Mercola on parasites (you won't like it!)

[Sadsack]

Go to link to see video:
How Parasites Can Trick Your Immune System into Health

How Parasites Can Trick Your Immune System into Health





In this video, Dr. Jim McKerrow explains a stunning finding that may explain the exploding incidence of asthma in industrialized countries.




Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Immune system disorders have greatly increased in recent years. Asthma cases, hay fever, eczema, food allergies, lupus, multiple sclerosis and other related afflictions are all on the rise.

Could it be that this increase in autoimmune-type diseases is actually related to being too clean and too sterile … and that exposing ourselves to more dirt and even to parasites could be the solution?

According to Dr. Jim McKerrow, director of the Sandler Center for Research on Parasitic Diseases, quite possibly yes.

As he explains in the video, in rural areas where children are naturally infected with parasites, diseases like asthma are virtually unheard of, but cases are on the rise in more urban (i.e. less dirty) areas.

Meanwhile, researchers began to realize that the part of your immune response that has evolved to kill parasites is the same that causes asthma, seasonal allergy, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune-type diseases, giving increasing credibility to the hygiene hypothesis.

Why Your Immune System Needs Dirt and Other Organisms to Stay Healthy

Simply speaking, your immune system is composed of two main groups that work together to protect you. One arm of your immune system deploys specialized white blood cells, called Th1 lymphocytes, that direct an assault on infected cells throughout your body.

Counterbalancing this, another arm of your immune system attacks intruders even earlier. It produces antibodies that try to block dangerous microbes from invading your body's cells in the first place. This latter strategy uses a different variety of white blood cells, called Th2 lymphocytes. The Th2 system also happens to drive allergic responses to foreign organisms.

At birth, an infant's immune system appears to rely primarily on the Th2 system. But the “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that the Th1 system can grow stronger only if it gets exercise, either through fighting infections or through encounters with certain harmless microbes. Without such stimulation, the Th2 system flourishes and the immune system tends to react with allergic responses more easily.

In other words, the hygiene hypothesis posits that children and adults not being exposed to viruses and other environmental factors like dirt and parasites results in their not being able to build up resistance, which makes them more vulnerable to illnesses.

Parasites Are Already Being Used to Treat Disease

Swallowing a concoction of parasite eggs may not sound appealing, but given their potential to treat some very serious diseases, with few side effects if any, the “yuck factor” becomes of little matter.

Based on a study out of Argentina that suggested people infected with a type of worm called helminthes experienced fewer symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) than those who were not infected, U.S. researchers are now initiating a small trial therapy on patients with the disease.

It is hoped the therapy, which involves drinking a cocktail of worm eggs intended to hatch inside the bodies of those who swallow them, will prove to be a useful treatment with few of the side effects associated with some other MS treatments. Similar therapies have also proved useful in treating some sufferers of inflammatory bowel disease.

The potential success of this therapy hinges again on the action of the T-cells in your immune system. Your T-cells are responsible for seeking out and destroying dangerous invaders. One way they accomplish this is by initiating a nonspecific inflammation response, called the Th1 pattern.

The Th2 pattern is more specific, destroying specific targets, which results in far less inflammation.

When you have MS, you already suffer from excess inflammation. The more inflammation you have, the more your myelin -- the insulation around your nerves -- gets degraded. This damage slows down the impulses along those nerves, which results in the typical issues seen in MS patients, such as problems with vision, speech, walking and memory.

The theory behind this parasite therapy is to create a change in the MS patient’s immune response, reducing the Th1 pattern of nonspecific, systemic inflammation by increasing the specific attack response.

Not All Parasites are Beneficial

While certain parasitic infections do seem to offer promise in treating disease, this is not a carte blanche to go out and get infected with as many parasites as you can.

Parasitic infections are responsible for millions of deaths worldwide every year. Malaria is one of the most well-known, killing about 1 million people a year, many of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Further, the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which include parasitic diseases like lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and Guinea worm, kill about 500,000 people each year, primarily in rural areas of low-income countries.

Even in developed countries, parasites can contribute to disease like irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive issues, and possibly even cancer.

So if you’re looking to build your and your child’s immune systems’ resistance without swallowing parasite eggs, you can help by:

• Letting your child be a child. Allow your kids to play outside and get dirty.
• Not using antibacterial soaps. Simple soap and water is all you need.
• Serving locally grown or organic meats that do not contain antibiotics (which kill off good bacteria).

Finally, signs and symptoms that you’ve been infected with an intestinal parasite of the non-beneficial variety include:

• Subcutaneous nodules
• Eye inflammation (conjunctivitis and retinitis)
• Blindness
• Dysentery
• Hives (urticaria)

• Diarrhea
• Coughing or wheezing
• Enlargement of liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly)
• Fever
• Abdominal pain

If you suspect you’re infected, seek the help of a knowledgeable natural health care practitioner, and in the meantime eating raw garlic (smashing the cloves first to activate their beneficial properties) and raw pumpkin seeds will help you to get rid of them.

[Baraka Obam]

If you run around with a antibiotic wash rag in your hand all day you will never build immunity. The other side of this is a doctor trying to build you a immune system from antibiotics, it ain't gonna happen. The doctor will improve nothing for you, MOSTLY, long term antibiotic use is the worst situation coupled also with steroids!

I was forced into living again by the government of my city, I am now digging in the dirt, swimming in the microbe filled ocean and walking barefoot on the bird crapy beach. I do not give a dam about the multitude of organisms on my food from the sub shop or a bathroom. I have never and will never hunt a microbe down if you really think about it the world is just plain full of life and it is EVERYWHERE.

