Looks like Jasper of AIT can’t ship hookworms or whipworms to the US because of legal reasons. Wormtherapy is still offering hookworms, but you have to go to San Diego then Tijuana to get them. I’d like to collect an aggregate of information on hookworm incubation methods here, so we can learn from one another’s mistakes and triumphs. What I’m finding is most people need to dose way more often than once every 3-5 years. I’m only dosing moderately (10 hookworms at a time) and I’ve had good effects for about 4 months, then things decline. I’ve also heard personally from others that about the one year mark, things start to go downhill. I’m sure it depends on dose and disease, environmental factors. Of course, I’m not in touch with the vast majority of people trying worms, but the more we can learn and understand about this and share this information, the better.
I will be trying to incubate again this week. I will share my methods of success or not. Meanwhile, here is another place where someone is experimenting with incubating hookworms. Let’s help one another, shall we?
Update: someone suggested two links for incubating instructions. The first:
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/178_02_200103/lan10157_fm.html#CACJFHGC
From this post (they were incubating dog hookworms, but I imagine it would be the same for necator americanus:)
”
1: Details of isolation of third-stage larvae from infected dog faeces and of preparation of faecal samples from the human volunteer for microscopy
Isolation of larvae: Equal volumes of faeces and vermiculite were mixed well in a one litre plastic container, moistened and incubated at 30oC, being stirred daily. After five days, the mixture was spread onto large glass Petri dishes, covered with a 5 mm layer of washed, coarse river sand and overlaid with two layers of damp surgical gauze. The top layer of gauze (into which infective L3 had migrated) was removed (and replaced) at 12-hour intervals, to be rinsed in distilled water. Larvae were retrieved from the suspension by gravitational sedimentation, and stored in BU buffer (50 mM Na2HPO4, 22 mM KH2PO4, 70 mM NaCl) at 12oC to preserve their infectivity.”
And the second site, with a good second page on identifying the difference between hookworm larvae and stronglyoides:
https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/1887/13930/12/Appendix+01.PDF
“Preparation of the culture:
1 Put a flat cylindrical disk (40mm x 4mm) in the middle of a 10cm petri-dish
2 Put a circular filter paper (80mm) on top of the disk
3 Add water up to just below the level of the disk
2g stool sample Petri-dish
+ vermiculite
Filter paper Cylindrical disk Water
4 Mix 2g of faeces with equal volume of vermiculite/coarsely ground charcoal
5 Label the dish lid with the patient’s number and the date
6 Keep away from direct sunlight
7 Add water when needed
After 7 days incubation:
8 Remove the filter paper and the faeces
9 Pour the water from the petri-dish into a conical settling tube
10 Rinse the petri-dish with a little water, pouring it into the same settling tube
11 Label the tube with the patient’s number
Allow the larvae to settle at the bottom of the tube. 2 hours later:
12 Pipette 1 OOul of sediment from bottom of tube onto a microscope slide
13 Systematically examine the whole drop using X4 objective
14 Switch onto X10 to distinguish between hookworm and oesophagostomum
15 Count the larvae
16 Add a drop of dilute iodine in KI solution to kill the larvae if necessary
NB If using tap water, boil to kill plant nematodes and to remove chlorine
Cultures checked daily, to remove maggots and break up fungal hyphae
Iodine solution: 0.3g KI and 0.2g I2 in 10ml water. 1-2 drops in 1 ml water”
Happy hookworm growing! Scientists, we could use some help here…
17 Comments
Why doesn’t someone create a yahoo group dedicated to sharing inforormation on incubating hookworm?
It’s a homebrew industry in the US now. There are many ironic parallels with prohibition. Shame that Eliot Ness (or the FDA) wants to prevent people being naturally well this time round. Stick together guys.
It is regrettable what happened to Jasper and AIT, but I am sure he knew he was playing with fire when he moved his business into the US. You just don’t mess with the FDA. I was actually scheduled to have hookworms sent to me from AIT the week it was shut down. I have since gotten hookworms from wormtherapy.com. I had to fly to San Diego and then was picked up at the airport and taken into TJ. They were very professional and knowledgeable, I have no regrets. Worms were ~$2200 and the flight was $500, in and out the same day. I wish Jasper and AIT all the best, but wormtherapy.com is now the only game in town and I highly recommend them.
