Getting a dose of a hookworm, an African parasite, could help with asthma and allergies. The hygiene hypothesis suggests that we get more allergies now because our immune systems don’t have enough to do – so perhaps the hookworm distracts the immune system and gives it something to work on? I wouldn’t try this at home, at least until researchers have finished clinical trials.
See the paper in Journal of Immunology - from Discover’s 20 Things You Didn’t Know About… Allergies
[...] suggests that we get more allergies now because our immune systems don’t have enough to do. Hookworms might be able to cure allergies – but a dog is much more fun to take for a walk! Share [...]
[...] Hookworms seem to cure allergies – this could be down to the hygiene hypothesis, where life is now so ‘clean’ that the immune system doesn’t have enough to do and attacks the body. Share this:TwitterFacebookMoreLinkedInEmailRedditStumbleUponDiggLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Tags bacteria, Crohn's disease, eggs, gut, health, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal wall, parasite, pig whipworm, science, Trichuris suis, ulcerative colitis Categories Animals, Humans, Insects and 'minibeasts' [...]