This is an interesting topic to read if interested in Ivermectin;
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Without getting into the politics of IVM, just a word of caution. It CAN cross the blood brain barrier if that barrier is ‘leaky’ which happens often with other infections, trauma, dysbiosis etc. And it can have major side effects once in the brain.
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What helminth parasites are beneficial?
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Helminths help with autoimmune issues so much that for many years now the evidence points toward them being actually coevolved benificial, period, and that a significant part of the autoimmune and autism epidemics in developed landa is based on us having pretty much removed them instead of, as is the natural state, all having a few. Look up “helminthic therapy”, e.g.
I’ve seen what Stevens-Johnson syndrome does, it’s not pretty and the 10 year old I saw every 2 weeks for 3 months succumbed to that that one.
It’s quite rare from what I under stood back then, late 80’s.
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Lots of anti-parasitic drugs have anti-cancer benefits against tumors. The reason is that both parasites and cancer tumors surround themselves with a protective cyst like layer (biofilm) to evade the body’s immune system. Anti-parasitics are typically mild poisons that can penetrate those protective cyst like layer around the parasite and hence are likely to be able to penetrate a cancer tumor as well.
Certain non-parasitic infections (bacterial or viral) also produce biofilms around colonies of the bacteria or virus. For example, it was recently discovered that Artherosclerosis is actually caused by a bacterial colonization of the arterial wall (by a bacteria that is normally present in the mouth) that is protected by a strong biofilm, which prevents the immune system from clearing out the infection: instead the immune system keeps building a futile cholesterol plaque surrounding the biofilm. There is a hypothesis that long-covid is caused by a similar long term colony (pocket filled with Covid-19 virus) protected by a biofilm.
Another strategy for dealing with biofilms protecting invasive parasites or cancer tumors is to use enzymes that can selectively dissolve these biofilms : Examples are Lumbrokinase, Serrapeptase and Nattokinase.
PS: Note that I am NOT recommending anti-parasitics for cancer treatment : There is no evidence they are as effective as standard Chemotherapy drugs, let alone immune checkpoint drugs (if available) for your cancer type. Howevever, some OTC anti-parasitics for Malaria parasites (eg sweet wormwood leaf), are amazingly effective against many cancer tumors that share the high iron content of Malaria parasites that is targeted by sweet wormwood. Malaria parasites eat RBC ending up with high iron concentrations. Many cancer tumors have iron 100x to 1000x that of a norman human cell. High dose Vit C also is lethal for cells with high iron levels, since iron turns VitC into a pro-oxident. I am considering a 2-3 week annual course of sweet wormwood + Liposomal Vit C (500mg each per hour) as an Anti Cancer Prophylactic, maybe followed by another 2-3 weeks of DAV (Doxycycline, azithromycin, high dose VitC).
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I’ve recently become a bit more than interested in biofilms 
Especially the oral/dental biofilm and the nasties that harbors. Fortunately it is very easy to get rid of this one. Brushing, flossing, etc will not do it. How your teeth feel after a good cleaning at the dentist is due to the biofilm being scraped off. That feeling of clean teeth goes away pretty quickly after the cleaning.
Mine now feel like I’ve had them cleaned every day, it’s kind of amazing. I will search to see if the compound I use has ben discussed on the forum.
What, pray tell, are you taking? Is it K2?
As a general policy I wouldn’t recommend following Bots on Twitter/X for health information, especially when they are quoting videos from Epoch Times and other extremely biased sources. Follow good scientists without obvious political biases. The strongly biased info providers are more interested in attention (with exagerated and unproven claims), and engagement than scientific accuracy. Clinicians that use anecdotal references without clinical study perspectives, are trying to persuade you, not provide good and balanced information.
Please don’t post things like this (which I consider “Junk Science”) here on this site. We’re focused on deep science discussions, not clickbait social media “doctors” with strong biases. It’s like the junk that Dr. Oz promotes - also “junk science” in my opinion. See: Medical claims on The Dr. Oz Show - Wikipedia
Here is an evaluation from CGPT5.1:
Here’s a claim-by-claim read on that post.
1. “Ivermectin is SAFER than a sugar pill… You’d have to take a lot to make yourself sick.”
