The sound of this may seem alarming, and not something experienced in the western world, however, the frequency of intestinal parasite infections are far more common than you might think, and it is something that the medical establishment are often not thinking about.
Parasites come in many shapes and sizes and can be ingested in many different ways. Often thought of as a problem of the third-world, parasites can easily be transmitted through consuming contaminated or undercooked foods, especially meat, unclean water, unclean or contaminated fruits and vegetables, swimming in infected lakes, ponds or creeks, handling animals or travelling overseas.
Popular holiday destinations like Bali, are well-known for water contaminates, with many travellers experiencing “Bali Belly” or “Travellers Diarrhoea” if consuming the tap water. The body’s way of expelling the pathogen, is by creating a fever and ridding the invader through watery stools. While this may be an obvious sign of infection, there a many subtle signs that most people are unware of.
Unexplained Digestive Problems
Digestive problems of one sort or another are extremely common, so much so, that a perfect digestive function is almost a rarity in our modern fast-paced, fast-food world. There are so many factors that can influence the digestive system including diet, stress levels, and the health of the microbiome. But what if you have addressed all these things, and still there are symptoms of excess gas, bloating, nausea, constipation or looseness of stools?
Parasites take up residence in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and this triggers the immune system, causing the body to launch an attack on the invading pathogen.
Skin Problems
Depending on the type of parasite and the degree of infestation, symptoms such as unexplained skin irritations, rashes, hives, rosacea or eczema can surface. This is due to the stimulation of immunoglobulins made by the immune system, producing an allergic type reaction in the body in response to the pathogen. This is particularly common with pinworms, which also can cause itching around the anus, especially at night.
Teeth Grinding
Involuntary clenching, grinding or gnashing of the teeth, often occurring during sleep, is very common, and a very big indicator of the presence of intestinal parasites. While this condition can also be caused by an overactive nervous system, more often than not, the underlying cause is parasites. This condition causes other problems, especially if there are dental fillings that are being worn away by the daily grinding. Ingestion of mercury is very common in the older generation who have old dental amalgams, and BPA or Antimony, being another common toxicity in those with white composite fillings who grind at night. Both of these toxins can create significant health challenges and have negative knock-on effects the longer these toxins/heavy metals are in place.
Unexplained Joint or Muscle Pain
This is another common health complaint, with pain seemingly to come and go without explanation. Parasites release a toxin, and this can flow through the bloodstream causing inflammation and pain, even when you have been resting.
Chronic Fatigue and Exhaustion
A parasite infection can be tough on the body, as the immune system works hard to eradicate it, and this can create exhaustion and even feelings of depression. A chronic infection can leave the immune system depleted of nutrients, often affecting levels of vitamin D and Zinc, and leaving the body vulnerable to other infections by opportunistic bacteria or viruses.
Some people may suffer badly from a cold or flu that others can shake off easily. Take viruses such as COVID-19, Epstein-Barr (Glandular Fever) or varicella-zoster virus (Chicken Pox / Shingles virus), that can create a severe illness in a person, often feeling like they never fully recover. This is often a sign of an exhausted and under-nourished immune system, that has no fight or resources left after years of trying to eradicate a parasite infection.
Anaemia or Iron deficiency
This is another common symptom that the medical system are just plain and simply, ignoring. The body has a unique way of recycling iron once a red blood cell has reached the end of its life. The red blood cell is broken apart in the spleen, the heme removed, and sent back to the liver for reprocessing. This is really an exceptional and effective process, unless there is something getting in the way of optimal functioning.
Parasites can feed off the iron, and over time, can leave the individual either low in circulating blood iron levels or low in storage levels of iron (ferritin). The medical system will often recommend an iron infusion, if levels are extremely low, or iron supplementation, with little to no explanation as to how the deficiency occurred in the first place. They may say that there is not enough iron or vitamin C in the diet (without asking any questions around diet or having any nutrition knowledge or training), or blame monthly menstrual bleeds as a probable cause in women. However, supplementing with iron can sometimes make the situation worse or can be counter-intuitive, as the parasites now have a regular food source.
