A parasite is an organism that invades another organism (the host) and lives and feeds within that host. Parasites are not life-threatening as they need their host to survive in order for them to live and breed, but can spread various pathogens that negatively effect the host (our bodies).
Characteristics of a parasite include:
- parasites are smaller than their host
- parasites may have hooks, claws or suckers in order to attached to the host
- parasites can enter the body via food, water, or an insect bite
- parasites invade both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts
- there is no known number as to how many parasites there are in the world but most websites say millions upon millions
Parasites have been the cause for many, many diseases around the world including malaria, giardiasis, African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and babesiosis.
According to Google:
In 2023, 597,000 people died from malaria in 83 countries with 95% of those deaths coming from Africa.
An estimated 45,927 people die from foodborne parasitic diseases each year.
More than 700,000 people die from vector-borne diseases each year, including malaria, dengue, schistosomiasis, and others.
There are three main types of parasites:
Ectoparasites: parasites that live on the outside of the host and include fleas, head lice, pubic lice, mites and ticks
Helminths: parasites that live within your GI tract and include flukes (type of flatworm), tapeworms, and roundworms
Protozoans: only visible under a microscope, they are one-celled organisms that live in the intestines, blood and tissue and include amoeba, ciliates, flagellates, and sporozoans
What I really want to talk about today specifically are the parasites that live within the body, mainly in the GI tract.
Manhattan Gastroenterology posted this showing the most common intestinal parasites (helminths):
Parasites can live within your digestive tract for years! And no wonder….if you are feeding them what they want, why would they ever want to leave?
Shockingly, a female roundworm can lay up to 200,000 eggs PER DAY and it only takes 4-10 days for the eggs to hatch.
And what about tapeworms? The old joke is if you are the type of person that eats a LOT each day, but stays thin, you must have a tapeworm inside of you. Why?
Well, it may be true. Tapeworms love to eat up all the calories in your body and it usually causes the host (person) to lose weight. In fact, Dr. Oz was on a 2015 episode of Oprah revealing a 30 foot tapeworm. You can watch the video here. He did reiterate that this particular type of tapeworm is contracted by eating raw or undercooked meat. Dr. Oz continued talking about hookworms and their significance to the Civil War:
“When you are walking along barefoot, these hookworms will climb up on their back feet and they’ll inject themselves into your foot and climb up onto your skin and get into your blood. It caused a problem called ‘southern anemia’. Southern anemia is argued to be one of the reasons the South lost the Civil War. Because the boys in the South would walk around barefoot and they’d get this worm and it would use up all of their blood; they suck up about a cc worth of blood each. The northern kids were wearing shoes made of cow leather cause they had dairy farms. They didn’t get the infection.”
Pretty gross, right?
SYMPTOMS OF PARASITES
Here are some common symptoms when there is a parasitic infection:
Skin Issues – because the skin is the largest organ of our body, it is also the best factor in determining if you have parasites. Common symptoms include itching, rash, discoloration, eczema, nodules, wounds, and cysts.
Grinding Of The Teeth – this action is mostly assumed to be TMJ disorder; however, research has shown that having parasites can cause your lymphatic system and nervous system to become off balance. Parasites release toxins that can interact with neurotransmitters in the brain which directly affects mood, teeth grinding and anxiety/nervousness. The Vagus Nerve connects the brain with the gut so the parasites may cause the brain to trigger teeth grinding.
Chronic Fatigue/Insomnia – parasites can embed themselves within the nervous system, so they can directly impact your sleep by disrupting your sleep patterns, lessen sleep duration and lessen REM sleep.
Sugar Cravings – if you consistently crave sugary, sweet foods, you may have a parasite. We all have yeast in our body but a certain yeast, candida, thrives on sugar so the more sugar you consume the larger the candida grows within your body. Parasites LOVE to feed on sugar so the more sugar you have in your body, the more parasites will thrive and continue to lay eggs, deeming your body as an excellent home for them and their young.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome – parasites can intensify IBS symptoms such as inflammation, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
With any living organism, the cycle of a parasite is eating, digesting and then eliminating waste (pooping). So if you experience a strong ammonia taste/smell, that means the parasites are releasing their waste into your system.
