1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Hello there, it's Josh and for this week's S Y 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: s K Selex, I've chosen maggots colon good for healing wounds. 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: Turns out, uh, and that is absolutely true. Um, I 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: really listened to all of our select episodes, and I 5 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: listen to this one, and I'm clearly excited in the episode. 6 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: But I was just as excited listening to it all 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: these years later, but five years after we released it. Um, 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: So I hope it excites you. It is groty, but 9 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: it's also pretty awesome. So enjoy slash prepared to be 10 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: grossed out. Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production 11 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: of My Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome 12 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant, 13 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: and uh, no one, no one else is in here 14 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: with us yet again, because we've graduated to the point 15 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: where we don't even need a producer. We need so 16 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: body who presses record and leaves Yep, that's it, because 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: we're pros Yep, not p R O s E. P 18 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: R Oh that's right, we're not. But we are prosaic, yes, 19 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: but definitely not p r O apostrophees. Very few things 20 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: drive me crazier than that. And I know it's stupid 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: and pedantic, but to see, like somebody take out a 22 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: huge billboard or something and so a word has an 23 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: apostrophe that shouldn't prose. People say, like, leave it to 24 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: the pros and they'll put an apostrophe. Yes, and it's 25 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: it's that graphic designer should be, you know, doctor half 26 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: a day's paying maybe eight bucks. Something we want to 27 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: issue and you probably would get this from the title 28 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: of the episode, but we want to issue a meal warning. 29 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: Oh good thinking, because we've gotten complaints in the past 30 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: when people are eating and get sick listening to some 31 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: of these, Yeah, this would do it possibly for some people. 32 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: I was fine, I ate a runny yolk egg sandwich 33 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: while I white writer. Yeah right, it didn't bother me, 34 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: but I could totally see how it could be any people. 35 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: I also want to say, um, if it comes up, 36 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: do not go Google image search wound sloth. Well, I 37 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: just put do not Google image search maggot therapy at all. Okay, sure, 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: but definitely stay away from wound sloth s l o 39 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: U g H. Yeah, wow, it definitely don't look at 40 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: wound slough while you're eating. Yeah, okay, so that's all 41 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: out of the way. Yes, I predict we're going to 42 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: be kind of excited about this one. I'm feeling a 43 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: little pumped about it. Well, we did cover in uh 44 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: tin bizarre medical treatments uh leech therapy, which is still 45 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: being used, and I'm surprised this wasn't in that article. 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: To be honest, I am as well. But this gets 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: its own special deal, and well it should actually because 48 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: it's a pretty amazing thing. Um, we're talking about maggot therapy. Also, 49 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: by the way, yes it is they were awesome so 50 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: or they really or is it a band name? Well, 51 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: it's a band name to end all band names. There 52 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: probably was a band name that, So there's it's called 53 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: maggot therapy, maggot debridement therapy, larval therapy, or bio. There's 54 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: another one called I think like bio biodebridement or therapeutic 55 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: wound misses. Yeah, and that's basically all the all of them, 56 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: no matter what you call it, no matter how you 57 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: church it up. It is the application of live maggots 58 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: fly larva to purposefully to an open wound in order 59 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: to help that wound heal. Faster and better and cleaner 60 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: and everything. Dat punk said, Oh yeah, you know, should 61 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: we talk about some of the history of this stuff. 62 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: Let's just say that one more time. Okay. Maggot debridement 63 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: therapy is taking live maggots and put getting them in 64 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: an open wound on a human being or an animal. 65 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: It's used in veterinary medicine as well, wrapping it up 66 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: tight and letting them just eat the dead and dying 67 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: flesh of that wound while you get your foot tickled. Okay, 68 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: I would be so skiped out by this. I just 69 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: wanted to make sure that everybody knows exactly what we're 70 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: talking about, right, and goodbye to everyone everyone who fainted. Okay, Yeah, 71 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 1: let's talk about the history, chuck, because this is um. 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: This is in use today, but it's actually pretty old. Yeah, 73 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's some say it's an even an 74 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: ancient tradition, like in places like Burma in Central America 75 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: with the Mayan's um. They were smart enough to know 76 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: that maggots do a pretty good job of consuming human flesh. Uh, 77 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: and it can be used for good in that regard. Yeah, 78 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: at some point I guess healers noticed like yef. People 79 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: who had maggots in their wounds tended to have wounds 80 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: heal U. And actually, as far as the Western literature goes, 81 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 1: that's exactly how um maggot therapy first finds its way, 82 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:07,799 Speaker 1: first crawls into the medical literature is from a French 83 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: surgeon named Ambro Ambras Poare. Yeah, but how would you say, 84 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't speak French Ambras even though 85 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: it doesn't have the little what is that an accent? Yeah, 86 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: it's just the e. But he was a sixteenth century 87 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: surgeon and he noticed that, um, that people didn't necessarily 88 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: fall over dead if there was a maggot in the wound. Yeah. 89 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 1: He was the first doctor to actually come out and say, 90 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: you know, I had this patient with a big skull wound, 91 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: and unbeknownst to me, there were maggots in there. I 92 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: saw them crawling out one day. And even though they 93 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: had a lot of bone. Um, the guy was great. 