Parasites are organisms which live in or on an organism of another species. There are three classes of parasites that can cause illness in humans. These are ectoparasites, helminths, and protozoa.
Protozoa and helminths usually affect the gut whereas the ectoparasites like mites and lice attach to or burrow into the skin and can remain there for long periods.
Most helminths and protozoa are non-pathogenic, i.e., they don’t cause illnesses or cause very mild illnesses. But, others can lead to serious diseases in humans.
How Do We Catch Parasites?
The fecal-oral transmission is the most common transmission route of protozoa and helminths. This is when another person swallows the parasites in the stool of one person.
The common symptoms of parasites in the organism are gastrointestinal ones such as diarrhea. However, if the parasites attack the organs or the red blood cells, the consequences may be more severe.
The protozoa are tiny organisms with one cell which multiply inside the body of humans. The protozoa giardia has a two-stage life cycle. The first phase or the trophozoite is when the parasite swims around and eats nutrients from the small bowel.
The second stage is when it grows into a non-moving cyst. Cysts that are expelled into the feces can contaminate the water supply so ingestion of contaminated water or food increases the risk of transmission. Also, close human-to-human contact and unsanitary living conditions increase the risk of transmission.
Symptoms of giardia include serious or chronic diarrhea, cramps in the abdominal area, tiredness, weight loss, and weakness. Other protozoa are the plasmodium species. They develop in mosquitoes and the infected mosquitoes transmit the parasite to humans through bites.
Plasmodium is known to destroy the red blood cells, affect organ function, and lead to malaria. Malaria is known to cause the most deaths of all parasitic illnesses.
Helminths or worms are big multicellular organisms that are usually visible to the naked eye when they’re in the adult stage. However, helminths can’t multiply inside the human body.
Flatworms are one type of helminths and their bodies are soft and flattened. The digestive cavity has only one opening for the ingestion and removal of food and it’s considered that 80 percent of flatworms are parasitic.
Tapeworms are one type of flatworm. Infestation usually comes from ingesting their eggs as well as through transmission from person to person through the fecal-oral path.
The main risk factors are poor sanitation and shared living areas. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain, weight loss, weakness, and diarrhea.
Ectoparasites are organisms like lice, mites, fleas, ticks, etc. that burrow into or attach to the skin and can stay there for long. Scabies is one example of a contagious skin illness marked by itching and small, raised red spots which is caused by the human itch mite.
It’s usually transmitted via direct and prolonged, skin-to-skin contact.
How to Prevent & Treat Parasites
Some parasites stay dormant for prolonged periods. This makes the diagnosis process more challenging since there aren’t any symptoms or they’re not clear enough.
The good news is that there are a lot of good medications that can be used for the treatment of different types of parasites after they’ve been diagnosed.
Although they’re not free of side effects, they’re very effective.
How to Perform a Parasite Cleanse?
According to some natural health practitioners, parasite infections can be relieved with cleanses consisting of supplements and herbs.
This dietary or supplement regimen is claimed to detoxify the human body and promote the removal of parasitic infections. The aim of the cleanse is to perform the detox without prescribed meds.
Still, the research on whether this method is helpful or not is very scarce. Natural health practitioners promote the following herbs as helpful parasite cleansers:
- Clove oil
- Goldthread
- Anise
- Barberry
- Black walnut
- Goldenseal
- Grapefruit seed extract
- Oregano oil
- Propolis
- Wormwood
- Oregon grape
Natural health practitioners also promote other homeopathic treatments to remove parasites from the body. The goal is to choose gentle herbs. This is because some herbal detox supplements may have strong side effects or interact with meds that you may be taking.
This is why you should always consult your doctor before you start a supplemental detox program. Some programs for detox from parasites can last for up to a month. Others may be two weeks on, two weeks off.
A parasitic cleanse diet is also important if you’ve been diagnosed with a parasite. This should be a nutrient-rich diet that will keep the immunity strong while the parasites are being removed from the body.
To reduce the risk of parasitic infections after the cleanse, natural practitioners recommend avoiding raw or undercooked meat and seafood. And, when you’re traveling, make sure you avoid unpurified water, ice, fruits that can’t be peeled, street food, swimming in freshwater, etc.
Not all detoxes and detox supplements are safe and free of side effects. Some of the most common ones are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches, nausea, etc.
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