Yuck!
TESTING FOR PARASITES
If you feel you may have parasites within your body, there are a handful of tests that can be done to determine a parasite’s existence:
Blood Test: most common blood tests given include a blood smear or a serology test; however, from what I have read, it is best to have the blood test done over the course of a full moon.
As a side note, if you would like to read about the moon’s effects on our bodies, I encourage you to read my post, “Full Moon: The Lunar Effect On Our Health”, here.
During a full moon, the parasites are highly active and love eating your serotonin (your happy hormone), a neuro-transmitter and hormone that affects sleep, mood, and digestion. During a full moon phase, your body produces extra serotonin and that is why parasites are way more active during a full moon phase.
Colonoscopy: using a thin tube with an attached camera, it is inserted via the anus and fed through your large intestine
Endoscopy: using a thin tube with an attached camera, it is inserted via your mouth and fed through your small intestine
Imaging: because parasites can damage your intestines, an x-ray, MRI or CT scan may be used to scan for damage (specifically lesions) within your intestines
Stool Culture: a collection of your stool is taken and given to your doctor to examine and then sent to a lab which will see if parasites and/or their eggs are present in your stool
Doctors may prescribe medicines such as Praziquantel, Ivermectin, Mebendazole or Praziquantel to rid the body of parasites; however, it is important to remember, as with any drug, there will be side effects so my opinion is to do a parasite cleanse and eat foods that are anti-parasitic.
PARASITE CLEANSE
A parasite cleanse is a way to detox your body and treat your parasite infections with the use of herbal supplements and dietary changes. This is the all- nature way of eliminating parasites vs. the medical way of treating the parasites with pharmaceuticals.
Taking the following supplements will assist you in your cleanse: berberine, black walnut, oregano oil, wormwood, beetroot, propolis, probiotics, Vitamin A, zinc, and selenium.
There are herbal tinctures that assist in parasite cleanses as well and include:
- ParaGuard – contains wormwood, pumpkin seed, garlic, fennel seed, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, clove bud, peppermint leaf oil, and oregano leaf oil
- Dr. Morse’s Parasite General – contains black walnut hull, wormwood, cat’s claw, parsley and Pau D’Arco bark
- Paratrex Parasite Cleanse – contains wormwood, neem, clove and diatomaceous earth
- Para + Candi Cleanse – contains oregano leaf, psyllium husk, ginger root, black walnut, apple fruit powder, olive leaf extract, goldenseal root, wormwood, bamboo shoot leaf, uva ursi leaf extract and tribulus fruit extract
Incorporate these foods into your diet:
- Garlic – contains a compound called “allicin” which has been shown to be highly effective in destroying worms; garlic is also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
- Papaya – contains a compound called “carpaine” which is toxic to the parasites and their eggs; the seeds’ enzymes help to destroy intestinal worms and the seeds contain high fiber which helps to clean your gut
- Pumpkin Seeds – contain a compound called “cucurbitin” which makes it hard for worms to cling to the intestinal walls; pumpkin seeds are rich in amino acids and fiber which also help to clean your digestive tract
- Coconut – contains a compound called “loric acid” which, when consumed, converts to “monolaurin” that is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-parasitic; coconut oil also creates an environment within the digestive tract where parasites cannot survive
- Onions – packed with sulfur compounds that are highly anti-parasitic; they also contain a prebiotic fiber called “inulin” which feeds the good bacteria in your gut and creates a healthy gut environment so that parasites cannot survive
- Turmeric – contains a compound called “curcumin” which is anti-parasitic; it damages the cell membranes of the parasites making them unable to survive and multiply; turmeric also is an immune booster, giving your body the ability to fight off any parasitic infection
- Ginger – contains compounds called “gingerol” and “shogaol” which are anti-parasitic
- Cloves – contain a compound called “eugenol” which is anti-parasitic; eugenol damages the cell membranes of the parasites making them unable to survive and multiply; cloves are also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
- Pineapple – contains an enzyme called “bromelain” which is anti-parasitic; bromelain breaks down the proteins of the parasites; thus weakening and making them vulnerable; pineapple is also high in fiber which supports and improves your overall gut health
- Carrots – rich in “beta-carotene”, it converts to Vitamin A within the body; Vitamin A plays a pivotal role in the health of your intestinal walls and makes it hard for parasites to attach and live within your gut; carrots are also high in fiber which supports and improves your overall gut health
Also, avoid coffee, sugar, processed grains and and alcohol.
