Originally Posted by Nicknerd

Alright, for those of you who haven't heard of it, this therapy consists of being inoculated with worms- yes, worms- I know it seems gross, but I was curious about it. I'd heard about it a while ago from someone with MG considering it, but didn't really look into it.

Then, I came across an article on the very low incidence of MG in people living in Northern Nigeria. One of the theories behind this is that people who live in the Tropics generally do not develop autoimmunity, especially at the rates seen in other climates, because they are exposed to parasites which is believed to prevent autoimmunity for some reason.

Anyway, just thought I'd post this for anyone who might be interested in this angle.

Many people who have gastrointestinal autoimmunity issues (Crohn's, Celiac's, IBD) have had a lot of success with it. I don't think it's been tried out on anyone with MG, but it's still kinda interesting in the sense that it provides a different possible cause behind these immune diseases. Instead of infections somehow causing the problem, it's a lack of infection, or an immune system that's not properly 'exercised' that results in illness. It's sorta like the idea that 'overcleanliness' results in allergies and all that.

http://ajol.info/index.php/aam/artic...ile/8260/13961
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy

The only thing is, and I'll share this 'cause it's relevent, albeit kinda embarassing (maybe?), I'm pretty sure I got worms at one point when I was little. So I don't know how that fits in. Hey, is it common to get worms when you're little in the West?