William Parker and helminthic therapy
William Parker is a biophysicist who, until his retirement from Duke University in 2021, was director of one of the world's largest transplant research laboratories, a member of the Duke Global Health Institute and director of the pioneering Immune Dysfunction and Evolutionary Mismatch Laboratory. (Scroll down the linked page for details about the IDEML). Currently, he is visiting professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
- William Parker's CV (PDF)
Since retirement from Duke University, Parker has focused his attention on the independent William Parker Lab and begun working with companies aiming to eliminate what he refers to as the "paranoid immune function" that is widespread in high-income societies and causing shockingly high rates of allergy, autoimmunity, digestive diseases, and inflammation-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. This visionary work may well be pivotal to the health of future generations.
Back in 2013, Parker was interviewed by Donna Beales for the now discontinued Helminthic Therapy Forum on Yahoo, the first online venue for the helminthic therapy self-treatment community. This interview offers an insight into Parker’s vision and mission.
An article featuring Parker's ideas and work by Rob Dunn, a biologist in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.
Scientific publications by Parker and colleagues relating to helminthic therapy
The following publications emanated from Parker and his colleagues at the Immune Dysfunction and Evolutionary Mismatch Laboratory at Duke University and their collaborators at other centres.
- 2023 Feb COVID-19 morbidity in lower versus higher income populations underscores the need to restore lost biodiversity of eukaryotic symbionts | PDF
- 2021 Dec Evolutionary medicine helps explain pandemic dynamics: Predictions regarding clinical impact of COVID-19 borne out (Also see Helminthic therapy and COVID-19.)
- 2021 Nov Socio-medical studies of individuals self-treating with helminths provide insight into clinical trial design for assessing helminth therapy -- Full text | PDF This paper highlighted current limits in scientific understanding of the biology of both helminths and their hosts, revealed how these limits have contributed to the failure of many recent clinical trials of helminthic therapy, and suggested that the community of self-treaters may now represent the primary “lab” for research into this therapy.
- 2021 Feb Between a hygiene rock and a hygienic hard place: Avoiding SARS-CoV-2 while needing environmental exposures for immunity -- Full text | PDF (Also see Helminthic therapy and COVID-19.)
- 2018 Production of Hymenolepis diminuta in the Laboratory: An Old Research Tool with New Clinical Applications | PDF
- 2017 Nov Evolution of the hygiene hypothesis into biota alteration theory: What are the paradigms and where are the clinical applications? | PDF
- 2017 Oct Production and Use of Hymenolepis diminuta Cysticercoids as Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutics -- Full text
- 2017 Jul Not infection with parasitic worms, but rather colonization with therapeutic helminths (no abstract) | PDF
- 2016 Jul Policy and regulations in light of the human body as a ‘superorganism’ containing multiple, intertwined symbiotic relationships | PDF
- 2016 May Practices and outcomes of self-treatment with helminths based on physicians' observations | PDF. This was the first study to examine, through the eyes of their physicians, the practices and experiences of those who are self-treating with helminths.
- 2015 May Approaches to studying and manipulating the enteric microbiome to improve autism symptoms -- Full text | PDF
- 2015 May Microbiome Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Video - Helminths mentioned from 34 minutes)
- 2015 Apr Overcoming Evolutionary Mismatch by Self-Treatment with Helminths: Current Practices and Experience (PDF) This was the first study to investigate the methods and outcomes reported by individuals self-treating with helminths.
- 2015 Apr Increased Biodiversity in the Environment Improves the Humoral Response of Rats -- Full text | PDF (Also reported by Science Daily. [1])
- 2015 Jan A model for the induction of autism in the ecosystem of the human body: the anatomy of a modern pandemic? -- Full text | PDF
- 2014 Aug The "hygiene hypothesis" for allergic disease is a misnomer (No abstract)
- 2013 Jan Evolutionary biology and anthropology suggest biome reconstitution as a necessary approach toward dealing with immune disorders -- Full text | PDF This paper explains how the modern pandemics of autoimmune, inflammatory and allergic disease are due to the loss of species, especially helminths, from the human ecosystem.
- 2012 Jun Is autism a member of a family of diseases resulting from genetic/cultural mismatches? Implications for treatment and prevention -- Full text | PDF
- 2012 Jul A prescription for clinical immunology: the pills are available and ready for testing. A review | PDF
- 2011 Oct Reconstitution of the human biome as the most reasonable solution for epidemics of allergic and autoimmune diseases | PDF
Articles
- 2019 May 28 We need worms - William Parker, Aeon
- 2017 Oct/Nov Helminthic therapy and autism: a promising treatment with a PR problem - William Parker, Autism Research Institute
- 2017 Jan 20 Can Worms Cure Disease? 17 Questions With Dr William Parker - Eirik Garnas, Darwinian Medicine, via the Internet Archive.
- 2016 Jan 13 If being too clean makes us sick, why isn’t getting dirty the solution? - William Parker, The Conversation
- 2015 Oct 30 They might sound gross, but intestinal worms can actually be good for you - William Parker, The Conversation
- 2015 Helminths: ASD Cause or Potential Treatment - William Parker, Autism Research Institute
Videos
- 2021 May 26 Translating Helminths to the Clinic for Inflammatory Diseases. - William Parker, BioTherapeutics, Education & Research Foundation, You Tube
- 2017 Jun 8 Worms inside us: Lecture on therapeutic helminths to the North Carolina Science Museum (Intended for children but great for adults too!) - William Parker, YouTube
Webinars
- 2016 Jan 20 Autism & Helminths: The Good, the Bad, and the Rumors - William Parker, Autism Research Institute
- 2015 May 6 Microbiome Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders - William Parker (Helminths mentioned from 34 minutes)
Podcasts
- 2018 Jan 8 Worm Therapy with Dr William Parker: Rational Wellness Podcast 038 - Ben Weitz DC interviews William Parker
- 2017 Dec Are Worms the Next Probiotic? - Michael Ruscio interviews William Parker, Dr Ruscio Radio (With transcript)
- 2012 Jan 25 Got Bugs! - William Parker, AutismOne