Helminthic therapy(treatment using hookworms)

Tell us what you are using to treat your MS-- and how you are doing.
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Apuman
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Post by Apuman »

J Neuroimmunol. 2011 Jan 28. [Epub ahead of print]

The impact of parasite infections on the course of multiple sclerosis.
Correale J, Farez MF.

Abstract
Previously, we demonstrated that helminth-infected MS patients showed significantly lower number of relapses, reduced disability scores, and lower MRI activity compared to uninfected MS subjects. In the current study, 12 patients with diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS presenting parasite infections were prospectively followed during 90months; due to exacerbation of helminth-infection symptoms after 63months of follow-up, 4 patients received anti-parasite treatment. Helminth-infection control was associated with significant increase in clinical and radiological MS activities. Moreover, these patients showed significant increase in the number of IFN-γ and IL-12 producing cells, and a fall in the number of TGF-β and IL-10 secreting cells, as well as CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells evident 3months after anti-helminth treatment began. These new observations on parasite infections associated to MS indicate that parasite regulation of host immunity can alter the course of MS.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PMID: 21277637 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
:) This was the paragraph that started me on my path to helminth therapy!
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Post by Lyon »

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Last edited by Lyon on Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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NHE
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Post by NHE »

gibbledygook wrote:I expect this has already been posted somewhere on a helminth forum but just in case...
J Neuroimmunol. 2011 Jan 28. [Epub ahead of print]

The impact of parasite infections on the course of multiple sclerosis.
Correale J, Farez MF.

Abstract
Previously, we demonstrated that helminth-infected MS patients showed significantly lower number of relapses, reduced disability scores, and lower MRI activity compared to uninfected MS subjects. In the current study, 12 patients with diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS presenting parasite infections were prospectively followed during 90months; due to exacerbation of helminth-infection symptoms after 63months of follow-up, 4 patients received anti-parasite treatment. Helminth-infection control was associated with significant increase in clinical and radiological MS activities. Moreover, these patients showed significant increase in the number of IFN-γ and IL-12 producing cells, and a fall in the number of TGF-β and IL-10 secreting cells, as well as CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells evident 3months after anti-helminth treatment began. These new observations on parasite infections associated to MS indicate that parasite regulation of host immunity can alter the course of MS.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PMID: 21277637 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21277637
Interesting. Both Ifn-gamma and IL-12 which are increased have been shown to make MS worse. Conversely, FoxP3 as well as IL-10 which are decreased, are usually considered beneficial for MS.

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Apuman
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Post by Apuman »

Well, I feel that now is as appropriate a time as any to give an update, seeing how I received my diagnosis almost exactly two years ago. Or, even better, since there's not a whole lot to update on, it may be more helpful to spell out the history of my MS.

Summer-fall 2008: I notice some bizarre emotional symptoms that may or may not be related to MS, such as not being able to sing certain song without crying. I suspect connection with MS, because I've noticed them return in conjunction with MS attacks. An employer of mine from this period would later remark that my balance and stability seemed a little shaky for someone of 26 years of age.

January 2009: An attack begins, with pins and needles/numbness starting in my right foot and eventually spreading throughout the lower 2/3rds of my body. Primary symptoms persist for at least 6 weeks. Residual symptoms including the MS hug persist for months.

February 2009: After two MRIs, cerebral and spinal, active lesions are detected in both scans. Diagnosed with RRMS.

August 2009: Second attack begins, initially causing motor dysfunction on the right side of the body. Food drop, lack of coordination in the arm, some difficulty speaking. These symptoms waxed and waned over the next few weeks, along with a return of numbness in the legs.

October 2009: After a few weeks where my symptoms calmed down, numbness with pins-and-needles appeared in my right arm and spread through that side of my head and neck. Foot drop also returned. Residual symptoms in my hand have been apparent ever since. A visit with a neuro confirms my diagnosis of RRMS after observing the symptoms and MRI images. I'm given the tentative prognosis of walking with a cane in 3 years time, and a wheelchair in 5.