94 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: He healed like he lost a hand sized slab of 95 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: skull and he lived. And I think it might have 96 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: something to do with the maggots. And he presumably were 97 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: a helmet for the us of his life. Probably he 98 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: had a probably big soft skull there, I guess so. Uh. 99 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: That was followed in uh with the mid seventeen hundreds 100 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: by another Frenchy baron, Dominique Jean Laoie uh, and he said, 101 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: you know what, on this Egyptian expedition, Uh, these blue 102 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: fly maggots are actually doing the right thing and helping 103 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: us out. So it's almost like these doctors just noticed 104 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: this exactly and it meant enough to him that they 105 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: were like, I should probably write this down. This is 106 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: going to be my great contribution to medical history of 107 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: the history of science, right. Um. So it wasn't until 108 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: the uh, I guess, the Civil War that a doctor 109 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: actually said I'm going to purposefully put maggots in a 110 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: wound and see what happens. And that doctor was John 111 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: Forney Zacharias. He probably didn't tell his patient that. I 112 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: think probably that he was just like, just bite down 113 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: on this brooms and the other way. Do you want 114 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: to lose your foot or do you want to try 115 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: something really weird? Well, supposedly in studies of people, modern 116 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: patients who are offered this therapy say yes to it. Well, yeah, 117 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: because I think that's what it comes down to. You 118 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: it's a last resort. Basically, it's not the first thing 119 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: they offer, not necessarily. Um So, Anyway, doctor Zacharias um 120 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: Hey had a great quote. He said, during my service 121 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: in the hospital at Danville, Virginia, I first used maggots 122 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: to remove the decayed tissue in Hospital Gang Green, and 123 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: with my eminent satisfaction, in a single day, they would 124 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: clean a wound much better than any agents we had 125 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: at our command. I used them afterwards at various places. 126 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: I am sure I saved many lives by their use, 127 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: escaped sept to semia, and had rapid recoveries period. End quote. 128 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: Pretty great. Yeah. So he was a huge believer and 129 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: not just a passive observer like people who came before him. 130 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: He said, Yeah, I put maggots on wounds and it helps, 131 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: That's right. And uh, people experimented with it for a 132 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: little while until um a guy named Louis Pasteur and 133 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: Robert Coke came along, uh microbiologists and germ theorists that 134 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: basically said, you know, this is this is disgusting. We 135 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: might want to not do this. Yeah, because they're dirty. 136 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, and it's true. Maggots naturally in the wild 137 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: carry lots of pathogens with them that UM can infect 138 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: us in other ways, can make a wound worse, can 139 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: actually kill you. So this the idea behind germ theory 140 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: as far as maggots goes. Right. But UM, it seems 141 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: like there's this long history of necessity and disgusted with 142 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: maggot therapy that kind of wayne ebbs and flows right, 143 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: and necessity rears its head on the battlefield. It did 144 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: in the Civil War, and it also did in World 145 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: War One. There was a surgeon UM named William S. 146 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: Bayer and he was working on the front lines in France, 147 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,239 Speaker 1: and he used maggots on stomach wounds and open fractures, 148 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: and he found, to his great satisfaction, just like Dr 149 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: Zacharias and the other before him, that this stuff actually worked. Yeah, 150 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: And he actually said, you know what, I have some 151 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,959 Speaker 1: further advancements. UM, maybe we should put a bandage over 152 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: this thing so it doesn't completely discussed the patient. Uh, 153 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: And let me UM put bandages around the wound, so 154 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: they don't start creeping onto the healthy flesh and doing 155 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: damage or just itching you or creeping you out further 156 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: right exactly, UM, which are still in use today. These techniques. 