Maggot Therapy for Wound Healing?

Q. I have diabetes and an open sore on the outside of my foot that will not heal. My doctors mentioned using maggots to try to heal the wound. I know I'm running out of choices, but are they serious?
-- Steven S.

A. Dead serious. Dead tissue serious, that is. If you're worried that opting for this scary-sounding treatment for your diabetes-causing foot complication will cast you in a starring role for a remake of the movie The Fly, don't be. Medical maggots (fly larvae) won't take over your body. They're completely disinfected, sterile, and only interested in dining on dead tissue around a wound, which encourages new healthy tissue to grow in its place.

You may have a treatment a couple of times a day or receive a "dressing" that stays on for 24 to 48 hours. In both cases, 30 to 50 larvae are sealed tightly against each square inch or so of the wound. Usually you can't feel anything, unless exposed nerves in the wound are already causing pain--in which case you may feel the creatures' movements, but pain relievers should take care of that. Here are three more drug-free remedies for pain relief.

Don't imagine that these tiny, squirmy critters will burrow anywhere they shouldn't. Once they're done helping you heal, all they want to do is get on with the business of turning into a fly. Unfortunately for them, when they've completed their medical mission, they're treated just like any other medical waste and quickly disposed of.

This larvae-lunch therapy helps heal bed sores, surgical wounds, and diabetic ulcers that yours sounds like. Diabetes can foster festering wounds because poor circulation hinders healing, and nerve damage can let sores appear without any pain. Do these 5 exercises to improve circulation. If the wound won't heal, it can lead to amputation of a toe, foot, or leg. But maggot therapy, approved by the FDA in 2004, could put you back on the dance floor. Follow these self-care guidelines to keep your diabetes in check.

So, learn to love the healing powers of these baby bugs.

Ready to improve your circulation? Try these excuse-busting strategies for a more active life.