7 Shocking Truths About Parasites & How to Naturally Cleanse Them
In the early 20th Century, a new problem arose in the general population – obesity. Women wanted to be thin while they continued to overeat, so a solution was found – Tapeworms!
“SANITIZED TAPE WORMS – Jar Packed.” They are easy to swallow, and have no ill effects. Yikes! There were plenty of ill-effects from this weight loss miracle. Although if you look on social media you find people still using this treatment. Some fare well, but for others, it’s more like: “FAREWELL!” Not much has changed in a century!
The word parasite comes from the ancient Greek word “parasitos” which means “one who eats at the table of another.” Using this definition, I could characterize many family members as parasites. Here, however, those animals that feed on our bodies and do harm are our concern. There are many organisms that live with us and require us to give them food. But they help us, such as the colon bacteria, our “microbiome.” We also have bacteria and bugs that live on the surface of our skin to help us by cleaning out our pores and preventing infection.
There are, however, many creatures that are parasitic, meaning that they feed on us and cause us harm. Some are single-cell organisms such as malaria and amoebas. Others are multi-celled animals, such as intestinal worms, scabies, or lice. I could go through all the boring details of each type of infection, but that just causes “Medical Student Syndrome.” (As we learn about illnesses, it feels like we get them.)
It is important to know that there are no specific symptoms of parasitic infections, except maybe in the case of lice and scabies. Even then, there are often no symptoms. When I was home with my children I noticed that my 4-year-old daughter had nits in her hair. I checked for lice, and sure enough, she had it – bad! It looked like she had it for months, living in a house with two doctors. 😊 We checked the boys, and they were all infected. Then we checked each other, and we had it too! The whole family was infected, and none of us had any symptoms! We didn’t want to use the insecticide so we decided to use the mayonnaise and Vaseline trick, and comb out the nits. We looked like a bunch of monkeys preening each other. (As I write this my scalp started itching!) We all went to bed with shower caps on our heads. After washing it out over the next few days, my wife said her hair never felt better, and the treatment worked.
To date, there are at least 848 species of (non-mold) parasites known to infect humans.[i] Since doctors are told that parasite infestations don’t exist in the United States of America, most will not look for them as a cause of symptoms. unless the patient has traveled outside the United States to someplace that doesn’t have treated water, for example. The problem with this is that there are many people who carry parasites for years and don’t know it. They may have mild symptoms which they treat with over-the-counter medications. Though they are not widespread, and may only be in travelers or immigrants, we can find all types of parasites in the U.S.[ii]However, since the doctors aren’t looking for parasites, many cases go untreated as people suffer with chronic symptoms.
Parasites in the US
Parasites are prevalent in the United States, affecting millions of people. Here are some key parasitic infections and their prevalence:
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are the leading causes of diarrheal illness due to parasites, accounting for over a million cases annually.
Toxoplasmosis: Almost 60 million people in the U.S. are chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii, that mostly comes from cat litter. New infections in pregnant women can lead to birth defects, and infections in those with compromised immune systems can be fatal. Doctors are told not to treat if people who are infected don’t have symptoms.[iii] Even children, who can get significant problems later, are left untreated.
Trichomoniasis: This is an extremely common and curable sexually transmitted disease, affecting 3.7 million people in the U.S. However, only about 30 percent of people will develop symptoms, so most aren’t treated.
Chagas Disease: Trypanosoma cruzi infects more than 300,000 people in the U.S., the parasite that causes Chagas disease, and more than 300 infected babies are born every year. This has a similar issue in treatment. About two-thirds of people who get the T. cruzi parasite don’t get symptoms, and the treatments themselves are toxic.[iv] While ivermectin is not effective, artesunate from wormwood does inhibit the parasite.[v]
Cysticercosis: This comes from undercooked pork. At least 1,000 hospitalizations for symptomatic cysticercosis occur annually in the U.S. with 2,000 new cases of neurological illness, including seizures.
Toxocariasis: is a roundworm from dogs, and sometimes cats. At least 14 percent of the U.S. population has been exposed to Toxocara, the parasite that causes toxocariasis. Each year, at least 70 people, mostly children, are blinded by the resulting eye disease.
Enterobius – pinworms are the most common parasite found all over the world in every culture and economic status. They even found pinworm eggs with fossilized dinosaurs! One study showed that 11% of school children in the US had pinworms.[vi] They are spread by scratching the itchy anus and getting the eggs under their fingernails. Handwashing prevents the spread.