Verdict:
- Directionally: ivermectin is generally very safe at approved doses.
- Scientifically: the “safer than a sugar pill” line is hyperbolic and misleading.
What the data actually show
Large-scale mass drug administration (MDA) programs for onchocerciasis and other neglected tropical diseases have given ivermectin to hundreds of millions of people with very low serious-adverse-event rates. Reviews and MDA safety analyses consistently describe it as “astonishingly safe” with a wide therapeutic index at standard doses.
However:
- Systematic reviews of high-dose ivermectin (up to 10× typical doses) conclude that safety appears comparable to standard doses but that the evidence is limited and does not justify routine use above approved doses.
- Serious adverse reactions are documented, including neurotoxicity and severe skin reactions. Pharmacovigilance analyses have found increased reporting of encephalopathies and confusional states compared with some other anthelmintics.
- In people heavily infected with Loa loa, ivermectin can precipitate life-threatening encephalopathy, which is why WHO has special precautions in co-endemic areas.
A sugar pill (placebo) is pharmacologically inert; its main risks are allergy to excipients or aspiration—not systemic toxicity.
Bottom line:
At approved doses ivermectin has an excellent safety record, but it is not meaningfully “safer than a sugar pill,” and you do not need absurd doses to get into trouble in all contexts (e.g., Loa loa, drug interactions, overdoses). The statement overshoots the evidence.
2. “Dr. Kathleen Ruddy has observed multiple late-stage cancer patients make dramatic recoveries after taking ivermectin.”
Verdict:
- Anecdotal and hypothesis-generating at best.
- Not evidence that ivermectin is an effective cancer treatment.
What the evidence says about ivermectin and cancer
- Preclinical work (cell lines, mice) shows a range of anticancer effects: apoptosis induction, interference with Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and other pathways, plus immunomodulatory effects.
- Reviews highlight ivermectin as a promising repurposing candidate , but repeatedly emphasize that clinical evidence in humans is limited and no large randomized trials have shown benefit .
- Early-phase or exploratory trials (e.g., combinations with checkpoint inhibitors in triple-negative breast cancer, NCT05318469) are ongoing, but results sufficient to change practice are not available.
An oncologist’s observation of “dramatic recoveries” in late-stage patients is inherently subject to:
- selection bias;
- concurrent treatments (chemo, immunotherapy, surgery, radiation);
- misclassification of prognosis;
- regression to the mean and pure coincidence.
Without controlled data, this is not credible evidence of efficacy.
Bottom line:
Her anecdotes might motivate clinical trials, but they do not justify promoting ivermectin as a cancer therapy. Presenting them as implicit proof is scientifically unsound.
3. “Ivermectin is also: A Nobel Prize-winning discovery (2015)”
Verdict:
- Substantively true but phrased imprecisely.
In 2015, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for the discovery of avermectins, whose derivative ivermectin dramatically reduced the burden of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
The prize was technically for the discoveries leading to these drugs, not “for ivermectin itself,” but in casual terms it is reasonable to say ivermectin is part of a Nobel-Prize-winning discovery.
4. “Recognized, 2nd to penicillin, for having the greatest impact on human health”
Verdict:
- This is rhetorical, not a formally established scientific ranking.
There are authoritative sources calling ivermectin:
- “one of the most extraordinary drugs ever discovered for the treatment and control of parasitic diseases,” from a widely cited review linked by the American Chemical Society’s historical landmark on ivermectin/Mectizan.
But:
- I find no formal, widely accepted quantitative ranking placing ivermectin “second only to penicillin” in impact on human health. The “2nd to penicillin” wording appears in social media, talks, and advocacy pieces, not in consensus WHO/CDC/major-journal evaluations.
Bottom line:
The spirit—“ivermectin has had a huge global health impact”—is correct. The specific “2nd to penicillin” claim is a highly debatable slogan, not an established scientific fact.
5. “Credited for bringing river blindness to the brink of elimination”
Verdict:
- Broadly accurate, with important nuance.
Ivermectin (Mectizan), donated by Merck since 1987, has been central to onchocerciasis control and elimination programs:
- WHO and partner programs use annual or biannual ivermectin MDA as the main tool for onchocerciasis elimination.
