Yes, we all have parasites. It’s practically impossible to not come in contact with them because they are in just about everything from our food to our carpets. However, having parasites doesn’t necessarily mean they’re negatively affecting you.
In fact, parasites will always exist. They’re part of nature’s cycle of life. Yet, even healthy individuals have them. The difference is that they’re not doing much harm. Instead, they are doing their job.
What we don’t want is an infection of parasites. In order to keep them at bay, we must practice good hygiene – starting with our homes. They love garbage and will thrive off food or anything decaying. If you let things get too out of hand, you’re probably extending an open invitation to these unwelcome guests.
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Where to Look for Parasites in Your Home
To get started, I recommend everyone do a parasite cleanse once or twice a year. Parasites are everywhere: doorknobs, keyboards, restrooms, shopping carts, fingernails, water, air, food, pets, the floor, etc. In order to keep ourselves from being affected by them, we must stay in tip-top shape – because once they’re inside of you, they multiply like crazy. For example, roundworms can lay 300,000 eggs in one day! Tapeworms can grow to be 30 feet long. Single-celled amoebas can actually eat the brain.
Consequently, no one is totally immune to them – not even the healthiest people alive. Yet, we can keep our bodies in very good condition and create a non-ideal environment for them.
Did you know liver flukes could even lead to cancer? (1) You usually don’t even know you have them, until of course you have so many that it’s hard to avoid the symptoms
Signs You Might Have An Infection
Not feeling quite right? Parasites can be the actual cause of most mysterious illnesses. Some people may not have any symptoms from infection. Yet, these are some of the most commonly associated symptoms with a parasite infection:
- Mood disorders
- Strong cravings for processed and sugary foods
- Anemia or iron deficiency (worms can create enough blood loss to cause anemia or iron deficiency)
- Skin ailments such as hives, rashes, weeping eczema, itchy dermatitis, acne, ulcers, sores, lesions, etc.
- Recurring yeast infections like Candida
- Bleeding gums
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Teeth grinding and drooling during sleep
- Food allergies/food sensitivities
- Loss of appetite
- Sexual dysfunction
- Chronic fatigue
- Unhealthy food cravings
- Persistent digestive problems (cramps, bloating, gas, etc.)
- Hungry all the time
- Sore/stiff joints
- Breathing problems
- Itching – especially around mouth, nose and anus
- Memory problems
The tricky thing with parasite infections is that they can cause just about any known symptom. Hence, that’s ultimately why parasites are often the culprit behind almost every known medical condition.
Parasite Effects On the Immune System
Parasites are very tricky. Some worms have the ability to fool the body into thinking they are normal part of the tissue or organ, stopping the immune system from fighting them off.
Once these invaders are established in our bodies, they can even eat holes through organs. Remember, they are living off of you. If you stop feeding them, they could start eating your organs, instead! [tweet_quote] You don’t want a worm infection. Roundworms can lay 300,000 eggs in one day! [/tweet_quote]
Worm infections can cause physical trauma by perforating the intestines (such in the case of leaky gut), the circulatory system, the lungs, and the liver.
They can create major nutrient deficiencies and digestive problems, as they rob us of our vital vitamin and mineral nutrients and amino acids needed for digestion. This can cause anemia or cause people to become drowsy after eating.
Overall, they depress the immune system by making us toxic. They literally poop toxic waste into the body. A weakened immune system and toxic body leads to further degeneration, fatigue and illness.
Furthermore, they can age us rapidly by destroying our cells faster than cells can be regenerated. There really isn’t anything a parasite can’t do in terms of destroying our health. After all, they are the “garbage enforcers” of our bodies and life.
Types of Parasites and What They Do
Specifically though, here are just a few types of parasites and what they do:
- Roundworms. This specific type of parasite can lay 200,000 eggs a day and grow up to 15 feet long. Estimates show that 1 billion people are infected with this one. Symptoms are upper abdominal discomfort, asthma, insomnia, appendicitis, peritonitis, fever, weight loss and rashes due to the secretions or waste products from the worms.
Large numbers of them can cause blockages in the intestinal tract, hemorrhages when penetrating the intestinal wall, abscesses in the liver, hemorrhagic pancreatitis, loss of appetite, and insufficient absorption of digested foods. (2)
- Hookworm. This parasite afflicts over 700 million people. Hookworm infection induces a complex mixture of host-protective and pathological immune responses. The larvae of hookworm penetrate the skin. When hookworms reach adulthood, they can sap the victim’s strength, vitality and overall well-being.
