Bugs as Treatment: Coming to a Clinic Near You..
Bugs as Treatment: Coming to a Clinic Near You...
Maggots and leeches have been used for decades and are still supplied to hospitals for speciality treatments. Researchers are now investigating whether hookworms can allow people with coeliac disease to safely consume wheat.
Although maggots are still used in some hospitals today, your chances of having a typical wound heal with or without maggots is about the same.
Worms and bacteria
Researchers first noticed that parasitic infection reduced the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in the 1980s and it’s now an area of active research. At the time, the researchers didn’t know why this would be the case and a number of other factors (such as diet and living conditions) made it difficult to establish a clear cause and effect.
As we learn more about how parasites work, it is becoming obvious that successful parasites came prepared with a full toolbox of chemicals. With the creepy crawlies, these tools do things like thin blood so that the leech – or mozzie – can get a better feed.
Read More: http://m.livescience.com/48347-bugs-as-treatment-c...