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Especially with heavier infections, intestinal parasites can also cause symptoms such as: Loose, foul-smelling stools; Diarrhea; Mucous in stools; Abdominal cramps and gas; Loss of appetite; Distended abdomen; Coughing; Fever; Vomiting; Listlessness and generally feeling unwell. These symptoms may last for weeks and return several times a year.

• Giardia
• Webmd
• Symptoms Of Internal Parasites In Humans

What Are Intestinal Parasites?

The term parasite refers to organisms that infest another organism where it lives and feeds. Some of these parasites are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye whereas other parasites are relatively large. Human intestinal parasites are either one-cell organisms or intestinal worms that live in the small or large intestine and consume nutrients from the intestinal lumen or the blood flowing in the intestinal wall.

One-Cell Parasites – Protozoa

One-cell organisms, like Giardia lamblia, also called Giardia duodenale (Picture 1), Cryptosporidium(crypto) and Cyclospora, utilize nutrients from the stool. They belong to a living kingdom Protozoa (Gk. protos = first; zoa = animals). They may cause inflammation of the small intestine thus hampering absorption of nutrients. Entamoeba hystolyticalives predominantly in the colon.

Picture 1. Parasite giardia from a stool sample,
as seen under the electron microscope (actual size:~0.01 mm)
(source: phil.cdc.gov)

Intestinal Worms (Helminths)

Intestinal worms (helminths), like roundworms (hookworms, whipworms, Ascaris and Trichinella), tapeworms and flukes, are few millimeters to several meters in size. These worms feed from the contents of the bowels or suck the blood from the intestinal wall and can cause about the similar symptoms as one-cell parasites. However, in most instances these intestinal worms cause little to no symptoms for months or years.

How Can One Contract Parasites?

Giardia

Both protozoan and helminths (worms) are primarily contracted through ingesting contaminated food or water. The adult parasite or its eggs are shed in the stool of humans or animals. This can then contaminate water sources suahc as rivers and lakes as is the case with open sewage or poor water treatment practices. Drinking, bathing or irrigating crops with this contaminated water then allows the parasites to enter the body.

In some instances, parasites can be spread from person to person mainly when one person comes into contact with the fecal particles of a person who already has an infestation. This puts certain people at a greater risk. For example a caregiver changing diapers or cleaning soiled lined of a person who already has an infestation or infection may therefore be at risk of contracting the infection.

Symptoms of Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal parasites can cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Mild diarrhea with waxing and waning course, appearing few days to several weeks after the travel into the country with poor hygiene, and lasting from several days to months (for comparison: bacterial diarrhea usually has a sudden and dramatic onset within some hours after a meal, and heals on its own in few days).
• Bloating and flatulence
• Weight loss is common.
• Pale skin, tiredness, tingling (due to reduced absorption of minerals and vitamins).
• Entamoeba histolytica may cause severe colitis with ulcers, abdominal cramps, blood in the stool with occasional pus – the disease is known as amebic dysentery (9). Entamoeba may invade liver, lung, brain, or other organs, where it forms cysts.
• Worms, their parts or eggs can be sometimes found in the stool. Read more about intestinal worms.
• Infection by either one-cell organisms or intestinal worms is often present without any symptoms.

Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasites

Diagnosis can be often suspected from history of prolonged bloating or diarrhea and can be confirmed by the following tests:

• Ova and parasites (O&P) test of the stool. The test is often false negative so three stools from three different days (at least two days apart) should be tested.
• Hemoccult test may reveal blood in the stool
• Blood tests often reveal elevated eosinophils and IgE antibodies and lowered ferritin, hemoglobin or red cells
• CT or biopsy are needed to find cysts in the liver, lungs or brain.

Treatment of Intestinal Parasites

Anti-parasitic drugs, like metronidazole, quinacrine, tinidazole and furazolidone are usually effective, but the exact treatment regime, as prescribed by your doctor, should be followed.

Paramomycin is not absorbed from the intestine into the blood, so it may be used in pregnancy (1). For cyclospora trimethoprim-sulfametoxazol can be used (2).

Intestinal parasites can be successfully eradicated, but may recur if the source of infection still exists. Delayed treatment can lead to a host of complications, some of which can be life threatening, as may be the case of severe dehydration in diseases like giardiasis.

