround the body and strike and lick it.
The initial pleasant sensation and relaxation of “micro-massage” is replaced by a tingling sensation over the skin. This massage is given particularly by the younger fish, which need many more nutrients for their rapid growth.
It may be that, in addition to the benefits of hydrotherapy from the hot spring, there is a psychological component to this massage which generates a feeling of wellbeing in patients with neurologic and rheumatic diseases, and with traumatic diseases, and with traumatic sequela.
The faith of desperate patients in these sacred fish, and the experience of being in a different environment may also contribute to this feeling of wellbeing. Not only the ill, but also the healthy, visit the spring to consult the doctor fish. People with healthy skin probably benefit by the fish clearing away hyperkeratinized portions of their skin.
Fishes :
Two types of fish are involved. Both are members of the Cyprinidae family and are adapted to living in a hot milieu. The so-called striker is Cyprinion macrostomus macrostomus. It has a terminal mouth and a length of 15 to 20 cm. It is covered with relatively large scales, and has six to eight irregularly arranged lateral spots of various sizes.
The second fish, known locally as a licker, is Garra rufa obtusa. It has a crescent-shaped ventral mouth and a maximum length of 19 cm. Its body is also converted with large scales. The so-called jabbers are not a third type of fish but the immature from of the strikers, which lose their lateral spots during maturation.
Both fish are omnivorous, a well-known feature of Cyprinidae, and feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton. But only small amounts of plankton have been found in the pools. This is said to retard the growth and development of the fish, making them aggressive and predatory.
In winter when the pools are uncrowded the fish look for food like a flock of hungry sheep. In summer, they assault the human bodies in the pools. They prefer to attack diseased rather then healthy skin simply because it is easier to nibble at it.
The effects of these feeding habits and the high temperature of the water on the internal biochemistry of the fish has also been investigated. The role the doctor fish can play in therapeutic medicine deserves proper study.
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Kangal - Sivas - Turkey. All Rights Reserved. |
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