Narcolepsy confirmed as an autoimmune disorder
The long-held suspicion that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease has been confirmed by a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist, raising the prospect that a worm infection may benefit those who have this condition.
Alzheimer’s disease may be triggered by inflammation
According to this research, inflammation may be the factor responsible for preventing the removal of amyloid beta protein – the substance scientists believe is responsible for Alzheimer’s disease – from the brain. The medical solution proposed to correct this inflammation is, not surprisingly, a drug, but if inflammation really is the culprit, then an infection with helminths might offer a drug-free solution.
This finding may also mean that those of us who are already hosting helminths may be able to look forward to a dementia-free old age as an additional bonus to the effects we already enjoy in terms of a reduction in symptoms from our respective autoimmune conditions.
New findings support the theory that autism is somehow associated with disturbances in the immune system.
This is an interesting development in view of the fact that children with autism have shown improvement in their condition when exposed to parasites.
Bees ‘milked’ for their anti-inflammatory venom
A New Zealand honey producer milks honeybees using electric milking machines (no, don’t check the date – it’s not 1 April!) to obtain venom which is then added to honey for sale to people with arthritis.
The article points to a lack of scientific evidence to support the claim that the ‘bee sting honey’ has any therapeutic effect, but there are people who swear by bee stings as a source of relief from their arthritis.
Clinicians at Cardiff University in Wales are teaming up with a commercial producer of larvae to assess whether maggots really can deliver their anecdotally renowned wound cleaning abilities.
The UK’s National Health Service spends 3-5% of its budget on wound healing, so the team hope that maggots may provide substantial savings by cutting the length of hospital stays and reducing the number of expensive dressings used.
However, the study team may have difficulty finding willing volunteers – as the team on the Nottingham Hookworms for Crohn’s trial did – due to the strong repulsion response which such creatures cause in many people.
When a few maggots were found on the floor of a UK hospital operating theatre this week, the incident generated national headlines.
and the story ran for several days, until the carcass of a chick was found in pipes above the theatre and removed.
Researchers examining antimicrobial treatments for bacterial vaginosis concluded that intravaginal lactobacillus is as effective as oral metronidazole.
But medicine can’t take its eyes off the ‘chemical universe’
Small chance of interesting medical clinicians in natural treatments like bee venom, lactobacillus, or even tried-and-tested worms, when they have their eyes set on a projected 970 million chemicals suitable for study as lucrative new drugs!
Better sleep without drugs that may affect your worms
Researchers at the University of Virginia have developed a unique Internet-based intervention, based on well-established face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, that has shown remarkable results in improving patients’ sleep.
Alternatively, a simple meditation technique can have a profoundly beneficial effect on sleep, as I have found myself, although this isn’t a quick fix. Regular practice will certainly deliver improved sleep quality, and provide many other health and performance benefits as well.
Teenager diagnoses own Crohn’s disease in science class
If you thought you could rely on your doctor’s diagnostic skills, this report may shatter your illusion.
A teenager, who had suffered pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever for eight years, but whose pathologist had insisted she didn’t have Crohn’s disease, found evidence herself confirming the diagnosis when she looked through a microscope at slides of her own intestinal tissue during a high school science class.
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Amyloid Beta Protein, Arthritis, Autism, Autoimmune Disease, Bacterial Vaginosis, Bee, Crohn's Disease, Dementia, Diarrhoea, Fever, Helminths, Honey, Hookworm, Immune System, Inflammation, Lactobacillus, Maggots, Meditation, Narcolepsy, Sleep, Vomiting, Worms
[...] a Gut Buddies entry about the usefulness of meditation for better sleep, I found this link to meditation from [...]
[...] diabetes, arthritis, and celiac disease, have up to three times the risk of getting autism. (From Gut Buddies, Autism May be Linked to Mom’s Autoimmune [...]
[...] (Alzheimer’s Inflammation May Trigger Alzheimer’s Disease via Autoimmune & biotherapy news 2009/7/9 – Gut Buddies) (See also: Alzheimer’s – Lost [...]