157 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: He also pioneered another huge technique, and this is after 158 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: the war was over. Ten years later, when he was 159 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: back at Johns Hopkins UM. He he pioneered another really 160 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: important technique, and that was using sterilized um maggots. Like 161 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: germ free maggots. They were raised as eggs in a 162 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: sterile environment and so when they were introduced to the wounds, 163 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: they weren't carrying these pathogens anymore. And he found this 164 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: is the jackpot. Now you can use maggots from now on. 165 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: That's right. And there was a big boom in the 166 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: thirties up until the mid nineteen forties. Uh, three more 167 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 1: than three hundred American hospitals. Uh, we're using maggot treatment, 168 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:15,200 Speaker 1: maggot therapy. And then in uh antiseptics came along, or 169 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: you know, new antiseptics and they said, you know what, 170 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: maybe there was another lull in the use of maggot theory. Right, 171 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: Necessity didn't didn't spur this stuff, and it was they 172 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: went back to just being gross again. There was a 173 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: guy um who by the eighties wrote what what this 174 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: one article calls the majority opinion. Fortunately, maggot therapy is 175 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: now relegated to a historical backwater of interest more for 176 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: its bizarre nature than its effect on the course of 177 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: medical science. A therapy the demise of which no one 178 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: is likely to mourn. That's just that kind of Western 179 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: medicine hubris, where like we can do anything except everything, 180 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: you know. Uh, that's right. And in the nineteen nineties, UM, 181 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: a dude named Ronald Sherman and Edward peck Or basically 182 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:06,760 Speaker 1: champion the technique again and kind of brought it into 183 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: the modern age. Yeah, and still very much is. Um. 184 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: Ronald Sherman is one of the first, I think, to 185 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: receive a license to produce sterile maggots for use as 186 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: medical devices. Um. And there's another guy over in uh 187 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: the UK named John Church um who who brought the 188 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: maggot their maggot therapy into the four So it was 189 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:37,239 Speaker 1: an ancient thing, it was. It's found to be disgusting, 190 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: it's found to be useful, it's found to be disgusting, 191 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: it's found ways you can make it better. It's found 192 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: to be disgusting. And then now that this idea of 193 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: complimentary medicine is is kind of regaining some traction again. UM, 194 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 1: I think it's here to stay. Though I think so too, 195 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: unless someone comes along in ten years is you know 196 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: what it's disgusting, Well, you know the chuck. I mean 197 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: probably what we're seeing is the next thing that will 198 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: happen is there will be some huge leaps, some huge 199 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: development in science, and science will get its tackles up 200 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,719 Speaker 1: again and great about itself and we don't need any 201 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: of that stupid nastiness. And then we'll find that Nope, 202 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: you still can't beat good old fashioned maggots. And that's 203 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: that should be the title of this thing. You can't 204 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: beat good old fashioned maggots for healing a wound that 205 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: won't heal otherwise. It's a great title. So you want 206 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: to take a break, Uh, yeah, let's do it, and 207 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: we'll go um treat our own wounds and we'll be 208 00:12:30,080 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: back shortly. All right, Let's talk about diabetes for a second. Yeah, 209 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:09,199 Speaker 1: more than twenty three million Americans are affected with diabetes. 210 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: And one thing that can happen, uh is nerve damage, 211 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: especially in the extremities the hands and feet and the 212 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: toes and the and the fingers. Your blood vessels become 213 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: hard and they don't circulate the blood like you need. 214 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: That can lead to open sores called ulcers, which can 215 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: become infections, which can spread to nearby bone, which can 216 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: lead to amputation. Yeah, and all of all this is 217 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: just from a prolonged exposure to high levels of blood 218 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: sugar and they're not sure how it can do it. 219 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: But yeah, the blood, the blood vessels not helping pump 220 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: blood very well get nutrients or your tissue can die. 221 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: But also that neuropathy that dead and nerves cell um 222 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: that actually makes it hard for you to notice. If 223 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 1: you have like a really bad ulcer on the bottom 224 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:57,679 Speaker 1: of your foot, you can't feel it. Yeah, and so 225 00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: you don't get treatment early enough, so it can get 226 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: an infection, can get out of hand, and when it 227 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: spreads to bone that's called osteo myelitis. That's problematic because 228 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: that very quickly will lead to an amputation. And there's 229 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: some pretty shocking stats here from this article that Tom wrote, 230 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: Um about this sheave jam Yeah nice, it's yeah for sure, Um, 231 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 1: But about amputations from diabetes, Yes, seventy thousand to foot 232 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: and leg amputations each year in the United States alone, 233 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: and uh they say around the world, they estimate every 234 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: thirty seconds someone gets a limb cut off because of diabetes. Yeah, 235 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: that's sad. Yeah, it really is, and we should. We 236 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: will do one on diabetes for sure. Oh yeah, I'm 237 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: surprised we haven't already. Um. But the so amputation is 238 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 1: used to halt the progress of an infection, and that's 239 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: usually the last resort. But what's what Tom points out 240 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: is that there are plenty of doctors around the world 241 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: I imagine that aren't aware that you can use maggots 242 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: or have ever done it before. And if you are 243 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: facing an amputation from say like a wound, a persistent wound, 244 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: a chronic wound that won't heal, Um, you may want 245 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: to suggest maggots to your doctor. You may have to 246 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: actually take this the the initiative on this one and say, 247 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: let's make sure the amputation is the absolute last resort. 