December 2009: After doing some work that required kneeling for extended periods of time, my toes became numb, and normal sensation didn't return for over a month.

April 2010: I take my dose of 35 hookworm larvae, which happens to coincide with a new attack. Patchy numbness throughout the legs persists for several weeks.

June 2010: Numbness and pins-and needles affect a small area on the right front side of my face. Within two weeks all appears normal.

February 2011: Some subtle food-drop and coordination issues in the right hand again, lasting only a week.

In summary: 2008 was puzzling :? 2009 was hell :evil: 2010 was bearable :) 2011... well... remains to be seen :roll:

While I can't claim 100% remission since dosing with helminths, my MS activity certainly seems much more subdued in the 10 months that I've been hosting them...
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Post by Lyon »

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Last edited by Lyon on Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mrbarlow
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Post by mrbarlow »

Thanks Sheldon

Are you using hookworm only? I ask as my initial innoculation was 35 hookworm and an oral dose of whipworm eggs designed to give my an infection of 20 worms.

I will consider having a further 35 hookworm later in the year all being well.

My own outlook on Helminthic therapy is that it wont be a complete cure but a modifying treatment.
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Apuman
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Post by Apuman »

mrbarlow wrote:My own outlook on Helminthic therapy is that it wont be a complete cure but a modifying treatment.
I think you hit it home with this statement. If any of us could find a treatment to be 100% effective, well, this site would no longer be necessary, for one thing. Even the evidence from the Argentina study shows that the subjects with hookworms did experience relapses, albeit at a fraction of the rate of the control group. For this reason, some activity is a bit disappointing, but not hugely surprising.

Speaking to evolutionary normal conditions, it's almost impossible to know what a normal number of helminths would be for someone walking around barefoot, continuously contracting new infections while old parasites die off. I have a hard time believing, however, that it would likely be as low as 35. I believe the subjects in the study had somewhere around 200. Most cases of hookworm infection that are severe enough to warrant treatment are of numbers well into the thousands.

So, with all that in mind, it could very likely be worth it to re-dose and increase the number of helminths in my system.

Also, to answer Mr. Barlow's question, I'm just on hookworms, not whipworms. As it turns out, AIT only guarantees full remission if one goes on both species of helminth. I only ordered the hookworms as AIT was in the process of setting up their lab at the time and couldn't offer me whipworms. My visa for staying in Canada was about to run out, so I went with what I could and ordered my dose of hookworms.
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Post by Lyon »

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mrbarlow
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Post by mrbarlow »

I think we have to bare in mind that helminthic infections in a natural environment would probably be a mix.

The types that tend to stick around longest are those associated with humans

Hookworm
human whipworm
Beef Tapeworm (cystic stage in cattle)
Pork Tapeworm (cystic stage in pigs)
Hydatid disease (adult stage in dogs, cystic in humans )
Ascaris Lubricodes
pinworm

Parastic worms found in other species but which can affect humans are more likely to be short lived as they are less adapted to living in a human host;

Ascaris Suum (caused milkspot livers in pigs)
Echinococcus worms (dog tapeworm - cystic stage is hydatid disease)
Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) which is nasty and caused major damage to the liver.


In terms of influencing the course of autoimmune disease I susepct its the first 3 of the group that are most effective because they have evolved in such a way to dampen and modify the hosts response without causing damage (unless the host is overwhelmed by numbers).
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HelminthicTherapy
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Post by HelminthicTherapy »

Apuman, a few questions for you:

1). Do you know your vitamin D blood levels? It should be at least at 50ng/ml. If it's lower then you need to supplement. Check the levels at least every 3-4 months.
2) I highly suggest you to check your stool samples for ova. If you lose your hookworms, symptoms may come back and the only way you will know definitively is if you test your stool on a regular basis.
3) Why don't you add whipworm now?

