About the Museum
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), the Hoax Forum, and the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes.

The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.

Web Hoax Museum

Here are some more pictures and links showing this delusion. http://www.nondelusional.com funny how only this delusion is able to be photographed. doctors aswell as anyone who doubts this to the point of ridecule deserve to contract this illness. However if all state and federal health agencies continue to sleep on the job its only a matter of time before you or someone close to you does come down with this. We'll see what the have to write or say then. Rod, you however, should already have it if karma is real in any way. come on over and give me a big hug you bum and spend one day with this nightmare. Do your research and then retract this harmfull piece from the net.

You know.....why is there always someone
that has to try and make a buck off other
peoples missery....you may indeed of had it
or a something like it....if i had the answer
to this plague!....I would gladly give it to everyone!....and my payoff would be in knowing
that i helped another person.

Hi Mike, Yes I agree with you and these people trying to make a buck off of our misery is horrible. fact is, if someone did have a cure or solution they would become wealthy solely out of thank you contributions from myself and Im sure many many others after being cured. All I have to say to Paul is you are full of horsepucky and unless you can prove otherwise I encourage all to not send this man a penny.

southcity

It's not a mystery disease anymore:

"collembola (springtails) found in scrapings of patients diagnosed with delusory parasitosis"
http://www.headlice.org/report/research/index.html

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb241522.htm

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb274087.htm

radio interview-07/15 WBAI Public Radio NYC
"when it isn't lice or scabies"
http://www.headlice.org/news/index.htm

RIGHT DIAGNOSIS--skin tested in accordance to study by unbiased 3rd party.
If it were nematodes then nobody would be getting the delusional diagnosis
CDC-useless
Health agencies are aware, think it's a "fluke" and that it will go away on its own, and that's why they won't acknowledge.
I never buy Safe2use stuff.
Am being treated for collemboliasis.
Believe it or not--it's the truth--you'll see one day

who the heck are marc and steven-like i care

Need to know how to contact Dr. Schwartz, who at univ of Ga to talk to, what ointment to use, etc

The pics in the slideshow were awesome. I have extracted or witnessed these exact same specimen from my home and body. My family contracted this horrible disease about 6 months ago and we have lost almost everything but each other. I have 4 children and 1 grandchild. We do not have equal symptoms. I am the worst. Then my spouse and next our 5 year old. Then the 13 year old twins. My oldest and my granddaughter escaped just in time. They do not seem to have it but we, unfortunately, keep a little distance. I have had 3 nervous breakdowns and cry weekly. I wish this were as simple as a delusion, then I could stop it. Unfortunately it is far more complicated than that. If you do not have this problem it is very difficult to accept. It is hard to believe even if you do have it. The craziness associated with this chemically durived SOB is large. Larger than the normal mind can create without experiencing. I have ran from my own bathroom screaming and crying because it's abilities have scared the crap out of me. What it does and can do seems illogical to the average. I pray that this is not something that continues for much longer, this is something I would not wish on my worst enemies. My heart breaks for the children who contract this disease, I can only imagine how their little minds can handle it. Not well from what my 5 year old is going through. She has just ended her 3rd week of Kindergarten and has been suspended. Neurologically it has changed everything about who she is. Me too, but I can handle it better. I look in her eyes and fear she thinks she is going crazy. Please support research for this disease and let's save these children.

pHs nothing is invisible about this disease. As you can see he's quite photogenic.

ok, yes nematodes, collembola eat them, i get it, but the thing is when the NPA study was conducted they checked for nematodes and fungus (among other things), and did find some, BUT nematodes were not consistently found in every patient....the only thing that they did find consistently (in 18/20 patients) was the collembola.
and they are still finding collembola in people's skin scrapings.