- Several countries (e.g., Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico) have been verified free of onchocerciasis as a public-health problem after long-term ivermectin programs.
That said, “brink of elimination” is region-specific: transmission has been interrupted in some countries, but onchocerciasis remains endemic in others and progress is uneven.
Bottom line:
It is fair to say ivermectin has been a primary driver of river blindness control and elimination in many countries, but the disease is not yet globally eradicated.
6. “Used globally in HUMANS, with over 3.7 billion doses administered.”
Verdict:
- Directionally correct; the number is actually probably an underestimate today.
A 2019 research/advocacy article from ISGlobal noted that more than 3.7 billion doses of ivermectin had already been donated by Merck for neglected tropical disease control alone.
Since that figure predates several additional years of MDA campaigns, the cumulative human dose count by 2025 is likely higher.
Bottom line:
The order of magnitude (billions of human doses) is correct; “>3.7 billion doses” is reasonable, though now probably conservative.
Synthesis: what the post gets right and what it distorts
Accurate or mostly accurate elements
- Ivermectin’s discovery is part of a 2015 Nobel Prize and is on the WHO Essential Medicines list.
- It has had enormous impact on parasitic diseases, especially river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
- Billions of doses have been administered to humans, with a generally favorable safety profile at approved doses.
Misleading / overstated elements
- “Safer than a sugar pill” ignores real (if rare) serious adverse events, known high-risk situations (e.g., Loa loa), and the basic pharmacological reality that ivermectin is an active drug with toxicity at sufficient exposure.
- Anecdotal late-stage cancer “dramatic recoveries” are not scientific evidence. Human data for ivermectin as a cancer therapy are still preclinical or early-phase; no robust RCT evidence yet supports its use as an anticancer drug.
- “2nd only to penicillin” is promotional rhetoric, not a consensus ranking.
Net assessment
The post mixes solid facts about ivermectin’s antiparasitic achievements with:
- overhyped safety language , and
- unsupported implications about its role in cancer treatment .
Scientifically, ivermectin is:
- a major, Nobel-linked advance in infectious-disease and NTD control;
- generally very safe at standard human doses, but not risk-free;
- still unproven as a cancer therapy, with ongoing research but no clinical proof of benefit.
Google Gemini Evaluates The Epoch Times as an Information Source:
The Epoch Times is consistently analyzed by media watchdog organizations and investigative journalists as having a Strong Right/Ultraconservative political bias and, in many cases, is characterized by low or mixed reliability due to its promotion of conspiracy theories and partisan content.1
The biases and related characteristics of The Epoch Times can be categorized into three main areas: Political, Ideological/Foundational, and Reliability Concerns.
1. 
Political and Partisan Bias
-
Pro-Trump/American Far-Right:2 Since 2016, the publication has been noted for its very favorable coverage of the Trump administration and its alignment with the American conservative and far-right movements.3
- It has been reported to have spent millions of dollars on social media advertising promoting Donald Trump and his political positions.4
- Anti-Democrat/Conspiracy Focus: The paper has emphasized negative coverage of Democratic politicians, often promoting conspiracy theories alleging a “labyrinthian, global conspiracy” against President Donald Trump and conservative figures.
2. 
Ideological and Foundational Bias
- Affiliation with Falun Gong:5 The publication was founded by Chinese Americans affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement, which is heavily persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).6
- Strong Anti-CCP Stance: This foundational tie results in an ardent and often extreme anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bias .7 This is the core mission, and reporting on China focuses heavily on the CCP’s abuses and corruption.8
- Ultraconservative Social Views: The paper has been noted for adopting ultraconservative social views in line with the Falun Gong movement’s teachings.
3. 
Reliability and Disinformation Concerns
Media analysts and investigative reports often cite the following issues regarding reliability:
-
Promotion of Conspiracy Theories: The Epoch Times and its affiliated media channels (like NTD Television) have been prominent purveyors of widely debunked conspiracy theories, including:9
- Misinformation and false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., anti-vaccine misinformation, unfounded claims about the virus’s origin).10
- False claims of fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election .11
- Promotion of the QAnon conspiracy theory and others like “Spygate.”
