Man Claims Hookworm Treatment Led to Remission of Celiac Disease

@Craig Simms, blaming a board member here for killing your son and family members--a person who happens to have volunteered to be a moderator and spends lots of his personal time helping others here with the many issues surrounding gluten sensitivity and celiac disease--is just wrong, so please don't do that.

I've been at this for over 26 years and have never seen any scientific research that would indicate that celiac disease is: 1) Caused by any of the medications used to treat hook or tape worms; 2) That such medications could somehow affect people's genes or cause multi-generational celiac disease; or 3) That hook or tape worms or their eradication from medications somehow cause celiac disease. If you make any of these claims here you need to back it up with more than throwing around words like "CDC" and "NHC." Post some links to peer reviewed studies which show a scientific link between such medications and celiac disease.

This article is about one person's claim that his hookworm treatment has suppressed his immune system's inappropriate response to gluten, and there is scientific research that supports this idea, which is why we did this article. Apparently you haven't read his forum thread because he's not having any negative side effects from the hookworm infection, which is being administered by experts who can monitor his situation.

In any case, you've gone way off topic here, and you should create your own forum thread if you want to propose a new hypothesis on celiac disease--but again, please be prepared to provide links to research that would support it.

15 hours ago, Craig Simms said:

This was caused by his inability to absorb nutrition. They gave him vitamin "k" injections then performed the biopsy, confirming his disease. I spent the past 20 years analyzing the deaths of many family members and found that the vast majority could be directly linked to Celiac disease.

I have no doubt those deaths might have been a result of malnutrition. I do understand your anger. We've been misinformed and possible downright lied to. I see the same pattern in my family. I believe in addition (though limited evidence) that Karen Carpenter and Elvis would be alive today had they been treated with GFD and vitamin replenishment. New studies indicate that 44% of first degree relatives may be undiagnosed Celiacs. Celiac Disease causes malabsorption of some 20 essential vitamins and minerals, and each one has its set of symptoms that arise from that deficiency that mimics other diseases. Leading to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment and procedures. Due in part to our cultural belief that wheat, barley, and rye are part of our cultural heritage so could not possibly be detrimental to us. God told us to eat bread.

"As our celiac disease symptoms list of 281 ailments illustrates, the condition can affect not only the digestive system, but many other parts of the body." Celiac Disease Symptoms Checklist

So after all the procedures, the patient continues eating the "staff of life" and continues to be aflicted with new or recurring symptoms. With serendipity, he finally stumbles on a doctor or article that starts the uphill journey to diagnosis of Celiac Disease. Some get it fast, others take 10 years or more.

Meantime, the underlying problem of malnutrition continues because the general assumption is "Celiac Disease? Avoid gluten and you'll be fine. Have a good day." Ignoring the advice of the Merck Manual to "Instruct the patient to follow a gluten-free diet and replace any vitamin or mineral deficiencies." But no one actually seems to know how to determine. The Western diet itself is inherently riddled with deficiencies and some advice is contradictory to other advice.

Vitamin D is the moderator of the autoimmune system. A lifeguard or anyone working in the sun has blood plasma of around 80 ng/ml vitamin D. Yet a blood level of only greater than 29 ng/ml is considered enough. That number is based on what we need to avoid rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults, not what it takes to keep our T and B cells from running amuck and attacking our own organs. Perhaps there is a molecule that the hookworm produces in out gut that reduces inflammation that deserves study, after all in a heathy gut biome we get most of our Lactase from lactobaccilus to let us comsume milk into adulthood.

 Possible Role of Vitamin D in Celiac Disease Onset " VDR [vitamin D receptor] has been reported to be expressed on cell types as antigen-presenting cells and lymphocytes, underlining a possible role of vitamin D as a key modulator of immune and inflammation mechanisms, and suggesting VDR gene polymorphisms to be markers of protection from or susceptibility to autoimmune diseases"

Yeah. Absolutely… if only for the cross contamination!!!

7 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

@Craig Simms

I've been at this for over 26 years and have never seen any scientific research that would indicate: ... 3) That hook or tape worms or their eradication from medications somehow cause celiac disease

Actually that 3rd point is what proponents of Helminthic Therapy argue. Nothing to do with the medication per se, but the fact the medications enable people to live without helminths that's the problem.

The core argument behind HT is the human immune system evolved with the presence of helminths. Their immune modulating activity is a component of a balanced and well-functioning immune system. Take the helminths away and things can go awry.

An indication that might be the case is the frequency of immune related disorders vs areas of endemic helminth hosting. The more helminths, the less autoimmune problems there are. Of course, helminths can cause problems all by themselves. HT deliberately uses the benign helminth species and keeps their numbers low.

Wouldn’t it be the drugs used for the treatment of the worms that may make the differences? I don’t think anyone is suggesting getting infected with the parasite cured them!

1 hour ago, Guest Vicky said:

Wouldn’t it be the drugs used for the treatment of the worms that may make the differences? I don’t think anyone is suggesting getting infected with the parasite cured them!

That's exactly the claim. Substitute the word parasite with symbiont and the claim sounds better.

Think of the helminths as acting as a portable immune system regulator. In the case of celiac disease people with the DQ2 or DQ8 alleles fare less well dealing with helminth absence than people with other alleles. That's my explanation of the facts anyway.

