This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi

In November I had an acute bout of optic neuritis. Prior to this had suffered on and off paraethesia in my feet. Typically fobbed off by my clown of a GP ion the UK. ON started in UK when I was on repat from Middle East. Spent 4 wasted days being messed about by halfwits at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge making wrong diagnosis.

Flew back to ME and was assessed, MRi'd, and treatment started inside 36 hours (IV steroids and Rebif).

Current situation in CIS camp. I have about 7 very small WM lesions. Minor residual effects - tingling. Eye 95% better.

I am due to start hookworm / whipworm therapy through Autoimmune Therapy's the first week of February 2011. Like Apuman I think it would be useful to post regular updates on my experience.


To date My contact with AIT has been an initial exchange of emails with Jasper Lawrence. I then had a 90 minute detailed telephone conversation with Marc Dellerba who is the Company's clinical Biochemist. I have now signed the client agreement. Cost for the combined therapy is $4000 for 35 hookworms and 20 whipworms. This should cover 5 years and includes an annual faecal sample to ascertain whether I am still host or not.

The money is not an issue - just hope I am doing the right thing????

I think we can all understand your anxiety, weather we choose treatment with CRABs, helminths, liberation, etc.

It sounds to me like youre playing it as safe as you can, with only one "official" attack. Going on both Rebif and helminthis will put the chances greatly in your favor of avoiding a second attack. For your sake, I hope you remain in the CIS camp.

Thanks Apuman

Whilst I have had one acute attack I still have mild chronic symptoms - buzzing & tingling which are manageable but worrying.

I saw my neuro today - he showed me my MRI from November which showed a total of 7 very small lesions. The numbers seemed alarming but he seemed pretty upbeat and numbers were not so much of an issue.


Thanks again - and please keep posting. Likewise I feel it is useful to let others know my progress.

I tested my allergy today which is to cats. I went to a BBQ where they had a cat. I stroked it for a while and got a reaction on my hand and face.

The reason I post this is that my response to a known allergy will be a useful test of the heminthic therapy I start next month

I've never been tested, but I'm 99% sure that I have cat allergies. I should let you know that this didn't change for me at all after going on helminthic therapy. I have noticed a marked improvement in my seasonal allergies, on the other hand.

Hi

I also have seasonal allergies but these are much more difficult to gauge in terms of exposure and response. In contrast if I stroke a cat I get quite a distinct rash on the contact area and areas I touch. Last night I got a moderate rash all over my neck.


I remember in Jasper Lawrence's account it was his cat allergy he tested after he got infected with hookworms.

You're right, and I remember reading that now. My cat allergies have never been that severe. I never get rashes, just irritation in the nose an eyes. I honestly believe that everyone has allergies to cats, it's just a matter of degree.

I don't. My cat used to sleep on my chest at night. However, I do have allergies to pollen.


NHE

Day 1

Recieved vial of whipworm (20) and hookworm 35.

Put the whipworm in a glass of water and drunk, refilled glass and drunk that to make sure I got as many eggs as possible.

Vial of hookworm placed on gauze pad and attached to arm. Within 15 minutes itching started. this stopped after about two hours.

I took them at 1pm today. Its now 9pm. No noticable symptoms so far. There is a slight rash in the area the hookworm patch was applied.

..

Day 2

Checked infection site. A number of red spots which mark the entry sites. Skin slightly irratated but no need to use any medication.

No gastrointestinal effect / Immune effects.

Coincidentially I have virtually no symptoms which is a first since my ON attack in November. Having returned to the Uk for a week I have started taking the following supplements

2000mg inosine
EPO and starflower oil
Vit B complex & B12
Fish Oil
Magnesium
Zinc
Reservatrol

In addition to a multivitamin and 5000iu of Vitamin D per day.

Day 5

Developed productive cough - I think this may be the larvae transiting the lungs.

In general feel very well. Very lttle in the way of symptoms compared to last few months. This may be a combination effect of the new supplements, placebo, and hookworm.

I wonder if the hookworm have an effect as soon as they enter the bloodstream and either act as a decoy or immediately secret chemicals to damp don immune responses so they can survive their 1-7 days in the blood stream?

Anyway so far so good.

..

Day 14

Had a really nasty bout of flu lasting 9 days. Luckily no chest infection so on the mend now. I think purely coincidential to the HW therapy and simply an unfortunate consequence of travelling back to the UK at the height of the flu season.

So far no gastrointestinal responses. THe innoculation site has remained slightly inflammed although starting to clear up now

Since infection day I have had some very mild symptoms. Usually towards the end of the day when I am tired. These consist of some tingling sensations and heaviness in my eye that was affected by ON.

Also on comprehensive supplement regimen as follows (any views Jimmy Legs?);

Multivitamin and mineral (iron free)
Fish oil 600mg (omega 3)
Evening primrose oil (130mg GLA)
Zinc (15mg)
Magnesium (300mg)
Inosine (1500mg)
Vitamin D 3000iu
Vitamin B Complex

Gingko Biloba
Reverstrol

hi there mr, just saw this. sorry to hear you've been suffering with the flu. boooo!

as for your regimen,
*multivit and multimineral, great.
*fish oil, great, evening primrose, sure why not!
*zinc 15mg might be a tad on the low side, esp if you're getting infections.. zinc is antiviral and antibacterial.
*magnesium - good, maybe a touch low. i know it's rough trying to supplement magnesium. are you eating plenty of high magnesium foods? also epsom salts baths can help top you up.
*inosine, i don't believe is worth spending money on. i normalized my serum uric acid by optimizing my zinc status. your body needs zinc way more than it needs inosine.
*vitamin D, i imagine it must be D3 right? dosage looks pretty good.
*b-complex also good. don't take any more than a b100-complex each day in the long term. klenner protocol uses tons but it's not a good idea to do it for months or years

you may want to consider adding vitamin E, C, and selenium to your regimen. especially in view of your recent infection.

if you want to do the vit E with diet, 1/4 c raw sunflower seeds each day is a great start. sunflower seed butter might be something to try..
best supplementary form of vit E that i've seen to date is natural ratio E8 complex with 4 tocopherols and 4 tocotrienols. i would think twice about taking alpha tocopherol on its own. it throws your natural balance of vit E out of whack.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/43/3/382.abstract
"Supplementation with either form of alpha-tocopheryl acetate resulted in depressing plasma gamma-tocopherol to less than 1/3 of initial levels; also the gamma/alpha ratio was depressed to less than 1/7 of the initial value." that's serious, since gamma tocopherol has tumor suppressant action. in the SELECT study, men who supplemented with synthetic alpha tocopherol had a slightly increased risk of cancer and their gamma tocopherol levels went down as the study went on.

vitamin C figures prominently in the klenner protocol but you don't need to go nuts. personally i try to get 2000 mg in me per day, plus eating plenty of fresh veggies (i could probably stand to eat more fruit).

as for selenium. it's also antibacterial and antiviral. serious business, in the research selenium status of HIV patients has been found to predict survival. you need 200 mcg per day, which you can get from a couple of brazil nuts or a supplement.

hope that helps!

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com