We've covered this material in both of the immunology courses at my university. It's a fairly uncontroversial idea nowadays (and it should be that way, given the evidence).
You might have this idea that you're somehow a biologically independent organism from the commensals in your gut and skin, but you're not. Humans (and other animals, of course) evolved symbiotically with their intestinal flora, and are heavily dependent on it for survival.
If still you feel that this is yucky, remember that you have about three pounds of bacteria in your gut (at least in an average healthy human adult), and you need it to live!
This does not mean that we shouldn't find another way of treating people (with a vaccine that stimulates IgE production against worms, for instance). For the moment, however, worms are cheap (and they appear to work). And if you purify your culture properly, they really aren't a bad idea; clinical trials with them are underway for a variety of conditions (MS, for one).
Finally, remember that anti-vaccine nutters often invoke phrases such as "fraught with peril" when railing against vaccines. But consider the peril we would all be in without them!
Came across this topic in another unrelated thread on this very site the other day. The below link was given and was quite informative about the "Old Friends Hypothesis" and Helminthic therapy:
I'm in no way a medical expert, and can't claim to be. As I told my wife this afternoon when I was changing her dressings following some surgery, I got into computer science so I wouldn't hafta deal with the other yuckier sciences.
I'm well aware of the bacteria and other creepy crawlies living in my body.
Common sense, to me, dictates that introducing other living cultures into my body seems to be a bit dangerous and fraught with potential unintended consequences, to further clarify my "fraught with peril" comment from earlier.
So, to that end, I can't tell you from any sort of personal experience or learned knowledge whether they work. It just seems like something I wouldn't want. Irrational? Maybe.
Sorta reminds me of the old comedian standby joke: "who was the first guy to look at a cow teat and say 'we're all going to drink what comes out of THAT?'"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis
We've covered this material in both of the immunology courses at my university. It's a fairly uncontroversial idea nowadays (and it should be that way, given the evidence).
You might have this idea that you're somehow a biologically independent organism from the commensals in your gut and skin, but you're not. Humans (and other animals, of course) evolved symbiotically with their intestinal flora, and are heavily dependent on it for survival.
If still you feel that this is yucky, remember that you have about three pounds of bacteria in your gut (at least in an average healthy human adult), and you need it to live!
This does not mean that we shouldn't find another way of treating people (with a vaccine that stimulates IgE production against worms, for instance). For the moment, however, worms are cheap (and they appear to work). And if you purify your culture properly, they really aren't a bad idea; clinical trials with them are underway for a variety of conditions (MS, for one).
Finally, remember that anti-vaccine nutters often invoke phrases such as "fraught with peril" when railing against vaccines. But consider the peril we would all be in without them!