Worming a way out of coeliac disease using hook worms is Dr James Daveson's mission
Danny Rose From: AAP Thu Oct 22 07:06:33 EST 2009 Thu Oct 22 07:06:33 EST 2009
SCIENTISTS are inching closer to a new therapy for auto-immune disorders but many will find the treatment hard to swallow.
Queensland-based Dr James Daveson admits a "yuck factor" is involved in his research, after he deliberately infected 20 volunteers who have coeliac disease with hookworms.
The tiny parasite, which burrows through the skin before travelling via the bloodstream to live in the gut, was shown to give these people an improved tolerance for bread.
"The people playing host to live worms tolerated the gluten challenge and fared better on the tests compared to the wormless control subjects," said Dr Daveson from Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital.
"They experienced less inflammation and less damage was seen in the intestinal wall."
More than 250,000 Australians have coeliac disease, a condition in which their malfunctioning immune system treats the gluten in wheat as a foreign invader.
Antibodies are produced that attack the wall of the bowel and this damage over time can increase a sufferer's risk of bowel cancer.
Dr Daveson said the research was based on the theory that our immune systems needed exposure to foreign organisms in order to work properly.
Several studies have shown a link between the vastly improved hygiene standards now enjoyed by humans and the growing number of autoimmune diseases.
Dr Daveson said it could be a case of the immune system picking a fight when it otherwise lacked a valid enemy.
He said the immune system may even work better with certain "friendly" organisms - like hook worms - on board.
"We have co-evolved with them ... (yet) we've cleaned up our world so well that we no longer have worms in our guts," Dr Daveson said.
"Some experts believe this is one of the reasons we're seeing an alarming increase in auto-immune disorders such as coeliac disease."
The worms used in the study are unique to humans, are not easily transmissible from person to person and unlike dog hookworm, they do not cause illness in humans.
At the end of the 21-week trial, all of the volunteers were offered medication to get rid of their parasite but all opted to keep their hookworm.
Dr Daveson will present the study's findings at the Australian Gastroenterology Week, an expert summit underway in Sydney this week.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
"At the end of the 21-week trial, all of the volunteers were offered medication to get rid of their parasite but all opted to keep their hookworm."
NO WAY, Jake!!!
I'm a celiac.. but I'll keep what I got and not add to it! ICK
Posted by gwb (Member # 7273) on :
Lymetoo, I guess those volunteers won't be using Humaworm any time soon, eh? Posted by joalo (Member # 12752) on :
I think I will continue to eat a gluten-free diet and skip the hook worms. Posted by PB4 (Member # 20799) on :
Yuk!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Wonder what kind of infections these folks will have in a few years. -
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Well the study would not be conclusive unless they
described what happened to the patients condition
after they got rid of the worm. It could just be a
reaction distraction. Meaning the body had
something else to fight instead of transposing on
itself. Of which I do not believe., I believe
there is something that sets this up in the
bowels, as in autism patients with bowel disease
they just won't say what that is. If the patients
revert to their prior conditions?
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
Oh sign me up PLEASE!! Where and how do I get my first dose. NOT!!! I just spent over 3 yrs getting rid of different varieties of creatures.
I wonder if these rocket scientists thought about the larva and eggs these things lay. Do they know that most allopathic antihelmiths do not get rid of the adults?!!
Gael
Posted by disturbedme (Member # 12346) on :
Disgusting!!!!
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
LOL. Actually, this is pretty fascinating.
Personally, I suspect vaccinations as a major cause of a lot of sensitivities and reactions. There have been so many 'natural' substances used in vaccines over the years - like peanut, corn and wheat products (wheat germ) - that I think the immune system reacts to many things in vaccines, not just the bacteria or virus that it's designed to protect against.
Speaking of which, I read in a Mercola article that according to German lung specialist Wolfgang Wodarg (who is also the chairman of the health committee in the German parliament and European Council), the swine flu vaccine's nutrient solution contains CANCEROUS cells from animals.
I think I'll take the hook worms instead.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Truth.. post that in a new thread about the cancerous cells. People need to know.
Worms indeed! Posted by IckyTicky (Member # 21466) on :
Not surprising. I mean, they use to market tapeworm eggs to women to help them lose weight.
Posted by lightparfait (Member # 22022) on :
OMG!!!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Celiac is not necessarily autoimmune as the authors seem so determined to think. It can be caused by infection - or by genetics.
And, did they every question the fact that there is just so much wheat in our diets these days it's at every meal, nearly every snack and processed far beyond what a human body was meant to handle. Not good for anyone.
I also wonder how they disinfected these worms so as not to carry any disease? Hope they though of that but I don't see how they could test each worm for everything. -
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
Wheat in some form has been a food staple for many cultures for thousands of years. It's hard for me to believe the main problem is that we are eating too much wheat. There's something else afoot here. Some answers probably lie with epigenetics versus genetics.
Lymetoo, I think my computer has the flu. I'm unable to pull up the full article, but I did manage to snag the link (I think) if you'd like to post about the cancer cells/vaccine issue.
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