Helminthic therapy and food intolerance

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Food intolerance produces adverse reactions, often delayed, to foods, beverages, food additives and other compounds found in foods that produce symptoms in one or more body systems or organs, but generally refers to reactions other than food allergy. The term, "food hypersensitivity" is used to refer broadly to both food intolerance and food allergy. [1]

Food intolerance can be the result of an absence of specific chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a food substance, as in hereditary fructose intolerance. It may also be a result of an abnormality in the body's ability to absorb nutrients, as occurs in fructose malabsorption, and food intolerance reactions can be triggered by naturally occurring chemicals in foods, as in salicylate sensitivity. Drugs sourced from plants, such as aspirin, can also cause these kinds of reactions.

For much more detail about food intolerance, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, management and prevention, see the Wikipedia page about this condition.

The anecdotal evidence[edit | edit source]

The first four reports are more detailed than the quotes that follow them.

"I was on a very restricted diet and still felt bad whenever I ate... But now I can eat almost anything without negative side effects... My life has improved dramatically. (Link expired)

"Having recently added 10 hookworms to my whipworms... I can now tolerate lots of foods that i had previously cut out, such as brown bread, nuts, wheat, citrus fruit, the list goes on." (Link expired)

"The general malaise and slightly icky feeling (especially after eating, even "safe" foods) is gone... I have *never* felt this good, even when I was a kid." (Link expired)

"Arthritic stiffness in the morning associated with food intolerances gone. Daily Nalcrom necessity... decreased to zero..." (Link expired)

“After a life time of being extremely careful with my diet ... I can eat raw foods, salads, fruit of any kind, which I could never eat before.” (Link expired)

"70 weeks - finally stopped counting the number of foods I can tolerate because I can now eat pretty much anything I like." [2]

"I’m now able to tolerate all foods that I’ve been willing to try. Some still precipitate a reaction, but a much-diminished one..." (Reported, 7 Feb 2011, in a now deleted blog)
And, eight months later, after an additional dose of hookworm larvae, this blogger wrote:
- “Today I ate a breakfast burrito with eggs, hash browns, cheese and salsa inside a real wheat tortilla. And I had 2 cups of coffee! :)”

"Since using helminths I have no more food sensitivities and can eat raw foods and complex carbs without issues." (Reported in a private discussion, Jan 2012.)

"Should anyone ever wonder if hookworm can help with salicylate sensitivity, in my case I think it’s doing exactly that... Last night I tried eating a boiled carrot, since they are high in salicylates, and barely reacted. This morning I’m sipping a cup of organic coffee (also pretty high on the scale) and enjoying it. None of this would have been possible a month ago!" [3]

“just to explain how dramatic my relief from food intolerance is, back in mid-february i tried to eat lamb and had such a bad reaction my throat was tightening up for the entire rest of the night, my mind felt muddled, anxious. my breathing was affected, mostly nasal congestion. but it was miserable. and tonight i ate two pieces of lamb with no reaction at all. in fact, it tasted delicious. i am beginning to feel like a normal person again.” (Reported in a private discussion, Apr 2012)

"I suffer from a massive food intolerance with IBD symptoms. I was not able to gain weight for years independent how much I did eat. Now for the first time since years I was able to gain some weight and overall feel better (and) I am able to do some sports again. Honestly I thought I am a non-responder for a long time – I just kept on waiting and trying to be patient. It was worth waiting for – I am getting better – slowly but the success is becoming more and more visible. The decision to go on HT was surely the best of my life – as there was really nothing else that ever seemed to help me." (Reported in a private message, Jun 2012)

"I have had food intolerances/allergies for years due to crohn's and general poor gut/digestive function. I've always reacted to many foods and seriously to all grains, in any form, as well as anything with lactose or sugar. My gut has been greatly improved by helminthic therapy and my diet has expended, so I thought it was time to check for food sensitivities... I tested for sensitivity (the blood test measured IgG antibody, food antigens) to grains, legumes, nuts, meat, fowl, dairy, fruits, vegetables, fish, Mollusk, Crustacea, Miscellaneous items such as honey, chocolate, coffee, and yeasts. Out of the 100 items tested I showed a single "moderate level 3 reaction" on a scale from I to 6." (Reported to the Facebook Helminthic Therapy Support Group, Jul 2012)

"... my worms have significantly reduced my food sensitivities. I can now eat dairy after 15 years of not tolerating it. It took a while, but I am so much more resilient now.” [4]

