Duke University scientists aim to get the FDA to approve helminth worms for treating depression, allergies

Article here:

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2015/09/duke-scientists-treat-depression-with-intestinal-worms

Short excerpt:

Eating intestinal worms may be a possible treatment for depression and other neurological diseases, according to a group of Duke scientists.

Helminthic therapy is an effort to rebalance the immune system and address a variety of disorders by putting the helminth worms back into the human body. Although the Food and Drug Administration has not currently approved helminths as a treatment method, some people have begun to treat themselves using the organisms and have reported positive effects.

I'm posting this here not because there is a vendor selling them on DNMs - although that would be awesome - but because our mod /u/-lobali has previously brought up a story about the guy who was selling them in the US and was shut down. He was able to cure his own asthma by "infecting" himself with hookworms and started a business because of that.

Links for those who want to know more:

  1. How to purchase helminthic therapy

  2. Radiolab episode about the hookworm guy


Comments


[2 Points] HappySodomy:

Medicine has gone full circle.


[1 Points] zen_hank_hill:

this sub is finally getting good again!


[1 Points] rogueXleader:

I'd have to be pretty damned depressed to infect myself with intenstinal worms on purpose. To each his own, but surely there are negative side-effects to having parasites living in your digestive system