-
Rating by Media Watchdogs:
- Ad Fontes Media has rated The Epoch Times in the “Skews Right” or “Strong Right” category of bias, with a reliability score that places it in the “Mixed Reliability: Opinion or Wide Variation” or lower categories.12
- Other organizations have similarly rated it as “Right” or “Lean Right” and flagged it for low reliability.13
- Non-Disclosure and Deception: The publication has faced criticism for using sophisticated marketing and advertising tactics (which led to a ban on advertising on Facebook) to obscure its political agenda, and for promoting the related Shen Yun performing arts group without adequate conflict-of-interest disclosure.14
In summary, the core biases of The Epoch Times are its intense opposition to the Chinese Communist Party and its strong alignment with the American political right, which has frequently resulted in the publication of hyper-partisan content and conspiracy theories, leading media analysts to rate its reliability as problematic.
GROK on Dr. Kaathleen Ruddy as an information source, and her biases:
My Prompt:
Does Dr. Kathleen Ruddy seem to have any significant biases in her statements related to medical treatments?
Response:
Yes, Dr. Kathleen Ruddy appears to exhibit significant biases in her statements on medical treatments, particularly toward non-mainstream, unproven approaches for breast cancer and other cancers. These biases are evident in her strong advocacy for viral etiologies and repurposed drugs like ivermectin, often framed with anecdotal evidence, institutional criticism, and ties to groups associated with misinformation.
Background on Dr. Ruddy
Dr. Ruddy is a board-certified breast surgeon trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with over 35 years of experience. She founded the Breast Health & Healing Foundation in 2008 to promote breast cancer awareness and research. Her work includes authoring The End of Breast Cancer: A Virus and the Hope for a Vaccine (2017), where she argues that viruses contribute to 40–94% of human breast cancers. While she has contributed to mainstream discussions on breast cancer disparities and survivorship, her recent statements increasingly focus on fringe theories and alternative therapies.
Key Areas of Bias
-
Viral Causation of Breast Cancer (MMTV/HMTV Hypothesis):
- Ruddy claims a mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-like virus, dubbed the “pink virus,” causes up to 75% of human breast cancers, transmitted similarly to how MMTV spreads in mice (e.g., via breast milk). She argues this was overlooked in her medical training and calls for urgent vaccine development, criticizing the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for underfunding research despite breast cancer’s prevalence (1 in 8 women lifetime risk).
- Bias Indicators: This hypothesis is highly controversial. While some studies detect MMTV-like sequences in 14–74% of breast tumors, many attribute positives to lab contamination, and meta-analyses show no consistent causal link. Ruddy presents it as “settled science” needing only final proof, ignoring consensus that multifactorial causes (genetics, hormones, environment) dominate. Her NCI critiques imply conspiracy-like neglect, a pattern in advocacy for under-researched ideas.
-
Promotion of Repurposed Drugs like Ivermectin for Cancer:
- Ruddy reports “dramatic recoveries” in late-stage cancer patients (e.g., stage 4 breast, prostate, lung) after ivermectin use, describing three spontaneous remissions in 30 years of practice—attributed solely to the drug. She calls ivermectin “safer than a sugar pill” (with over 3.7 billion human doses globally) and plans an observational study with the FLCCC Alliance to track survival rates using repurposed drugs.
- Bias Indicators: These claims rely on uncontrolled observations of ~50 patients, ignoring selection bias, placebo effects, or concurrent standard treatments. No randomized trials support ivermectin for cancer; preclinical data shows anti-tumor effects in labs, but human evidence is anecdotal. Her FLCCC collaboration links her to COVID-19 misinformation promoters (e.g., Dr. Paul Marik), and she’s labeled a “hardcore antivaxxer” for endorsing unvaccinated blood registries. Oncologists warn such promotions fuel a “disinformation epidemic,” delaying proven therapies like surgery, chemo, and targeted drugs.
