In the last century, we in the West eagerly dispensed with most of our pinworms, and when someone does get a pinworm infestation today, their immediate reaction is to go to the doctor to get de-worming tablets. But this may be a mistake!
The pin/threadworm has been the most successful human helminth of the Western world and some 50% of children in Europe and North America may have been infested with this worm around the middle of the twentieth century. “Pinworms have been with us since before we became human. They have done us little harm, and might prove to be unexpected friends.” (A missing link in the hygiene hypothesis?)
One lady with Crohn’s disease, who recently became infested by pinworms, didn’t eradicate them and has reaped huge benefits to her health as a result.
Admittedly, her new therapeutic companions may give her an itchy bum at night, but they have proved what a few helminths can do for someone with an inflammatory bowel disease, and she now has the option of obtaining an alternative helminth that will deliver the same benefits without causing itching or any other long term side effects – the hookworm, Necator americanus.
There are 19 personal accounts of success with the use of helminthic therapy to treat crohn’s in the Helminthic Therapy Success Stories document in the Files section of the Yahoo Helminthic Therapy Forum. Once you log into Yahoo, the Files section can be accessed here.
Disclaimer: This post is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
