I know only a handful of people, myself included, who have it rough with environmental allergens, be it in-door or out-door. I'm told people who suffer a lot from allergies often have a sensitive immune response. Why do I bring this up? Here's why...
About two nights ago I was watching Jay Leno's "Late Night Show" on NBC. One of his guests that day is a host of some show on Animal Planet. Anyway, one of the topics they discussed caught my attention...sensitivity to allergens. Leno's guest told a story about a friend who was a serial sufferer of allergies, and was told by his doctor that he had a sensitive immune response, which was why he had all that trouble with allergens. One solution to fight that sensitivity, he was told, was to have tapeworms (Taenea spp) (yes you read that right...tapeworms!!) in his digestive tract. The logic behind it is that an infection of one's gut by tapeworms suppresses the overall immunune system of the host, thereby lowering the sensitivity to allergens. So, the friend of Leno's guest requested his doctor to deliberately infect him with tapeworms, which his doctor refused of course, because it would be unethical on the doctor's part. To cut a long story short, the guy found a way to infect himself. He doesn't suffer from allergies now according to the story.
The story got me thinking... I wouldn't want a tapeworm living in my digestive tract (albeit it can be seen as a mutualistic association in the story above). For the most part it is parasitic, not to mention it is a gross looking thing. I'm quite sure there a some healthier remedies once can find that can help. Does anyone know any good ones out there?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've heard the same about hookworms. They are parasitic nematodes that have historically lived in the human intestine, but have been eradicated with better sanitation. They had the same effect on allergies, but also prevent asthma and other autoimmune problems.
ReplyDeleteThis is being researched because someone noticed that people from underdeveloped countries weren't having these problems. They hypothesize that these microorganisms coevolved with humans and that modernized countries have over-sanitized them into extirpation.
The only thing is that if they reach too high a concentration your blood gets thinner, and you become weakened from the anemia. This was so common in Appalachia that some early researchers thought that the slow pace of life down south was caused by hookworm.
The Radiolab radio program covered this in an episode called "Parasites"