On ivermectin and parasites (and other things)
About this episode
This episode explores the realities and myths surrounding ivermectin, a drug often misrepresented in popular media.
This episode is all about ivermectin - which truly is a wonder drug! A veritable miracle cure. For, ahem, river blindness. And for some other parasitic diseases, like hookworm. Mostly in animals. But in the US, you have likely heard of ivermectin not as a treatment for parasites but for different purposes altogether. There are thousands of videos on YouTube and Instagram extolling ivermectin for viral diseases like Covid, various cancers, and for something called a “parasitic detox,” or a “parasitic cleanse.” Really? This one drug does all that? No. It does not. In this episode of Drug Story, we tell the tale of ivermectin, and what gets all those people on TikTok raving about this drug - what they hope it could be, what they believe it works on. And then, with an open mind, we go to the science – to tease apart the true miracles from the mere fantasies. Source for this episode: [1] Dirt Eaters (2006) NCpedia : Hookworm spreads through skin contact with contaminated soil, with infection linked to poor sanitation and barefoot exposure. [2] What Would It Take to Describe the Global Diversity of Parasites? (2020) Proceedings B (Royal Society) : Discussion of parasite diversity and…
People in this episode
Host: Thomas Goetz
Topics covered
- ivermectin
- parasites
- viral diseases
- health myths
- science
- public perception
Mentioned in this episode
Products: ivermectin
Books & works: Dirt Eaters, What Would It Take to Describe the Global Diversity of Parasites?, The Great Hookworm Crusade
More episodes of Drug Story
- On fluoride and tooth decay
- On patent medicines (with Tim Harford)
- On medicine, with Dr. Eric Topol
- On Ambien and insomnia
- On chronic pain
- On tuberculosis (with John Green)
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