248 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,480 Speaker 1: Let's see if we can put one more resort in 249 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: there before then I'm willing to let maggots crawl inside 250 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: my body in this wounds open wound if you're willing 251 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: to apply them. And they uh, like most doctors love 252 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: hearing when patients suggest treatments. Oh they do. They love feedback. 253 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: They love to be guided in their diagnoses and prognoses. Yeah, 254 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: I love it. That's a tough jam. I get it. 255 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: Doctors are frustrated a lot of these days with self 256 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: diagnosis and online doctoring. But you should also be your 257 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: own advocate. We can't be in that before. Yeah it's 258 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: your leg. Yeah you want to keep your leg. You 259 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: tell that doctor to go get some maggots. You're going 260 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: to replace them with the doctor who will. I can 261 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: find a guy, Yeah, I can get a guy by 262 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 1: noon that'll put maggots on that wound. And actually there's 263 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: a there's a group I think Ronald Sherman, the guy 264 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier who's like the the US champion of 265 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: maggot therapy. UM. It's there's this group called the B 266 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: Turf Foundation B T e Er Foundation, UM, and they 267 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: have all sorts of resources for people in that very situation, 268 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: like how to talk to your doctor, UM that if 269 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: your insurance won't cover it, let them know, because they 270 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 1: say insurance actually most insurance covers maggot therapy, but most 271 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: insurance claims people are not aware of that, so you 272 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: may get denied at first. And here's how to talk 273 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: to your insurance company. That's it really is. That beats 274 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: going to your doctor and saying well, you know what 275 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: Josh and Chuck said. He you're not gonna like hearing this, 276 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: right because you think you know it all doctor, please 277 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: take a sleep and be put maggots on my feet, right. 278 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: And and that's the other thing too, I mean, like 279 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,360 Speaker 1: we wouldn't be suggesting this and the Better Foundation probably 280 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: wouldn't be such advocates for it if it didn't work 281 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 1: so amazingly. Well, it's study after study, and we'll talk 282 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: about the details of it, but there's so many studies 283 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: out there. Um Again. Sherman, who agreed, is an advocate, 284 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: but in a pure reviewed journal published a survey of 285 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: studies that he could find on maggot therapy, and it's 286 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 1: very clear that it works really really well, and not 287 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,199 Speaker 1: only necessarily um as a means of last resort, but 288 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: even just compared to the standard of care using like 289 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: hydrogell or other things that you might use to treat 290 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: a chronic wound. Maggots destroy it, They leave it in 291 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: the dust. Yeah. And if it doesn't work, it's not 292 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: gonna hurt anything. Yeah. Yeah, it just puts off how 293 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,360 Speaker 1: much longer before they amputate your foot? Pretty much? Yeah. 294 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: Uh so what will happen is they will Well, let's 295 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: get into this a little bit. Um, there are four 296 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: differ friend, and you where did you find this? Was 297 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 1: this a a research paper? Yeah? This is by Ronald 298 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: Sherman Mechanisms of maggot induced wound healing colin What do 299 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,919 Speaker 1: we know and where do we go from here? It 300 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,200 Speaker 1: was in the journal Evidence Based, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine 301 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: in two thousand and fourteen, that's right, And he describes 302 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: four different phases of basically healing a wound um homeostasis, inflammation, ploriferate. Man, 303 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: I'm so bad at that one. Oh yeah, keep it coming, proliferation, 304 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:36,679 Speaker 1: nice going, and uh remodeling and maturing. And what happens 305 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 1: is the cells get to work, they recruit other cells, 306 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: they alter their activities and basically say, let's get to 307 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: work cleaning and uh, well on all four of these 308 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 1: stages to help heal the wound. Yeah, and at any 309 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: any one of those stages, Um that the next process 310 00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: can stall out. Um. Normally it stalls out at inflamation 311 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 1: ation because the infection gets out of hand in the 312 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: body can't fight off the infection faster than it's laying 313 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: The extracellular matrix for the new cells to be rebuilt, 314 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 1: the new tissue to recro um. And that's that's it's 315 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: a common thing that leads to chronic wounds. Yes, they 316 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,360 Speaker 1: just won't heal. And that's where maggots are really really 317 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 1: useful to basically interrupt that stall and get the car 318 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: moving again in the right direction. It's exactly right, they 319 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: kick started. Uh. So debridemant is removing dead tissue, and 320 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:36,439 Speaker 1: that is really where maggots excel um. They said, Uh, 321 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: in here, each maggot can chew, Well they don't exactly chew, 322 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: which we'll get to. Uh. They remove twenty five milligrams 323 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: of necrotic material dead flesh, uh, in just twenty four hours. Yeah, 324 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: that's pretty good. Yeah, and uh, there's there's actually three 325 