Broader Context and Implications
Ruddy’s biases align with a pattern of elevating unproven ideas over evidence-based oncology, potentially influenced by her foundation’s focus and personal anecdotes (e.g., her mother’s 35-year survivorship). While passionate advocacy can drive research, her statements risk misleading patients toward risky delays in care—e.g., a court case denied a patient’s bid for ivermectin at a hospital, citing threats to medical standards. Mainstream bodies like the American Cancer Society emphasize proven treatments, and experts urge caution on viral theories without causal proof.
In summary, while Ruddy’s expertise is legitimate, her treatment statements show a clear tilt toward speculative, low-evidence options, substantiated by associations with controversial networks and oversimplifications of complex science. Patients should consult oncologists for personalized, evidence-based advice.
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Oh wow, never heard of that effect from DIM, but I think that’ll be in my Black Friday order this year! Thanks!
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I would say Ivermectin would be beneficial if you happen to have a parasite that you are unaware of. I know people who have had this, so it’s not too uncommon.
Other than that case, I would wait for more data before trying it,
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It is shown to be a pretty broad spectrum anti viral. Also this was just published, though it was done in 2021:
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/9/1205
I have given this to my animals for years, taken it for years…John Campbell took it daily for months and had no side effects. It’s very safe. My brother in law, who is an MD lived in an apartment building where people had bedbugs. He took it daily for weeks so that if they bit him they would die. He was a missionary in Sierra Lione Africa for about 10 years so he knew all about it.
Having said all that, I have been sick (briefly like for a day) a couple times in the last few years since finding out about this very safe drug’s anti viral qualities. It did nothing for me. I guess it may have shortened the disease and I wouldn’t know, but really I felt it did nothing. My disease , whatever it was, was apparently not on the list.
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Would it be worth running a cycle of ivermectin as a theoretical cleanse? What would that protocol be?
In this country the normal dose is 12 mg, though you can safely take many doses per day, people usually don’t. With fenben on parasites in animals often you go three days in a row because it gets the ones encysted to wake up, then ivermectin. Ivermectin usually just takes one dose for parasites.
If you prefer to get your drugs at the farm store, you just dose as they do the animals, by weight. The weight is written on the plunger handle. The apple flavored is probably the best, but don’t get your hopes up and have a drink handy.
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AI summary of the studies:
Ivermectin appears to have genuine off-target biological effects beyond killing parasites, especially in immune regulation, inflammation control, antiviral lab activity, and cancer-related signaling pathways. Preclinical studies show it can reduce airway inflammation and mucus in asthma mouse models, improve disease severity in an MS-like autoimmune mouse model by shifting the immune system away from inflammatory Th1/Th17 responses toward regulatory T-cells, and enhance anti-tumor effects when combined with metformin by increasing oxidative stress and suppressing the PI3K/AKT/mTOR growth pathway.
The key limitation is that most of this evidence is from cell studies, mice, or animal models, not proven human clinical use. Antiviral effects against multiple viruses have been demonstrated in vitro, but often at concentrations higher than safely achievable in humans. So the practical takeaway is that ivermectin is an interesting pharmacologically active molecule with possible future repurposing potential, but outside approved uses its real-world medical value remains unproven.
