20130814

THE TAPEWORM DIET

Several mail-order companies in the early twentieth century advertised tapeworm heads or eggs as weight and appetite suppressants, but patent medicine at the time was completely unregulated and full of frauds, raising the disturbing possibility that instead of parasite eggs and body parts you would be ingesting something that wouldn't slowly eat your intestines at all.

Supposedly jockeys were particularly fond of the tapeworm treatment, but no medical record has been found to support this theory and given the many dangerous side effects of a tapeworm infestation it’s more likely than not that anybody using the worms would be visiting a hospital early and often. 

Nevertheless, a 2009 episode of "The Tyra Banks Show" featured several guests who admitted they were still willing to eat worms in the pursuit of physical beauty.
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