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Down the Hatch: Human Whipworm

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Posted 6/25/2009 12:43 PM (GMT 0)
Eva Lou-- the infections used for therapy are extremely light compared to those associated with the colitis-like symptoms one reads about for trichinosis; that is one key difference. Of the billions of people infected with hookworm and whipworm in the world, only a small minority suffer any symptoms at all. As for the eggs of any resident whipworms- to my knowledge they do not latch onto the intestines but rather promptly eject out in the stool, and are not to be confused with the eggs ingested orally as therapy, which do latch on to the intestinal lumen and either mature (in the case of human whipworm in humans) or develop into larvae at best before being ejected (in the case of pig whipworm in humans).

The eggs produced in the gut by any mature whipworms, in order to complete their life cycle, have to get into the soil and develop further and then be orally ingested later. Thus, if one ends up with X number of mature worms in the gut, you will never have any growth in that number unless you orally ingest more of them. My only experience with whipworms thus far has been the pig whipworms (TSO) from Ovamed, which as stated earlier in the thread, only last a few weeks before being evacuated in the stool because they can't survive long enough in the human gut. I can state categorically that at no time on TSO, even when I briefly experimented with double and triple doses compared to the maximum recommended, did I ever suffer any side effects. I did happen to get some dampening of my UC while on TSO, without any doubt. I was able to reduce prednisone significantly (from 20 mg or so average down to 5-7.5 mg) but I did still flare when I tried to get off prednisone altogether. Of course, symptom potential might be greater with mature worms compared to TSO, but it's a chance I am willing to try before throwing in the towel for surgery.
Posted 6/25/2009 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
The whipworms need to be deposited in soil in order to mature and complete their lifecycle, so even though the adults I've cultivated may lay eggs, those eggs must eventually find their way to soil before they can mature. In my case, the extra eggs will be flushed and destroyed when my municipality treats the wastewater. Since they cannot complete their lifecycle in my intestine, I can never develop trichuriasis.

I can't comment on populations in the far north since I don't know much about the incidence of IBD in those populations. (Inuit? Yes?) I think when people speak of northern climates and an association of IDB, they are talking about the predominantly industrialized north.

I imagine I should see some beginning of progress before the six-month mark, but it may take that long or longer. I don't really know. It's an experiment of sorts, and I have to be patient -- whether I want to be or not!
Posted 6/25/2009 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
I am not so sure about northern climates having less parasite infections for traditional peoples. They seem common to all pre-industrial societies, in many cases picked up from the animals they hunt. Eskimos/inuit in Western Canada and Alaska are known to be common hosts of tapeworms for example...

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/786292-overview

Posted 6/25/2009 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Seconder, thanks for the quote from Summer-- but this is a flawed hypothesis. I really think that the answer to IBD lies in microbiology because the problem originates in T-cells & genes &/or infectious agents, which I really doubt have mutated due to lack of worms in human intestines. The causes of TB & upper GI ulcers were also ascribed to many societal changes before their related microbes were detected & their treatment was exploratory over a long period of time. Alas! For the sake of expedient cure, I wish it were true that helminth excretions could do the job, but this is unlikely. It reminds me of those medieval "cures" where leeches were attached to people to do whatever ... / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
Posted 6/25/2009 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Probiotic, I only mean that these particular parasites are tropical- very heay infestation in tropical climates, & even in rural Southern USA. I don't know about cold-weather parasites. But the incidence of IBD in far-northern peoples (Inuit, Norwegians, Swedes, etc) is extremely low, barely existant at all. So these particular worms can't play a role in that. It's an interesting theory, helminthic stuff, but I wonder at it's validity. Guess we'll all know soon enough, eh?
Posted 6/25/2009 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I know for a fact that pig whipworm eggs (TSO) work for my allergies. Specifically, my annual hayfever got knocked out 100% by TSO without any antihistamine. Not 70%, not 90%, but 100%. This for a person who normally has red watery eyes, a scratchy throat and sneezes alot for about two months each summer. Of course, allergies and IBD are very different things- my point being merely that TSO clearly does hook up to my immune system. TSO also dampened my UC, without a shred of doubt. (I know, some people say this of macaroon cookies or spinach and sunflowers, but I can only relate my story). So I can speak from personal experience that parasites affect my immune system.  And parasites are serious immune modulators in countless ways in animal models, as shown by scores of articles on pubmed.