"It's been over a year with HW… I feel the HW has helped me but not for the problems that were of greatest concern. My environmental sensitivities seem to have greatly improved. I can now handle scented products much much better than in the past. The HW also had a fairly dramatic effect on my anxiety levels. However, my food intolerances and related pain/inflammation in my muscles and joints are as bad as ever. I did add one food during the year (liver) and it went down ok for about a month, then I stopped tolerating it. I also dropped one food (Basa) and can only eat BC Red Snapper as a protein source now. Overall I'm glad I inoculated as it has provided benefit, just not the degree of benefit I was hoping for." (Reported to a closed group, Aug 2013)

☹️ “I have food intolerances and multiple chemical sensitivity and I didn't benefit from helminthic therapy… My lack of success with helminths might be due to liver issues as a root cause for my diseases (mutations in several of the genes CYP450 and some fluctuating liver numbers).” [5]

“I took 25 hookworm and it changed my life by completely alleviating all digestive issues after 7 years of FODMAP issues and general severe IBS. Now, ~3 months after my initial relief, I am still 100% in remission and I still have no digestive issues.” (Reported to the Facebook Helminthic Therapy Support group.)

“A family member had been on TSO for 22 weeks at dose of 1000 ova. Helped greatly w food reactions (along w SCD diet and other interventions). However still reacted - in a more minor fashion. We have recently raised dose of TSO up to 2500. 2 doses so far at that dose and now no traces of food reactions. Ate 2 trigger foods today - still no reaction. Truly amazing. This person had 0 safe foods in December. This is awesome!” (Reported to a closed group, Jul 2014)

☹️ "… I’m on HDC and they do not seem to help with food reactions sadly, i was ready to run for a 1kg bar of chocolate in the name of science!" (Reported to a closed group, Jul 2014)

The following three reports are by the same person.
- “I'm in the early stages - just had my second dose - so three months in. I started trying to reintroduce foods at 10 weeks and have had great success. Some I will have to come back to later when I have a larger colony, but I have increased from being able to eat only 26 food stuffs to 35 so far in just a couple of weeks. You can imagine how excited I am.” [6]
- “Three weeks post my second hookworm dose and I can honestly say I have not felt so well in years. Not only have my food intolerances significantly declined, but I feel happier, healthier and the future is very exciting. This therapy is amazing.” [7]
- "I had to share my excitement - last night we went to a business dinner for my husband's work and for the first time in many years I could provide a simple list of what I could not eat, rather than a very short list of what I could. I had a relatively normal 3 course meal and no one asked me why I was eating so little. I didn't feel different or embarrassed. I was able to drink wine, eat almost normally and enjoy myself rather than feeling stressed. All of this is thanks to HW.” [8]

“At six and half months in (25-25-40 HW) I am just short of claiming success for multiple food intolerances, likely leaky gut and a host of other related symptoms. I couldn't eat gluten or dairy without debilitating symptoms and had been GF DF for 7 plus years. For the past three weeks I have eaten anything I wanted for one meal a day without the terrible symptoms I have experienced all my life.” [9] And “I can tolerate beer better with HW.” [10]

“The hookworms have cut my food sensitivities by at least 50% in 3.5 months.” (Link expired)

“I inoculated with 30 HW in November, and since mid-March I've had great success with FODMAP foods. I've been able to have things like bread, garlic and avocados that I so dearly missed! I'm still not to my desired number of helminths yet, but even with only ~43 I don't feel any pain after eating FODMAP foods.” [11]

“I had Blastocystis approx 5 years before it was discovered. I was down to eating meat, rice sugar and pistachio nuts. I received the 'triple treatment’ through Dr Froomes in Melbourne, and I made good recovery until several months later I took antibiotics and my nightmare began. I started reacting to a lot of foods… I started with hook worms 17 weeks ago. My Intestinal condition gradually deteriorated over the next three months… and I had to give up certain varieties of rice. I lost over 15 kgs and … suffered from endless nausea and dizzy spells because my blood pressure was so low. Three weeks ago I got another batch of hookworms… And now at 18 weeks I can eat lots of food I haven't been able to eat in years.” [12]

“I have had numerous food intolerances as well as sensitivities to most chemicals for 45 years. I was malnourished too. It will be 2 years (next month) with hookworms. Improvements include reduced sensitivities to many foods and chemicals, loss of addiction to sugars and chocolates. Increased energy and reduced anxiety. It hasn't totally removed food and chemical sensitivities but tolerance has improved…” (Link expired)