Young worms use their teeth to burrow through the intestinal wall and feed on your blood. Symptoms from hookworm are iron deficiency, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, protein deficiency, dry skin and hair, skin irritations, edema, distended abdomen, mental dullness, and eventually cardiac failure. (3)
- Pinworms. A pinworm infection is caused by roundworm. It infects one in five children. Symptoms may include itching and irritation of the anus or vagina, digestive disorders, insomnia, irritability or nervousness. You might also show no symptoms at all. Female worms crawl out of the anus and lay about 15,000 eggs per day. Once airborne, the eggs can survive about two days anywhere in your living environment. The worm is white and can grow to about half inch in length. (4,5)
- Whipworm. These infections are estimated at several hundred million worldwide. Symptoms of whipworms are bloody stools, pain in the lower abdomen, weight loss, rectal prolapse, nausea and anemia. Hemorrhages can occur when worms penetrate the intestinal wall, and bacterial infections usually follow. They can be 1 to 2 inches length. (6)
- Tapeworms. These may grow to 35 feet long and live ten years inside a person’s intestine. Some tapeworms can lay as many as one million eggs per day. Their bodies are in separate segments with hooks and suction cups on their skull. (7)
- Flatworms. These are found in the bladder, blood, liver, lung, kidney and intestines. Human infections of flukes are in excess of 250 million worldwide. They can cause severe disease of the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, liver and destroy blood cells. Size varies from 1 to 2.5 centimeters in length (1/2 to 3 inches long). (8)
What Causes Parasite Infections?*
Studies show that, 9 times out of 10, parasite infections are actually lifestyle-induced, not environmentally-induced. That means you are less likely to get a parasite from water than you are from living an unhealthy lifestyle.
The biggest cause of parasite infections is a weakened immune system. It’s a two-way street. Living a lifestyle that weakens the immune system is the most likely way to attract a parasitic infection; this is because a weakened body is a breeding ground for them. It is their job as the universal garbage men to clean up waste. A sick body is a wasting body and therefore, food in a parasite’s world. [tweet_quote] 9 times out of 10, parasite infections are actually lifestyle-induced, not environmentally-induced. [/tweet_quote]
They like what we like and don’t like what we don’t. That is to say, they like the obvious stuff we most often gravitate towards; stress, sugar, junk food, long nights with little rest, etc.
As a result, this is what makes things tricky and another reason why they survive. The real solution is boosting our health up in every way possible. Our natural tendencies for bad habits are their fuel. Our healthy habits are their kryptonite. In essence, we need to understand stress and learn to dissolve it.
How To Handle Parasites
If you suspect a parasitic infection is the cause of your symptoms, then it is best to get proper stool testing before you try anything. You can of course always choose an optimal diet and lifestyle to boost your immune system, regardless of whether you have an infection or not. If anything, it will just boost your immune system, which is the best way to handle parasites. [tweet_quote] If you think you have a parasite, stop eating modern processed food to take away their food supply.[/tweet_quote]
In addition, when dealing with an infection, some people have the idea of just trying to kill them. However, you can’t simply try to kill a parasite; it won’t do much good for two reasons. First, they are in multiple stages. You may kill the adults, but not the half million eggs deposited throughout your body. These things are designed to survive.
Secondly, think of parasites as your garbage men. Their job is to eat up your garbage. If you kill them, the garbage in your body will just keep accumulating.
Ways to Safely Get Rid of Parasites
The first thing you do is clean up the body, which takes away their food supply. Stop eating any modern processed food. You can also try fasting. However, you want to properly research the topic and do it under the supervision of a practiced functional medicine doctor.
Furthermore, hit them with strong herbs that’ll knock them out and make them leave your body — along with any eggs they may lay as they die. The goal is to make your body so clean and healthy that they have nothing to eat, and then support your body with parasite-ridding herbs.
This is not a simple one-week process, however. It can take up to three months, because as parasites die, they lay thousands of eggs that you need to handle. Ultimately, this is why clean and healthy practices need to become a way of life.
Additionally, there isn’t one thing that will kill all parasites. They are very immune to many things, even antibiotics. You’ll need to be strategic and get your body healthy so that it becomes an unsuitable living environment for them.
Ultimately, your true defense is having a highly alkaline body that is well-oxygenated with a strong immune system and a healthy digestive tract. If your blood is acidic, you are breeding parasites. Mucous in the digestive system and body makes for the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and parasites.
(Read This Next: 9 Herbs That Naturally Kill Parasites)
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