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: ways that maggots clean a wound. But debridement, which is 326 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: getting in there and like just cleaning out, removing physically 327 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: removing um that dead material. That's like the key that 328 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,640 Speaker 1: seems to be the key. And then there's also um 329 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:10,439 Speaker 1: anti microbial activity like actually killing the bacteria that's killing 330 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: the flesh, leaving it cleaner than when they came in, Yeah, 331 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: which is amazing. And then even more astounding stimulating new growth, 332 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: like the act the presence of maggots in your wound 333 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: stimulates new tissue growth around your skin. It's the most 334 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: they're just like wonder creatures who knew. One of the 335 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: ways that they remove this dead tissue is just by 336 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,400 Speaker 1: the nature of what their body is like. And they 337 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,399 Speaker 1: have these little prickly spines all over their body that 338 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: act as a surgeon's rasp rasper or file what It 339 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: Basically just the fact that they're moving around on the 340 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: wound is going to like file the stuff down and 341 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: scrape the wound, which helps loosens it up. It's like 342 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: a plow. It burrows through this dieing and dead tissue 343 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,120 Speaker 1: and it just, yeah, it loosens up. That's part one 344 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: of derived Part one. There's another part of it, which 345 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: is the digestive enzymes that they excrete and secrete. It's 346 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: called alimentary secretions and excretions a s C. It's basically 347 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,680 Speaker 1: they're digestive juices, right, and they puke these up as 348 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 1: they're moving around and they just they just puke them 349 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: everywhere and it dissolves this flesh. Yeah. I remember in 350 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,239 Speaker 1: the Body Farms episode we we talked about this one 351 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: one of the old classics. And that's why I said earlier. 352 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: They don't bite or choose something. They just liquefy it 353 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 1: and then suck it in. And this this A s 354 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: C stuff is so greedy that it liquefies more dead 355 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: flesh than the maggots can even consume, and they consume 356 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: quite a bit, Like you said, twenty five milligrams. That's 357 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: a lot for a little tiny maggot in one day. 358 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,479 Speaker 1: But even more than that, they're liquefying even more of 359 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 1: this dead tissue. So that part of the process of 360 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:03,640 Speaker 1: maggot debridemant therapy is draining out this liquefied necrotic tissue 361 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: that's become liquefied from the alimentary or the the A 362 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,920 Speaker 1: s C stuff. The digest events ons, right, So you've 363 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: got them burrowing around, you've got them puking into your wound, 364 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: liquefying the dead tissue, leaving pretty much entirely the living 365 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: tissue alone, and then you just kind of drain out 366 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: the stuff that's that's in there. And the reason um 367 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: that maggots are considered by the FDA a medical device 368 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: rather than a drug is because the whole process of 369 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: dibrid mint isn't just a reaction to the chemicals. It 370 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,640 Speaker 1: is part of that mechanical movement of the maggots through 371 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: the wound. So it's a drug, it's a device. I 372 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,280 Speaker 1: mean it's a device. Look at them, yea, and those 373 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:56,640 Speaker 1: that the secretions are so potent. They have basically DNA 374 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: destroying qualities, Like they not only just break down tissue, 375 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 1: they destroy the d N A. It's pretty amazing stuff 376 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: it is. Should we take another break? Yeah, I'm a 377 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: little excited. We probably should. Alright, I'm gonna go to 378 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 1: the vomitorium. Are you grossed out slightly? I am not 379 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: in the least. What does that say about me? I 380 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 1: don't know. You have a stronger stomach, but I don't necessarily, 381 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: I'm I'm just excited. All right, we'll go watch me 382 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:48,239 Speaker 1: vomited at least. Okay, that will gross me out? All right? 383 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: Well that was disgusting, it was It made me throw 384 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:57,639 Speaker 1: up in turn. Uh So here's a couple of questions. Um, 385 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: does it hurt? Maybe a little bit at first. Yeah, 386 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: I don't get the feeling that it's extremely painful. It 387 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: probably depends on the wound. Um, but it can the 388 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 1: first few treatments can apparently be a little bit painful, right, 389 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: And there's there's actually two mechanisms for the pain. One 390 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: is that an open wound, right, and you have maggots 391 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: crawling over the exposed nerves in your open wound. That's 392 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: not gonna feel good, No, it won't. Uh. And then 393 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: number two, pressure in the wound can increase as the 394 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: maggots get bigger from eating so much dead flesh. That's right. 395 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,360 Speaker 1: So yes, the the the cure to that is pain killers, which, frankly, 396 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: if you have an open wound with exposed nerves, you 397 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: should probably be on those anyway. Sure you will be, 398 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: so it probably won't hurt because there'll be some sort 399 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,439 Speaker 1: of pain management going on, but you will still feel 400 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,720 Speaker 1: most likely unless the doctor completely numbs the area maggots 401 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,359 Speaker 1: crawling around inside the wound. See, that's what That's the 402 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: part that gets me is actually thinking about undergoing this 403 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: therapy myself is what gets me, not like seeing it 404 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:02,400 Speaker 1: or reading about it, but thinking about having an open 405 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 1: wound on the bottom of my foot and having maggots 406 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: creeping around in there. See. The thing is I think 407 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: anybody would feel that way. There's very few included myself. 