I did exceptionally well with hookworms. I did a gluten test on day 39 after inoculation, passed, and the next day I was out shopping for bread. With most people it takes longer before they can tolerate gluten. Some hookworm hosts don't get the huge glutening type reactions any longer but still feel better not consuming gluten. Others unfortunately stay reactive to gluten. You won't know what camp you fall into until you try.

But yeah, for me hosting hookworms turned off my celiac disease and ulcerative colitis like flipping a switch. Back in 2019 I had them die off in early March and I had to go back to being gluten-free and meat-free. The hookworms have to stay healthy for me to stay healthy.

Celiac disease can go under the radar of blood tests and symptoms. An analogy would be having a fire burning in a different part of the house from where you are. You may or may not see smoke from the fire. There is evidence that celiac disease starts out as pre-celiac disease which can be tested by autoimmune antibodies in the stool a long time before antibodies are raised in the blood.

The body will try to balance out antibody levels to prevent high levels of inflammation which are harmful. When the body can no longer check this process the antibody levels rise.

In the msg below, does that mean you weren't eating gluten before?

38 minutes ago, dixonpete said:

I did a gluten test on day 39 after inoculation, passed, and the next day I was out shopping for bread.

20 minutes ago, Blue-Sky said:

In the msg below, does that mean you weren't eating gluten before?

My celiac disease kicked in about the same time as my ulcerative colitis back in 2005/2006. The UC was easy to diagnose. A scope saw all the ulcers.

The celiac disease went on for two years before I figured it out on my own. My GP missed it, though I don't know why because my symptoms were textbook.

I stayed gluten-free from June 21, 2008 till Dec 3rd, 2018 when I did a gluten test after my first hookworm inoculation. Deliberately ingesting gluten is a remarkably difficult thing to do for a highly reactive celiac. I used a pinch of bread that I borrowed from a friend.

I figure I was glutened about 20x in those 10 years between 2008 and 2018. Most of that was in the first year or two when I was learning the ropes. A small exposure would mean an hour or two of diarrhea. A big exposure would cause a catastrophic reaction. Norovirus level. Projectile vomiting.

After that successful Dec 2018 gluten test I started shoveling gluten in. English muffins, donuts, pies. I went to every fast food joint and tried all the burgers. Who wouldn't? It had been more than 10 years.

No reaction at all besides weight gain.

Hookworm therapy was discovered when researchers were investigating Viking mummies. The Vikings, known for their ferocity, strength, and hardy immune systems, under the harshest conditions, were a curiosity to these scientists.

When sampling their organs, they found an extremely high population of hookworms.  That led to their hypothesis for hookworm therapy for auto immune disorders.  Hookworm therapy has been used for a variety of A I conditions.  As stated above, they enter the body through the feet which are in a basin of water with hookworms.

There is nothing wrong with a natural remedy, instead of constantly relyingon Big Pharma for help.  God Bless, and have a great day.

I don't care how extraordinary a theory or potential treatment or cure sounds, it's a gateway to some hope for dealing with this awful and still misunderstood, often misdiagnosed disease that our medical community seems to prefer ignoring causing more suffering. Cures have often arisen from crazy sounding approaches proving how our health care system in more recent times has become excessively narrow, sterile and farther away from organic living to drug-supported existence controlling our lives by big pharma. I would not like the idea of hookworm treatment but probably less so than struggling with the costs, confusion, limitations and frustration celiac disease causes. 

3 hours ago, Al Dente said:

 

Hookworm therapy was discovered when researchers were investigating Viking mummies. The Vikings, known for their ferocity, strength, and hardy immune systems, under the harshest conditions, were a curiosity to these scientists.

When sampling their organs, they found an extremely high population of hookworms.  That led to their hypothesis for hookworm therapy for auto immune disorders.  Hookworm therapy has been used for a variety of A I conditions.  As stated above, they enter the body through the feet which are in a basin of water with hookworms.

There is nothing wrong with a natural remedy, instead of constantly relyingon Big Pharma for help.  God Bless, and have a great day.

Do you know what the average lifespan of Vikings was? I am always skeptical of people associating healing powers to this or that food or health practice of ancient peoples that usually died before the age of 40. And if the Vikings were in fact healthier than other people groups of the period, was it because of hookworms or in spite of them and actually do to other factors?

1 hour ago, Kathy8183 said:

I don't care how extraordinary a theory or potential treatment or cure sounds, it's a gateway to some hope for dealing with this awful and still misunderstood, often misdiagnosed disease that our medical community seems to prefer ignoring causing more suffering. Cures have often arisen from crazy sounding approaches proving how our health care system in more recent times has become excessively narrow, sterile and farther away from organic living to drug-supported existence controlling our lives by big pharma. I would not like the idea of hookworm treatment but probably less so than struggling with the costs, confusion, limitations and frustration celiac disease causes. 

I didn't like the idea either, the main reason I was pushed over the edge was because of the colitis. Celiac disease was one thing, but the colitis pain was intolerable for me.

It would be better if the solution was rubbing dandelions under one's chin, but it is what it is.

The way it is now, you reach out to the provider and arrange the purchase, the larvae in 11 days or so if you pay for expedited shipping, and you slap them on your arm. It's not difficult.