BehindTheMedspeak: Flesh eating fish — Episode 2: 'Dr. Piranha will see you now'

Above, the headline of Kathleen Hom's story in today's Washington Post Health section about the rise of medicinal flesh eating fish in Asia.

In the picture up top, taken at a hot spring resort in Chongqing, China, "doctor fish" nibble on the feet of people with skin diseases to remove dead skin.

Constant readers will recall Episode 1 in this series, which appeared back on December 16, 2006.

The Post article follows.

Dr. Piranha Will See You Now

The bathers pictured above, in Chongqing, China, aren't just pleasure-seekers. They're also lunch for a breed of small freshwater fish that devour dead skin. Exfoliation by fish, popular in some parts of Europe and Asia, can temporarily ease the symptoms of such skin disorders as psoriasis. Dermatology professor David Pariser at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk says removing the scales caused by psoriasis may make skin appear healthier; also, he said, spa water sometimes contains selenium, a mineral used to treat dandruff, which may offer some relief. But the scales will eventually return, he said, and the fish technique probably works no better than more conventional treatments such as UV phototherapy and topical ointments.