408 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 1: I'm not grossed out by this, but I wouldn't want 409 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,879 Speaker 1: maggots talking wound. But I think if your backs against 410 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: the wall, uh that, or you lose your foot, I try. 411 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,719 Speaker 1: I would definitely try. I think as people would apparently 412 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,359 Speaker 1: man and I would demand some high quality drugs. And 413 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: they also have um what is it called amnesiotics to 414 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 1: make you forget about so you can't form memories while 415 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: it's happening. So maybe that would be a nice thing 416 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: to do too. So the other question is can you 417 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: just use any kind of maggot and the answer is no. 418 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,119 Speaker 1: What they found is the most useful is the larva 419 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,640 Speaker 1: of the green blow fly. And like we said earlier, 420 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: these things are now grown just sort of like the 421 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: medical leeches there shipped and sterile containers, uh as if 422 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: it were medicine, even though it's a device. And the 423 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 1: B T. E. R. Foundation they go into a lot 424 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 1: about this like could anybody do this? And they say, well, no, 425 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: because you need a prescription. It's an FDA control yourself. 426 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 1: But they say anybody who can read can basically follow 427 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: the instructions on the package. I wouldn't, I mean, I 428 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't advise that as your non doctor. Sure, I'm not 429 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:24,680 Speaker 1: saying that either, but I mean this may be your 430 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: doctor's first time to their Their point was is it's 431 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: not it's not difficult. Just follow the instructions on the packet. 432 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: If you win. Your doctor though, he got the maggots 433 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: out and he put on his bifocals and was like, 434 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,479 Speaker 1: all right, let's see how to do this right or 435 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: like he tears the package open. They go everywhere you have, 436 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: like Jerry Lewis as a doctor. Uh oh. But although 437 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: they do say, um, you can't just load it up 438 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: with maggots. There should be no more than eight maggots 439 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: per square centimeter. Yeah, I saw five to eight. And 440 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,399 Speaker 1: so when you have the maggots applied to your um wound, 441 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: they're going to make sure that the healthy area around 442 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: the wound is covered up so the maggots can't get 443 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,120 Speaker 1: to it, which goes back to World War two. Yeah, 444 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: they're going to cover it, cover up the wound after 445 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: they apply the maggots five to eight per square centimeter, 446 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: like you say, and they're going to cover it up 447 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,400 Speaker 1: so they can't wander off because maggots like to leave 448 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 1: before their work is done. Um TV, they're full pretty much, um, 449 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: but they can still eat more if you'll keep them 450 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: in there so they will cover up. They'll put the 451 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:30,399 Speaker 1: maggots in five to eight cover it up with this 452 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: bandage and basically they will just sit there and eat 453 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,520 Speaker 1: for between forty eight and seventy two hours, and then 454 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: the bandage will be removed. The maggots will then sadly 455 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:47,640 Speaker 1: be incinerated or put into an autoclave or put into 456 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: a plasma gas of fire, or bronzed and hung on 457 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: your wall for real, like an ant farm. Yeah, because 458 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: it's like, thank you for this great contribution to saving 459 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: my foot, Now go be autoclave today. I would name 460 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:06,439 Speaker 1: them and save them and preserve them. Um, you'd be 461 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: violating I'm sure all sorts of medical waste laws, but 462 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: who cares and so and then that's that's what's called 463 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:17,120 Speaker 1: the treatment cycle. And most patients UH supposedly go between 464 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: two and four treatment cycles. And again, while this is happening, 465 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,320 Speaker 1: what's going on is the maggots are debriding the dead flesh, 466 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: they're liquefying it, they're eating it, and they're also disinfecting 467 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 1: it and stimulating growth. Right, pretty amazing. So with the 468 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: with this, with the disinfecting, they figured that there was 469 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: some sort of gut flora that the maggots have that 470 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: prevents them from being infected by micropoil. That would make 471 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,280 Speaker 1: sense because they're in that riting flesh as well and 472 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: they're thriving, right, So what gives Well, it turns out 473 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: that there are a couple of um types of I'm 474 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: not quite sure what what kind of um bacteria they are, 475 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: but they are. Oh that's not true. The proteus mirabilious 476 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: is a type of symbiotic microbe that you find in 477 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: the gut of a maggot, right, And this thing just 478 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: destroys microbial life. So it's killing the bacteria that's causing 479 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: this infection in your wound. But there's something that that maggots. 