THEY’RE DESPERATE FOR RELIEF, so they’re ingesting worms. “The story describes a burgeoning movement made up of patients who infect themselves with parasitic worms, or helminths, in an attempt to cure ailments ranging from allergies and inflammatory bowels to Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Proponents swear by it, building on the theory that modern life is too antiseptic and that these parasites can help the body’s natural defenses.”