Prevention of a Parasitic Infection

An infection by intestinal parasites can be prevented by:

1. Hand washing with an antiseptic soap before eating and after using the toilet, particularly after a bowel movement, is imperative in preventing infections.
2. Cooking food at high temperatures kills all parasites. Partially cooked meat or raw meat are high risk foods for passing on these parasites. Smoking or freezing does not destroy the parasites or eggs.
3. Washing raw vegetables and fruits with a suitable disinfectant solution that is fit for consumption. Salt water may also be helpful to some extent. Clean running water should be used for rinsing.
4. Consuming safe food and water is important to prevent infections. Travelers from western countries visiting Central or South America, Africa or South Asia should ingest only packaged, bottled or cooked foods and drinks and only fruits that they can peel by themselves.

Read more on food and water safety tips.

For How Long Is a Person with Parasitic Diarrhea Contagious?

Most parasites are transmitted through contact with the person’s feces and to a lesser extent with body fluids. It is usually not airborne so transmission cannot occur with droplets that become airborne from coughing or sneezing. A person may be infectious for prolonged periods of time, depending on the causative parasite.

Usually a person is contagious, or more specifically the stool contains the parasite, a short while after contracting the infection and for as long as the infection is active. Even without any symptoms being present a person may still be contagious. With some parasites like Entamoeba hystolitica a person can be contagious for months and even years thereafter.

Related Articles:

References:

1. Incidence of intestinal parasites in homosexual men (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
2. Intestinal protozoa (tulane.edu)

Need a natural parasite cleanse? Know the symptoms of parasites? They’re more common than you think. Find out how to rid yourself of parasites. You could be feeling relief from symptoms in just ten days! Parasites can be a pain, but there is a way to get rid of them.

Sometimes the world of natural health can simply get overwhelming.

You read about candida, FODMAP for IBS or adrenal fatigue, and it’s easy to start to see yourself and your family in every single list of symptoms you’re presented with!

While the age of the Internet has probably done more to fuel hypochondriacs than any other time, it also helps many people learn more about home doctoring and how to take care of themselves. It’s a delicate balance, one that I hope I’ve achieved through this theme of Natural Health Month.

As a blogger, I tend to get into more conversations (and get more advice) from the KS community than I imagine most average Joes and Janes do. Everybody wants to help!

When I was fighting some candida symptoms a few people emphatically recommended I check out lists of symptoms of parasites in humans. I did, and I thought, “Hmmm, that does sound like what I’m dealing with.” If you’ve read KS the last few days, you’re familiar with my story of recognizing candida symptoms and treating candida naturally, but also that the rash has begun to come back lately.

When I read about symptoms of parasites, I was pleased to find out that TriLight Health offers a parasite cleanse called Worm Out, and we made tentative plans for me to try some out this spring.

Part of the recommendation during a parasite cleanse is to eat “cleansing foods” and eat simply, and I figured Lent was a much better time for that than December! I purchased figs and made sure I had a stock of homemade crispy pumpkin seeds (no hurt feelings there, yum), since they were two foods pointed out at TriLight’s parasite cleanse recommendations.

In case you’re wondering – and now don’t try too hard to see yourself in this list; I don’t want to stress anyone out! – here are the

Symptoms of Parasites

• constipation
• diarrhea
• gas and bloating
• irritable bowel syndrome
• joint and muscle aches
• anemia
• cravings, especially sugar
• allergies
• skin conditions – mostly irritation/itching at nose, ears, eyes, anus – but also potentially rashes, hives, eczema
• tumors
• nervousness
• sleep disorders
• hyperactivity, anxiety
• teeth grinding
• chronic fatigue
• fuzzy thinking
• headaches
• runny nose
• blisters on lower lip inside mouth
• loss of appetite
• bad taste in the mouth
• acne
• fever
• vomiting (may return several times a year)
• may have trouble gaining weight, children especially
• long-term presence may contribute to the development of food allergies
• dark areas under eyes
• yeast/candida infection, especially if it returns

Sources: 1, 2

How Widespread are Parasitic Infections?

This site says over 50% of Americans have a parasitic infection, and Livestrong quotes the World Health Organization: over 3.5 million people worldwide are infected with parasites, BUT also states that Americans are not as susceptible as others because of our general sanitary environments.

In my conversations with TriLight Health about the issue, they say that ALL of us have parasites of some kind.

The University of Maryland says, “Parasites can live within the intestines for years without causing any symptoms.” Lovely. They also peg “Exposure to child and institutional care centers” as one possible “cause” of a parasitic infection, which pretty much describes all children attending school, correct?