480 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 1: This is yet another thing. So think about it, Chuck, 481 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: Like you said, maggots, The very structure of a maggot 482 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 1: body dibrides the wound. That's amazing. This maggot anti microbial 483 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: stuff not only does it kill microbes, it destroys the 484 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: thing that naturally protects microbes, which is called biofilm. Yeah, 485 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: we've talked about biofilm a lot on this show, and um, 486 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: it's basically it's basically a film, like a literal film, 487 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,720 Speaker 1: like a They call it a polymeric matrix. But the 488 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: easiest way to say in Layman's terment is it's a film, right, 489 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: It's like a protective coding. Yeah. And the little spiny bodies, 490 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 1: like one way they get rid of the thing is 491 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 1: by roughing it up, And that's exactly what the little 492 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: bodies do, right, And that's part of surgical I've meant 493 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: with like um, like going in there and scrubbing a 494 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: wound um with I don't know, steel wool or something 495 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: like that that will break up the biofilm. It's also 496 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:15,479 Speaker 1: must be awfully painful, right. Maggots naturally can destroy not 497 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: just the bacteria but also the biofilm that protects it 498 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: to which makes them extremely handy with things like MERSA 499 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: and other antibiotic resistant um bacteria and all kinds of ulcers, right, 500 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 1: not like internal ulcers, but the open wound kind right, 501 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: exactly from diabetes, from bed sores um. And there's been 502 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: a lot of studies of people with bed sores that 503 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: have found that maggots help those kind of ulcers tremendously, 504 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: so Uh, let's talk about this one study or a 505 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 1: couple of studies. Actually, UM, there was one study of 506 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: spinal cord injury patients that had non healing ulcers, which 507 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: is the problem. And they monitored them over three to 508 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: four weeks UM, and they were getting regular wound care 509 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: at the same time, like sometimes it's used in conjunction 510 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:05,680 Speaker 1: I think usually is used in conjunction with like standard care. UH. 511 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: And they found that uh, after three or four weeks 512 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: of maggot therapy, tissue quality and wound size were ressessed 513 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 1: weekly and they found that debridement was achieved in less 514 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: than fourteen days an average of ten days, and none 515 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,400 Speaker 1: of the control group wounds were more than fifty dibrided 516 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: after a month. A month, not even half dibrided. None 517 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: of the wounds, not half the wounds were divided, None 518 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: of the wounds were even half dibrided after a month 519 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: chuck of the control group. Yes, amazing where they didn't 520 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: use the maggots. Yes, that's that's objectively amazing. It is. 521 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: And then they did a larger clinical trial and found uh, 522 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 1: this time they got two hundred and sixty three subjects, 523 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: which is pretty good for this kind of rare treatment 524 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 1: for uh. And they found that um, using the hydrogel 525 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: which you mentioned earlier, compression dressings, just the standard care, 526 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: that was the control. Yeah, that's obvious. The control. They 527 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: differed significantly between the three groups. Um, what was the 528 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,640 Speaker 1: third group? The third group used bio bags, which are 529 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: like it's like a little pouch. You said it was 530 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 1: like a rav healthy Yeah, and it's filled with live maggots, 531 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: but it prevents them from burrowing. All it is is 532 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,479 Speaker 1: using their chemical secretions. Yeah, I don't That to me 533 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: is just like why go halfway? Right? Exactly? Well, a 534 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,160 Speaker 1: lot of people are like, I don't want a maggot 535 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 1: crawling in my wound, but a bag of them is 536 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 1: fine doing the shake shake near my wound. Right. So, um, 537 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: it actually has been shown to be not nearly as 538 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: effective as just letting what's called free range maggots burrow 539 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,040 Speaker 1: through the wound. So they found the media time for 540 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 1: debryment was fourteen days with free range, twenty eight days 541 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 1: with the bagged ravioli, and seventy two days for the control. 542 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: Yeah that's pretty amazing. Yeah, Like, I I don't know, 543 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: I don't think it should be a last resort. You know, 544 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 1: I agree, and I think that increasingly it's becoming less 545 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 1: and less of the last resort because I mean, you 546 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: can compare it to the control, Like the standard of 547 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,080 Speaker 1: care took seventy two days for the wound to be divided, 548 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,719 Speaker 1: free range maggots fourteen days. That to me says that 549 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: free range maggots top the standard of care as it 550 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: stands right now. But like you say, there's a lot 551 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: of people who are saying this is just a last resort. 552 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,560 Speaker 1: The next thing we're gonna do is amputate your foot. 553 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 1: But let's try this one last time. Or in the 554 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 1: case of persistent infections from like MERSA, where just antibiotics 555 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,479 Speaker 1: just don't work, let's let's try maggots and see if 556 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: we can fix it. And maggots do work. There was 557 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: a study that found that of thirteen people treated who 558 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: had MERSA treated with maggots alone, twelve of the thirteen 559 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: had complete recovery and wound healing um from a mercer infection. 