

How to cure your Asthma or hay-fever using hookworm. - bpick
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2006/4/30/91945/8971

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minouye
"I became infested almost immediately, it must have been either the first or
second day I spent walking barefoot through the latrines. When one thinks of
it this was an enormous piece of luck"

Wow - what a glass half-full outlook :-)

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Perceval
The guy wrote a follow-up piece last year:
<http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2009/3/16/3408/66053>

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nroach
Ok, i'm thoroughly disgusted. How bad does your asthma have to be in order to
resort to parasitic infection as a cure? I hate my hayfever, but you can count
me out for this remedy.

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rglullis
Not wishing you that, but I'd bet your disgust would disappear if your hay
fever got worse to the point of keeping you out for a entire season.

It's all about one's perception of how bad it is. Think of fashion models that
ingest similar parasites so they can lose weight. Having a parasite is bad?
It's even worse to not have a job.

What about people that smoke in order to eat less? Can you think of a better
example of choosing the lesser of two (perceived) evils?

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tokenadult
Here's the Wikipedia link on the general subject:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy>

I don't have any of those diseases, so I've had no occasion to try it.

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eli
The "Parasites" episode of Radio Lab discusses the story of another person who
did the same thing. <http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2009/09/25>

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dazmax
This was an excellent episode of a great show. Highly recommended listening.

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duncanj
There are a couple of factual errors in the story. The worms live in the small
intestine. (Think about the name, _Ancylostoma duodenale_ ) The third-stage
larva is infective, not the first or second.

Hookworm infestation causes anemia, lethargy, and malabsorption, so definitely
use with caution. It is probably best to use some sort of defined protocol so
that you have a small number of worms without the risk of massive infestation.

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dilap
I'd love to do this (I get super-bad hay fever), but dude's charging $3000
bucks, which seems pretty steep to pay for a disgusting worm with an uncertain
outcome. Anyone know a cheaper source? (I was thinking a farm, but apparently
the hookworms animals get and the hookworms humans get aren't the same.)

~~~
d4ft
I have a family member with colitis. In the US, there are treatments available
that use hookworms and are regulated, and hopefully safer than the option
described above. So before you going tramping off to some African open-air
latrine (assuming you don't live in Africa already), I would ask a doctor
specifically about helminthic therapy and see what s/he can do for you.

~~~
dilap
Well, thanks for the advice -- but everyone says, "see a doctor!"

I just want the cheap, infect-yourself-with-worms,see-what-happens,-no-drs-
required method.

(Haven't found previous visits to allergy doctors to be helpful. I'm sure
there are helpful doctors out there, but how do you find them?)

~~~
d4ft
I would put in a call to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. They are often on the
bleeding edge of treatments, and might be able to refer you to someone in your
own hood who can help you out.

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chipsy
For a few years, I had some pretty severe hayfever in the early springtime,
but this year there's been almost nothing. I attribute the difference to diet
changes reducing the inflammatory reactions.

Of course, that's probably not enough for all sufferers.

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volomike
As someone with really bad asthma, who coughs constantly when speaking to
clients and thankfully works from home and uses a mute during coughs on Skype,
this study is fascinating and I hope something comes of it for a vaccine.

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Mz
I don't even want to read past the intro. I'll stick with cleaning up my diet
and home environment and using alternative remedies to get better, thanks.

(No, I don't have asthma, though I was misdiagnosed with it at one point. I do
have "atypical cystic fibrosis" and there is a lot of overlap in treatments
between the two things.)

EDIT: Since I have been downvoted, let me clarify: I frequently get strong
negative reactions on health discussion lists for the "extremes" to which I
have gone to get well, extremes which freak out a lot of other people. To my
mind, my choices have been pretty conservative compared to this. I don't keep
my health situation a secret here but there is no real reason most folks here
would have much context. <shrug>

Carry on.

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rsheridan6
I'll venture a guess that most people have already tried that before they
resort to infecting themselves with hookworm.

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Mz
I'll bet you back that very few people are willing to go as far as I have in
that regard. I live without a car, I sleep on the floor, we wash clothes by
hand (after having dismantled and trashed our washer and dryer) and dry them
on a rack in front of a fan, cook a lot from scratch with specially selected
and carefully researched ingredients, have been creating our own recipes to
accommodate the need to cook with special ingredients, and own next to
nothing, not even towels. I know thousands of people on some lists I belong to
who have tried various diets and worked on cleaning up their homes/lifestyles.
I am still considered a "freak" and my presence is barely tolerated (or
sometimes not tolerated -- I've been thrown off a couple of lists).

Peace.

~~~
aerique
Can't you create a novelty account on Reddit and do an Iama?

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Mz
Serious question: Why do you think I should?

~~~
aerique
I'm curious about your lifestyle and can imagine others wanting to know more
as well.

