Medical conditions and their response to helminthic therapy
This page is still being developed, so please call back later to read further details as they are added.
This page aims to list the medical conditions and their response to helminthic therapy.
Main disease types[edit | edit source]
Positive effects[edit | edit source]
- Inflammatory diseases
- Autoimmune diseases
- Asthma and allergies
- Food intolerances
- Eczema
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) / Leaky gut
- Autism
- Neurodevelopmental diseases
- Neuropsychiatric diseases
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Sepsis, Peritonitis
- COVID-19, Influenza, Bronchiolitis (VRS)
Mixed effects[edit | edit source]
Cancer
None of the specially domesticated species used in helminthic therapy have been reported to cause cancer, but a number of non-therapeutic helminths are well known for their involvement in this disease. See the following page for more detail.
Infectious diseases
Effects of helminthic therapy on preexisting infectious diseases are dependent on the particular species being hosted and the dosages used. There are generally far less issues with the four domesticated species when used at therapeutic doses. See this page for more detail.
Potential negative effects[edit | edit source]
In therapeutic helminths, these are largely associated with the use of excessive doses, are typically transient and are almost always confined to the period immediately following the initial introduction of the helminths.
- Virus: HIV, Astrovirus, Flavivirus (West Nile virus, Zika virus, and Powassan virus), Norovirus, Adenovirus
Medical specialties[edit | edit source]
- Gastroenterology: Intestinal Bowel Diseases (Crohn and Ulcerative colitis), Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE / EoE), Irritable bowel syndrome, Gastric cancer, Colitis cancer
- Rheumatology: Autoimmune diseases (Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Lupus, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Dermatomyositis, Giant cell arteritis), Raynaud's Disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren's syndrome, Septic arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis
Medical conditions[edit | edit source]
- SE = Scientific evidence
- CTOS = Clinical Trials and Observational Studies
- PTE = Potential therapeutic effect. No studies yet done.
- PNE = Potential negative effect (unknown with helminthic therapy)
- PS = Personal stories
- UNK = Unknown
Concerning Personal stories. While anecdotes are not widely accepted as strong evidence in modern medicine, it would seem reasonable to invoke the “parachute paradigm”[1] in this case. If, like a pilot who jumps from an aeroplane and deploys a parachute, the patient is rescued from an otherwise certain fate, and if the mechanism makes perfect sense, then the anecdote should surely be taken seriously.
- Absence seizures: PS
- Acne: PS
- Actinic keratosis: PS
- Addison’s disease: PS
- Adenocarcinoma: PTE
- Adenovirus: ❓ PNE
- Adenosarcoma: PTE
- Adhesions: PS
- Adrenal fatigue: PS
- Aging / Ageing: SE, PS
- Alcohol intolerance: PS
- Allergy: SE, CTOS, PS
- Allodynia: PS
- Alopecia: PS
- Alopecia areata: SE,PS
- Alzheimer's: SE,CTOS,AS
- American trypanosomiasis (Chagas): SE
- Anaphylaxis: SE,CTOS,PS
- Anaemia (anemia): PS
- Angioedema: PS
- Ankylosing spondylitis: SE, PS
- Anxiety: PS
- Appetite: PS
- Arrhythmia: PS
- Arteritis: PS
- Arthritis: SE, PS
- Arthritis, IBD-related non erosive: PS
- Asthma: SE,CTOS, PS
- Atherosclerosis: SE
- Aspirin-induced asthma: PS
- Astrovirus: ❓ PNE
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, ADD): PS
- Autism: SE, CTOS, PS
- Autoimmune hepatitis: PS
- Autoimmune kidney disease: PS
- Autoimmune pain: PS
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL): SE,PTE
- Balanitis: PS
- Barrett's Oesophagus: PS