How’s it going so far? How many worms did you get? For what disease?
From what I can tell, Wormtherapy is a bad company. I think a grass-roots approach to cultivating hookworm is the best solution. After all, how could a company like worm therapy provide medical insurance?
This always should have been a DIY enterprise, and never a business for entrepreneurs.
Why do you think they are a bad company?
The problem with DIY is 1) someone knowledgeable has to procure the worms and 2) even free sharing will have the same problem re the FDA
But I admit something must be done, the very least enough people learning safe methods of obtaining a sample, incubating, and infecting, and what I really wish for: a public database including very detailed data of each person’s responses, including blood tests, microscope videos, and measurable effects. The snails pace this is going is insufferable.
Percy,
Would you please elaborate on how you came to your conclusion re: wormtherapy. As far as I can ascertain, you have never had any dealings with Dr. Llamas or myself.
Point of fact: wormtherapy does not provide medical insurance because it is not an insurance company.
Regards,
Garin
Standard disclosure: garin = wormtherapy.com
Has anyone applied for a FOI release on the FDA’s judgement on AIT? It must have been very serious for Jasper to flee the country. Probably multiple breaches of state/federal law. As they say ‘the law’s an ass’.
How does one apply for an FOI? Are you volunteering? I believe since hookworms were classified as a drug, he would be guilty of selling illegal drugs. What does that get one nowadays re jailtime?
Sad that the publicity is most likely the source of their interest. I love how my VSL just arrived, billions and billions of infectious bacteria to my door, but I guess it’s not contagious like hookworms. The now illicit nature of a common, lowly worm is unfortunate.
Garin, are you working with Dr. Llamas now? I loved him, he was a charming doctor.
Debora, Dr. Llamas and I have been reunited.
When I was interviewing Dr. in Mexico there was not even a close second – and I interviewed a dozen. He was my first and only choice.
Unfortunately, I lost him in the divorce. When my former business partners moved operations into America they did not need a Dr. in Mexico anymore.
Lucky for me, Dr. Llamas and I stayed in touch.
Leo,
It is standard policy for the FDA to not comment on ongoing investigations. If that is the case, it seems unlikely a FOI request would be granted.
Normal procedure would be for the FDA to send a cease and desist letter with appropriate time given to come into compliance. This letter would eventually appear on the FDA’s website.
May I humbly suggest, it might be prudent to let things cool off before sending in FOI requests.
Garin
Never made a FOIA request before but it would be illuminating. As the FDA is a govt dept it would no doubt be required to release its findings to Joe Public. As you say, I guess Jasper Lawrence was threatened with jail on ‘drugs’ charges which is unfair on him.
I noticed that a new Yahoo Group has been created !
“IncubatingHookworm”
Subtle name !
Have you guys not seen it ?
Why is no one is posting in it ?….
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IncubatingHookworm/
Thanks for alerting us to it, I hadn’t seen it. Great idea!
Regarding your questions: I was treated with 25-30 hookworm for allergies: food, inhalant, and multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). It’s been 8 weeks and I never had a rash, but I did have a terrible migraine 5 days after the hookworms and then I felt I was walking around in a “fog” for about 6 weeks, but that has since lifted. I had a few episodes of diarrhea and constant low-level nausea with slight light-headedness starting 2 weeks after the worms and lasting about a month. It started with waves of nausea where I thought I would vomit for sure, but never did. I had a few of those episodes over the month of nausea. All that has almost all resolved. I never felt the “rush of relief” that you described. I am now at about where I was before the worms, no real relief yet. That does not concern me as the more I read about peoples experiences it seems that real relief is a slow build that is not complete until about month 5 or 6, so I am patient.
Let me just note the “rush of relief” DID NOT happen with the first dose, nor did I get the “hookworm high”. That was all in subsequent doses. I also barely had a rash the first time, but the rashes get worse with each innoculation.
Hopefully you’ll start noticing things for the better in another month. It was between months 3-4 that the real improvement began for me. Redosing is much faster in getting relief, though I had 6 weeks of side effects this last time, so it’s inconsistent.
Good luck!
Post a Comment