I really could care less what one wants to call it. A name tag is just so that we are all aware the same thing is being discussed. Nothing is a rip off if you don't buy it. My $$ does not go to any of the advertisements. In supporting the research I do not mean to financially support. What we need is communication to people who matter. Letters need to be written or any funds available for research will not matter. The results will not be heard. I hope everyone is writing and faxing all they can or we will all be here arguing for a long time.
I thought Springtails was a form of nematode. Nematode, springtail, hookworm these are all secondary. Focus on the bottomline. The fiber, the black specs and how our immunity failed us AND how to get it back, permanently.
My daughters friends at the local college say they just took this on as a study. I was relieved to here word is getting around. They, as I do, think it has alot to do with allergies and mites. That could explain the doorway. Let's wish them luck.

The symptoms of the so-called "morgellons" match the symptoms of the patients who were tested in the NPA study. (and match the signs of "delusory parasitosis") Most people who are registered with "morgellons" are also registered with the NPA.
The NPA stands for the National Pediculosis Association, a non-profit health and education agency founded in the early 80's to spread awareness about harmful scabies and lice pesticide treatments.
NPA mission statement:
http://www.headlice.org/special/mission.htm

They got involved with this new situation because they started receiving calls from people with these strange symptoms and didn't think it was possible that all these people were delusional. And they been trying to help ever since.

You may have asian nematodes. If you've been diagnosed and treated and cured of it, then congratulations. There are many people who have also been tested for various parasites, including nematodes and have tested negative. Eventually these people are diagnosed with delusory parasitosis.

All the patients in the NPA study suffered from biting, crawling, rashes, etc.
Please just read it. It's a legitimate study conducted under the auspices of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
http://www.headlice.org/report/research/index.html
download the full PDF file.
There are also other reports of collembola infesting man from throughout the past century.

If you don't want to believe the study then fine, i care not. BUT there are people out there who don't know what the heck's going on and are suffering, lives are being destroyed, people have killed themselves because of this condition, there are children suffering and all i would like to do is let them know about the study. Let them know that they are not crazy. knowledge is power u know. It's easier when you know what your dealing with. and hey why not, at the very least, rule it out?
So please stop making uninformed statements about the NPA, and the collembola research.
Go to the site, watch the videos, look at the pictures, read the press releases, listen to the radio broadcast.

ya, ok, don't listen then.
just stop calling it "morgellons"
i hate that name.....nobody told "morgellons" foundation (the MF-ers, haha) that you're not supposed to name a disease before you know what it actually is.

PS its not nematodes

Are you kidding me? You think it matters who discovered what first. You have obviously been neurologically effected by this disease and may have become delusional on a different level. There is no trophy here. If there is a cure I do not care who beat who to the answer! Last I read the problem in Asia had not been solved. A little egotistical, aren't you? If you have been all over the world shouldn't your grammer be a little more polished than what it is? If you are all that you bloat yourself up to be, don't you have better things to do that to redicule peoples opinions and discussions on unresolved matters that still apply to them.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....have I missed something????
I know it's been sometime since I've posted, but I try to keep up the reading anyway.

Dawna, you are infected?

Paul, you are infected or not?

cerulean (sorry if I spelled that wrong!) are you also infected?

WHERE'S ROD? DID HE DIE????

O.k , I am not stupid, I just do not have time to read everything. If the core of the problem is nematode, what is the black and the clear fibers. And how do you find the correct Dr. to help??? What are the rules with this thing? (The Do's and Don'ts) as far as your home, infecting other people, laundering the clothing. How long does it take to get rid of if? How does it function?

OH, ROD!

I missed you! Glad to see you're still here!!!

Dwana, my mom and I went to an Infectious Diseases Doctor.
Her GP and my Internal Med Doc sent us to the same one! She is very well versed in Lyme Disease and is from the Phillipines.

She diagnosed me and my mom with Lyme and mom with Morgellons.

I am not infected...yet. I am hoping that the regimine of antibiotics and a paticular line of product will do the trick for me.