There can also be blood loss from a parasite infection, depending on the extent of the infection and the type of parasite. Parasites will often bury into the colon wall, causing inflammation, bleeding and even polyps. Colonoscopies are often used to investigate digestive problems, however, the parasites are often so small, even microscopic, that they are not seen during the investigation. As they live inside the colonic wall, they tend to escape detection by the camera. Polyps however, are seen and often removed, as they can have the potential to becoming cancerous. Rarely however, are parasites mentioned or discussed as a possible cause for these otherwise unexplainable growths.
Diverticula can also be caused by the parasites burrowing in to the colon wall, causing inflamed pockets that can collect small seeds and other hard food objects.
Sleep Disruption
While poor sleep can be caused by so many factors such as poor diet, high levels of stress, hormonal imbalances, poor evening routines, excess alcohol and high electronic device use, very few people are thinking about parasites as being a possible cause to problems falling asleep, or waking frequently through the night. This is often common in young children, and thought to be growing pains or defiance by the child, but parasite infections can be very disruptive to sleep, as they are most active at night.
Mental Health Disorders, especially Anxiety
When you add up poor or disrupted sleep, low iron, nutrient deficiencies such as zinc and vitamin D, chronic fatigue, joint pain and digestive issues, is it any wonder that mental health is often significantly affected. Any of these factors on their own, can lead to poor mental health, but add several together, as well as some toxins released by the parasite, and the recipe for anxiety and depression are very real.
The possibility of a chronic parasite infection is not the first thought that comes to mind when treating an individual with poor mental health, but when putting all the symptoms together, along with some pathology testing, the changes of infection are quite possible. Even symptoms such as foggy mind, head aches and forgetfulness, can be signs of toxins entering the brain and causing disruption. Low iron is well-documented as being a significant contributor to depression, with toxins from parasites often causing anxiety.
Other Symptoms
There are many other symptoms that can come from parasites, and there is even some research being done around the influences of parasites on cholesterol levels, mainly low levels of healthy HDL cholesterol and high Triglycerides, otherwise thought to be influenced only by diet and lifestyle factors.
Certainly excessive hunger or feelings of hunger an hour after eating, especially in the evening, can be another sign. The problem with most signs and symptoms, is they can also be explained by other influences, which makes parasite infestations difficult to diagnose.
How to diagnose
Diagnosis can certainly be difficult and not clearly defined. Standard blood testing, Haematology in particular, can give some clues however. Eosinophils are a white blood cell that the body often uses to treat parasites, and optimal health ranges should be 0.00, as in, there is no infection to treat. While most people have some levels of these white blood cells, the key is to look at the history of levels, as well as levels of vitamin D and Iron. If there has been a long-standing deficiency of these nutrients, along with other symptoms, a parasite infection is probable.
Optimal vitamin D levels sit at over 120nmol/L, especially at the end of summer. This creates a strong immune system heading in to the winter months, and very few people have levels this good, no matter how much time they have spent in the sun during summer. There are of course, other factors that influence vitamin D synthesis, including liver health, overall nutrient status, and the use of sunscreens and statin medications.
Stool testing is an option, but this can be expensive, and not always conclusive, depending on the cycle of the parasite at the time of testing. Doctors will generally not support this kind of testing, and often this is arranged by Natural Health Practitioners, at significant costs to the individual.
How to be rid of them
Elimination can be tricky, but not impossible. Firstly, ensuring the immune system is strong, with optimal vitamin D, Zinc and vitamin C levels. Next, ensuring the diet is as clean as possible, using whole foods that are free from additives and chemicals. Consuming foods such as garlic, pumpkin seeds, beets and papaya seeds, are natural parasite killing food sources.
Parasites lay eggs, so there needs to be several rounds of treatment to fully eradicate them. They are also more active during the formation of the full moon, so this is often a good time to commence a treatment. There are many herbal formulations that have been used for centuries, including Wormwood, Black walnut, Oregano, Barbary and Allium (from garlic).
Colon hydrotherapy can be a good modality to use alongside a parasite cleansing process, as the water aids to wash away the biofilm (mucous) created by the parasites, and to wash away any that have been immobilised by the herbal formulas. While there are medications available to treat parasites, often they only treat specific worms, and can be quite harsh on the digestive system.