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Oh man, I could and would, if it works. I get such bad allergy attacks sometimes.
There's nothing like taking a box of kleenex to school with you one day, running out by 10am, and resorting to brown paper towels from the bathroom for the rest of the day.
EDIT - although, I would worry how it would affect the strength of my immune system against things I actually DO need it for, like say, a possible bird-flu epidemic.
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quote:If we can work out how these cells are switched on, then the pharmaceutical industry could become involved.
Good plan. Learn from the worms, and then develop something that doesn't involve squirmy things in your lungs.
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A while back I read an article that talked about a study done in which people drank a frothy mug of parasite eggs which, once hatched, provided the same kind of benefit. Interesting, isn't it? Revolting, yes, but interesting.
Hm. I wonder about genetically engineering a parasitic worm to, say, produce hormones that would be useful for birth control. Or to administer hormone doeses for people who have had to have their thyroid glands removed.
In any case, if the parasites provided effective, long term relief from asthma symptoms I'd gladly host them.
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Intellectually I'm with Jake. Emotionally, I can't get over the squick factor. However, when I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford to pay people to shoot lasers into my eyes I said I'd never do it anyway, 'cause it was too icky and scary. When my parents offered me lasik for Christmas, it took about four long beats before I said a tentative "okay." I suspect, if this turns out to work and become reasonably widespread, I might do the same.
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dkw: They wouldn't be in your lungs, they'd be in your intestines. Which I think certainly lessens the squick factor.
When I weigh the possibility of being free from asthma against the grossness of having a parasite cum mutualistic symbiote in my body. I'd do it, I wouldn't think about it that much.
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Nope. They belong there. The ones in my eyebrows, too. Hookworms sucking blood from my intestines don't.
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All creatures have so many squirmy things living inside them that what do a few hookworks matter so long as I can breath out both sides of my nose and don't have asthma anymore!!! Not to mention other allergic issues that would belong in a TMI thread.
And if it gets me out of Crohn's disease surgery like a close relative of mine had, I'm SO there!
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rivka: It makes sense. How else do the genes for asthma survive? Because they are helped by hookworms!! GENIUS
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Not sure when it'll be on the market as a treatment you can be given by a doctor, but it's encouraging--no side effects, even. I think that if I had Crohn's disease I might be tempted to find a supply of T. suis eggs and experiment on myself, but I wouldn't recommend that anybody else do that. Since, you know, I wouldn't want them to sue me if something went wrong somehow.
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rivka, how do I know that the ones in me currently belong there, or how do I know that hookworms don't?
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quote:Originally posted by ElJay: rivka, how do I know that the ones in me currently belong there, or how do I know that hookworms don't?
I meant the latter. But both, really, I guess. That is, what evidence do you have that the symbiotes/parasites you currently support "belong" any more than the hookworms?
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This is a dilly of a pickle. As much as I'd love it, I just don't know if getting rid of a stuffy nose is worth renting out my intestines to infectious parasites.
I guess I'll get on the wait 'till the drug comes out boat. I don't mind horrible deformative side effects as long as they don't involve living things that want to eat my blood.
But what would be cool is my own pet panther that attacks anything I don't like; Stuffy noses, annoying panhandlers, shopping carts with that annoying squeaky wheel… You get the point.
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I think the study is really interesting, and not all THAT icky. Study microbiology, and you'll be squicked out and back again. Things that never bothered you will make you horrified. And things that used to make you grossed out, will be demoted to "interesting".
If the hookworms have a beneficial effect, they are no longer parasites, they are symbiotes. And therefore, a whole lot less icky. (to me)
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quote:This is a dilly of a pickle. As much as I'd love it, I just don't know if getting rid of a stuffy nose is worth renting out my intestines to infectious parasites.
Meh, you say infectious parasite I say previously unrecognized and much maligned symbiote.
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Oooh, I'd want a symbiote! Will it also make my eyes glow and my voice sound funny in addition to curing my allergies?
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I'm sure most of us already have experienced intestinal worms at some time or other; we just never knew it.
