The decision to treat autoimmune disease with helminthic therapy is an important decision that should only be taken after plenty of research. With that in mind we have given our answers to some of the questions that occurred to us (send us any questions you have that are not answered here at questions@autoimmunetherapies.com), and provided links (available from our Links page) to help you get started with your research. We strongly encourage you to read widely outside of our site before making your decision.

What is the treatment and how does it work?
Our version of helminthic therapy involves inoculation with hookworm, a parasitic intestinal worm, that forms a symbiotic relationship with the host. In order for the worm to survive in the human body it has developed the ability to modulate the behavior of the human autoimmune system so that it remains unmolested by the human autoimmune system. It is now recognized that one of the main consequences of the parasitic modulation of the human autoimmune system is that the symptoms of certain autoimmune diseases and disorders can be effectively treated by deliberate infestation. The diseases and disorders that have been shown to respond are Asthma, Crohn's Disease, Colitis, Eczema, Hay fever, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Migraine, Multiple Sclerosis, Sinusitis and Ulcerative Colitis.

While this may appear to be a rather unorthodox approach to treating such diseases the basic principle being used is now well established in the field known as probiotics. As well, there is so much science supporting the efficacy and safety of helminthic therapy it is astonishing to us that the therapy is not more widely practiced.

Who Can be Helped by Helminthic Therapy?
Theoretically any condition involving inflammation could be improved by helminthic therapy. Diseases that have been shown to respond in at least one well constructed, peer-reviewed and journal published study include: asthma, seasonal allergies, Crohn's disease, Colitis, Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS) and Multiple Sclerosis.

It is important to note that helminthic therapy can only offer remission, not cure, as continued elimination of symptoms requires continued hosting of the organism.

How do I get inoculated at your clinic? What does treatment consist of and how long does it take?
All potential recipients of this treatment undergo screening, to ensure that we can target treatment to individuals who will stand the best chances of benefiting. Screening involves a medical history in addition to a comprehensive physical, Haematological and Biochemical profiling.

Inoculation is achieved by the sterile and painless application of the parasite to the skin. Your doctor will apply a small piece of gauze that contains the helminths to an area of skin. The patch will be taped in place and must remain in place for several hours. This allows the organisms to penetrate your skin. Within one week they will be resident in your intestine. Screening and treatment can be completed in as little as one day.

How long can I expect to wait before I see an improvement in my symptoms?
How long it takes varies with the disease and by individual. If your condition is episodic then it may be some time before you are aware that it has been "too" long since your last exacerbation or flare-up. My asthma was in remission less than fourteen weeks from the date of my inoculation with hookworm. Most clients notice an improvement in their symptoms within sixteen weeks and those that experience remission do so no later than 45 weeks post inoculation. Asthma and allergies appears to respond the fastest, usually within six or eight weeks. Diseases involving scarring and severe inflammation, like Crohn's and Psoriasis/exzema take 45 weeks for remission.

How much does it cost?
The price of treatment is $3,900.00 USD for the single dose protocol, while spreading doses out to reduce or eliminate side effects using the multi stage protocol costs $7,800.00. Treatment includes your initial physical examination and blood work, as well as inoculation with hookworm. You will also be given a follow up package for your healthcare provider and the drug required to eliminate the organism if you choose to do so, as well as instructions on it's use. Payment can be made with any major credit card, from any country.

How long does remission last?
Although no long term studies have been done you should reasonably expect remission to last as long as you host the hookworm. Necator Americanus (hookworm) has been described in various places as surviving on average for five years, with the range described as being from three to seven years, and up to fifteen years in more than one instance. This must vary based on the immune response mounted by the host, diet, etc. As long as the organism survives in sufficient numbers you should not experience any symptoms of your autoimmune disease assuming inoculation provides you with a remission. After three to five years you should watch for the return of symptoms and if they manifest simply return to us for another course of treatment.

