Parasites are often our best friends as they can absorb many of the toxins coming down the GI track. When alternative medicine performs a parasite cleanse, often times the patient gets sick due to many of the toxins being reabsorbed into the body via the liver when the parasite dies.
However, before we adopt them into our bodies, parasites are very toxic since the food source they were living off previously was toxic. When the parasite is in our body, the toxins are released as waste and are very often the cause of symptoms from parasites.
Parasites in the form of worms, bacteria, yeast and viruses have lived with us forever and perform many positive functions in our body.
They live symbiotically with our body, but when our immune system gets out of order we suffer the side effects of the toxins of parasites.
However, we have found that our parasites are often as toxic as we are. A good example was when we discovered after a pharmaceutical was given for thirty days to a patient for a certain type of worm, that the fecal heavy metal test was extremely high when performed at the end of the treatment. The patient had previously been tested via the same lab and shown to have been totally detoxed of heavy metals from his tissues.
One of the reasons Candida was found to overgrow during detox is because mercury was being pulled out of the Candida cell walls, and that allowed the Candida to replicate more freely. The heavy metal was holding things in check!
So, now you see it's clear that we live symbiotically with our parasites and our toxins. When this system gets out of order, we get sick.
Common Symptoms of Parasites in Humans:
- Constipation:
Some worms, because of their shape and large size, can physically obstruct certain organs. Heavy worm infections can block the common bile duct and the intestinal tract, making elimination infrequent and difficult.
- Diarrhea:
Certain parasites, primarily protozoa, produce a prostaglandin (hormone-like substances found in various human tissues) which creates a sodium and chloride loss that leads to frequent watery stools. The diarrhea process in parasite infection is, therefore, a function of the parasite, not the body's attempt to rid itself of an infectious organism.
- Gas/Bloating:
Some parasites live in the upper small intestine where the inflammation they produce causes both gas and bloating. The situation can be magnified when hard-to-digest foods, such as beans and raw fruits and vegetables are eaten. Persistent abdominal distention is a frequent sign of hidden invaders. These gastrointestinal symptoms can persist intermittently for many months, or even years if the parasites are not eliminated from the body.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
Parasites can irritate, inflame or coal, the intestinal cell wall; leading to a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and malabsorption of vital nutrients, particularly fatty substances. This malabsorption leads to bulky stools and Steatorrhea (Steatorrhea is the formation of bulky, grey or pale feces). Stools may also float (due to excess gas from carbohydrate malabsorption), have an oily appearance or be foul smelling. There is increased fat excretion, which can be measured by determining the fecal fat level. While definitions have not been standardized, fat excretion in feces in excess of 0.3 (g/kg) per day is considered indicative of Steatorrhea. Possible causes can be lack of bile acids (due to liver damage or hypolipidemic drugs), defects in pancreatic juices (enzymes) and defective mucosal cells.
- Joint/Muscle Aches & Pains:
Parasites are known to migrate to encyst (become enclosed in a sac) in joint fluids, and worms can encyst in muscles. Once this happens, pain becomes evident and is often assumed to be caused by arthritis. Joint and muscle pains and inflammation are also the result of tissue damage caused by some parasites of the body's ongoing immune response to their presence.
- Anemia:
Some varieties of intestinal worms attach themselves to the mucosal lining of the intestines and then leach nutrients from the human host. If they are present in large enough quantities, they can create enough blood loss to cause a type of iron deficiency or pernicious.
- Allergy:
Parasites can irritate and sometimes perforate the intestinal lining, increasing bowel permeability to large undigested molecules. This can activate the body's immune response to produce increased levels of eosinophils; one type of the body's fighter cells. The eosinophils can inflame body tissue, resulting in an allergic reaction. Like allergy, parasites also trigger an increase in the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE).
- Skin Conditions:
Intestinal worms can cause hives, rashes, weeping eczema, and other allergic-type skin reactions. Cutaneous ulcers, swellings and sores, popular lesions, and itchy dermatitis can all result from protozoan invasion.
- Granulomas:
Tumor-like masses that encase destroyed large or parasitic eggs. They develop most often in the colon or rectal walls but can also be found in the lungs, liver, peritoneum, and uterus.
- Nervousness:
Parasitic metabolic wastes and toxic substances can serve as irritants to the central nervous system. Restlessness and anxiety are often the result of the systemic parasite infestation. After completing a cleansing, many people swear that their persistently grouchy mates or relatives have become a lot more patient and pleasant to be around!
- Sleep Disturbances:
Multiple awakening during the night (particularly between 2AM and 3AM) are possibly caused by the body's attempts to eliminate toxic wastes via the liver. According to Chinese medicine, these hours are governed by the liver. Sleep disturbances are also caused by nocturnal exits of certain parasites through the anus, creating intense discomfort and itching.
- Teeth Grinding:
Bruxism (abnormal grinding, clenching and gnashing of the teeth) has been observed in cases of parasitic infection. These symptoms are most noticeable among sleeping children. Bruxism may be a nervous response to the internal foreign irritant.
- Chronic Fatigue:
Symptoms include tiredness, flu-like complaints, apathy, depression, impaired concentration and faulty memory. Parasites cause these physical, mental, and emotional symptoms through malnutrition resulting from malabsorption of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins A and B-12.
- Immune Dysfunction:
Parasites depress immune system functioning by decreasing the secretion of immunoglobulin A (I&A). Their presence continuously stimulates the system response and can exhaust this vital defense system over time; leaving the body open to bacterial and viral infections.
The following conditions might also be tell-tale signs of a parasitic invasion: weight gain, excessive hunger, weight loss, bad taste in the mouth and bad breath, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, acne, migraines, and even the biggest killers: heart disease and cancer.