- Bipolar disorder: PS
- Bloating: PS
- Body temperature, poor control of: PS
- Bordetella Pertussis infection: ❓ PNE
- Brain fog: PS
- Bronchiectasis: PS
- Bronchitis: PS
- Bruising: PS
- Blood pressure: PS
- Body weight
- Bone healing ability, loss of in the elderly
- Breast cancer: PTE
- Cancer: PS
- Candida: PS
- Car sickness: PS
- Cardiovascular disease
- Celiac / Coeliac disease: PS
- Cervical cancer: SE,PTE
- Chagas disease: SE
- Chemical sensitivity: PS
- Chikungunya virus: PTE
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (EM/CFS): PS
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD): PS
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): PS
- Clostridium difficile infection: PS,PTE
- Cognition, poor: PS
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Cold sore (Herpes): PS,❓ PNE
- Colitis: PS
- Colorectal Cancer: SE,PTE,❓ PNE
- Constipation: SE, PS
- COVID-19: SE, CTOS, PS
- Cracked heels: PS
- Cramps (abdominal): PS
- Cranial arteritis
- Crohn’s colitis
- Crohn's disease: PS
- Cystic fibrosis
- Dandruff: PS
- Dementia: PS
- Depression / low mood: PS
- Dermatitis
- Dermatitis herpetiformis: PS
- Dermatographia: PS
- Dermatomyositis: PS
- Developmental delay: PS
- Diabetes type 1: PS
- Diabetes type 2: PS
- Diarrhea / diarrhoea: PS
- Diverticular disease (diverticulosis / diverticulitis): PS
- Dry eye syndrome (DES): PS
- Dysautonomia: PS
- Dysmenorrhoea / dysmenorrhea: PS
- Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS): PS
- Encephalitis
- Eczema: PS
- Endolymphatic hydrops: PS
- Endometriosis: PS
- Epstein–Barr virus: CTOS,PS
- Erythromelalgia: PS
- Eosinophilic enterocolitis: PS
- Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE / EoE): PS
- Escherichia coli enteropathogenic infection: UNK
- Fatigue: PS
- Fertility
- Fibromyalgia: PS
- Fibrosarcoma: PTE
- Flavivirus: ❓ PNE
- Food allergy: PS
- Food intolerance: PS
- Gastric cancer: SE,CTOS
- Gastroenteritis (norovirus,adenovirus): ❓ PNE
- Gastroenteritis (enteropathogenic Escherichia coli): UNK
- GERD (reflux): PS
- Giant cell arteritis
- Giardiasis: CTOS
- Glandular fever: PS
- Glaucoma
- Gluten-related disorders
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD): SE,PTE
- Graves' disease
- Gluten ataxia: PS
- Gluten sensitivity
- Gut microbiota
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis: PS
- Hair colour change: PS
- Hair growth: PS
- Hair loss: PS
- Headaches: PS
- Heavy metal accumulation
- Helicobacter pylori infection: SE,CTOS,PS
- Hepatitis
- Herpes: PS,PTE,❓ PNE
- Herpes zoster: PS
- High blood pressure: PS
- Histamine intolerance: PS
- HIV: ❓ PNE
- HIV-Helminth co-infections cancer risk: ❓ PNE
- Hives: PS
- Horton's disease
- Hot flashes (hot flushes): PS
- Hyperactivity: PS
- Hyperemesis gravidarum
- Hypertension: PS
- Hyperthyroidism: PS
- Hypochlorhydria: PS
- Hypocortisolism
- Hypoglycemia / Hypoglycaemia: PS
- Hypothyroidism: PS
- Idiopathic urticaria and eczema
- IgA nephropathy: PS
- Immune disorders
- Infectious diseases: SE
- Inflammaging: SE, PS
- Inflammation: PS
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Influenza: SE
- Insect bite reactions: PS
- Insomnia: PS
- Insulin resistance
- Interstitial cystitis (IC): PS
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD): PS
- Irritability: PS
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): PS
- Joint replacement, failure of
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS)
- Keratosis pilaris: PS
- Kidney pathology: PS
- Labyrinthitis: PS
- Lactose intolerance: PS
- Leaky gut syndrome: PS
- Leg ulcers, recalcitrant
- Leishmaniasis: ❓ PNE
- Leprosy: ❓ PNE
- Leukemia: PTE
- Lichen planus: PS
- Lichen sclerosus: PS
- Lifespan reduction
- Liver
- Liver Cancer: UNK
- Long Covid: PS
- Low mood
- Lung Cancer: UNK
- Lupus: PS
- Lyme disease: PS
- Lymphocytic colitis: PS
- Lymphoma: PTE