Testing For Parasites
I have had people bring in “worms” that they dig out of their stool. Sometimes we send them for tests, but that is not always productive. Although some parasites may be well known to the anatomical pathologist, even they may not be looking for unusual parasites in a biopsy.[vii] Blood tests are not reliable. The problem is that it is very hard to know for sure if you have any — they are not “ruled-out” by testing. If the test is positive, you can be sure you have the disease, but the tests often miss the illness because parasites have a life cycle where they intermittently reproduce, feed, and are active. Other times they just curl up into a ball and sit there doing nothing so the test will be negative. This can be very frustrating for those who have illness due to parasites.[viii] Mostly, we need to start with the symptoms, including:
- Autoimmune diseases
- Chronic inflammation
- Abdominal Pain, Nausea and Vomiting, Diarrhea, IBS or IBD
- Bloating and Gas
- Changes in Appetite (increased or decreased)
- Unexplained Weight Loss or gain
- Constipation
- Chronic fatigue and weakness
- Itchy Skin or Rash
- Lesions or Boils
- Itchy Anus (Pruritus Ani)
- Asthma, Coughing, or Wheezing
- Shortness of Breath
- Chest Pain
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Confusion or Memory Problems
- Behavioral Changes
- Allergic Reactions
- Eosinophilia (the white blood cell that causes allergies)
- Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Vitamin Deficiencies
- Fever
- Swollen Lymph Nodes
- Muscle or Joint Pain
- Visible Worms in Stool
The main issue is that it’s not simple to know if parasites cause these symptoms. I have had patients who just seemed to have parasites, but the tests came out negative. In these cases, I just go ahead and treat, and their symptoms often resolve. If I see a person with a seizure who hasn’t had one before, I do an MRI to see if there is any evidence of a pork tapeworm infection – cysts in the brain. When someone has an itchy anus, I just give them treatment for pinworms because the test is unreliable. Mostly, if there is any suspicion of a parasite as a cause of any of the above symptoms, we will generally opt for treatment of parasites.
Parasite Treatments
It’s interesting that we automatically give periodic parasite cleanses to our animals: dogs, cats, horses, and so forth, but we don’t even have any help for humans. In fact, the same medication given to dogs every month that you can buy at any feed store or pharmacy for $5 is hundreds per pill if prescribed for a human. This is the law of “supply and demand” in action. Outside the United States, in tropical areas that have lots of parasites, the medications are very inexpensive and mostly don’t require a prescription. For these reasons, many people in the US have just been using animal medications, they are the same. In fact, I have patients who take periodic parasite treatment because they work around livestock.
There are other options. Regularly eating certain foods decreases your risk of parasite illness.
Chili
The capsaicin in hot peppers inhibits parasites in the intestines. Red-hot chili peppers are more effective than the prescription treatments for Chagas Disease. [ix]
Garlic and Onions
You have heard about the benefits of garlic, so now there is some real research that it can help clear infections. Garlic and onions both contain sulfur compounds that inhibit and even kill both parasites and yeast.[x]
Berberine
Berberine mostly stays in the intestines, and very little is absorbed, so it may not help systemic parasites, but it does wonders for intestinal parasites. Berberine was shown to cure giardia infections as well as antimicrobials.[xi]
Papaya seeds
Papaya has enzymes that disrupt the parasites. A study in Africa found significantly lower levels of worms in the stool of those children taking a tablespoon of papaya seeds per day.[xii]
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds have been discovered to inhibit both tapeworms and intestinal nematodes.[xiii]
I don’t recommend eating all of these every day, but rather if you use them periodically, you can decrease your chances of having chronic parasitic diseases.
Fasting
Fasting has been employed for millennia to remove parasites from the body. Fasting does this in several ways:[xiv]
- Deprives parasites of essential nutrients
- Encourages autophagy to eliminate parasite cysts
- Improves immune function
Doing a periodic fast for about 3 days will help to keep parasites out of your system.
Parasite Cleanse
If you believe, or know, that you have intestinal or other parasites, there are natural remedies you can use to clear them, such as those mentioned above. For difficult cases, it may take more time. Some people combine fasting with a parasite cleanse. If you think you might have a chronic parasite infestation, this is a good place to start.
Week 1
The cleanse involves fasting for seven days drinking water and taking the following:
Black walnut hull powder – take one capsule three times per day.[xv]
Wormwood powder – take one capsule three times per day.
Clove powder – take one capsule three times per day.
Week 2
After the fast – Stop the herbs for one week. Begin to eat regular meals. Start with high-fiber foods. Take a probiotic daily with each meal.
Week 3
Start the black walnut and cloves. Increase Wormwood to 2 capsules three times per day. Continue with all three herbs for one week.
Week 4
Take a break from the treatment. Normal meals, probiotic.
Week 5
This is the last week. Take Black Walnut, Wormwood, and cloves as in week 3.
This will clean out all the stages of the parasite: the eggs, the larvae, and the adults. It takes weeks because you need to catch the organism in its various growth phases in the intestines. It also can remove parasites from the body.
Despite the effectiveness, I do not recommend ingesting tapeworms to lose weight. People do get complications from these intestinal parasites. Parasites are found everywhere and are very common. However, since most people don’t have symptoms, it’s very hard to determine if a parasite is the cause of a particular symptom. People get rashes for all kinds of reasons, as well as arthritis, headaches, and all the other symptoms noted above. The key is to understand that it’s a possibility, and as you are looking for the cause of illness, keep parasite infection in the back of your mind. If all else fails, try the parasite cleanse! 😊