“Near-total FODMAP intolerance (from age 17 to 22), and general weak digestion. Alcohol sucks, Coffee sucks, etc. Totally fucked up my life when it hit me like a train. I dropped out of school and was depressed for a seven month period, at the beginning and end of which I was suicidal. Daily diarrhea for years… Symptom relief can be largely achieved by adherence to a low-FODMAP diet. I self-infected 25 hookworm (and) began to experience symptom relief (after) about 2.75-3.0 months… I have lately not been following a FODMAP diet, nor have I been taking probiotics at all, and my issues are extremely minor.” [13]

“My daughter can eat more and more foods the longer she hosts (hookworms). Her gut is less and less leaky. She could tolerate no dairy before hosting, absolutely nothing. Now she can eat ice cream without it bothering her.” (Link expired)

“I inoculated with 25 NA hookworms around October of 2015. And since beginning of May, I have been able to add apples into my diet - something I couldn't tolerate at all. I have been mostly on a low FODMAP diet for over a year - and a Paleo diet before that. I couldn't eat apples for about 2 years and being able to eat them again is a remarkable achievement.” [14]

“Food intolerance and irritable bowel for 16 years. It had been gradually getting worse as time went by to the point where it was impossible to lead a normal life. It was almost impossible to eat out or go to friends houses to eat. When we went on holiday we would have to get an apartment with a kitchen so I could cook my own food, and I took my own food anytime we went out. I was following a low chemical, low fodmap diet, very restricted with what I ate. All the doctors I have seen over the years had no answers for me and just said to stay on my diet. It has taken time but I am able to eat much more now and can eat out now without having to question them about everything they use to cook the meal. We have also just traveled to Germany, something that would have been nearly impossible a year ago… Just being able to relax my diet is wonderful, my doctor has also been converted, he was horrified when I first told him.” [15]

☹️ “I tried it to deal with food intolerances (not allergies, no anaphylaxis) that result from enzyme imbalances. Hookworm didn't help.” [16]

"I had to do Low FODMAP AIP for a long time. It sucked, but I really needed to do it. I (was) able to tolerate FODMAPs since a couple months after my first NA dose. After a year and a half of HT, I can eat almost anything except for most of the nightshades. Most people would consider avoiding nightshades to be a huge ask, but if it gets down to ONLY that, we're talking a massive improvement!" [17] [18]

“I’ve been taking 20 hdc regularly every two weeks for nearly a year and I'm introducing foods I couldn't tolerate before, where I'd become constipated and break out in spots on my face and body. I've been taking the odd scary food once in a while, with little to no adverse reaction. Then more recently over Christmas I only had a mild reaction to herbs (in stuffing). Only last Wednesday I had a curry with practically no reaction... I'm getting braver, but cautious.” (Link expired)

☹️ “I've had hookworms for a couple of years and have to say, it didn't help my food intolerances. However, my hay fever was amazingly cured. I don't regret trying them at all and happy to know that overall inflammatory processes in my body are more controlled.” [19]

“After years of food sensitivities, I was down to six foods I could eat (totally plain meat, sweet potato, kiwifruit, banana, parsnip and carrot). I definitely had to avoid all grains, dairy, eggs and the nighshade family of vegetables. But then I inoculated with NA about 18 mths ago and yesterday... get this... I ate a wheat bun with ham, egg, salad and mayonnaise, with milk chocolate to follow.. and no problems. I love my little pretties!” (Link expired)

“It (TSO) really has helped me a lot with my food intolerances… I never used to be able to even touch beer or wine and I feel so much better I can actually tolerate it now.” [20]

“I inoculated with 7 NA (11 weeks ago), also using TSO. I recently noticed some improvements in food tolerance - was able to eat high Fodmap foods such as soy milk, onions, garlic, beans. Also have been eating peanut butter, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, didn't notice too much brain fog or abdominal pain.” [21]

“I tried NA to treat RA. It didn't work for the RA, but my irritable bowel and food intolerances did go away.” [22]

“I finished a course of TSO (4 months ago)… I had to be very careful with diet and couldn't eat much fiber (fruit, vegetables) or gluten and eggs. It worked like a charm and since then (6 months) I've been able to eat donuts, cake, beer, etc. with zero issues… I am frankly just so overjoyed to be able to have raw fruits and vegetables, baked goods, beer again... anything else is just gravy. So grateful for HT as I never thought I'd be able to indulge in a craft beer again.” [23] [24]