Now, helminths may not be the key factor in IBD, only time will tell (I think it will be *one* key factor), and obviously microbiology is a key factor as Old Hat points out though I think it is a stretch to say it is THE key factor, since genes are also key, but the question then is why do normies not get IBD when exposed to the same "normal" bacteria that cause us to have IBD. Ultimately, these discussions can get like ping pong, but IBD is surely a combination of genes and environment, and those of us with IBD genes are the people who in many cases can suffer from less auto-immunity, when exposed to "normal" bacteria, when other otherwise fairly benign immune-modulators like parasites are con-currently present. The Eskimos, for their part, didn't have co-evolution of certain viruses, normal bacteria and parasites together and so are not "missing" the parasites needed to calm their aggressive microbial jumpiness, whereas my and your ancestors somewhere along the way were attuned to having both present together.  Well, that is the gist of that pubmed paper (I have the full text also but can't legally attach it to this forum), based on a close genetic study of concurrent genes for auto-immunity and micro and macro-pathogen exposure, the pubmed link of which I posted earlier in this thread. Anyway, I think that worst case, helminths will prove to be IBD dampeners. Best case, for some people they could be a magic bullet, who knows.

Posted 6/25/2009 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I'd say that IBD and allergies (and asthma and psoriasis and etc.) are related insofar as they are seen to be the outcome of an inappropriate immune response.  One theory, this theory, holds that the parasites we've eliminated from our lives were responsble for modulating an immune response.  Or, alternatively, one could say they gave the immune system an appropriate outlet.  It's not so much that T-cells have mutated since the absence of appropriate parasites as the T-cells lack a proper function without their presence.

The hypothesis has been proven in reasearch and studies conducted by the University of Iowa and. . . University of Nottingham?  The evidence is still cursory, but the hypothesis is sound.  I don't know whether it is chicken and egg regarding the research but a few papers look at the incidence of IBD in people who have been dewormed.  That is, removing the worms provokes or exacerbates a flare.

The chain of evolution is long and complicated, so its undoubtedly difficult to suss out the exact causes of automimmune diseases -- as we see here all the time.  Maybe we'll never know.  But, there is growing evidence that certain co-evolutions provide certain benefit. 

And even some pathogenic infections have proven helpful over time.  It is now known that descendants of people who were infected with the plague and survived carry a mutation that prevents HIV infection.  And, we know that that immunity can theoretically be passed along.  As "Dark-Ages" as it may sound, leeches are still used in medicine today because they improve circulation and produce anti-coagulents.

 

Posted 6/26/2009 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Well seconder- bottoms up, I just joined you (they are down the hatch) in this experiment.... This is actually my last hope, so we'll see how it goes in a few months.
Posted 6/26/2009 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck, probiotic.
Posted 6/26/2009 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
this is really great that we have 2 members doing this- now you can compare notes, symptoms, etc. with a more controlled take on it. Please, both of you, keep the forum updated! Good luck! I still can't get over the "EEEuuuuwwww!" factor, honestly not sure if I could do it myself. Probably not- I'm not that loathe to go the surgical route!
Posted 6/26/2009 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Eva Lou-- we will definitely report. I don't have real high hopes... but I think I need to at least try before I go under the butcher's knife. Oh, please don't anyone click this video if you are ick-averse, but I have to say those images are much ickier to me than saying hello to my little friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_s1AuqldIQ

Posted 6/26/2009 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
Isn't it amazing, the things we do to avoid surgery? I don't mean you, personally, but in general- the indignities of having an IBD slowly wear off, & you find yourself discussing enema retention strategies & such with near strangers! It's just funny. It reminds me of childbirth- you go into it thinking you're going to be this demure, earth mother type, & by the time you're ready to push, there could be 30 strangers in the room & you just DON'T CARE. Sigh.... I guess it's good, in it's own twisted way! Chow down, my friends! Who the heck knows, if you guys have good results, I'll be the next in line. Now, will these worms live in a martini?????? hahaha......
Posted 6/27/2009 1:50 AM (GMT 0)
LOL, Eva! They'd probably die in a rum & Coke. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
Posted 6/30/2009 12:10 PM (GMT 0)
any news to report or too soon?
Posted 6/30/2009 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi notsosicklygirl... Don't hold your breath, due to the life cycle of the whipworm. It will be several months before they mature, and from my understanding it could then be a another month or two before they seriously impact the immune system. Now, when I took TSO it took over 4 months before I noticed any difference in my UC, although it seeemed to eliminate my hay fever within a couple months. I never noticed any side effects from TSO. I plan to load up on a booster batch in a few weeks assuming, as I expect, that I get no side effects before then.
Posted 6/30/2009 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, too soon.  From what I understand, they haven't made it to the colon yet.

To the whipworms, I'd attribute a lack of appetite and some feverish nights.  Symptom-wise, the uc is a little worse than before I took the whipworms, going six to eight times a day, blood, terrible urgency. 

Otherwise, I'm starting to feel a bit like my old self before the flare exacerbation of October-April.  I've been very active for the last few weeks and haven't had a need for naps.  I'm hoping that holds until the worms kick in.