What are the criteria for denying treatment, if any?
Clients will be denied treatment if they have any of the following conditions: Pregancy, moderate to severe anemia, cancer, or moderate to severe stenosis of any portion of their intestinal tract. Clients should be in good health, other than the condition for which they are seeking treatment, well nourished and should adhere to our follow-up protocol upon return from our clinic. Clients are not denied treatment without good cause, and have the choice, in cases of stenosis to either go with a lower dose or to use the multi stage protocol to reduce or eliminate intestinal inflammation as a side effect of inoculation.

Is this treatment approved by the American or European Medical Authorities?
No. At this point this technique is undergoing trials at Iowa University in the United States where autoimmune disorders of the digestive system and nervous system are being investigated, and at Nottingham University in England where Crohn's, asthma and hay fever are being treated with this same technique.

Where do the hookworm come from?
The organism used to treat your condition is obtained from individuals who are regularly screened for other infectious diseases in a manner described by researchers at Nottingham University. This method ensures that no opportunistic organisms can piggy-back on the probiotic during its journey into your body.

The organism is isolated by forcing it to migrate through charcoal, and then washed repeatedly with an antimicrobial solution. The organism is then stored in sterile, phosphate buffered saline solution before being applied to the sterile gauze, which is applied to the client's skin.

What are the potential side-affects?
Most hosts for this organism are unaware that they have it over the long term, that is they are asymptomatic. But most people do experience transient side-effects for up to nine weeks starting one week post inoculation. Not all clients experience side effects. These can include a temporary rash on the skin at the site of entry of the organism. Others experience some temporary intestinal discomfort, which can include nausea, diarrhea and gas. This is always short-lived and varies by individual and dosage. All these symptoms increase with dose. If you are taking an anti inflammatory, antihistamine or immunosuppressive therapy you will likely experience fewer side effects, or none at all. 20 mg daily of prednisone appears sufficient for most clients to avoid the worst.

It is theoretically possible to develop anemia as a result of this treatment, but for the number of individual organisms we use, the possibility of anemia is very slight, even for an individual whose ability to absorb nutrients is compromised by Crohn's or colitis. Anemia typically results when the host has a parasite load measured in the thousands (remember that hookworm don't proliferate in your intestine post inoculation). However we screen for anemia prior to treatment and your follow-up when you return home suggests regular tests for anemia for six months and the regular use of iron supplements. The follow-up protocol for your health care provider will be provided to you after treatment and is available for download from this web site.

We have read uninformed posts to medical bulletin boards and blog sites that claim a single hookworm draws up to a pint of blood a day from the host. This is absolutely ridiculous, they are a centimeter long and half a millimeter wide after all. Adult Necator Americanus, the organism we use, draws (see source for this information here) at most 0.03 ml of blood per day, and on average 0.01 ml per organism. So, if you are treated with 50 hookworm you can expect to lose at most 0.75 milliliters of blood per day and in reality only, using the average figure, 0.25 ml/day. A teaspoon of fluid is approximately 5 milliliters. Using the average figures in a 30 day month you should expect to lose 7.5 ml, or a teaspoon and a half per month.

If you are worried about anemia you can eat iron rich foods like meat, spinach, nuts, whole bread, raisins, and eggs. You can increase the availability of iron from the food you eat by drinking orange juice with your meal. Or, you could just take a mineral supplement.

Can I infect others with hookworm after treatment?
Not if you live in the industrialized world, no. Hookworm molt twice after being passed in stool as embryos before they are infectious (L3 larvae). This takes about nine or ten days under ideal conditions. Obviously simply using a toilet and showering more than once a week is sufficient to prevent infection. Using chemical toilets will kill them, cement lined or long drop toilets at camping sites is ok. If you go deep woods backpacking defecate in a plastic bag, tie it shut, and bury it.

