Maggots as Alternative Medicine

In some countries like the Philippines, flies are common insects in the environment, especially near garbage dumps and canals. They carry all kinds of bacteria that will make people sick, that if they drop by the food you eat, you can get diarrhea or other digestive system disorders. So flies are basically known to be useless creatures until recently, I just learned that flies can be useful too.

There was a scientific discovery that maggots could heal the wounds of a diabetic patient. Same as other discoveries, the maggot alternative also have undergone some experiments and processes. Since flies are known as disease carrying insects, scientists took a couple of flies and placed in clear container until they lay eggs. The eggs are the clean product of the fly since it hasn’t been exposed to dirty surfaces yet. The flies who laid the eggs are taken off the container leaving the eggs until it changes into maggots.

The maggots then are used as eaters of the diabetic wounds, which are mostly on the lower extremities like the feet and legs of humans. A couple of maggots are then placed on the wound to eat on the rotten part of the body until the wound is completely healed. Regular check up is required to monitor the healing of the wound.

The maggots are then taken off since they don’t eat fresh or clean surfaces. These days, very few doctors use this type of alternative medicine since it hasn’t been approved yet by Philippines Medical Board and it still has undergo more research and studies by foreign scientists and doctors to confirm and approve the “healing powers” of these maggots.

If this type of medication will be approved, many diabetic patients with large wounds, people who cannot afford expensive medications, especially in the Philippines, will benefit to this scientific discovery.