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Types of Parasites:
An extraordinary variety of viruses, bacteria, and parasites stand ready to attack us and feed off our body's cells. Using microscopes of varying power levels, photographers show us a teeming microbial world that we could barely imagine without their help.
The tiny sizes of microbes can be approximated by using the following rule of thumb:
- Viruses
These are the smallest of all infectious agents, averaging about 100 nanometers (100 billionths of a meter) in length. They have so few genes and proteins of their own that in order to reproduce they need to commandeer the machinery of the cells they invade.
- Bacteria
These vary widely in size and shape, but tend to be at least 10 times larger than viruses, or at least 1 micrometer (1 millionth of a meter) long. They are single-cell organisms that reproduce independently.
- Single-Cell Parasites
These tend to be at least 10 times larger than bacteria, or about .01 millimeter long.
- Multi-Cellular Parasites
These are so large that they can usually be seen with the naked eye. Tapeworms, for instance, can reach a length of 6 meters (20 feet).
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Food and water are the most common sources of parasite transmission. Since most of us eat three times a day and drink water frequently throughout the day, our exposure to these sources is constant. Tap water has been found to be contaminated with parasitic organisms. Both plant and animal foods carry parasites, and cleaning and cooking methods often do not destroy them before ingestion. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) cites food as the catalyst behind 80 percent of the pathogenic outbreaks in the U.S. Most are linked to restaurants and delis where less than sanitary conditions exist — from food preparation and storage to utensils to the server's hands.
Animals, just like humans, can become infected with parasites too. Internally, contaminated water and food can spread the problem to our pets. Externally, animals become infected by parasites on their bodies, especially on their fur, because of exposure to infected animal wastes. Forgetting to wash your hands even one time after handling or cleaning up after your animal can transmit parasites to you! Pets are a wonderful part of our lives. They provide comfort, companionship, protection, amusement, and unconditional love for their owners. However, pets, like humans, are often victims of serious infections that can unintentionally be passed on to their owners. In fact, there is a whole set of diseases classified as 'zoonoses' (animal-transmitted diseases) in parasitology textbooks. Animals are major carriers of parasites, and most physicians, let alone the general public, are unaware of this fact. Experts have projected that of the 110 million pet dogs and cats in this country, over half may be infected with at least one or more different kinds of parasites. Considering these numbers, the potential for transmission of parasitic infection from animals to humans is extremely high.
The CDC estimates that the number of parasites present in the U.S. alone numbers in the thousands. These parasites are biochemically complex creatures in their life histories, development, reproductive cycles, nutritional requirements, and disease manifestations. They are categorized according to their structure, shape, function, and reproductive ability. These include microscopic organisms (protozoa); roundworms, pinworms, and hookworms (nematoda); tapeworms (cestoda); and flukes (trematoda) — each of which is described below:
- Protozoa:
Making up approximately 70 percent of all parasites, protozoa are invisible to the naked eye. They are one-celled microscopic organisms, but don't let their size fool you. Certain protoans, through their intensely rapid reproductive ability, can take over the intestinal tract of their host, and from there they can go on to other organs and tissues. Some feed on red blood cells while others produce cysts; which are closed sacs that are transported through food and water from one person to another. In a cyst state, protozoans are safe from destruction from the human digestive juices. These one-celled 'vampires' can actually destroy the tissues of their hosts. According to experts, an estimated 7 million people across the U.S. have some form of protozoa living inside of them. Common protozoa include Endolimax nana, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidum parvum, Blastocystis hominis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Toxoplasma gondii, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Cryptosporidium muris, Pneumocystis carinii, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania donovani, Leishmania tropica, and Leishmania braziliensis.
- Nematode:
While the protozoans are only single-celled, nematode creatures are multi-cellular. The adult worms multiply by producing eggs called ova or larvae. The eggs usually become infectious in soil or in an intermediate host before humans are infected. It is interesting to note that unless the worm infection is heavy, many individuals do not show signs of disease. While it may be unpleasant to consider, it is true that the human host can co-exist quite comfortably with a few worms, unless they reproduce in great numbers and create organ obstruction. Experts claim that 'some type of worm is already in the intestines of over 75 percent of the world's population'. This is a frightening statement. Common nematode include Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), Hookworm (Necator Americanus, Ancylostoma duodenal), Pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis), Roundworm (Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati), Heart worm (Dirofilaria immitis), Strongyloides (Stronglyoides stercoralis), Trichinella (Trichinella spiralis), Filaria (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa, Mansonella streptocerca, Mansonella perstans, Mansonella ozzardi), and Anisakine larvae.
- Cestoda:
Among the oldest known parasites, tapeworms are considered humanity's largest intestinal inhabitant. They each have a scolex (head) that attaches to the intestinal wall. As long as the head remains attached to the intestinal mucosa, a new worm can grow from it. Tapeworms do not contain digestive tracts but get their nourishment by absorbing partially digested substances from the host. They are whitish in color, flat, and ribbon-like, with a covering that is a transparent skin-like layer. Common cestoda include: Beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata), Pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), Fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum), and Dog tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum).
- Trematode:
Also known as flukes, these are leaf-shaped flatworms. They are parasitic during nearly all of their life-cycle forms. The cycle begins when larvae are released into freshwater by infected snails. The free-swimming larvae can then directly penetrate the skin of the human host or are ingested after encysting in or on various edible, vegetation, fish or crustaceans. Common trematode include Intestinal fluke (Fasciolopsis buski), Blood fluke (Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni) Schistosoma haematobium), Liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis), Oriental lung fluke (Paragonimus westermani), and Sheep liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica).
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For more information, a phone consultation or to setup an appointment, please contact our Patient Care Coordinator, Beverly Brown-Osborn by email or by calling 972-239-6317 x134. |