Apuman wrote:
mrbarlow wrote:My own outlook on Helminthic therapy is that it wont be a complete cure but a modifying treatment.
I think you hit it home with this statement. If any of us could find a treatment to be 100% effective, well, this site would no longer be necessary, for one thing. Even the evidence from the Argentina study shows that the subjects with hookworms did experience relapses, albeit at a fraction of the rate of the control group. For this reason, some activity is a bit disappointing, but not hugely surprising.

Speaking to evolutionary normal conditions, it's almost impossible to know what a normal number of helminths would be for someone walking around barefoot, continuously contracting new infections while old parasites die off. I have a hard time believing, however, that it would likely be as low as 35. I believe the subjects in the study had somewhere around 200. Most cases of hookworm infection that are severe enough to warrant treatment are of numbers well into the thousands.

So, with all that in mind, it could very likely be worth it to re-dose and increase the number of helminths in my system.

Also, to answer Mr. Barlow's question, I'm just on hookworms, not whipworms. As it turns out, AIT only guarantees full remission if one goes on both species of helminth. I only ordered the hookworms as AIT was in the process of setting up their lab at the time and couldn't offer me whipworms. My visa for staying in Canada was about to run out, so I went with what I could and ordered my dose of hookworms.
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he1en
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Post by he1en »

Your bizarre emotional symtoms were just like mine. In spring 2006 I felt tearful all the time - I am usually happy and never cry- so depressed, even doing things I loved didn't cheer me up.
Then in the sept my bladder went, then suddenly in october I experienced bad weakness in my left leg, like it was made of rubber with 1 leg longer than the other. Diagnosed in the december.
Anyway I am thinking of trying hookworm therapy. Tried CCSVI treatment which hasnt done anything. It was a friend in australia that saw a programme on this therapy helping autoimmune disease,
I am in the UK. Is there anwhere you reccomend.
I have found a place in spain that does it cheaply but don't think there's any follow up.
Hope your symptoms remain subjuded !
Helen
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mrbarlow
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Post by mrbarlow »

Helen

I used Autoimmune Therapies based in the UK. The total cost of combined hookworm and whipworm therapy was £2600.

The feedback from users is almost universally positive. I would certainly recommend them. They have a former NHS Biochemist (Marc Dellerba) as one of the Directors which also gave me some reassurance.

Today is Day 21 when the hookworms should be maturing and latching onto the bloodstream. I feel a little nauseaous today so perhaps this is one of the transient side effects described.
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dignan
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Post by dignan »

Here is an abstract about the helminth trial in Wisconsin:

Mult Scler. 2011 Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Probiotic helminth administration in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a phase 1 study.

Fleming J, Isaak A, Lee J, Luzzio C, Carrithers M, Cook T, Field A, Boland J, Fabry Z.

Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
Abstract

Background: Probiotic treatment strategy based on the hygiene hypothesis, such as administration of ova from the non-pathogenic helminth, Trichuris suis, (TSO) has proven safe and effective in autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: To study the safety and effects of TSO in a second autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), we conducted the phase 1 Helminth-induced Immunomodulatory Therapy (HINT 1) study.

Methods: Five subjects with newly diagnosed, treatment-naive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) were given 2500 TSO orally every 2 weeks for 3 months in a baseline versus treatment control exploratory trial.

Results: The mean number of new gadolinium-enhancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions (n-Gd+) fell from 6.6 at baseline to 2.0 at the end of TSO administration, and 2 months after TSO was discontinued, the mean number of n-Gd+ rose to 5.8. No significant adverse effects were observed. In preliminary immunological investigations, increases in the serum level of the cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were noted in four of the five subjects.

Conclusion: TSO was well tolerated in the first human study of this novel probiotic in RRMS, and favorable trends were observed in exploratory MRI and immunological assessments. Further investigations will be required to fully explore the safety, effects, and mechanism of action of this immunomodulatory treatment.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21372112
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Post by Lyon »

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Last edited by Lyon on Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Apuman
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Post by Apuman »

Thank you Dignan, it's great to have some results from Wisconsin, and even better that they're positive!

I'll take this to the geneal forum if it's not already there.
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