Preparing for Helminth Therapy
This week I am preparing my body to start helminth therapy. I am really excited about trying this therapy. I am in another flare, after only 4 months in remission. And I am ready to try something new – and this is definitely something new!
**I want to add that I am not encouraging ANYONE to try this therapy. I am simply explaining my decision, and sharing information so that you can make your own decision.**
I will be posting regular updates on my experience with helminthic therapy. So check back here often for updates!
This post does not explain what helminth therapy is. If you are unfamiliar with it – please read the Helminth Therapy Wiki page. This site has all of the information, and more, that you need to know! It is so well put together, and I cannot recommend this site enough.
To prepare my body for helminth therapy, I am doing a few things. These include;
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Research
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Why I am deciding to try helminths
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Finding a supplier
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Reducing inflammation
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Mentally preparing myself
Research
I have been researching this topic non-stop for the past eleven days. I am literally obsessed with learning as much as I can about it.
I have found that the helminth wiki page (not a ‘normal’ wikipedia page) to be the best resource by far. Although I also enjoyed reading these other papers, here and here. I have found other sites such as WebMD or Healthline to be less helpful. The therapy is difficult to study via traditional double blind placebo studies. Mainly because the time needed using the therapy can be up to two years before seeing full results. Because everyone’s dosing, and preliminary side effects are unique. It can be difficult to track short term results on healing.
I have found specific case studies, and personal stories to be the best resources. These are found on the helminth therapy Facebook page, and the wiki posted above.
My partner and I did quite a lot of research before I initially decided to try the therapy. But while I wait for the helminths to arrive, I have done further deep diving into more stories. Including comments on the Facebook support page, personal stories on the wiki, and Youtube videos.
Why I Have Decided to do Helminth Therapy
I have decided to do helminth therapy for many reasons. The first being that it just makes sense. In our hyper clean world, we do not have the same level of exposure to Mother Earth that we used to. Our water, food, roads, clothing and lifestyles are super sanitized. We are no longer exposed to the same small organisms that used to run rampant in our bodies. While eliminating many of these has many positive impacts – this may not be true of eliminating all of them.
The second reason I am going to try helminths, is that I was only able to maintain remission for four months using diet and lifestyle. I am pretty sure that I got COVID that has sent me into another flare. I am so terrified to get another abscess and fistula, so I am looking into more alternative methods to heal my body that will work long term.
Helminth therapy is a root-cause healing tool. It is not about masking symptoms. It is a therapy that interacts directly with the immune system, and prevents it from ‘attacking’ my body.
The last reason that I am doing it, is because it has worked for so many other people with IBD, as well as other autoimmune and inflammatory issues.
Finding a Supplier
Finding a supplier was relatively easy. Simply view the wiki page linked above, and look under providers.
Reducing Inflammation for Preparing for Helminth Therapy
Helminth therapy works better the less inflammation there is in your body. Ideally I would have started this therapy when I was in remission, but I did not know about it then.
Even though I am in a flare, I am going to start it anyway. It does not mean that it won’t work. It just means that the helminths will have to work harder to regulate my immune system.
While I am waiting for my shipment to arrive, I am making every effort to reduce my inflammation as much as I can. Below are a few key things that I am doing.
I am only consuming elemental shakes. No food at all. This has been really mentally and financially difficult for me. But over the past few weeks, I have found that I am not able to eat any food at all without worsening my IBD symptoms.
I have experienced vomiting, severe nausea, and bloody stools after eating even small amounts of IBD AID phase 1 foods. I am literally scared to eat.
Although I don’t love having to drink these shakes. I am so thankful for them. They are so much easier on my body than eating real food. They provide high levels of nutrition, and calories that I need to sustain my body. They are allowing me to continue working. And have reduced my IBD gastrointestinal symptoms immensely.
I have also decided to take at least 7 days of prednisone. This was a difficult decision for me to make, as I really try to steer clear of any pharmaceutical drugs. After a discussion about my game plan with my support system we decided together that this was what is best.
I hope that the prednisone will reduce my inflammation, creating a better home for the helminths.
I am also experiencing extremely bad joint pain as a result of my IBD. My feet and ankles are so sore that I am beginning to struggle to walk. I am afraid that if I do not do something drastic soon, then I will not be able to work.
I am also continuing my other IBD management techniques. These include taking slippery elm bark two daily. Taking probiotics twice daily. Using castor oil every night. Meditating for at least 30 minutes each day. And practicing yoga at least twice a week.
Mentally Preparing
There is a certain ‘gross factor’ when talking about helminth therapy. Honestly – this does not bother me at all. I think that there are worse things than helminths. Including bleeding intestines, an inability to eat food, chronic inflammation, and not being able to enjoy my life.
I have been struggling a lot mentally since going into this most recent flare. It has been really hard on me. I have had days where I am holding back tears all day, and end up sobbing in the privacy of the bathroom at work. Most mornings I am struggling to get out of bed. I have lost a lot of motivation. It has taken me hours to work up the motivation to write this post.
I know this mental stress exasperates my IBD symptoms. On days that I am really upset, the next day my IBD symptoms are so much worse. I am trying my best to use healing mantras to block our intrusive thoughts. And I have begun to see a therapist.
More than anything, helminth therapy has given me hope. Hope that there is still another natural remedy that I can try. Hope that it has already helped so many others with IBD. And hope that it will help me as well.
I know that many people with IBD using helminths experience side effects initially. And that it does not put everyone in remission. But I think that with all of the other healing tools that I have including diet, positive mindset, and meditation techniques, my chances of success are good.
Helminth therapy is a long term game. It does not often help people straight away. But my life is long, and I am sick of suffering. I am willing to put up with some potential short term side effects, to heal my body long term.
I hope this post has made you curious about helminth therapy for IBD. I encourage everyone reading this to check out the Helminth Therapy Wiki page, and Facebook group. These are the best resources to learn more about this topic.
I will be posting regular updates on my use of helminth therapy. Including any side effects experienced, dosing, and how my IBD symptoms react. So check back here often if you would like to follow along.