Helminthic therapy and neurodegenerative diseases

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    Neurodegenerative disease is a result of the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, potentially leading ultimately to cell death.

    Neurodegenerative diseases include Multiple sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease / motor neurone disease (MND) and Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Huntington's disease, Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Prion diseases.

    Introduction[edit | edit source]

    The potential for helminthic therapy to help in addressing neurodegenerative disease can be seen most strikingly in multiple sclerosis, which responds extremely well to the presence of helminths. See Helminthic therapy and multiple sclerosis (MS)

    There are also indications that helminths may help in both treating and preventing Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer and dementia.

    A 2019 review paper in the journal, Neuropsychiatry[1], suggested that helminthic therapy may have value in treating other neurodegenerative diseases.

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    Although the molecular mechanism of synaptic damage and neuronal loss in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease dementia (PD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is poorly understood and differ among different types of neurodegenerative processes, however, the presence of neuroinflammation is a common feature of all these dementia. In the advanced stage of neurodegenerative diseases of the late onset, both innate and adaptive immunity are key determinants of the progression of clinical symptoms of neurodegeneration. Therefore, it can be suggested that immunomodulation of chronic inflammation along with attenuation of humoral and cellular autoimmune reactions may be a universal strategy aimed at suppressing the progression of clinical symptoms and improving the current neuronal function in various neurodegenerative diseases. A promising direction for the development of symptomatic neurodegenerative therapy may be the use of immunomodulatory capabilities of our “old” friends” - parasitic worms and intestinal microflora. Both intestinal bacteria and parasitic worms have evolved together with the immune system of mammals for millennia and have become equisitely powerful immunomodulators, capable of altering and suppressing host immune responses, contributing to slow down excessive inflammatory and autoimmune responses. More recent studies also show that the interaction between intestinal parasites and intestinal microflora significantly changes their immunomodulatory capacity; microflora help helminths modulate host immunity. Presumably human lymphocytes after the ex vivo cultures in the presence of intestinal parasites and gut microbiota (“ménage à trois” system) will be more beneficial for the treatment of patients with dementia. Undoubtedly, many basic and preclinical studies must precede the development of procedures and recommendations for the treatment of late-onset neurodegeneration in humans with the help of parasitic worms and intestinal microflora. It seems, however, that this can be a very promising universal therapy, as the dysregulation of inflammatory and autoimmune reactions is significantly present in various neurodegenerative diseases.

    Scientific papers[edit | edit source]

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    The present study revealed for the first time that the parasite-derived ESPs alleviate gut microbiota dysbiosis and improve cognitive impairment induced by a high-fat diet. This finding suggests that parasite-derived molecules may be used to explore novel drug candidates against obesity-associated neurodegenerative diseases.
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    We find that the outcome of H. polygyrus-dependent immunoregulation is different in healthy, control mice than in mice with existing LPS-induced inflammation. Infection with H. polygyrus protected control mice from some neurodegenerative changes in the brain and reduced depression symptoms, typical for ageing mice. In mice with LPS-induced inflammation and infected with the parasite, the neurodegenerative changes are accompanied by poorer scores of depression, and these were also present in genetically predisposed APPSWE mice.
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    We present evidence that the E4 allele, often associated with cognitive decline, AD, and CVD in industrialized populations with minimal parasite burden, was associated with higher cognitive function among Tsimane Amerindians, but only among individuals with evidence of high parasite burden.

    See also

    APOE4 & the Tsimane study

    Inflammation hypothesis

    Microbiota-gut-brain axis dysregulation

    Autoimmune hypothesis

    IL4

    Prion Paradigm

    Alzheimer's disease[edit | edit source]

    See the scientific papers section, above.

    See also (not directly related) :

    To be linked to the Helminths and SPION study[4] and the fact Helminths could restore the blood-brain barrier.

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)[edit | edit source]

    See also

    Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease[edit | edit source]

    See Helminths and prion diseases

    Dementia[edit | edit source]

    There is one tentatively positive report of benefit in dementia.

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    I am currently helping someone with dementia. She has been taking NA for one year and whilst we have nothing remotely scientific, her doctors and her husband are pleased that she has not declined and may have some improvements. Early days. [5]

    Huntington's disease[edit | edit source]

    Multiple sclerosis[edit | edit source]

    See Helminthic therapy and multiple sclerosis (MS)

    Parkinson's disease[edit | edit source]

    There are four major independent lines of evidence suggesting that helminthic therapy may be effective in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

    1. The role of the gut-brain connection in Parkinson’s disease is well-known and widely accepted.

    2. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that helminths will halt the progression of Parkinson’s and even reverse many of its effects.

    Helminths may prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease, as suggested by the following two reports.