Eat foods rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C.
Eat foods that are high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Eat foods rich in good bacteria like yogurt, kefir and kombucha.
Avoid raw meat, eggs, poultry and fish.
Wayne Rowland, quantum science engineer and naturopathic advocate, has stated on his website that pollution, toxins and parasites are the root causes of many illnesses. In his book, “Worms Are Killing You”, he advises using silver water, dimethyl sulfoxide, seaweed, Ultrazyme Plus capsules, Stabilized Greens powder, and Lugol’s Iodine.
You can order a copy of his book on Amazon here.
If you have a strong stomach, some people do post their parasitic cleanses online to watch so that you know parasites are legit and do in fact cause gastro issues.
Click here to watch a video about a deworming session.
Click here to watch a video involving a colon cleanse.
And here is a news report on parasites being found in a man’s liver.
It is also important to note that with any detox or cleanse, you may notice an onset of symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, headache, flushing and a faster heart rate. These are called Herxheimer Reactions.
These symptoms are a result of the toxins, bacteria and any other invaders leaving your body.
According to IgenX.com:
“Researchers and medical providers still don’t fully understand the Herxheimer reaction, but they have a theory. Bacteria dying off and releasing toxins can cause the body to have an inflammatory response. During this immune reaction, cytokines and lipoproteins enter the bloodstream. Cytokines are proteins that help control inflammation in the body. What can be confusing is that a Herx is when the immune system creates a reaction to the toxins, not to the microbe that caused the infection in the first place.“
So just remember you may feel worse before feeling better, but know your body is healing and you WILL feel healthy again.
FREQUENCY FOR PARASITES
I recently wrote a post about how frequencies and vibrations can help the body heal various conditions from migraines to hormonal issues and even cancers.
But now we can add “parasite elimination” to that list as well. Apparently the frequency of 1150 hertz is used to destroy parasites.
Good Vibes, a YouTube channel, posted a video showcasing sounds using 1150 hertz. You can listen here.
The comments concerning this video were amazing to read:
Wayne Rowland said this about parasites and frequencies:
“If you’re on a fast and you’re fasting and you’re on a diet and you get a headache, you got the headache because all the worms are trying to get you to eat something else. They are trying to make you sick so you’ll get off of what you’re doing and start eating. So you take some arginine and orthenine and a matter of 20 minutes if the headache’s gone you’ve neutralized the worm. All children that have little tiny pimples on the backs of their arms or little tiny pimples on the edges of their cheeks have five varieties of critters in them. It’s time to deworm and time to get them out. Now what I found was that vibration and frequency is everything. It is literally everything. If you take an aspirin, it changes the way you vibrate and so it blocks the nerves so you can’t feel pain. If you take deworming programs you change your vibration and you change your vibration so dramatically that the worms or parasites have to get out of you. This is no longer a good home or they die in you. And then your lungs and your liver and all that stuff handles them.”
PREVENTION
Prevention is always key and here are some helpful tips on how to prevent becoming infected with a parasite:
- wash hands often and thoroughly
- bathe daily and thoroughly
- drink clean water
- cook meat until its temperature is reached
- clean raw fruits and veggies well
- wash your clothing, bedding and other personal items regularly
- wear long sleeve shirts and pants if outside hiking or camping
- check your pets regularly
- eat healthy foods known to boost your immune system
As with anything I post, it is important to talk to a doctor, whether medical or naturopathic, about steps to take if you suspect you have a parasitic infection.
But information is power, and you are your own best health advocate.
Let’s leave the worms for the birds!
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