Parasites such as leeches and tapeworms often have a negative impression, but I find them fascinating. A few years ago, I intentionally infected myself with a tapeworm to see what would happen (more on this later).
In the years since this rather gruesome self-experiment, evidence has grown that worms like hookworms and tapeworms may hold the secret to reducing chronic inflammation. It is associated with many of the diseases we associate with older people, such as dementia and cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases such as asthma and ulcerative colitis.
In fact, recent studies have shown that tapeworm infection can extend an animal’s lifespan.
That said, I don’t recommend it, especially since there can be quite a few downsides if you get infected with tapeworms.
A startling article was recently published in the American press. Prominent anti-vaxxer and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said part of his brain was damaged by a tapeworm.
Growing evidence that worms may hold the secret to reducing chronic inflammation
He reportedly began suffering from memory problems in 2010, which was initially thought to be caused by a brain tumor. However, experts determined that the black spots seen on the brain scan were “caused by an insect that entered the brain and died after eating part of it,” he wrote in legal documents two years later. mentioned in.
Last week, his spokesperson said he has no long-term physical or mental health problems from the parasite and is fit to run for president.
It’s certainly a horrifying story, and one that highlights the dangers of eating undercooked pork, especially in countries with lax hygiene rules. So when I intentionally infected myself with tapeworms, I decided to choose the beef tapeworm over the pig type.
The purpose of this experiment was to see how tapeworms affect my immune system. Also, unlike pig tapeworms, cow tapeworms appear to be relatively benign and do not seem to go to places they are not supposed to go, such as the brain.
To become infected, the animal had to travel to Kenya, find an infected cow, and swallow a cyst formed by a tapeworm fetus. Over the next 8 weeks, the cyst “hatched” and the tapeworm began to attach and grow in my intestine.
While that was happening, researchers at the University of Salford monitored my blood and found that the tapeworm was weakening my immune response. Other than that, I didn’t really feel any changes and didn’t lose any weight (the tapeworm diet didn’t work for me). Two months later, I swallowed a pill camera to photograph bugs. By this point, the bug was several meters long and wriggled happily inside my intestines. My main reaction was fascination with a touch of disgust. I certainly didn’t regret taking the drugs to kill them.
What we saw in this experiment was the potential to calm down the immune system of the parasite. This parasite is used by scientists to treat a variety of conditions, from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis to eczema, asthma, allergies, and even multiple sclerosis (MS). Although still in its early stages, there are some promising results.
A small study from the University of Nottingham published in the journal Neurology in 2020 found that 71 people with relapsing-remitting MS (patients with worsening symptoms followed by periods of recovery) had hookworm larvae (about 25 of them). administered. You may put a band-aid on your arm or a placebo band-aid.
MS is usually caused by an overactive immune system attacking the insulating layer that covers nerves, causing problems with movement and memory. The purpose of this study was to determine whether infection with this nematode reduces the immune response.
Although the worms did not significantly improve symptoms or make any visible changes to existing nerve damage, they led to an increase in “regulatory” T cells in the patients’ blood. These help keep the immune system under control. And this seemed to prevent new damage.
The MS Society, which funded the study, says that while it is highly unlikely that a nematode treatment will be approved any time soon, this type of research will provide valuable insight into how nematodes manipulate our immune systems. They hope that this will provide valuable insight and lead to better treatments in the future.
In another small study, scientists at New Zealand’s Malagang Institute of Medical Research infected patients with Crohn’s disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) with hookworms to try to suppress their symptoms.
As reported in the Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Disease last June, 40 percent of patients remained in remission (no flare-ups) over the course of one year. Again, further research is needed.
But perhaps the most dramatic benefit I’ve seen is a recent study in which German scientists showed that tapeworm infection tripled life expectancy. This is the case with ants.
A team of researchers at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz found that not only did ants infected with a certain type of tapeworm live longer than normal, but they likely lived longer because the parasite was pumping hundreds of different chemicals into the insect. I discovered that. It protects them from damage normally caused by aging.
Of course, it’s a big step from being an ant to being a human, but I almost regret deciding to get rid of the tapeworm parasite myself. largely.
We need to take care of our liver. Here’s the quick route…
Our liver normally does a great job of removing toxins from the blood and producing bile, a fluid that helps digest and absorb fats.
Unfortunately, our livers are in crisis and the number of deaths from liver disease has quadrupled in the past 50 years.
Much of this is due to rising obesity rates, which are leading to a sharp increase in non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A normal, healthy liver should contain little or no fat, but if you gain more weight than your body can comfortably handle, some of that fat will be stored in your liver.
Currently, up to one in three people in the UK have early stage NAFLD, which, if left untreated, can lead to severe liver damage such as cirrhosis and liver failure. Signs of her advanced NAFLD include fatigue, confusion, dark urine, and itchy skin. If you have these symptoms, please see your doctor.
Our livers are in crisis, and the number of deaths from liver disease has quadrupled in the past 50 years.
There is no medical treatment for this condition, but research shows that intermittent fasting, especially the 5:2 diet (lowering calories two days a week), is an effective method.
Did I just lose weight? Not so, according to a study published last week in the journal Cell Metabolism. When researchers fed mice a 5:2 diet, their livers not only produced two proteins that reduce chronic inflammation, but also helped prevent the liver from developing cancer. These proteins appear to have a role in preventing fat accumulation in the liver.
So if you see signs of fatty liver disease, you know what to do.
I finally got over a really nasty cough that was keeping me up at night. In the end, what worked for me was taking an over-the-counter antihistamine, which apparently helps relieve the itching in my nose and throat. Either that or it just got better on its own.
I’m really bad at keeping in touch with old friends. And I’m not alone. A recent research study by psychologists at the University of Sussex found that two-thirds of our girlfriends are just as reluctant to message an old friend as they are to strike up a conversation with a stranger. got it. To overcome this, researchers asked volunteers to spend a few minutes texting existing friends or browsing social media. It was then suggested that I contact an old friend later. More than half of the group who sent practice messages actually sent the messages, compared to less than a third of the control group. I’ll try it.