Study excerpts:
“Our in vitro experiments showed that the combination of two drugs had a considerably significant effect on cytotoxicity, ROS levels, and the formation of autophagosomes compared to each drug alone. Meanwhile, the in vivo experiments showed that IVM combined with MET had an obvious inhibitory effect on tumor growth in canine breast tumor xenografts. This study concluded that IVM with MET activated autophagy, which killed breast cancer cells by inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and promoting the excessive accumulation of ROS. It offers a theoretical foundation for the synergistic effects of MET and IVM to suppress breast cancer cell activity.” - Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Ivermectin and Metformin in Canine Breast Cancer via PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway Inhibition Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Ivermectin and Metformin in Canine Breast Cancer via PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway Inhibition - PubMed
“In this systematic review, we showed antiviral effects of ivermectin on a broad range of RNA and DNA viruses by reviewing all related evidences since 1970. This study presents the possibility that ivermectin could be a useful antiviral agent in several viruses including those with positive-sense single-stranded RNA, in similar fashion. Since significant effectiveness of ivermectin is seen in the early stages of infection in experimental studies, it is proposed that ivermectin administration may be effective in the early stages or prevention. Of course, confirmation of this statement requires human studies and clinical trials…
…The blood levels of ivermectin at safe therapeutic doses are in the 20–80 ng/ml range [44], while the activity against SARS-CoV2 in cell culture is in the microgram range. Ivermectin is administered orally or topically. If safe formulations or analogs can be derived that can be administered to achieve therapeutic concentrations, ivermectin could be useful as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent.” - Ivermectin: a systematic review from antiviral effects to COVID-19 complementary regimen Ivermectin: a systematic review from antiviral effects to COVID-19 complementary regimen - PMC
“…we conducted in vitro experiments and found that ivermectin inhibited the proliferation of total T cells (CD3+) and their subsets (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) as well as T cells secreting the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-17A; ivermectin also increased IL-2 production and IL-2Rα (CD25) expression, which was accompanied by an increase in the frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg). Importantly, ivermectin administration reduced the clinical symptoms of EAE mice by preventing the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the CNS. Additional mechanisms showed that ivermectin promoted Treg cells while inhibiting pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 cells and their IFN-γ and IL-17 secretion; ivermectin also upregulated IL-2 production from MOG35-55-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes. Finally, ivermectin decreased IFN-γ and IL-17A production and increased IL-2 level, CD25 expression, and STAT5 phosphorylation in the CNS. These results reveal a previously unknown etiopathophysiological mechanism by which ivermectin attenuates the pathogenesis of EAE, indicating that it may be a promising option for T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases such as MS.” - Ivermectin Protects Against Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice by Modulating the Th17/Treg Balance Involved in the IL-2/STAT5 Pathway Ivermectin Protects Against Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice by Modulating the Th17/Treg Balance Involved in the IL-2/STAT5 Pathway - PubMed
“Methods and results: We used a mouse asthma model, in which allergic airway inflammation and airway remodelling were induced by ovalbumin (OVA) sensitisation and challenge. Ivermectin or PBS treatment was administered 1 h before OVA challenge. Ivermectin at 2 mg/kg significantly diminished recruitment of immune cells, production of cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and secretion of OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 in the serum. Histological studies indicated that ivermectin suppressed mucus hypersecretion by goblet cells in the airway.
Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that ivermectin is an effective suppressor of inflammation and may be efficacious in the treatment of non-infectious airway inflammatory diseases such as allergic asthma.” - Anti-inflammatory effects of ivermectin in mouse model of allergic asthma Anti-inflammatory effects of ivermectin in mouse model of allergic asthma - PubMed
“Excitingly, cell culture experiments show robust antiviral action towards HIV-1, dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Chikungunya virus, Pseudorabies virus, adenovirus, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Phase III human clinical trials have been completed for DENV, with >50 trials currently in progress worldwide for SARS-CoV-2. This mini-review discusses the case for ivermectin as a host-directed broad-spectrum antiviral agent for a range of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.” - Ivermectin as a Broad-Spectrum Host-Directed Antiviral: The Real Deal? Ivermectin as a Broad-Spectrum Host-Directed Antiviral: The Real Deal? - PubMed
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Helminthic therapy makes sense but it wouldn’t have entirely positive effects. Ideally we would study which ones are beneficial, figure out why and create isolated chemicals which activate those pathways.
Similarly to how a very specific bacteria from the intestines of Japanese tree frog has anticancer activity when administered intravenously. Not every bacteria was beneficial, but several were and one in particular excelled.
A study looking at the theory you brought up basically came to the same conclusion I came to:
"The rationale for iatrogenic administration of helminths to treat inflammatory diseases has occasionally been based on specious assumptions. Significantly, the assumptions that helminths infections are negligible in the US and other Western nations and that helminths have intrinsic anti-inflammatory properties in humans. We do not argue that helminths evolved with an extraordinary ability to manipulate host immune responses, but their role in relation to humans is not one of symbiosis, as is seen with the bacterial microbiome, but is one of clear parasitism. Given the known risks of live helminth inoculations, research highlighting helminth immunomodulatory properties should direct future research towards identifying helminth-derived molecules of therapeutic potential. This approach is likely to result in a more viable therapeutic window. Further, it’s important not to diminish the role of helminths in inciting and exacerbating inflammatory diseases globally, including in wealthy countries such as the US.