What happens if I change my mind after I arrive at your clinic? What if I can't go through with it?
If after arrival you do not proceed with any aspect of the therapy we will refund half of your fee. Bear in mind that late cancellations will mean the loss of your slot at our clinic, time we will have to pay for. Our doctors and nurses don't work for free. If you start therapy and change your mind after starting treatment or are evaluated by our medical staff for treatment you will not be eligible for a refund.

How do I cancel my appointment and request a refund? At what point do I become ineligible for a full refund?
Cancellation and refunds: We will cancel your appointment and give you a full refund less the costs accrued for processing your credit card if you cancel 28 days or more prior to the day of your appointment. To cancel your appointment email us at admin@autoimmunetherapies.com and we will take care of it for you and email you confirmation. Your refund will be the cost of treatment minus our costs to the credit card company. We are charged 3% of the total in each direction. So the amount you recieve will vary depending on the price you paid. We will of course comply with any law in effect governing refunds. We have never been asked for a refund so we are a little vague on the actual process at this point.

If you cancel less than 28 days prior to your appointment you will be refunded half the total fee. We are on the hook to the clinic and physicians for cancellations within that time period.

Is my information private and secure? What is your privacy policy? What are your Terms & Conditions for using this site and for purchasing treatment?
We use SSL/https protocols to transmit all private data to our credit card processor (PayPal Web Payments Pro). Our SSL certificate is provided by GeoTrust, an Equifax company. All finanical data is encrypted and your personal, private and financial data is never shared with any third party except to the extent required to process payment and to treat you. The information we collect only consists of your name and treatment date. Your medical information will be collected and held by your physician at the clinic. Autoimmune Therapies does not collect or store your medical records or information.
To read the full Privacy Policy go here
To read our Terms & Conditions go here

What happens if I change my mind after treatment?
We provide every client with the drug and instructions to eliminate the organism from their digestive tract whenever they want. You are in control. Elimination takes 48 hours.

Can you prove it works?
No, but researchers at Iowa University and at Nottingham have published compelling evidence that it works for Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis and IBS, as well as for asthma and hay fever (see our links page). For MS there is the paper by Correale available on our Science page. You can read the story here.. However this research has shown that there is a small minority of people who do not respond to therapy. According to this same research success rates are so good that the majority of people will see, if not remission, then a vast improvement in their condition. Please go to our Links page to read the primary research for your self. There is one anecdotal account of the successful use of TSO to treat autism at www.autismtso.com

How well does it work? Will I be able to stop taking my medication??
Each person will respond differently depending on the disease they suffer from and their genetic make up. This therapy has different results for different conditions and at this point it is not possible to provide definitive statistical projections for the results for each disease.

Based on our reading of the research that we are aware of we expect Crohn's, Asthma, Hav Fever, Eczema, Dermatitis and Multiple Sclerosis to respond best. We do not expect Ulcerative Colitis to respond as well as the others. In most cases, and in consultation with your physician, you should plan on continuing your current therapies in conjunction with this treatment. If you see a marked improvement you may wish to discuss reducing your use of conventional therapies, but only under the advice and supervision of your physician. Helminthic therapy can be very effective, but it is not a magic bullet, and given the very serious nature of many of these diseases it is important to make changes to your treatment regimen only cautiously and only under the supervision and advice of your physician.

Are there alternatives?
Ovamed offers a similar therapy based on pig whipworm, you can find a link to their site on our Links page. Of course there are all the drugs you are likely familiar with already, and behavior modification such as avoiding environmental triggers like cat dander for asthma.

Is anyone else doing this?
We are not aware of anyone else offering this therapy to the public at this time. However researchers at Nottingham University in England and at Iowa University in the United States are undertaking clinical trials with this organism which is helping to elucidate its effect on autoimmune diseases. Ovamed (see links page to view their web site) offers pig whipworm as a therapy for Crohn's, Colitis and IBD.

My doctor tells me your treatment is unproven, why should I believe you?
It is unproven and you have no reason to believe us. Anyone trying this approach is taking a chance.