Content Courtesy of https://blog.paleohacks.com/signs-you-have-a-parasite-and-what-to-do-about-it/
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
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.
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.
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.
The Best Herbs & Their Benefits
Fresh Garlic
This might come as a surprise, but do not underestimate this common household herb. It is actually among the most effective herbs for ridding the body of any unwanted organisms. Garlic is able to slow and kill over 60 types of fungus and 20 types of bacteria, as well as some of the most potent viruses.
Garlic has a history of killing parasites and controlling secondary fungal infections. It also detoxifies while gently stimulating elimination, and has antioxidant properties to protect against oxidation caused by parasite toxins. The active components in garlic that kill parasites are allicin and ajoene. These compounds can kill amoebas including one-cell varieties, as well as pinworms and hookworms.
Allicin is not present in garlic in its natural state. When garlic is chopped or otherwise damaged, the enzyme alliinase acts on the chemical alliin, converting it into allicin, the active component contributing to its success for killing parasites.
To get the most out of garlic, be sure to use it crushed or juiced. Start off with 1 clove and work your way up to as many as you can stomach.
Cucumber Seeds
Cucumber seeds have been used as an all-natural treatment to remove tapeworms within the digestive tract. The powder of cucumber seeds can be used to treat tapeworms but also consumed even if you do not have a parasite, as a preventative measure.
That is because cucumbers are of course are also a vegetable. They are effective due to enzymes within the cucumber and seeds that kill tapeworms. Look for heirloom cucumber seeds, grind into a powder and add 1 tsp. to a smoothie daily during your cleanse.
Papaya
Sugary, tropical fruit is typically not advised when dealing with parasites. However, this particular fruit has a strong ability to destroy many parasitic worms, including most intestinal worms and tapeworm. The most powerful part of the fruit is actually the seed.
The University of Maryland Medical Center advises a mixture of honey and papaya seeds, which has been found to clear stools of parasites. If you are going to consume the fruit for its benefits, it is best to remove the skin and ferment in apple cider vinegar for one day. You will want to eat eight ounces of the cultured papaya and drink 2 ounces of the brine for 4 days.
Chaudhary MD, a neurologist and practitioner of Ayurveda, suggests this papaya smoothie recipe: Take the seeds from an average-sized papaya and grind them in a coffee grinder. Next, add a tablespoon of organic virgin coconut oil. Then add about a cup of coconut milk and the rest of the papaya; finally, blend until smooth. Drink the smoothie each morning for at least 7 consecutive days.
Clove
Cloves contains the most powerful germicidal agent in the herbal kingdom, known as eugenol. It also contains caryophyllene, which is a powerful antimicrobial agent. These components travel through the bloodstream, killing microscopic parasites and parasitic larvae and eggs.
Cloves are tremendously effective in killing malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, scabies and other parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi, including Candida. Cloves also destroy all species of Shigella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. It is best consumed with black walnut hulls and wormwood.
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
These are able to kill eggs, and they contain a natural fat that is toxic to parasite eggs. Curcurbitin in pumpkin seeds has shown anti-parasitic activity, since it has the ability to paralyze worms so they drop off the intestinal walls.
Chinese scientists used pumpkin seeds to treat acute schistosomiasis and tapeworm infestations. Many parasite formulas contain pumpkin seed, but it doesn’t do much in just a few capsules. You need half a cup at a time to really work. Grind in coffee grinder and add to salads or smoothies.
Turmeric
This is perhaps one of the most powerful herbs and is helpful for just about everything. It boasts powerful properties. it is an anticancer, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, worm-expelling, and an overall body purifier. This is a very safe herb to consume regularly for maintaining health as well as to use medicinally. Pair with coconut oil and black pepper for improved absorption.
Ginger
A family member to turmeric, ginger has many similar qualities. It also increases circulation and helps all digestive issues. It is particularly good for gas and nausea associated with parasite die-off. It also improves stomach acid production, which kills parasites and protects us from getting infected in the first place. Fresh ginger is better for eliminating mucus, while ground ginger is better for warming the digestive system. Take both.
Cayenne
This hot pepper is a powerful anti-fungal. The best cayenne has the ability to destroy fungus, mold & parasites on contact! It increases circulation and health, and also increases effectiveness of other herbs when used in combination with them. Try sprouted pumpkin seeds seasoned with ginger and cayenne for a delicious snack and a medicine for treating intestinal bugs! The best is African Cayenne.
Green Hulls of Black Walnut
These have been shown to have powerful effects on killing many varieties of parasites. The dried and ground green hull of the black walnut contains tannin, which is organic iodine, as well as juglandin.
Black walnut has been used for centuries to expel various types of worms, including parasites that cause skin irritations such as ringworm. It oxygenates the blood, which also helps kill parasites.
Black walnut is very effective against tapeworms, pinworms, Candida albicans (yeast infections) and malaria. It is also effective in reducing blood sugar levels, and helping the body rid itself of toxins. Best of all, you can find these babies growing outside in the wild in abundance. I have a tree in my front yard that gives more than I can use! Your best bet is to take an alcohol tincture of it three times a day.