A recently emerged attractive alternative hypothesis to explain the rise of inflammatory diseases is a “biome depletion” theory. This suggests inflammatory disease may be due to a loss of species diversity or alteration of composition of the commensal microbiome within the human body [79]. Interestingly, differences in microbiota composition and diversity between adults who live in high-income versus low- and middle-income communities have been described [80].
The immense conflicting data regarding the benefits versus harms of live helminths as a therapeutic modality to date warrants further questioning of the utility of additional human clinical trials. Therefore, directing future research and trials towards helminth-derived immunomodulatory molecules allows for safer and better-described therapies that could alleviate the suffering from autoimmune conditions without the commensurate risk of a parasite infection. Indeed, the aim of experimental animal models should be to develop novel treatments that mimic the effects of helminths without requiring the presence of parasites in the host.
There is overwhelming evidence that demonstrates the clinical and economic ramifications of helminths in endemic settings [81]. Therefore, prioritizing helminth elimination efforts globally through mass drug administration and developing new control tools, such as anthelminthic vaccines, remains paramount [81]."
I ran the paper through my Gemini Pro analysis:
The Parasite Paradox: Why Your “Missing Friends” Might Be Modern Enemies
The “hygiene hypothesis” has long suggested that the rise in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases—such as asthma, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis—is a byproduct of our ultra-clean, “westernized” lifestyle. This theory posits that a lack of exposure to microbial and parasitic agents during childhood prevents the immune system from maturing properly. A provocative branch of this hypothesis even suggests that parasitic helminths (worms) should be rebranded from “parasites” to “mutualists,” leading some biohackers and researchers to experiment with live worm infections to treat chronic inflammation.
However, this research paper from a consortium of Texas-based institutions argues that the “helminth-as-mutualist” narrative is based on dangerous assumptions. The authors contend that helminths have never been proven necessary for immune maturation in humans. Instead, they highlight a grim reality: helminth infections are significant drivers of global morbidity, causing iron deficiency anemia, growth failure, and cognitive impairment.
The paper identifies “inconvenient truths” that contradict the hygiene hypothesis. Specifically, common helminths like Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm) and Toxocara (from dogs/cats) are not extinct in high-income countries like the United States; they remain prevalent in low-income communities and are directly linked to increased asthma severity and decreased lung function. Furthermore, clinical trials using live parasites like pig whipworms (Trichuris suis ) or human hookworms for IBD and asthma have yielded largely disappointing or contradictory results, often resulting in gastrointestinal distress without clinical remission.
The authors argue that helminths are clear parasites that have evolved sophisticated ways to evade and suppress the host immune system for their own survival, not for the host’s benefit. Rather than advocating for iatrogenic infections (iatrogenic helminthosis), the paper suggests a pivot toward identifying specific helminth-derived molecules that could offer the anti-inflammatory benefits without the pathology of a living parasite.
Actionable Insights
For the longevity and biohacking community, the primary takeaway is a cautionary one: do not self-infect with live helminths. While the idea of “rewilding” the gut is appealing, live helminths can exacerbate or even induce the very inflammatory conditions they are intended to treat.
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Prioritize Molecular Isolates: If seeking the immunomodulatory benefits of helminths, focus on emerging research into helminth-derived molecules rather than live organisms, as these provide a safer therapeutic window and better mechanistic understanding.
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Microbiome Over Parasites: Consider the “biome depletion” theory, which suggests that a loss of commensal bacterial diversity—not the absence of worms—is the more likely driver of inflammatory disease.
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Environmental Screening: Be aware that zoonotic infections like Toxocara are still common in the US and can mimic or cause asthma.
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Vaccine Support: Support the development of anthelminthic vaccines and mass drug administration, as eliminating these parasites remains a global health priority for improving cognitive and physical development in children.
Context
- Institutions: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Baylor College of Medicine; Rice University; Texas A&M University.
- Country: United States.
- Journal Name: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- Impact Evaluation: The impact score (JIF) of this journal is 3.8, evaluated against a typical high-end range of 0–60+ for top general science, therefore this is a Medium impact journal.
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