Site Meter Daily Science Dose » Blog Archive » Worms, please

Worms, please

by

Dunno if you remember me talking about that whole allergy and autoimmune disease possibly caused by lack o’ parasites and too clean an environment, but Zooillogix has a great post today about studies being done with hookworms.

People with hookworms appear to suffer far less from allergies, asthma, and hay fever, as well as autoimmune conditions like MS and Crohn’s disease.

Which do you think it is - immune system, sans parasites, all bored and deciding to rough up the neighborhood? Or, do you think it’s that the parasites pump out suppressive chemicals that our immune systems have adjusted to, so much so that, in the absence of these chemicals, our immune systems do not know how to behave properly.

I suppose it comes down to the same thing. Our bodies miss worms.

Hookworm larvae
Photo courtesy of CDC’s Public Health Image Library

That there is what little baby hookworms look like when they are snuggling into a dog’s intestines.

O, worms. O sweet, writhing, hook-faced treasures. Angels, won’t you please come for a stay in my intestines? Then I can trade out my Claritin OTC - one med down, a dozen more to go.

Do you think worms could take care of my other things, too, the other things for which I take pills? I think that they might, especialy things like my yet-to-be-named autoimmune conditions.

Here’s the life cycle of hookworms, as usual, courtesy of the CDC’s public health image library:

Hookworm cycle

CDC says, “Barely visible larvae penetrate the skin (often through bare feet), are carried to the lungs, go through the respiratory tract to the mouth, are swallowed, and eventually reach the small intestine. This journey takes about a week.”

Wikipedia, being Mr. Buzz Kill, has this to say about hookworms:

“Hookworm is a leading cause of maternal and child morbidity in the developing countries of the tropics and subtropics. In susceptible children hookworms cause intellectual, cognitive and growth retardation, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, and low birth weight among newborns born to infected mothers.”

But, if you’re not a mother or child in a developing country, probably the worst that could happen is some anemia from blood loss. That’s not so bad now, is it? A fair trade for hay fever. Vitamins instead of Claritin. Worms instead of my body eating itself.

The body misses the worms eating, so the body gnaws away at itself. Romantic, really. Tragically romantic.

I’m done here. Adios.

, , , , , , ,


Comments are closed.


About Daily Science Dose

Welcome to Daily Science Dose, an eclectic collection of meditations and explorations in science, particularly medicine and biology. Here are some of the things Iʼm into: zoology, bird flu and other communicable diseases, marine life (especially invertebrates), brains, and sexual patterns of behavior, both human and non-human. What are you into? Is there something youʼve always wondered about? Drop me a line or leave a comment, and Iʼll see what I can find for you. Together weʼll discover many odd and exciting new facts about the world and the various creatures ambling about, as well as the various creatures ambling about within those creatures. And so on and so on and on and on. Super fun!"

Daily Science Dose Author(s)

Science & Health Channel Posts

  • What The Heck Is Treatment Resistant Depression?
    This is a dreadfully named type of chronic depression. Please, someone in the medical community rename this thing. When you're depressed, you're always convinced that you cannot be cured or helped. [...]
  • Victoria's Secret? She's a Vegan!
    Victoria's Secret is no longer hiding in closet. The lingerie and beauty product brand is getting loud and proud about veganism. Pink Body is a new line of Victoria's Secret cosmetics - including [...]
  • I binged
    Yes. I am not all perfect and cured. I totally had a binge last night. It was my own fault. I had junk food lying around the house for the "future" and needless to say, I pounced on the food last [...]
  • Is Volumetrics for you?
    [caption id="attachment_756" align="alignnone" width="339" caption="Volumetrics "][/caption]"Free foods" are those that help you get more bang for your buck because they contain a lot of water, [...]
  • Psoriasis and Earache
    I'm going to be honest and beg the blogosphere for information of psoriasis and earache. I have psoriasis and now it seems to have spread to my right ear. It causes a dull ache, but not bad enough [...]
  • Dear Non-Vegans, Love Eccentric Vegan
    Eccentric Vegan compiled a great resource post, called "Dear Non-Vegans," all about why meat, eggs, all other animal products are not healthy, humane, or environmentally friendly on Vegan Soapbox. I [...]
  • Top Ten signs of Alzheimers Disease
    [caption id="attachment_1800" align="alignnone" width="67" caption="Alzheimers"][/caption]Memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not a normal part of aging. It may be a sign of Alzheimer's [...]
  • The best way to measure body fat
    [caption id="attachment_796" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Tape Measure"][/caption]When does "putting on a few pounds" cross the line into needing to lose weight? Neither scale, BMI, pinch [...]
  • Exacts on how you too can run up expensive therapy bills for your children.
    Ok, so see, as I said, I’ve never been away from my children much.  And, I have missed not one, not two but on Saturday, I will have missed three of my son’s basketball games.  Never in [...]
  • Published Letter to the Editor
    My first letter to the editor was published this week in the Middle Tennessee State University student newspaper, Sidelines. Here's the published version of what I wrote in response to their article [...]

Hot Off The Press