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rivka, the easy answer is that I am a healthy adult who has lived in normal sanitation conditions all my life and never traveled anywhere "exotic," so I would say that there is a high probability that the beasties I have living in me are normal for my geographical location and not harmful. That is enough for me to say they "belong." And the fact that hookworms would have to be introduced into my system is enough that they don't belong. Now, they may be beneficial. They may even be desirable. But I don't think either of those means they belong inside me. And that is the part that squicks me out.
Now, I do on occasion do things that alter my body chemestry, such as take (legal) drugs. I generally try to do it as little as possible, and it still seems different to me than intentionally hosting a parasite. But like I said. . . if it ends up working and becomes a decent choice for my allergy conditions, I'll probably at least seriously consider it.
Answer your question?
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kwea, yes, I had lasik. Loved it. Scary as all get out, completely worth it.
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Actually, I do not have normal pupils. I have enormous pupils (my one attractive feature, actually), and this is probably a big part of why even after LASIK I do not have 20/20 vision. But my vision is still good enough to get by without glasses or contacts (even driving) and that is wonderful. Especially given that I had fairly bad astigmatism, and that contacts didn't really work for me. (Not that that stopped me from trying. >_< )
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My pupils are large enough that I can't even have the surgery. Too high a risk of double vision afterwards.
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I can't imagine them being any bigger . . . as it is, I can't deal with bright sunshine. I guess living up north helps.
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Yep. It probably contributes to the fact that my ideal vacation involves woods rather than a beach.
The last time had to have my eyes dialated I was seeing the new partner at my eye doctor. He said, "There's a note in your chart to only use half a drop, so this may take a minu . . . <insert drop> . . . Holy S***!"
edit: second time in my life I've caused a medical professional to swear. (While I was there and awake. Who knows how many of them swear when I can't hear it.)
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quote:Originally posted by dkw: second time in my life I've caused a medical professional to swear. (While I was there and awake. Who knows how many of them swear when I can't hear it.)
So...what's the other time? I sense a good story.
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I don't remember my various numbers. Somewhere on the in-between level of badness. I never had the most shockingly thick glasses, but they were never the thinnest either. And contacts were a nightmare.
I think most people with astigmatism can have LASIK. As I recall, the surgeon wasn't to bugged about it. But again, this may be why my vision still is not perfect. I think I'm 20/30 or perhaps 20/40 now. Twilight also affects my vision more now than it did before.
I was also warned that my far-sightedness (I had myopia, astigmatism, and far-sightedness, if you can imagine that) would become a minor annoyance again as I got to middle age, but you can correct far-sightedness with $3 glasses from Walgreens, as opposed to $100+ glasses or contacts, so I'm not too stressed about it.
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I've seriously thought about leeches lately. With my low platelets my blood isn't clotting well, so the bruises from my surgery last week are still there, still sore and blue under the skin. I wondered if a leech would clean all that out and keep it from hurting. Maybe not, since the blood is more than a week old now.
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Dentist, when I had my wisdom teeth out. I refused to be put under for it, and I think he forgot for a minute that I was awake. He couldn't get a good grip on one of the teeth, and when he finally got it he yanked really hard and it went flying across the room, followed by a jet of blood.
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I am very happy with the guy who did mine. (And no, it's not that Doctor Philatowski from the radio. I suspect that his claims are misleading, though I could be mistaken.) I strongly suggest you do a lot of research into the doctor you choose, and that you not look for a bargain.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by dkw: Dentist..couldn't get a good grip on one of the teeth, and when he finally got it he yanked really hard and it went flying across the room, followed by a jet of blood.
posted
Way cooler than my wisdom teeth story, which really involves me having convulsions and then acting like I was drunk or stoned for the next twelve hours.
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Belle, is there any way you know of for me to get platelets from here in Chicago to you wherever you are. Whenever you mention platelet counts I feel like there should be something I could do about it. I tend to have very high counts and donate them here all the time and would love to give you some somehow.
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The ones in my eyebrows, too. Hookworms sucking blood from my intestines don't.
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rivka
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