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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Hugh on September 22, 2015, at 0:50:08
Eating intestinal worms may be a possible treatment for depression and other neurological diseases, according to a group of Duke scientists.
Helminthic therapy is an effort to rebalance the immune system and address a variety of disorders by putting the helminth worms back into the human body. Although the Food and Drug Administration has not currently approved helminths as a treatment method, some people have begun to treat themselves using the organisms and have reported positive effects.
"The goal here at Duke is to get helminths approved by the FDA so we can begin clinical trials," Bilbo said. "The first target is depression because the condition is thought, at least for a significant subset of people, to involve the immune system having a pro-inflammatory signature, so the idea is, treat your gut and heal your brain."
These efforts have been prompted by reports from people who ingested commercially bought helminths to treat their own disorders, ranging from depression to allergies. Parker worked with Duke undergraduates to collect information about these self-treaters. The students interviewed providers, surveyed the web and sent out surveys.
"The effectiveness of the helminths is substantially better from whatever effect they were getting from pharmaceutical treatments and the side effects are much less. It's a pretty profound difference," Parker said.
In the long run, Parker hopes that helminths will become an inexpensive way of balancing immune function.
"In every aspect, it is much like a vitaminit is an important part of the ecosystem of our body that we cant live without," he said.
Complete article:
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2015/09/duke-scientists-treat-depression-with-intestinal-worms
Posted by linkadge on September 22, 2015, at 20:20:51
In reply to Treating depression with intestinal worms, posted by Hugh on September 22, 2015, at 0:50:08
OK. You lost me at "eating worms".
:)
Linkadge
Posted by Hugh on September 23, 2015, at 10:52:39
In reply to Re: Treating depression with intestinal worms, posted by linkadge on September 22, 2015, at 20:20:51
I hate to break this to you, but we unknowingly eat insects and other gross stuff all the time. So we might as well eat some that are good for us. This quote is from
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/your_breakfast_of_champions_includes_bugs_partner/The FDA's Defect Levels Handbook lays it all out. Staples like broccoli, canned tomatoes, and hops readily contain "insect fragments"--heads, thoraxes, and legs--and even whole insects. (I won't tell you about the rat hair limit...) Fig paste can harbor up to 13 insect heads in 100 grams; canned fruit juices can contain a maggot for every 250 milliliters; 10 grams of hops can be the home for 2,500 aphids.
Posted by SLS on September 23, 2015, at 14:27:42
In reply to Re: Treating depression with intestinal worms » linkadge, posted by Hugh on September 23, 2015, at 10:52:39
Fecal transplants.
Yuck.
- Scott
Posted by Hugh on September 23, 2015, at 15:19:27
In reply to Re: Treating depression with intestinal worms, posted by SLS on September 23, 2015, at 14:27:42
I agree. And they're also highly effective, especially for ulcerative colitis and C-diff. It's estimated that they could save 14,000 lives a year in the US alone (this is just for C-diff). I think you might have meant your comment for this thread:
Posted by bleauberry on October 2, 2015, at 14:15:09
In reply to Treating depression with intestinal worms, posted by Hugh on September 22, 2015, at 0:50:08
While this sounds totally bizarre and I do not understand it, I am totally open minded to influencing gut flora to conquer psychiatric symptoms. To me that makes perfect sense. Long story. Enough to write a book. But basically, my Lyme journeys taught me that a great deal of our diseases and symptoms are tied to the immune system, and that it is tied strongly to the gut flora. So whether it be worms, probiotics, prebiotics, certain foods, certain herbs, or whatever....if it is going to somehow get the gut performance back to something closer to normal, then it is probably going to impact mood positively as well.
Posted by Hugh on October 11, 2015, at 11:34:39
In reply to Re: Treating depression with intestinal worms, posted by bleauberry on October 2, 2015, at 14:15:09
> While this sounds totally bizarre and I do not understand it, I am totally open minded to influencing gut flora to conquer psychiatric symptoms.
I'm glad to hear it. While the idea of swallowing worm eggs or receiving a fecal transplant makes me feel squeamish, I would not allow my squeamishness to prevent me from trying treatments that might allow me to escape from this living hell of depression.
This is the end of the thread.
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