Parasites are apparently quite contagious, especially when people don’t have perfect hand-washing habits (what child doesn’t touch their mouths at inopportune times?).

Soooo…does that mean everyone who sees some of the symptoms of parasites on that list should do a parasite cleanse? Some would say yes, yearly. What do you think?

Need More Baby Steps?

Here at Kitchen Stewardship, we’ve always been all about the baby steps. But if you’re just starting your real food and natural living journey, sifting through all that we’ve shared here over the years can be totally overwhelming.

That’s why we took the best 10 rookie “Monday Missions” that used to post once a week and made a printable checklist so you can track your progress.

Sign up to get the checklist and weekly challenges and teaching on key topics like meal planning, homemade foods that save the budget (and don’t take too much time), what to cut out of your pantry, and more.

For me, I see just a few of the symptoms, especially that candida rash, gas, and teeth grinding. I kept thinking about my son’s mild eczema, chronic throat clearing a few years ago, chronic cough all last winter, and the fact that he grinds his teeth at night (I can hear it when I check on him and give him a kiss in the middle of the night) and can’t gain weight to keep his pants up. See how easy it is to think your family has just about every problem in the book?

I was going to have my son do the cleanse with me, but I chickened out. I just wasn’t sure and wanted to do it myself first.

How to do a Parasite Cleanse

I followed TriLight’s 3-step process and asked their staff questions for clarification, so I’m happy to be able to offer you a most comprehensive “how to” guide.

Step One: Weaken parasites

For about 10 days, take 2 garlic capsules with each meal, or 3 times a day. This helps to loosen the parasites’ hold on your body. There are other anti-parasitics that are possible, but they recommend garlic, so I went with that.

To do it again, I think I’d hit the little buggers even harder with a mixture of diatomaceous earth and bentonite clay. The trouble is that this can constipate you, so you’ve really go to drink enough water and then maybe take a break at 7 or 8 days instead of the full 10.

Mix 1/4 tsp DE with 1 tsp. clay in 8 oz. water with a half of a lemon or lime, juiced (for flavor). Drink that down before bed each night. You can work up to 1/2 tsp. DE.

• 1 lb. diatomaceous earth (food-grade ONLY) should be enough, but Amazon also has good reviews on a 2-lb. bag of another brand
• bentonite clay from Redmond, my fav company in the world. I have seen where this is mined in Utah! It’s sold as a facial mask, but it IS food grade.

Step Two: Flush parasites out

This is where the herbs come in. I thought it was interesting that many of the same herbs recommended here to treat candida are the same ones in TriLight’s Worm Out formula, including Black Walnut, Pau d’Arco, thyme, burdock, wormwood and cloves.

Take 1/2 teaspoon per 25 lbs. body weight every 3 hours. Or so. If you can only fit it in 2-3 times a day, that’s okay too. I took it straight – it tastes like dirt, but worse. You can put it in water to cut the taste, but then you have to drink more of the bad-tasting stuff of course.

Not recommended for breastfeeding or pregnant moms.

At the same time on your parasite cleanse, continue to eat “cleansing foods,” meaning those that will help you avoid constipation and keep your bowels moving so that any parasites that are killed can exit the body via a natural way.

Interestingly enough, I started the parasite cleanse at the same time as we went grain-free for Lent, which usually increases my bowel movement frequency significantly. Instead, I was a bit constipated on the Worm Out and things changed the very day after I stopped the first 10-day regimen. Perhaps I needed to drink more water and eat more figs and prunes. ???

Other Formulas for a Parasite Cleanse

If you just want something on Amazon, you might not get the right blend or potency, but there are a few that caught my eye:

• This one seemed to have the most ingredients that matched Worm Out, but also many different ones.
• This one from GoNutrients has some of the big ingredients too.
• This one only lists wormwood and garlic but has a lot of social proof in the reviews.
• This kit includes a Black Walnut tincture, clove, and wormwood blend capsules.

Here’s what the head of TriLight shared when I asked more about the cleansing foods; I thought it was very helpful:

First let me say we are NOT saying you need to do a cleanse. We believe that should be supervised. What we are saying is do not be constipated when you start your parasite program. Be sure your having a few bowel movements a day by eating foods with fiber.

It is important to make sure that before you try to get rid of the parasites, they have a way to get out of the body. The most logical and easy way would be through the colon. If you are constipated and you try to cleanse, this could be painful and toxic. Cleansing foods are a good idea. Foods that contain sugars and carbs are going to certainly attract the parasites but so would unclean veggies and hands.