As for my mother, she has been taking Bactrim and Biaxin for over 3 months. Her lesions are gone but she is still finding a few "critters" every now and then.
I forget where I learned about the Bactrim and Biaxin. It was Dr. Harvey from TX I believe, in an article I read somewhere on the net.
I understand that right now, the ideal treatment, if there is such a thing, is Rocephin IV drip 3 days a week for a period of months.
This alone can wreak havoc on your system.

Her "delusion" is being helped by these two anti's. You just have to find a doctor who is "willing" to listen to you, AND get on some kind of GOOD product. Something that will help heal you naturally with vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc. I know nothing of the aforementioned products.

I have tried two different companies products and they are both excellent.

I keep in contact with a lady who posted on here earlier, victoria. She has been taking a particular companies products for about 4 months. She returned to her Lyme Specialist, who also diagnosed her with Morgellons, (yes, that's what name he used), and he was as amazed as was she.

She has been declared and does fully assert that she is Lyme and Morgellons free!

I don't dare tell you that company though! Not here! Someone will swear I am tryig to make a buck even though I don't sell it!

If you would like to know what it is, maybe Alex could email me and I could give him the name of the company and he can send it to you. Likewise for anyone else that reads this. Or, maybe he could check it out and post the link himself.

I don't want to get "booed" off the board for saying "use this, it's a miracle cure"!

Hi jaleenasmom,
That is one reason I haven't posted my info here - and have been very low key at other sites. I just don't want people to think I am trying to "make a buck" either. All I know is that the stuff you mention helped me get well and I have shared that good news with a few other people in the hope it will do the same thing. I KNOW I needed the antibiotics - but the other helped and is continuing to help my immune system heal - it is allowing my body to heal itself from whatever condition made it "RIPE" for the Lyme and other co-infections. (Including what is being called Morgellons!) It is something I will probably take for the rest of my life. I am just thankful someone took the time to tell me about it and I am thankful you are taking it too!

Good to see you back posting, Victoria!

Funny how delusions can be so painful, huh?

I think at some point, we won't need the anitbiotics anymore!

O.kay, spill the darn beans. What is this "stuff" you speak of?

Morgellons is real! I have Morgellons.. So imaginary that, at times, a severe cardiac arrest would be a welcome relief.So clearly delusionary, that thousands of unconnected and intelligent people, are able to `imagine` IDENTICAL symptoms and show IDENTICAL signs. My god we`re gifted.. We can cause sores and make ourselves ill with only our powerful imaginations! So all you non-affected doubting wise asses stop for a minute and make yourselves bleed as if something has broken out of your skin..You may use only your IMAGINATION though. Just like we do.. Well? I`m waiting! Cant do it eh? NOR CAN WE!! Not only is it real, it`s physically and socially destructive. No one will tell you that you`ve got it. I know by what i`ve found out myself. I wasted a few trips to doctors who told me i was imagining it.. I was told that because i was clearly destressed about nothing, that i should take anti-depressants! Not to cure my illness, but so that i didn`t mind being ill! Two ignorant doctors was enough.. I not only have Morgellons to live with, but i`m also afflicted with being a drug user for the last ten yrs.. Who`s going to listen to a stupid druggie who feels creepy crawlies?? What chance have i got of being believed? My dependency doesn`t make me stupid or mad. Now drugs are a blessing. They relive the hideous symptoms of Morgellons disease and if i`m lucky, they`ll stop me reaching old age with a disease straight from hell. On my headstone i want the words, `ITS ALL IN THE MIND` ! From a nameless junkie who could be your kid or your parent...

I am doctor Andreotti of the Shrinners Institute, and yes the colprit here is a foriegn worm nematode that inavdes the skin and oragns of it's prey. It is very scary to see it in the USA, but travel and trade has bought the problem to this country. Some secondary insects maybe present as well. Collembia, rat mites, bird mites, and bed bugs are carrier vectors, transmitting this disease.

good,