Parasites: Are They be Ruining Your Health?

Parasites are deadly - they attack our gut, rip immunity & cause symptoms far & wide. Find out if parasites are causing you problems & what to do to get your health back.

Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Until now, Westerners have believed that somehow they are immune to parasites and worms; that such deadly devils can only be found "overseas" and so there is no need to worry. But this is beginning to change - thanks to the re-introduction of holistic knowledge to the general public as well as immense contribution of revolutionaries like the famous, late Canadian naturopath Hulda Clark who claimed that parasites were responsible for all human diseases including cancer. 

With cancer being such an epidemic and conventional medicine unable to offer any solution yet, people are rushing to find cure..any cure. As people search for holistic remedies, they are learning about the importance of such topics such as parasites and beginning to understand the importance of three things:-
1. gut health, 2. detoxification and 3. clean plant based diet. 

In this article, we address all these issues to help you relate any symptoms to parasitic infection and what you can do to cleanse your body and heal.

How people get parasites and worms:-

People get parasites from travelling (traveler's diarrhea), food poisoning (and still not recovered?), eating animal products (meat, sushi, raw meats, under cooked meats), contaminated water and food, dirty restaurants, hotels, and also public restrooms as parasite eggs are very easy to pass from person to person since they are invisible and can be on door knob, toilet seats, washbasin, etc. Schools are another major source of parasites due to young kids carrying them and then passing on to others (via restroom). Pets or unkempt animals are another source. Cat litter - if the cat is infected, then this is a serious hazard (called toxoplasmosis) to expecting mothers and this is why females are advised to stay away from cat litter during pregnancy. 

What kind of worms can one get?

Some examples of parasites are roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, pinworms, whipworms, etc.

What are the symptoms?

Parasites & worms can cause the following symptoms:-

• Mood, Depression, Anxiety, Irritability, Brain Fog, Appetite Loss, etc - Parasites are known to cause imbalance in our brain. This is because our brain and gut health are interconnected by vagus nerve (the cranial nerve that connects brain to the body, thus allowing the brain to receive information and monitor rest of the body). 'Feel-good' chemical like serotonin are produced (about 90%) in the digestive tract - our gut, NOT the brain.  When we have digestive issues, breaking down of food and nutrient absorption suffers, leading to low serotonin. Parasites affect our digestive tract like no other - hence affecting our mood and feelings of well being. ​

 

• Insomnia, Restlessness, Tiredness/Chronic Fatigue, Migraines/Headaches, Nausea, Teeth Grinding & Joint/Muscle Pains - Serotonin is a precursor for melatonin, hormone responsible for promoting a good night's sleep. As we can now see the link from point 1, when serotonin is lacking, then what happens to melatonin? It starts being insufficient in our body, thus leading to restless nights and insomnia, tiredness, exhaustion and even worse, headaches/migraines. Parasites also feed off of the food you eat, thus leaving you hungry and anemic. 

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• Intestinal Permeability/Leaky Gut, Bloating, Abdominal Pain, Acidity, Constipation/Diarrhea, SIBO, Inflammation & IBS/IBD - That's a hell of a list! But true, parasites can cause all these issues. Parasites cause inflammation, which causes immune system to fire up (since more than 2/3rd of our immune system is located in our small intestine), and this causes small intestine to 'leak.' When inflammatory response (cytokines, interleukins & dendritic cells)  reach the body, it affects joints, eyes, lungs, brain, skin and mood. 

 

• Skin Rashes, Eczema, Psoriasis, Acne, Rosacea/Redness/Flushing, Itching (Whole Body/Anal), Dryness (Eyes/Mouth/Skin), Allergic Reactions - If you are suddenly experiencing itching and esp. anal itching, then it is VERY likely that you have parasites. Skin inflammation is one of the symptoms of parasites in the gut. 

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• Autoimmune Conditions (Thyroid - Hashimoto's & Graves), Cancer, Weak Immunity, Food Sensitivities - Last but not least, parasites have been found responsible for autoimmune conditions and this is getting significant attention in the research arena. 

How to test?

You can do a stool test or even better, work with functional/holistic doctor and do a comprehensive stool test. Beware that most conventional tests come back negative for parasites even though one might have them! This is a BIG issue with conventional stool tests that many, many have reported. 

On the other hand, many people just do the stool test themselves - wear gloves, some forks and check! 

What is the solution?

You will need to buy the herbs (or buy pre-made herbal blends) that are specifically known to kill parasites. On top of that, I have written other foods/supplements that you should take daily to help ease your journey and speed recovery. Following the list, plan a daily schedule or 'menu' to follow and you should see the difference in weeks!

