benefits of parasites

[LePatron7]

There's a lot of debate as to whether parasites are beneficial or destructive. Most health professionals and nutritionists claim they're very bad. While Aajonous and others on this forum consider them beneficial.

Well I found a link that shows some interesting benefits of parasites in sharks and humans.

http://www.scienceinschool.org/2011/issue20/horrors

^ This link shows that a certain parasite in a species of shark may reduce heavy metal toxicity. The parasites had significantly higher levels of two heavy metals compared to the sharks. Suggesting the parasites may have been leeching heavy metals from the sharks, therefore protecting them from toxicity.

It also shows evidence that parasites in humans may reduce allergies, eczema, and asthma.

Are there other benefits? Maybe. Feel free to post links to any parasitic benefits you can find on the web.

[TylerDurden]

Wow,  for once I've come across a thread which  actually belongs in the General Discussions instead of the Hot Topics forum, rather than the other way round. Topic moved.

The hygiene hypothesis has a lot of data behind it about the benefits of bacteria and parasites.

[LePatron7]

http://expertscolumn.com/content/does-parasite-offers-benefit-host

Another one. This one shows parasites leech out pollution (and again metals) from their hosts.

Incredible.

[goodsamaritan]

Yes, there is a yahoo group called Helminthic therapy where the theory goes that some sick people are sick because they have missing parasites.

So their quest is to look for those missing parasites and infect themselves with it.

The promoter of Helminthic therapy posted here a couple of years ago.

[LePatron7]

The hygiene hypothesis has a lot of data behind it about the benefits of bacteria and parasites.

Can you provide any good links to the hygiene hypothesis?

[TylerDurden]

Can you provide any good links to the hygiene hypothesis?

Just google it. Wikipedia has a few refs to studies.

[CitrusHigh]

I just wrote a big long reply but was lost due to wifi error.

Long and short of it, my pup has tapeworms. No symptoms except an itchy but. I've allowed them to remain for about 2 months now. Any reason I should leave them or flush them? The only reason I can see to go on the flush side, aside from social aspect, is that he's a hard gainer for weight just like I am, so this only makes it that much harder for him to maintain a decent weight. His weight is ok, but I'd like to see him put on about 4 or 5 lbs to be ideal. Been raw all his life, as his 3 brothers and sister are, all the same foods and they prob have them too but don't show it in their weight if that's the case.

[LePatron7]

Yes, there is a yahoo group called Helminthic therapy where the theory goes that some sick people are sick because they have missing parasites.

So their quest is to look for those missing parasites and infect themselves with it.

The promoter of Helminthic therapy posted here a couple of years ago.

Interesting. I think a lot of us here have parasites but we don't notice cause they're not causing any negative effects. In fact they probably are doing good things for us. After all who would really know? I doubt anyone randomly gets stool tests done to check.

I found another link that shows a possible treatment for multiple sclerosis using parasites. Although the link seems to mention a lot about lice.

http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/June/10/Lice-Can-Be-Good-For-You.htm

[TylerDurden]

Flush them. The parasites are taking nutrition away from the dog, which presumably means the dog has to eat more, which would increase your costs.

[LePatron7]

Just google it. Wikipedia has a few refs to studies.

Interesting. I always had a feeling that too sterile an environment is damaging to health.

[goodsamaritan]

I just wrote a big long reply but was lost due to wifi error.

Long and short of it, my pup has tapeworms. No symptoms except an itchy but. I've allowed them to remain for about 2 months now. Any reason I should leave them or flush them? The only reason I can see to go on the flush side, aside from social aspect, is that he's a hard gainer for weight just like I am, so this only makes it that much harder for him to maintain a decent weight. His weight is ok, but I'd like to see him put on about 4 or 5 lbs to be ideal. Been raw all his life, as his 3 brothers and sister are, all the same foods and they prob have them too but don't show it in their weight if that's the case.

I got rid of my tapeworms because they had been doing what Tyler said.  They were leaching my nutrition.  I gained 10 pounds immediately after I got rid of them.  I used www.humaworm.com maybe they have a version for dogs.

[Ferocious]

I got rid of my tapeworms because they had been doing what Tyler said.  They were leaching my nutrition.  I gained 10 pounds immediately after I got rid of them.  I used www.humaworm.com maybe they have a version for dogs.

Do you know of something similar that can be shipped to Europe?

Also, regarding tape worms, it seems "unnatural" to flush them...Do animals in the wild flush them somehow? If not, what happens, they die of eventual starvation?

[CitrusHigh]

That's what I'm looking in to ferocious, before I act I want to know how wolves handle tapeworms, so far I haven't been able to find any satisfactory info, but I'll post it when I find it. I'm guessing that would be one of the occasions they go after herbal remedies, similarly to when they're bitten by a venemous snake. I'll post what I find.

