Could You Have Intestinal Parasites?

Intestinal parasite infections are very common and can produce symptoms such as abdominal bloating, fatigue, gas, nausea and altered bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea).

These infections often go undetected for many years and cause a great deal of discomfort and poor health. You can be following a healthy diet but still not feeling well if there are high levels of harmful bugs in your digestive tract.

The term parasite is used to describe a great variety of creatures that vary in complexity from single celled organisms, all the way up to worms that may be several inches or longer. Common disease causing parasites are Giardia lambia, Entamoeba histolytica and Cryptosporidium, which can be difficult to detect with routine stool analysis and cultures. When a stool specimen is examined in the laboratory for parasites, many of the yeasts that are seen are already dead. Stool cultures therefore often fail to reveal the presence of fungi, even when the gut  is heavily infected. Recently a new type of test called fecal PCR testing has become available, which checks the stool for genetic material from the most common gut pathogens.

It can be difficult to eradicate intestinal parasites completely and many sufferers find that they keep on recurring.

I have the following recommendations:

To reduce bowel infections with unfriendly bacteria, parasites and yeasts:

• Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates, as they are the fuel for unhealthy microorganisms.
• Avoid preserved foods, especially processed meats (pizza meats, corned beef, ham and devon).
• Avoid mouldy foods such as old peanuts, green potatoes and dried fruits that are mouldy or bitter. Some fruits are particularly susceptible to mould and these include strawberries and melons.
• Avoid the long term or frequent use of antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and steroid drugs if possible. These medications promote leaky gut syndrome. If your intestinal lining is excessively permeable, bacteria and their toxins will be able to gain entry into your bloodstream. This is a form of self poisoning. Glutamine is a type of protein the cells lining the digestive tract use to repair themselves. Therefore glutamine is excellent for leaky gut syndrome.
• Eat plentiful fiber in the form of raw vegetables and fruits, ground seeds such as flaxseeds and chia seeds, and fresh nuts such as walnuts and almonds. This will have a “broom effect” and sweep the walls of the colon, removing layers of encrusted and hardened feces, which harbour unfriendly microorganisms.
• Follow practices of good hygiene such as sterilization of kitchen towels and washers and frequent hand washing. Always be careful to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.
• Use natural antibiotics to reduce intestinal yeasts, bacteria and parasites. Natural antibiotic foods, herbs and condiments include cabbage juice, raw garlic,  onions, leeks,  radishes, fenugreek, ginger, chilli, lemon juice, organic apple cider vinegar, turmeric, mustard and rosemary.

Garlic is able to kill bacteria, parasites and yeasts. Raw garlic cloves can be grated, chopped very finely, or pressed in a garlic press, and then mixed well throughout your cooked food and salads. It tastes nicer with some cold pressed olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Onions and leeks also have valuable antibiotic effects in the bowel, and if you cannot tolerate garlic you may find that these things work well for you.

A natural anti-parasite remedy that can  sometimes be quite helpful is called Intestinal Parasite Cleanse. Each capsule contains –

• Wormwood flower and leaf (Artemisia absinthium)100mg
• Black Walnut Green Hull (Juglaris nigra) 100mg
• Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) 100mg
• Garlic (deodorized from Alium sativum) 50mg
• Butternut root bark (juglaris cinerea) 50mg
• Buckthorn bark (Rhamnus frangula) 50mg
• Pau D’Arco (Trabebuia heptaphylla Bark) 50mg

The Recommended Dose is to take one to two capsules, up to three times daily, just before food.

Anti-parasitic remedies are often more effective if they are followed by a purge, during which many dead parasites will be expelled in the feces. To achieve the required laxative effect you can take 2 to 3 teaspoons of Epsom salts with four glasses of water two hours after finishing the anti- parasitic medication.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.