Herbs/Spices to Kill Parasites/Worms/Candida - Neem, Cloves, Black Walnut hull, Wormwood, Oregano oil, Oregon grape root, Butternut root bark, Paul d' Arco, Mimosa Pudica.

Seeds to Kill Parasites - Pumpkin seeds!! win the crown; followed by black seeds (Nigella Sativa), coriander seeds in diet, caraway seeds (raw ground and in cooking), fennel seeds (to chew after each and every meal), cumin seeds (when cooking food), and chia seeds as well as flax seeds to help in elimination. Psyllium husk seeds which you should take at night with warm water to clean intestinal walls and help to avoid constipation. 

Herbs to Aid Liver & Kidney Detox - Milk thistle, dandelion Root, eating organic beets - fresh, home-cooked, artichokes, chicory root, celery, green leafy vegetables, parsley & cilantro. Make sure you add parsley, oregano and cilantro (whole bunches) to your recipes as well as juices. Again, my ginger-garlic paste recipe with spices added to it, is a MUST if you are trying to flush out parasites.

Foods to Aid & Flush Out -  Diatomaceous earth, ACV,  magnesium rich foods such as raw cacao, cacao butter, almonds, avocado, cashews, etc to aid in elimination, ginger-garlic paste (take 4 times/day with meals as garlic will start flushing out parasites and ginger will aid in healing digestion), fermented foods (to introduce new, healthy gut bacteria), coconut oil & coconut butter (manna).

​LOW to NO-sugar diet to starve parasites is the key to speed up your recovery. Another great point I emphasize is you start with intermittent fasting as that will help a lot too. Once a week and then increase the days and hours overtime.

What should I expect when doing parasite cleanse?

When doing any cleanse but especially parasite and candida cleanse, you will experience severe "die-off" symptoms which might cause headache, pains, acne, rash, itching, nausea, insomnia, fatigue and so on. This is because when parasites die, they release ammonia - a toxic gas. But do not give up - continue and soon you will begin to feel better. 

How can I ease my "die-off" symptoms? Any suggestions?

To ease your symptoms, there are a lot of things you can do to enhance your well being during this time and to help speed up the recovery. Some powerful tools to stay peaceful are:-

Hydration & clean diet - Keep hydrated and drink lots of juices (esp. celery) and herbal teas, eat leafy greens sauteed in coconut oil with good amount of garlic and ginger, and incorporate spices in your meals.

For sleep & rest - use meditation/music therapy to help you relax and fall asleep; stay away from negative people and situations; avoid drama and useless banter and most of all, rest.

Bring the goodness of essential oils to help you even more! - Essential oils like lavender, chamomile, frankincense, myrrh, ginger, and oregano can help ease your pain, anxiety, insomnia and indigestion. Take 1 drop each of lavender and frankincense and put under the tongue to release anxiety, depression and insomnia. Ginger and oregano oil can be taken in pills, added a drop or two to recipes or massage on abdomen mixed with carrier oils.

Castor oil & magnesium oil power blend - Massage daily at night, on your abdomen and body with some castor oil combined with some magnesium oil as these two will help ease the muscles and promote good sleep (magnesium oil) and help in optimum elimination in the morning.

The good news about parasites -

Before you dig your head in the sand and think parasites are all bad, you may want to know some interesting facts about these little guys. Parasites are extremely important for our immunity. In fact, in Crohn's patients, parasites are intentionally given to induce immune response. Yes! True! Parasites such as hookworms and whipworms (called as Helminths) are beneficial for their immune-modulating effects. 

Another good news is that finally we are realizing that living in too clean a world and not playing in the dirt - the gardens is harming us more than ever. The "hygiene hypothesis" theory points to the fact that bleach and such non-stop cleaning has taken away our immunity - something our ancestors naturally had abundance of since they were always spending time in Nature and playing in the soil/dirt. This tells me that parasites are not bad or even that deadly as I am sure our ancestors were exposed to these parasites regularly but were able to flush them out. Could it be more of the modern diet of processed foods, sugar, soda, meat, chips, frozen lunches, that is lowering people's immunity and hence, causing the modern generation to be unable to deal with parasites?! Umm..something to ponder upon. 

This is it - you now have powerful tool (this article) to connect your symptoms to finally knowing you are NOT crazy! and that your body just needed a cleanse. The beauty of herbal solutions is that these herbs not only cure the symptoms but they balance the whole body, thus allowing you to come out of the cleanse more stronger than ever before! Ref (1). Ref (2). Ref (3)

Here's giving BIG thanks to Nature for always being there and taking care of us by giving us such powerful herbs & foods!.

-Somyata

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