Helminthic therapy for ulcerative colitis: Have you heard of it or tried it?

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cactus

15/10/2020 at 15:12

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cactus

Last activity on 21/06/2023 at 17:04

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Hi everyone, I was chatting online with someone from another UC group I'm in and they told me about this therapy for UC that's apparently been very successful: helminthic therapy. Apparently it involves infesting oneself with parasitic wormswhich are supposed to calm immune response. I had NEVER heard of this and was initially a bit horrified by the idea, but my friend was insisting that it has done well in studied.

I haven't read anything yet on it really but I thought I'd ask on here if anyone else had heard of this? Do you know if this is in practice in the UK or is it just being done in clinical settings?

Thank you for any replies.

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TiffyT

15/10/2020 at 15:25

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TiffyT

Last activity on 02/12/2020 at 18:28

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@cactus Oh no I've never heard of that! I'm not sure I do it, I can't stand the idea of having worms inside of me! I think I'd have to read multiple studies saying that it had a 100% success rate before I'd even consider it! Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

Helminthic therapy for ulcerative colitis: Have you heard of it or tried it? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/other-discussions/your-opinion-on-ulcerative-colitis-treatments/helminthic-therapy-for-ulcerative-colitis-have-3797 2020-10-15 15:25:41

Courtney_J

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15/10/2020 at 15:47

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Courtney_J

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@cactus @TiffyT Hello cactus and TiffyT, thank you for opening and participating in this discussion! Helminthic therapy is indeed a newer, experimental form of immunotherapy that uses helminths, or parasitic worms, and is thought to regulate the gut biome or immune response. It isn't yet fully understood so further research is needed.

What do you think? Have you heard of helminthic therapy? Is it something you'd consider if offered to you by a doctor? Why or why not?
@Tara10‍ @sahara88uk‍ @Delpow‍ @Tashpatz‍ @Stephanie123‍ @kathdurbin‍ @Caterpillar‍ @Gemmaowen‍ @san2020‍ @Sandie60‍ @Alison2007‍ @Cheesymoo12‍ @Lynowen‍ @Rachel_short‍ @Kerry_g‍ @alun1942‍ @Tate_4‍ @Ddecanha‍

Feel free to share your thoughts here!

Take care,
Courtney

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Courtney_J, Community Manager, Carenity UK

lightsout

20/10/2020 at 14:04

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Last activity on 20/10/2020 at 13:56

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@TiffyT I agree, I'd need to see clear evidence that it works. I don't think it would be a viable option for me since I've had my colectomy, but even if it were I'm not sure I'd try something that experimental. I wonder if it's even offered in the UK...

Helminthic therapy for ulcerative colitis: Have you heard of it or tried it?

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