560 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: Mercu's nasty stuff too. Yeah, I think did we do 561 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,600 Speaker 1: what I'm MERSA. I feel like we did. I know 562 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: we've talked about it. I don't know if it got 563 00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: its own show though may have been in the should 564 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 1: we outlaw anti bacterial soap episode? Well, there's been a 565 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: lot of them, almost eight hundred. Uh you got anything else? 566 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:18,120 Speaker 1: Surely I do, but I guess not. Um. Oh yeah, 567 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: Well there's one other thing we kept kind of teasing it. 568 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:25,240 Speaker 1: It actually stimulates growth. A couple of studies have found 569 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: that the presence of maggots um produce more blood vessel 570 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 1: redevelopment and tissue redevelopment than maggots not being present. So 571 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: something about them actually stimulates tissue growth and blood vessel growth, 572 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: which promotes wound healing even more. Up with maggots. Up 573 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: with maggots, indeed, Man, I love them. I'm so psyched 574 00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 1: about maggots right now. Well, it definitely changes the way 575 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:52,800 Speaker 1: you think about them. Like, next time you see a 576 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 1: the dead squirrel that you've killed, they're clearly trying to 577 00:34:58,160 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: bring it back to life. Yeah, and you see the 578 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 1: maggot you can. You don't think that's disgusting. You just 579 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: think those are little things doing their thing, doing their thing. 580 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,839 Speaker 1: Little things doing their thing. Now I'm going to autoclave them, 581 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 1: that's right. Uh. If you want to know more about 582 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,320 Speaker 1: maggot therapy, you can type those words in the search 583 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,160 Speaker 1: bar at how stuff forks dot com. And since I 584 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:23,719 Speaker 1: said search parts time forward listener, I'm gonna call this 585 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:28,359 Speaker 1: taken to task somewhat over a term. Guys, I want 586 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,879 Speaker 1: to say you are my favorite podcast by far. I've 587 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: been listening since you were just a little five minute blurbs. 588 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 1: Oh man, you sure have grown up. I've never written 589 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: in before, but felt a head to comment on Josh's 590 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 1: statement that climate change was for global warming was settled science. No, 591 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 1: I'm not disputing the data that shows an increase in 592 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 1: global temperatures. While you can certainly argue it's accuracy, especially 593 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 1: for older data, it's still just data. It's not science. 594 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,120 Speaker 1: The part that gets me upset about the term settled sciences. 595 00:35:56,320 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: By definition, science is never settled, and that's an all caps. 596 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: I think we talked a lot about this is the 597 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:05,680 Speaker 1: scientific method of this stuff. You guys actually did a 598 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:08,879 Speaker 1: podcast on the scientific method, so you should know that 599 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: at best you can show a particular theory is supported 600 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,840 Speaker 1: by existing data and not contradicted by anything we know 601 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: of at the time. But there's a reason that ultra 602 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,479 Speaker 1: successful theories like Newton's theory of gravity hind science. Theory 603 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 1: of relativity are still theories. They could be completely discredited 604 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: by a single piece of data contradicting them. So the 605 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: whole idea of taking a body of fact saying it's 606 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:32,919 Speaker 1: settled is far more political concept than scientific one. While 607 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: people with various viewpoints in the subject would like to 608 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:39,960 Speaker 1: have someplace to plant their ideological flag, saying something is 609 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 1: indisputedly true as opposed to probably false is simply not 610 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,880 Speaker 1: something science and the scientific method is equipped to do. 611 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:50,200 Speaker 1: In short, science has never settled. You cannot simply say 612 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,640 Speaker 1: this is true, move on. That's not how it works. 613 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,319 Speaker 1: And that is from Spencer Carpenter right here in our 614 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:59,839 Speaker 1: own Smyrna, Georgia. We're not in St. Well, I mean 615 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:05,360 Speaker 1: it's it's nearby. What I just did is what Spencer 616 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,640 Speaker 1: just did. Spencer, I was using a literary device. I 617 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 1: was actually using the same type of argument that science 618 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 1: that non science climate deniers use against scientists. I was 619 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:21,280 Speaker 1: basically saying, like, it's done, drop it. There's enough science 620 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 1: there to say you're you're you're wrong. Let's move on 621 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,399 Speaker 1: and just all accept that climate science is going it's 622 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,919 Speaker 1: a layoff. So that was a clever ruse. It wasn't 623 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,759 Speaker 1: a ruse at all. It was it was just I 624 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:38,240 Speaker 1: was not being literal like apparently, which is what Spencer 625 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: deals in literal terms. Uh, if you want to take 626 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 1: us to test because you are overly literal, we want 627 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:48,080 Speaker 1: to hear from you. You can tweet to us at 628 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:51,480 Speaker 1: s y s K podcast. You can join us on Facebook, 629 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,120 Speaker 1: dot com, slash Stuff you Should Know. You can send 630 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 1: us an email to Stuff podcast that how Stuff works 631 00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,040 Speaker 1: dot com and has always joined us at our home 632 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:04,720 Speaker 1: on the web. Stuff you Should Know dot Com. Stuff 633 00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:06,600 Speaker 1: you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio. 634 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:09,320 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart 635 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,880 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 636 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:16,239 Speaker 1: favorite shows. H