☹️ I've decided to concede defeat on using hookworms for Total Food Intolerance caused by blastocystis. It has helped my hayfever sinus issues, but I’m still pretty much at the same place I was over three years ago (with the food intolerance). [25]

“I had food sensitivities to literally everything, even chicken, and helminths (NA) resolved them.” [26]

“I have Hashimoto’s, extreme food sensitivities/intolerance including reactions to oxalate and histamine, migraines, depression and anxiety, and other autoimmune symptoms that have almost completely been eliminated by NA. It’s been the closest thing to a miracle that I’ve ever experienced. I had found that I could sort of function on the AIP diet, but even then many of the foods caused reactions. I had tried every drug, herb, therapy and nothing really helped until I did NA... NA has been a godsend. It took a while but I slowly added almost all foods back into my diet including gluten, eggs, nuts, nightshades, dairy and grains. It took almost a year to get to this point.” [27] [28]

“Whenever I ate dark chocolate, the end and underside of my nose would go red, then within a day or two break out in blisters and pimples. I tested this many times as I couldn't find any other complaints like this online. Five weeks into my NA adventure and, like a fool, I ate a big chunk of dark chocolate. Nothing... no redness, no blisters!” (Link expired)

“For me NA make a huge difference. I was severely sensitive to wheat, I couldn’t even have one bun. Almost a year in therapy, I can eat Pasta or even a whole Pizza without issues.” [29]

“My food intolerances have improved hugely with NA. I’ve had around 14 small doses over a two year period. Long term intolerance to fructose, legumes, onions and other formats cleared up. I no longer get IBS symptoms from those foods.” [30] [31]

”I have taken TSO for several months and it definitely helps with fatigue, mood and food intolerances that cause digestion issues.” [32]

"Helminthic therapy (with NA) reduced my 30+ food sensitivities to just gluten, and helped with energy, reducing symptom duration, and lowered systemic inflammation as measured by CRP. [33]

"It just flipped (after 3 doses of NA). Last week I couldn't have even a tablespoon of sour cream without feeling like crap, and yesterday I ate a whole bag of Reese's pieces and I feel fine!!!" [34]

(From someone treating intolerance to gluten and lactose, sometimes debilitating IBS-D, candida and mild vitiligo.) "It's been three years now. I've been to Italy and have been eating gluten and all sorts of other things. No adverse reactions. I'm feeling absolutely great. I've been (very) gradually working my way up and now ordered 10 NA. I'm absolutely thrilled still. My digestion has changed completely, I couldn't be happier where I am now." [35]

"I have had great results with 5 NA every 10-12 weeks over the last 4 years for food intolerance." [36]

"(HDC) have stopped my sensitivity to all fruits, veg, meats and most fish that persisted for 20 years. It took about 3 months, but the results are amazing. Eating with variety is wonderful. [37]

"After two yrs on very low dose TSO, I have *two* major food gains. I have spent over 40 years on an extremely restricted food regimen. Some of this has been post-viral syndrome-triggered immune-mediated food sensitivities. Some of it is likely lifelong hEDS-and-MCAS-triggered gut reactivity. Some is low FODMAP. But on this restricted food list I had only a few low carb green vegetables, a few roots, and for protein, red mammal meat only. This exposed me to histamine which can increase inflammation nonspecifically. No spices, dairy, beans/seeds, nightshades. A number of months after starting TSO I tolerated cooked chicken, and a year later I started testing eggs. I do totally tolerate both these foods. [Cheese has been partial tolerance only.]… So I've gone from being an extremely MCS, fragrance-sensitive food-sensitive person isolated at home, to being someone who can leave the house and travel a bit… Not all this benefit is due to TSO. EPD/LDA allergy shots also made a lot of difference, Lyme disease treatment has, LDN has, and diet of course." [38]

Media coverage[edit | edit source]

2015 Nov 10 Hookworm larvae to be injected into coeliacs in bid to treat gluten intolerance - ABC News

(The idea of hookworm larvae being "injected" into patients is yet another media misapprehension!)

Managing the reintroduction of food as treatment progresses[edit | edit source]

See Reintroducing food after helminthic therapy to treat food allergy or food intolerance