Thanks GS, yep, I've read that from you and I was either going to purchase the pet version of humaworm, or fashion my own since the ingredients are easily available. The only tricky part will be titration of a homebrew, but going gradually enough I don't think that will be a problem. I appreciate the recommendo!

[joej627]

They are natures "decomposers."  They feed off dead, toxic material.  Rotting stuff, etc.  The more toxic and unhealthy we are the easier it is for them to leach on.  They are just a different form of life, IE: parasites.  They don't want to kill their host, but rather live off of them. 

[Ferocious]

That's what I'm looking in to ferocious, before I act I want to know how wolves handle tapeworms, so far I haven't been able to find any satisfactory info, but I'll post it when I find it. I'm guessing that would be one of the occasions they go after herbal remedies, similarly to when they're bitten by a venemous snake. I'll post what I find.

Thanks GS, yep, I've read that from you and I was either going to purchase the pet version of humaworm, or fashion my own since the ingredients are easily available. The only tricky part will be titration of a homebrew, but going gradually enough I don't think that will be a problem. I appreciate the recommendo!

I found something. A random person online wrote it though, so I don't know if it's true. But it does make sense to me, and that is what I'm after.

They have a natural built up immunity.

A few things contribute to them being immune.

The first being their diet. 100% raw, fresh killed prey. This is the healthiest diet for any dog.

The second is they binge eat, then fast for a few days. This is so healthy for a dog because when they eat and eat until their stomache is at it's full capacity their stomache releases the strongest digestive acids from glands that only work when the stomache is fully stretched. Most domestic dogs dont get to experience this. It is called total digestion.

These harsh acids kill off any ingested parastites before they reach the next stage of developement.

Because they go days and not eat, they can starve any parasites that are residing in their intestines.

Also a natural diet sets up the best intestinal flora colony, this helps to ward off parasites and other bacterial infections.

I have my dog on a raw carcass based diet. I feed him one large meal a day and I fast him occassionally.

He never gets worms. Ever.

Free feeding and feeding your dog many small meals a day has no health benefits whatsoever, if only people understood how the digestive system works in a dog, that they would have less health problems if fed larger meals less often.

Internal and external parasites are always attracted to less healthy beings, they feed off them.

Its not to say that wolves dont get fleas and ticks, they are just more immune to them.

It is also not to say they dont die from parasitic infection, because occassionally they do, especially in Alaska where they live on a diet primarily of salmon.

A dog is more likely to get worms on a processed diet than a natural one. However if you feed a processed diet and occassionally feed raw meat your dog can be at risk. Their digestive system is not set up to cope with a raw diet and will not always repel worms. You are better off sticking to one or the other.

If your dog is on a cooked food or processed diet you must worm regulary.

I think this can apply to humans. Also, I think the wolves that die of parasitic infection are either weak or not eating a balanced diet.

[CitrusHigh]

Oh I read that one too! Only I read it after his worm had already anchored itself and I've altered my feeding habits accordingly. We used to feed them two meals a day to the point where we could see their stomachs were visibly larger, but now we feed them all their food at once each day, and fast them once in a while. I completely forgot about the other things he mentioned in the write-up though, thank you for reposting!

I fed my fella crushed and diced garlic and fennel wrapped in meat today, we'll see how that goes!

Are you and Suiren going to look in to Humaworm?

[Ferocious]

Yeah, I think one meal a day is best, possibly even for humans.

Well, Humaworm can't be shipped to Germany, so no. I'm actually not concerned with parasites. It could be a possibility that Suiren has some kind of parasites tapping her calories, so I think we'll get her checked for that. If it turns out she does, she'll just take the pharmaceutical drug for it. But I honestly think it's unlikely it's parasites because she has had trouble gaining weight all her life.

[CitrusHigh]

"A team at Coronado Biosciences Inc. in Massachusetts is readying a clinical trial that will include more than 200 patients with Crohn’s disease. Those who are participating will get a dose with 7,500 eggs from a pig whipworm or a placebo once every two weeks for a period of 12 weeks.

The same eggs that live in a pig’s body and grow into mature whipworms barely survive 14 days in humans. However, in that two-week period, the eggs appear to adjust a patient's immune system and prevent it from attacking the body's own tissues and organs."

I think this may have been the kind of 'bug' Aaj talked about in his second book, but in relation to IBS I think...could be wrong on all counts, just going from memory here...

http://www.annarbor.com/pets/trichuris-suis-ova-crohns-disease-autoimmune-treatment-pig-whipworm-parasite-eggs/#.UGGoNK7Pnls