The list would include raw fruits with plenty of fiber, organic if possible, especially since during the cleanse you want as few toxins in your body as possible to minimize any headaches. Which ones? Just to mention a few: oranges, tangerines, papayas, prunes, figs, dates, apples, mangoes, kiwis, berries, etc. Prunes and apples will for sure do the job and if you have to eat fruit these two are the probably the best as we don’t want to eat a lot of sugars and give the wrong message to the parasites to stay!

Second, Vegetables. Full of fiber. Please remember that once you start the Worm Out this is the BEST category to stay in with your meals as it will keep the colon moving and with the least amount of sugars. Eat them in smoothies, salads, steam them, mix them with eggs, along with meats. Kale has become my favorite but broccoli, celery, lettuce, spinach, beets, Brussels sprouts, turnips, artichokes, parsnips, etc. This pizza hash would be a perfect breakfast!

Third, Whole Grain Breads have lots of fiber. This is only if you have to eat breads and only at the start. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it does have fiber. I find if I buy or make a loaf, I feel like I have to eat a whole loaf. All those carbs=sugar to the parasites. If you need a whole grain gluten-free bread, try this 7-minute GF flatbread. It’s amazing! You could even put fresh garlic with butter and salt on top…

Fourth, Nuts and Seeds. They are high in fat but they do have lots of fiber. Eat them raw, without all the fried oils and salts. Throw them on salads, mix them into the veggies. Almonds (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) are the best by far, whole flax seeds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds are great on salads, coconut if you want.

So eat your fiber – low-sugar fruits, leafy greens and salad, raw veggies, legumes, possibly whole grains, etc. Drink plenty of water.

Step Three: Strengthen the body to prevent re-infestation of parasitesAfter 10 days on the Worm Out, you continue to eat lightly and take a high quality probiotic. I chose to take Miessence’s InLiven or FastTract the whole time.

Since I was also taking probiotics with the garlic and the Worm Out, I spaced out the actual ingesting of them so that I wasn’t interfering with the garlic by covering it up with a probiotic right away and vice versa.

Keep off the junk food and drink plenty of water, and after 10 days on the probiotics, most people will need another 10 days of the Worm Out, then back to the probiotics.

Webmd

I wondered how I was supposed to know how many sets of 10 days to complete…

How do You Know if the Parasites are Gone After a Cleanse?

The signs of parasites can be numerous but usually the one that convinced you to start the program has gone away after one set of ten days on the Worm Out formula and then ten days off, ten days back on for a total of 30 days of controlled dieting and cleansing. (so 40 days with the garlic too)

My Experience with the Parasite Cleanse

Taking garlic capsules for ten days is not a big deal at all; the hardest part is remembering to do it.

Worm Out is a little more annoying, for a few reasons:

• Liquid means you have to grab a spoon – I started just leaving the same one out on the counter with my bottle so we didn’t have a spoonless household. Silly, but true.
• It tastes terrible, no joke. Just gotta be tough!
• Every 3 hours was just unrealistic for me. I couldn’t keep it up. I lowered the bar and shot for 2-3 times a day, thinking that something is better than nothing.

As I mentioned, Worm Out did seem to constipate me, but I don’t know that I was ideal on my “colon cleansing foods” and water intake especially. I have noticed that very stinky, stinky, gas has increased, but I can’t quite remember if it was during or after the Worm Out regimen. Aren’t you glad you read my thoughts online instead of in person now? :/

Probiotics for ten days was also easy, since that’s part of a routine that’s important to me and I’ve pretty much got it down so that I don’t miss a day.

Free Resource for Natural Remedies!

I am always grateful for the community at Kitchen Stewardship – it’s like having the smartest natural moms in the world all living right next door. I’ve compiled the best natural remedies for 12 of the most commonly discussed ailments here at KS, and am making this resource available for free to all my readers!

Imagine this ebook as a virtual chat over the backyard fence with your own neighbor, a wise older mom who raised a bunch of kids with intention, trying to avoid unnecessary medication and being kind to the earth.

