Ichthyotherapy

A fish therapy tank for both feet.

Ichthyotherapy is the use of fish such as the garra rufa for cleaning skin wounds or treating other skin conditions. The name ichthyotherapy comes from the Greek name for fish – Ichthys. The history of such treatment in traditional medicine is sparsely documented. In a museum near the River Kwai, recording the privations of prison camps, a sketch drawn by a prisoner showed him up to his waist in water, but with small fish attending to his leg ulcers. There is widespread use of such fish in India, particularly in rural areas. The most widely known form of icthyotherapy is used in the treatment of skin conditions and involves the garra rufa, commonly known as Doctor Fish or Nibble Fish. This fish occurs naturally in the Euphrates. The benefits were first observed in Kangal, Turkey - therefore it is also called the Kangal Fish. Many suffering from psoriasis and dermatitis have benefited from the treatment, which involves lying in the ponds and letting the fish eat the scales and loose skin on the affected areas. In fact such is the popularity of the treatment for skin conditions that Kangal became a health resort.

See also

• Cleaning station
• Doctor fish
• Helminthic therapy
• Medical leech

References

• http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org A pilot study published in the scientific Oxford-Journal “Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” in December 2006.
• http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org Results of the Ichthyotherapy-Study
• http://www.icb2007.org/ VII An International Conference on Biotherapy (June 20-24, 2007 Seoul-Korea)

Fish
About fish	Diversity Ethnoichthyology Evolution Diseases and parasites Fisheries Fishing Fish as food Fear of fish FishBase Fish kill Hypoxia in fish Ichthyology
Anatomy and physiology	Fish anatomy Fish physiology Estimating age Anguilliformity Bone dermal intramembranous ossification Cleithrum Chromatophore Fins dorsal fin Gill branchial arch gill raker gill slit pharyngeal arch pharyngeal slit pseudobranch Glossohyal Jaw hyomandibula pharyngeal jaw Leydig's organ Mauthner cell Meristics Operculum papillare Papilla Photophore Root effect Shark cartilage Scales ganoine Spiral valve Suckermouth Swim bladder physoclisti physostome Teeth pharyngeal teeth shark teeth Teleost leptins Digital Library
Sensory systems	Sensory systems in fish Ampullae of Lorenzini Barbel Hydrodynamic reception Electrocommunication Electroreception Jamming avoidance response Lateral line Otolith Passive electrolocation Capacity for pain Schreckstoff Surface wave detection Vision Weberian apparatus
Reproduction	Fish reproduction Bubble nest Clasper Egg case Fish development Ichthyoplankton Juvenile fish Life history theory Milt Mouthbrooder Polyandry in fish Pregnancy Roe Sequential hermaphroditism Spawning triggers
Locomotion	Fish locomotion Fin and flipper locomotion Amphibious fish Walking fish Flying fish Undulatory locomotion Tradeoffs for locomotion in air and water RoboTuna
Other behaviour	Aquatic predation Aquatic respiration Bait ball Bottom feeders Cleaner fish Diel vertical migration Electric fish Filter feeders Forage fish Migrating fish Paedophagy Predatory fish Salmon run Sardine run Scale eaters Schooling fish Sleep in fish Venomous fish Fish intelligence
By habitat	Cave Coastal Coldwater Coral reef Deep sea Demersal Euryhaline Freshwater Groundfish Pelagic Tropical
Other types	Bait Coarse Diversity Game Genetically modified Hallucinogenic Oily Poisonous Rough Whitefish
Commercial	Fish farming Carp Salmonids Tilapia Wild fisheries Predatory fish billfish mackerel salmon tuna Forage fish anchovy herring sardine sprats Demersal fish cod flatfish pollock
Major groups	Jawless fish hagfish lampreys Cartilaginous fish chimaeras sharks rays Bony fish spiny-finned fleshy-finned
Lists	Aquarium life Blind fish Fish common names Fish families Fish on stamps Glossary of ichthyology Large fish Threatened rays sharks Prehistoric fish more lists...
Category Portal WikiProject