Helminthic therapy is the treatment of diseases via helminths, i.e. parasitic worms. It is considered an immunotherapy that has been used to treat diseases like Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis & Celiac Disease as well as common allergies. It is also a possible treatment for IBS.

Why helminthic therapy works is not exactly known but the “Hygiene Hypothesis” appears to play a role. The Hygiene Hypothesis suggests that our environment may be too clean. By not being exposed to common pathogens or parasites at a young age our bodies may suffer from an immune system imbalance. It would appear that the human immune system & these parasites evolved together. The immune system would ramp up it’s attack to try & get rid of the parasites, meanwhile the parasites evolved defenses & ways to calm the immune system down. The theory goes, if someone has an immune system that is ramped up without something to attack or calm it down, like these parasites, it may turn on itself & start attacking the body.

Currently helminthic therapy is not a generally accepted treatment. There is currently research being done on the benefits of helminthic therapy, but there is no easy way to obtain helminthic therapy outside of these research studies.