Helminth therapy consists of using small parasitic worms, called helminths, to treat autoimmune diseases, asthma,  severe allergies, food intolerance and many inflammatory diseases.

The starting point is that autoimmune diseases are mostly found in industrialized countries where parasitic worms have been eradicated. The idea is that these worms have co-evolved to modulate our immune system to avoid being rejected by our body.

For more information:

• Wikipedia
• Helminthic Therapy Wiki
• The Guardian: Tim Adams, Gut instinct: the miracle of the parasitic hookworm, 2010
• The New Zealand Herald: Sarah Wilson, Why doctor working in New Zealand infected himself with hookworms, 2022
• Parasitology International:  Socio-medical studies of individuals self-treating with helminths provide insight into clinical trial design for assessing helminth therapy, 2022

See also

• Phage therapy
• Other biotherapies