A review by serendipity730
An Epidemic of Absence: A New Way of Understanding Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases by Moises Velasquez-Manoff

3.0

I am of two minds about this book. On one hand, as a person w/asthma, allergies and a family tree riddled with both. it was interesting, engaging, and the author presents many compelling stories of ppl helped by Helminth therapy. However, as a scientist, I am leery. The author does spend some time discussing the cons of Helminth (hookworm) therapy, but comparatively, it's VERY little. I have no doubt the changing env't in the modern era has confused our immune system and disrupted our micro biome, but I think, at times, the author mistakes correlation for causation, particularly with respect to cancer. In the wrong hands, this book could lead someone to believing Helminth therapy is a 'cure all', to the exclusion of modem medicine. Many of the chapters were repetitive, and some seemed to offer only anecdotal evidence. This book is worth a read, as long as the reader understands the author is quite biased and that Helminth therapy is still, mostly unproven.