Your thoughts on Hookworm therapy?

[Min]

What are your thoughts on the possibilty of this working for us please?

http://www.helminthictherapy.com/Providers.html

 

[Jon_Tradicionali]

What are your thoughts on the possibilty of this working for us please?

http://www.helminthictherapy.com/Providers.html

I've done extensive reading on REMOVAL of parasites from the human body. But to introduce them willingly?

The benefits of helminths to the body is severely under-researched (as many things are) so I am doubtful anyone will be able to answer this conclusively.

 

[Calathea]

Wow, that sounds bad.

 

[Undisclosed]

Cost: Single dose protocol costs $3,900.00 plus travel to clinic, etc.
Mutli-stage therapy costs $7,800.00 plus travel to clinic, etc.

How much do 50 hookworm larvae cost?

 

[Ema]

There is a Yahoo group if you want more info.

I read through their Files a while ago but it isn't something I'm prepared to undertake at any time in the near future. Too many question marks, not enough research, too much money. It fails all my tests at this point.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/info

 

[Calathea]

And then they said you need to be on it for the rest of your life.

 

[Min]

Thank you, it does not sound worth considering

 

[Hip]

There are a few threads on helminth therapy already:
Starting helminthic therapy for CFS, log
Hookworms: Our Friends?
New gut ecosystem model?


ME/CFS is a disease where the Th1 (antiviral) response is weak, but the Th2 response is ramped up. To treat ME/CFS, you really need to boost Th1, and reduce Th2.

However, helminth therapy does the opposite: reduces Th1, and boosts Th2. See here:

In the past, helminths were thought to simply suppress Th1 cells while inducing Th2 cells. Rook points out that this hypothesis would only explain the regulatory effects of parasitic worms on autoimmune diseases caused by Th1 cells. However, helminths also regulate Th2-caused diseases, such as allergy and asthma. Professor Rook postulates that different parasitic worms suppress different Th types, but always in favor of regulatory T (Treg) cells.

Source: here.

 

[DaiWelsh]

Fwiw a friend recently diagnosed with MS has been put on a double blind trial of this treatment, run by local NHS hospital so I don't think it is "out there" as therapies go.

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2012/february/hookwormtrial.aspx

I am not qualified to comment on Hip's POV that it would not do the right thing for us anyway, but maybe there would be a different worm for us?

 

[sickntired771]

I don't know if this will help ME/CFS but is potentially helpful for autoimmune diseases. I would absolutely only go for a clinical trial and not get black market worms. These are parasites and infecting yourself could be incredibly dangerous if not part of a controlled study.

 

[Snow Leopard]

My thoughts: Its dangerous and I'd be unwilling to try it.

 

[adreno]

I'll try to worm my way out of this one.