What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger – this proverb seldom turns out to be as true as in the case of helminth therapy. Although the idea of using parasites for healing purposes raises understandable resistance, there are many daredevils who voluntarily become infected with, for example, nematodes. According to them, it is the best remedy for allergies and even multiple sclerosis. Are they right?
What is helminthotherapy?
It is true that helminthotherapy is a relatively new concept, but treatment with parasites has quite a long tradition in the history of medicine. Parasites were used primarily in the context of bloodletting, which was believed to be the cause of most human digestive diseases. Medicinal leeches, already used by Hippocrates and popularized by the Roman physician Galen in the 60nd century AD, were popular until the XNUMXth century, when their import into France alone amounted to almost XNUMX million individuals. If modern medicine approves of jellyfish burns, bee bites, and cleaning wounds with fly larvae, why not experiment with helminths, some scientists thought. It has been known for a long time that our intestines need bacterial flora to function properly, it is also responsible for the body’s immune system. Maybe small amounts of parasites could also have a positive effect on him?
Two British professors from the University of Manchester, Ian Roberts and Ricard Grencis, agree with this statement. Contrary to appearances, their concept seems quite intuitive and is based on the hypothesis of “old friends” known since the late 80s. Briefly, it can be summarized as follows: since bacteria have shaped our immunology since the beginning of human evolution, the same applies to parasites. According to this hypothesis, T cells can only function effectively if they are stimulated by microorganisms and helminths with low pathogenicity. As prof. Grencis: “If you compare the prevalence – temporal and territorial – of parasitic infections and diseases of the immune system such as allergies, you can see that these phenomena hardly overlap. Where the pursuit of cleanliness and sterility has swept parasites away, we have increasing problems with an overactive immune system and autoimmune diseases. In developing countries, where parasites are common, allergic ailments are very rare ». Naturally, no rash conclusions should be drawn on this, but the fact is that over the millennia we have developed as a species in the context of an incessant – admittedly forced – association of parasites. Perhaps until they did not exceed a specific “critical mass” that was destroying our body, a delicate balance was developed, increasing human resistance to autoimmune diseases?
Nematodes Treat Allergy?
This issue was also haunting by prof. David Pritchard of the University of Nottingham. He claims that parasites are the best response to a situation in which the human body, instead of fighting the real threat, attacks its own cells and tissues. This happens, for example, during asthma, Crohn’s disease, allergies, arthritis, multiple sclerosis or psoriasis. Although the mechanism behind autoimmune diseases is not fully understood, it is known that most of them are caused by an inappropriate immune response to harmless antigens. So, if the body’s desired defense response can be trained through the action of cytokine-producing microorganisms – hormones that stimulate cells involved in immune functions to multiply – why not try it out for yourself?
Since parasites such as hookworm and whipworm were considered the most appropriate and safest for helminth therapy, the professor’s choice fell on the American hookworm, the larvae of which the scientist glued to the skin on his arm. Once these broke through the skin and entered the bloodstream, several of his employees followed Pritchard. The goal was one – to check what dose of hookworms will not cause anemia and cachexia of the body, but will help it to defend itself against allergies. After a year of regular testing, it was found that 10 nematodes are the optimal number that does not adversely affect the functioning of the intestine or interfere with its work. The next step was to involve a representative group of volunteers suffering from allergies in the research. After approval from the British health service, 30 people were subjected to the experiment, half of whom were infected with the larvae and half received a regular placebo. The results turned out to be phenomenal. After less than six weeks, people who actually developed hookworm showed almost complete resolution of allergic conditions, runny nose and watery eyes. It even got to the point that they did not want to get rid of the parasites, and people who received a placebo demanded to be infected.
A similar path was chosen by Jasper Lawrence, a researcher from the Republic of Cameroon, who made a fortune selling “proprietary immunotherapy” to countries where it is not legally sanctioned. Unfortunately, instead of using larvae patches, he tried a more direct method on himself. Namely… he and the daredevils cooperating with him were walking barefoot near public toilets. As a result, after a few days, almost everyone became infected with the duodenal hookworm. The mild course of the infection, instead of destroying their bodies, made them resistant to seasonal allergies and showed no symptoms of asthma.
Safety of helminthotherapy
Despite the optimistic results of the research, there is no doubt that introducing something as risky as nematode larvae into our body must be treated with extreme caution. Although helminthotherapy is not widely used in Poland or in the world, you should absolutely avoid any auctions and online advertisements which offer capsules with parasite larvae or patches similar to those used by Prof. Pritchard. If too many nematodes enter our bloodstream, we can expect side effects such as fever, joint pain, chronic fatigue and intestinal upset. Any parasitic interference in the human body must also take place after previous blood tests and the conclusion that the patient does not suffer from iron deficiency, because hookworms damage blood vessels, in extreme cases causing anemia. With the presence of 2000 hookworms in the intestines, a person loses 100 ml of blood every day.
Although scientists have conducted a series of studies since 2005 on the use of whipworm larvae to treat Crohn’s disease, official medicine claims that the claim that helminths can prevent allergies and autoimmune diseases is absurd because helminths themselves cause sensitization and even anaphylactic shock , asthma attacks, allergies caused by helminth metabolites. It is worth noting that the whipworm used in helminth therapy is a thin parasite up to 5 cm long, the female of which secretes up to 3500 eggs a day and lives for about 5 years. When infected with whipworm, nausea, irritability and headaches appear. Children may become unconscious. Seizures and weakness, dyspepsia, colitis, appendicitis, and anemia are common. This does not mean that any contamination – even under controlled conditions – can immediately result in the worst-case scenario. Undoubtedly, very small amounts of specific nematodes can improve the functioning of our immune system, but in the current phase of research, the risks outweigh the possible benefits.
See also: Hirudotherapy – use and side effects