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    They (pig whipworms - TSO) have a brilliant effect on dyskinesia and the need for drugs. It reduces the need for levadopa considerably. Watch the video
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    In the case of the patient using HDCs to treat Parkinson’s, the noncommercial supplier had the male user’s doctor contact one of the authors (WP) and confirm that the patient (a) had Parkinson’s, (b) was wheelchair-bound before helminthic therapy, and (c) was now mobile and able to travel without the aid of a wheelchair. [6]

    While anecdotes are not widely accepted as strong evidence in modern medicine, it would seem reasonable to invoke the “parachute paradigm”[7] on this issue: 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.

    3. The authors of research published in Nature, in June 2017, concluded that Parkinson’s disease is related to autoimmunity.

    That there is a relationship between the disease and autoimmunity has been known for several years, but scientists have been slow to embrace the idea.

    A study reported in 2018 showed that the use of immunosuppressant drugs may keep Parkinson's disease at bay, and may also slow progression of the disease if it develops.

    Helminths can achieve similar beneficial effects to immunosuppressants without the longterm adverse side effects, and they are well known to be extremely effective in the treatment of a range of autoimmune conditions. Therefore, it can be concluded that helminths may also prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease, as suggested by the anecdotal reports.

    NB. After the discovery in, 2017, that a molecule in the anthelmintic drug, niclosamide, might be able to protect against Parkinson’s disease-related neuronal damage, [8] it is possible that patients with this disease may be offered treatment with niclosamide.

    Since this drug specifically targets tapeworms, in which it inhibits glucose uptake, oxidative phosphorylation and anaerobic metabolism, any patient taking niclosamide might not benefit from helminthic therapy using the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta (HDC).

    4. Parkinson's symptoms can be corrected by acting on the microbiota

    This paper in Nature, 2025 Apr 24 "Parkinson's gut-microbiota links raise treatment possibilities"

    This article indicates that by restoring balance to the microbiota's bacterial profile with more short-chain fatty acids, may reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

    This is confirmed by two papers about SCFAs :

    The helminths are well known to increase the part of short-chain fatty acids bacterias into the gut microbiota.

    See also

    An alternative, non-helminth-related approach to treating Parkinson's

    Post-traumatic brain injury[edit | edit source]

    See also

    See also[edit | edit source]

    The reintroduction to the digestive tract of a controlled number of specially domesticated, mutualistic helminths (intestinal worms) in the form of microscopic eggs or larvae to reconstitute a depleted biome to treat or prevent chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease and other immune-related disorders, including allergy.

    The reintroduction to the digestive tract of a controlled number of specially domesticated, mutualistic helminths (intestinal worms) in the form of microscopic eggs or larvae to reconstitute a depleted biome to treat or prevent chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease and other immune-related disorders, including allergy.

    An intestinal worm which grows large enough to be seen with the naked eye when mature but which is microscopic when administered in helminthic therapy. Wikipedia:Helminths

    Ancylostoma duodenale. A species of roundworm, aka the Old World Hookworm, that is not ideal for general therapeutic use. See Ancylostoma duodenale.

    An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits at the host’s expense. (The organisms used in helminthic therapy are, strictly speaking, not parasites, but mutualists, because they have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with their hosts.)

    An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits at the host’s expense. (The organisms used in helminthic therapy are, strictly speaking, not parasites, but mutualists, because they have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with their hosts.)

    The specific population of microorganisms living in a certain part of the body, such as the gut. "Microbiome" refers to all the microorganisms living in and on the body, or the genome of these microorganisms. These two terms are often used interchangeably.

    An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits at the host’s expense. (The organisms used in helminthic therapy are, strictly speaking, not parasites, but mutualists, because they have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with their hosts.)

    An intestinal worm which grows large enough to be seen with the naked eye when mature but which is microscopic when administered in helminthic therapy. Wikipedia:Helminths

    the human hookworm, Necator americanus

    A helminth with a tapering whiplike body that lives in the colon. In helminthic therapy, the microscopic eggs of either the human Trichuris trichiura (TTO) or pig Trichuris suis (TSO) are taken in a drink.

    the ova (eggs) of the porcine (pig) whipworm, Trichuris suis

    a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

    Hymenolepis diminuta cysticercoids (Hi-men-o-lep'is dim-a-nu-ta sis-ti-sur-koid) - the larval cysts of the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta

    A substance capable of eliminating or destroying intestinal worms.

    A helminth with a flat, ribbon-like, segmented body. Only the murine (rat) tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, is used in helminthic therapy and this generally does not reach adulthood in humans so requires regular dosing of HDC.

    A helminth with a flat, ribbon-like, segmented body. Only the murine (rat) tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, is used in helminthic therapy and this generally does not reach adulthood in humans so requires regular dosing of HDC.

    A murine (rat) tapeworm used in helminthic therapy that generally does not mature in humans and is taken as cysticerci (HDC) in a drink every 2 or 3 weeks.

    Hymenolepis diminuta cysticercoids (Hi-men-o-lep'is dim-a-nu-ta sis-ti-sur-koid) - the larval cysts of the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta

    An intestinal worm which grows large enough to be seen with the naked eye when mature but which is microscopic when administered in helminthic therapy. Wikipedia:Helminths

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