Now that everyone is aware that we are not alone on this planet and we can NOT NEVER excape microscopic things.

One thing I really do try to avoid though is peoples fluids, blood especially. My conditions SEEM to be getting better and better all the time, who knows maybe by the time to be planted everything will be fine! LOL. Living is real important to me,life is wonderful.

There is a nice long summer trip ahead for me..................... Thank God.

[Sadsack]

What's that about the government forcing you to dig dirt and walk on bird poop?
You are right about building your immune system, but I for one won't swallow parasite eggs...and I do keep clean.

SS

[Baraka Obam]

Because the local government is searching for money I had to bend to their will and it took ALOT of work in the dirt and made me WANT to once again swim with the microbes, I love microbes, they are best with a little salt and pepper. I do not know why it is but ladies are afraid of anything perceived to be dirty. I went to a big eat in China town in NEW YOUK CITY once, we were deep in. the waitress does not speak english, or the manager for that matter. Well anyway after all the hoo ha about not recongnising any of the stuff the Chinese call food the girls made a big stink about a black speck in the rice, do you ladies think thats where I got this, I ate the black speck.

The man also apon prompting told us the food source, in CHINESE, and one of the words was SWORMS, I was sure it would catch the ears of one of the girls but low and behold nobody spoke up UNTILL the waiter walked away ................ then the wife of a friend of me asked " What are SWORMS, of course I had to answer, They are SEA WORMS, nobody ate but me and my friend, to tell you the truth I never saw ANY of the food before.

If there are any ladies out there that will disenfect my food , utensiles , go to every factory and make sure there is no bacteria on the meat, clean out the washing machine before I wash the cloths, change the sheets every day, certainly get rid of the bed bugs and on and on.

Cleanlyness is next to godlyness!!!! Hey sadsack what are YOU doing this weekend, i have a man house thats lived in needs some love, come on help out a brother, LOL, if Sadsack won't help out will you Patricia


Now just for a moment think about this, there are 1.3 BILLION Chinese if dirt, microbes , fibers, are killing us why are there so many Chinese, think now! I have been in Asia and YES it is not steril!!!

[Katinka]

wow BO,


after reading this...
guess who will not go out for chinese food anymore


and yes! I'm a "typical" woman...

Katinka

[Baraka Obam]

That leaves every mouth of food suspect, every bottom wipe, every drop of water, we have to live and still be sorta safe, SORTA safe, ae we will NEVER be completly safe ever, not even in a steril room!!!!

[Sadsack]

That's right, it is all suspect till we know just exactly what is causing Morgellons...
When I say I keep clean, obviously I am not saying "sterile" - that's impossible - but I keep the numbers of pathogens down through reasonable cleaning procedures and practices. Yup, I don't touch money or door knobs if I can help it, and wash my hands after I do if I can't. Always put those wipes that are available at the entrances of Publix markets on the handle of shopping carts. Changes my shoes at the door when I come in and wear washable slippers indoors.
Now, if I can only get my cat to stop laying in the dirt outside
And I eat "clean food" as much as possible - meaning mostly organic or whole foods that don't have all kinds of things added to it.

I have recently begun to play golf again after a 2 year hiatus. It has been a big part of my life for almost 30 years and playing again was an important step in reclaiming my life. And I have started feeding the ducks again at a dirty pond (though I don't step on the dirt there, stay on the sidewalk). Birds were also a HUGE part of my life - I bred them for 10 years - and I lost my entire aviary of 50 birds in 2007.

Now, I'd like to get shock treatments or psycho-surgery to eradicate the memories of the things I saw at the height of this nightmare. Cuz no matter how "well" I am doing, I am haunted by those images and experiences.

SS

PS - I still don't get the part about digging in the dirt - you have a job digging for buried treasure for the gov??? hahahahaha!!!

[Kritters]

Hey SS!
Where'd that THUMBS DOWN come from on your post? I'm glad to hear you're playing golf again. AWESOME!!!!
xoxo
Kritts

[Kritters]

"Now just for a moment think about this, there are 1.3 BILLION Chinese if dirt, microbes , fibers, are killing us why are there so many Chinese, think now! I have been in Asia and YES it is not steril!!"

umm, because the Chinese have been eating that stuff all along and are immune to or symbotic with it?



Kritts

[Baraka Obam]

SADSAC the dirt the dirt, I had to do alot of cleanup as the LOCAL government has put me to task doing outside work. If you do not realise it the local government has sent out head hunters looking for violators and I am the biggest violator. They wanted me to spend money and they got their wish. I won in the end, it took a engineer to finalize what had been forever. Good job keeping clean, it is a good idea, but should not keep you from living, its good you are playing golf again, feels good to be on the green!

KRITTERS, I think all or the third world people are infected, next time you are near an Asian market go and look at the skin of all the young, then look at the skin of the older people, you will see almost every asian same as blacks have skin conditions. The whites that used to have good skin are now also getting bad. There was a man today out in the store covered with lesions, he was bad, face had a monster bad one on the cheek. he was actually wearing shorts, giving me a chance to look at his legs and YES they were also starting with telltale signs. It was my intention to go up and ask him what he was doing for his condition but did not, is it our duty to make sure others get a head start so they are not made worse by doctors and drugs, will they listen, will they tell me to mind my own business.

Men are anal about denying things.