Posted 3/29/2009 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
I remember in my parasite ecology class in college, a segment of a video we were watching mentioned the use of helminth parasites as a treatment for ulcerative colitis and crohn's disease. The reasoning behind it is that IBD is in part caused by an evolved response to the presence of parasites in the gut during the course of human history. Since parasites are much rarer now, the immune system gets confused, since there's nothing to attack, and attacks the gut wall instead. This is consistent with the observation that IBD is much more common in developed countries than 3rd world countries. As an experimental treatment, doctors administer two doses a month of eggs of a a specific species of pig roundworm (trichuris suis).
Apparently some people have had a lot of success with it, from what I learned in class. I'm thinking of maybe asking my doctor to try it instead of conventional meds. Has anyone on here tried it? Has it worked?