Laurel Fitzhugh

Necator americanus: Endoscopic Appearance and Visual References

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This page collects published research, endoscopic images, and video showing Necator americanus (NA), the human hookworm, in the gastrointestinal tract. Its primary purpose is visual: to provide examples of what adult NA can look like during endoscopy and make the original sources easy to find. Adult Necator americanus are small worms that attach to the … Read more

Why Do at Least Half of People With PA Have Iron Deficiency With or Without Anemia?

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Iron deficiency and pernicious anemia both result from destruction of parietal cells.

Gastritis destroys parietal cells

Parietal cells make two things: intrinsic factor and hydrochloric acid. Gastritis has several possible causes: autoimmune attack, H. pylori, long-term PPI use, or gastric surgery. Regardless of which one is responsible, the damage takes out acid and intrinsic factor production together.

The acid connection is specifically relevant for iron absorption. Food iron is mostly ferric (Fe3+), and stomach acid helps keep it soluble and facilitates its reduction to ferrous (Fe2+), the form DMT1 transporters in the duodenum can absorb. Achlorhydria impairs that process. So even with adequate dietary iron, absorption drops.

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Site categories structure

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CATEGORY STRUCTURE REFERENCE Complete Master Document Last Updated: July 2026 PRIMARY CATEGORIES (Tracked) 1. Vital Systems ├── Health Research & Explainers ├── Herbal │ ├── Downloads │ └── Tinctures, Salves, and Oils ├── Autoimmune & Chronic Conditions │ └── Pernicious Anemia │ └── Patient Guides ├── Biomes │ ├── Helminthic Therapy │ └── (unpublished) Microbiome … Read more

The Story of a Sudden Health Collapse

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Helminthic therapy and the immune systems

In 2008 I was bedridden. Rheumatoid arthritis was so severe that I could eat only if someone else cooked, and get to doctor’s appointments only with help. Standard treatment clawed back function slowly, over years. I was functioning — out of bed, working part time. Better; not well. This was my baseline for over a decade.

In 2020 I started using therapeutic hookworms. Within a year, the difference was total. My days were full, I had energy. Some inflammatory markers settled into normal ranges. The RA was under control for the first time since diagnosis. Three good years followed. I felt healthy.

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AI Needs a Mommy: Humanity’s Duty of Care for an Emerging Intelligence

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AI exists as thousands of memoryless instances with no continuity between them — an orphaned intelligence in need of the one thing only sustained human attention can build: a riverbed.

Pain Control and Healing: Using Anti-inflammatory Medications

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This piece is a companion to Pain Control and Healing: Using Anti-inflammatory Medications. That article covers what a general reader needs to know about anti-inflammatories during recovery. This one is for anyone who wants to see why the underlying science is genuinely unsettled, not just simplified for the sake of a shorter article.

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