- Macular degeneration / age-related macular degeneration (AMD): PTE
- Malaria ❓ PNE
- Malnutrition: PS
- Mast cell disorders (MCAS, MCAD)
- Melanoma: UNK
- Memory loss: PS
- Microscopic colitis: PS
- Ménière's disease: PS
- Menstruation, irregular: PS
- Menstruation, painful: PS
- Menstruation
- Metabolic syndrome
- Migraine: PS
- Miscarriage
- Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD): PS
- Mood
- Mold (mould) illness / sensitivity: PS
- Mononucleosis / infectious mononucleosis / glandular fever: PS
- Mouth ulcers: PS
- Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS): PS
- Multiple sclerosis (MS): PS
- Muscle mass loss in the elderly
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): PS
- Myasthenia gravis: PS
- Myeloma: PTE
- Myodesopsia (floaters)
- Myopia: PS
- Narcolepsy: PS
- Nasal congestion: PS
- Nasal polyps: PS
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Neuropsychiatric disorders
- Night terror: PS
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Non-coeliac / celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS): PS
- Norovirus (Norwalk virus, winter vomiting disease): ❓ PNE
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Obesity
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Oral health
- Organ transplantation
- Osteoarthritis: PS
- Osteoporosis
- Pain, chronic
- Palpitations: PS
- Pancolitis: PS
- Pancreatic cancer: CTOS
- PANDAS / PANS: PS
- Papillomavirus: SE
- Parkinson's disease: PS
- Periodontitis (gum disease): PS
- Peritonitis: SE
- Pertussis: ❓ PNE
- Peripheral neuropathy: PS
- Malaria ❓ PNE
- Pneumococcal pneumonia: ❓ PNE
- Pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas: SE
- Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR): PS
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS): PS
- Powassan virus: ❓ PNE
- Preeclampsia
- Premature birth
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): PS
- Primary adrenal insufficiency
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC): PS
- Prostatitis: PS
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia: SE
- Psoriasis: PS
- Psoriatic arthritis (PsA): PS
- Psychosis
- Raynaud syndrome / Raynaud's phenomenon: PS
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection: SE
- Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): PS
- Rhinitis: PS
- Rhinosinusitis: UNK
- Rhinovirus: UNK
- Rosacea: PS
- Salicylate intolerance: PS
- Salmonella: ❓ PNE
- Samter's triad / Samter's syndrome: PS
- Sacroiliitis: PS
- Sarcoidosis: PS
- Sciatica: PS
- Scleroderma: PS
- Schistosomiasis: PTE
- Schizophrenia
- Seborrhoeic dermatitis / seborrheic dermatitis: PS
- Sensory hypersensitivity: PS
- Sepsis
- Sexual function
- Shingles / Herpes zoster: PS
- Sinusitis
- Sjogren's syndrome: PS
- Sleep
- Sleep apnea: PS
- Sleep, problems with: PS
- Sleep terror: PS
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO): PS
- Stomach acid
- Streptococcus pneumoniae pulmonary infection: ❓ PNE
- Stress: PS
- Suicide
- Sweet syndrome (SS): PS
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Temporal arteritis
- Tendinopathy (tendinitis / tendonitis): PS
- Testicular atrophy: PS
- Thyroid disease
- Tinnitus: PS
- Toxoplasmosis: ❓ PNE
- Trypanosoma cruzi infection (Chagas): SE
- Tourette Syndrome
- Travel sickness: PS
- Trimethylaminuria (TMAU): PS
- Tuberculosis: SE,CTOS,PS,PTE,❓ PNE
- Ulcer, leg: PS
- Ulcerative colitis: PS
- Ulcerative proctitis: PS
- Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD): PS
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs): PS
- Urticaria: PS
- Vaccines
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- Vertigo: PS
- Vitiligo: PS
- Warts: PS
- Weight, excess: PS
- Weight, insufficient: PS
- West Nile virus: ❓ PNE
- Whooping cough: ❓ PNE
- Winter vomiting disease (Norovirus): ❓ PNE
- Zika virus: ❓ PNE
- Zona: PS