Posted 6/30/2009 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
I am currently (knock on gut) in a better state than in quite some time- about two normally formed stools a day. Prior to starting human whipworm I also started up TSO again (a few weeks ago) so I wouldn't be surprised if they have started to kick in slightly, perhaps with a shorter delay than if I was a TSO newbie due to my immunological "memory" of them. My use of TSO is purely to bridge the gap while I wait for the human whipworms to kick in, as the TSO is simply not affordable for me, and never gave me full remission. I am also recovering from a severe cold which definitely dampened down the UC, as miserable as the cold was, so now as the cold recedes I may take a hit. In any case, you and I both know that we won't see any impact (good or bad) from human whipworm for months, most likely.
Posted 6/30/2009 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

As third whipworm experimenter I thought I would add my experiences here. I am now 2 weeks into whipworm therapy, but at a lower dose of only 50 worms. I have had few side effects so far. The only thing to report is I felt a bit hot and sweaty a couple of times today and yesterday, but nothing major, not a fever. I am hoping this is a sign of at least some immune reaction to the worms. Interestingly, today my colitis has been a bit better, probably the best day for a month. No blood, some form, and only 6 trips to the toilet. Still bad, but better! I get a similar reaction when I get one of my regular doses of tonsillitis for example.
This is in direct contrast to my experience with taking hookworm, which made things worse quickly, and then no improvement for the 6 months until i cleared the infection.

Also, immunologically i am whipworm naive, in that I have not taken TSO ever before, so maybe i will respond differently to those that have used TSO before.

will keep you posted
Posted 7/14/2009 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a cautious, skeptical sort, and I've been down this road before with other treatments only to be disappointed, so I'm not going to get excited just yet or attribute any recent developments to whipworms. Whew. (Such a disclaimer, I should have been a lawyer.)

Just into the fourth week since I swallowed the whipworm eggs, I've been feeling better recently. I'm going three to four times a day and I've had a day or two with only one or two trips. Aside from morning and evening, I'm not in much discomfort during the day. There are always traces of blood, but only one trip a day is horrorshow bloody. Nights have been a bit uncomfortable with some abdominal cramping and pain.

I'm waiting to see what develops.
Posted 7/18/2009 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
So its now end of week 4/start of week 5 after ingesting 50 whipworm embryos. Week 3 saw a few days where i would have a feeling of being hot for an hour or 2, but these soon passed and were very mild (I did not feel the need for a paracetamol or anti-histamine). No other side effects to be reported. Colitis symptoms are better than normal i would say, not passing as much watery stuff these days, and not getting up at night. This is unusual for me to be like this without some steroid. And my weight is good, have put 3 pounds on over the last few weeks.
So good news really. Plan is to up the dose with another 150 embryos next week! Will keep you posted.
Posted 8/4/2009 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
just to keep you all updated, its now into week 7 since first dose and now week 3 of second dose. still no side effects at the moment.
I am feeling a bit better this week, tolerating a bit more fibre in my diet, and getting more formed BMs, not water at the moment and lot less mucus and most importantly little or no blood!!
Not sure if this is down to whipworms, or that i am less stressed this week (have been close to breaking point with so much else in my life). But have not been this good while off steroids for years!

will keep you posted.
Posted 8/4/2009 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the updates, it is very interesting to follow your experiment!
Posted 8/13/2009 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
Bump ---

How are things going with you, Seconder and Probiotic?
Posted 8/13/2009 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
For me no improvement as of yet and possibly some side effects- as always it is difficult to tell, with something with UC's ups and downs- whether it was simply a random flareup.  I started with 150 embyros during the last week of June.  Two weeks later I had a surge of pain and some watery D which was possibly a side effect, and I had to bump up prednisone a little bit and take some immodium and pepto.  That lasted about five days and then receded and then a week later I got increased pain and some multiple
"D" days again that once again required a bit of a pred bump for a few days but now I am tapered back to my 5 mgish dose again and having soft formed stool again as opposed to D (thankfully I have not seen blood in a long time).  Today I just swigged down 300 embyros making it 450 so far.  From my understanding only a relatively small percentage will end up suirviving as worms and I am crossing my fingers that any side effects (if that is what they were) are milder this time.  I have not heard of anyone else get such side effects but the numbers trying this are very low.  TSO never once gave me any side effects but it was not that effective and of course it is insanely expensive.  I am consulting with a surgeon next week, because if side effects do become an issue - other than transient (and thus far for me, if that's what they were, they seem to be only transient) I plan to terminate and pursue j-pouch surgery.  But I think this is a worthwhile try.
Posted 8/18/2009 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the update. I wonder how the others are doing??

I hope you feel better soon. At least if you end up having to have surgery, you know that will cure the problem smilewinkgrin The surgery sucks but the rewards sound amazing. I can't imagine not worrying about UC. Must be nice.

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