Some Quality Probiotics

Some of these I’ve used, some I’m planning to use, and some have been recommended by friends and professionals alike. It’s good to remember a few things about probiotics: 1. People should get different colonies of probiotics, so switching brands/strains every so often (6 weeks?) is good practice. 2. What works great for one person’s needs doesn’t always work for another. These can be very different! A one-day trial to Probiotic Advisor might help you get up on current research quickly if you’re really digging in; otherwise, here are some to narrow down the thousands of brands out there:

• Miessence Liquid Probiotic – notes: this is the easiest for kids to take because it’s liquid on a spoon, no powder to hide in smoothies and no capsules to swallow. If you’re on a no-sweetener diet of any kind, it does have agave so could be a no-no. Gluten-free.
• Miessence Powder Probiotic – notes: must be hidden in a smoothie but is less expensive than the above. Not gluten-free. Helped me beat a candida rash when nothing else could.
• Thrive Probiotics – this one can be taken during antibiotics and not be rendered ineffective, which almost all other probiotics are! It’s the top recommended probiotic overall by Paleo Mom Sarah Ballantyne. 😮 (also found on Amazon and from Perfect Supplements where you can use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!)
• RightBioticsRX – the top recommended probiotic of all soil-based options by an expert I’ve been working with. Read more here. Use Subscribe and Save to save more!
• Note: If you’re struggling with digestion, especially constipation, or you feel like you really need to populate your gut with healthy probiotics, I would recommend this one in addition to any other you choose (except the 2 above which include this strain). Saccharomyces Boulardii is research-proven to get through the digestive tract without being killed, which is rare.
• Biokult – highly recommended by many, including the GAPS diet
• Klaire Labs Pro-biotic complex V-caps or Ther-Biotic Complete (25 billion CFU)
• Probiophage DF (7 dairy-free strains)
• Transformation Enzymes (5 billion CFUs by may get through digestive tract…)
• Primal Blueprint (6 strains, 10 billion CFUs)
• Pharmax high potency (4 strains + FOS) or long-term HLC maintenance (2 strains)
• Pro-Bio from Enzymedica (8 strains)
• Syntol from Arthur Andrew Medical (13.6 billion CFUs with prebiotic, spore germinating blend, yeast cleanse)
• ProBio 5 from Plexus has been recommended many times, but it’s also, I think, an MLM so it’s possible the recs weren’t so authentic…?
• Dr. Mercola’s probiotics(use the coupon KS10 for 10% off!)
• Nature’s Way Primadophilus Bifidus (the one I happened upon that I took for a while)

Symptoms Of Internal Parasites In Humans

For Little Ones:

• WellBelly by WellFuture (9 strains of probiotics in apple and banana carrier – it’s a powder)
• Buddies in my Belly probiotic powder (2 strains of probiotics + potato starch carrier and prebiotics) or chewable tablets

Did the Parasite Cleanse WORK?

When it came time last week to start a second round of Worm Out, I admit – I chickened out. My back-of-the-neck rash was not getting better at all, and might even be starting to get worse. I know that sometimes when curing something like this, there’s a “die off” sort of reaction that means I’m winning the battle, but the symptoms are going to get worse first, then better.

The tricky, mentally exhausting part about self-treating and natural health is the questions, the “not knowing.” What if all this is a bad sign, that my body doesn’t like these herbs, rather than a sign that I’m healing? I didn’t see any positive results from the Worm Out, and I started wondering: What if I don’t have parasites at all? Is it possible I could do more harm than good?

My contact at TriLight Health with all the good info shared this:

This a great question: We ALL have bacteria, parasites, and viruses in our body, it’s a matter of keeping them under control with strong immune systems and by having some choice of which bacteria we want to have that can be good for us in that – we’re going to be populated, but with what is the question. If we do not choose, life will choose for us and we have all kinds of illness labels to describe them!

I was encouraged by a recent reader comment on Facebook:

I switched to a healthier diet 2 yrs ago, my little boys ate everything in sight and were always hungry!!! This spring I did a parasite cleanse with them, and was amazed at how much their hunger was cut down!! They are 7, 5, & 3, growing boys, but I knew they still were eating too much. So that may be something to think about, along with yeast/candida (we did a cleanse for that too).

In retrospect…I wish I would have completed 10 more days. 🙁 That rash continued to plague me for FOUR more years, until my husband and I did a program for 13 weeks called Gut Thrive in 5. It includes a whole lot more intensity than this parasite cleanse, and it’s good for many different issues with the gut – including parasites, go figure.

It wasn’t even until a few months after that program finished, in the maintenance period, that I suddenly realized the rash was actually GONE. And it didn’t come back. If only I had worked harder at the parasite cleanse in 2013, augh! Despite my own trepidation, I feel like if you have a hunch you need a cleanse, you should look into it. (Remember I’m not a doctor, nurse, or anyone who matters…make your own wise decisions.)

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