How To Recognize And Treat Parasites

How do you Get Parasites?

There are a lot of ways you can contract a parasite. The most common ways include:

• Food (mainly sushi and under-cooked meats) and produce like fruits & veggies
• Pets
• Traveling to other countries
• Drinking contaminated water
• Public swimming pools
• Insect bites
• Walking barefoot in contaminated soil
• An infected spouse or partner

Recognizing Parasitic Infections

Parasites harbor toxins and they imbalance your immune system. They can prevent you from fighting off viruses, bacteria, and yeast. They can activate allergies and cause histamine issues. Some parasites secrete chemicals that constipate you. They do that so you can’t eliminate them- wild, right?

Detecting a parasitic infection can be challenging as symptoms vary depending on the type of parasite. Most people go years without knowing they have them. I have a feeling I’ve had mine for a while.

Common signs include:

• Digestive gas and bloating
• Gut issues (food sensitivities, IBS, constipation, diarrhea, unexplained nausea)
• Teeth grinding
• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stomach pain and cramps
• Sleep issues and insomnia
• Chronic fatigue
• Joint and muscle pain (fibromyalgia, lower back pain, etc)
• Skin rashes and irritation
• Allergies
• Headaches
• Iron deficiency/ anemia
• Inability to gain weight or lose weight
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Wetting the bed
• Acne
• Sugar cravings
• Increased hunger
• Flu-like symptoms
• Chest pain/ heart palpitations
• Brain fog
• Itchy Anal, genital, or nose
• Worsening symptoms during the full moon

Parasites are more active during a full moon due to serotonin levels increasing. Parasitic infections and signs of parasites worsen during this time. People who act up or are weird around the full moon are the people usually riddled with parasites. This is where the term “Lunatic” originated from.

Parasites can be linked to ADD/ADHD symptoms and also autoimmune conditions. It’s important to not rule parasites out when dealing with these common conditions.

How Do You Test For Parasites

As annoying as this answer is, symptom analysis is crucial (see above) since a lot of tests just don’t really tell you. If you feel like you MUST get a test before you’ll start a cleanse here are the current options:

1. Stool Testing:
2. Blood Testing

But here’s the thing… Stool testing is inadequate at consistently finding parasitic infections for a few reasons.

• Your parasites may not have shed any eggs in the stool sample you submitted so there’s nothing to see. Their life cycles and reproduction times vary.
• If your parasites did shed eggs you may not have scooped them up in your tiny sample. They tend to be more condensed than far apart in stool.
• Parasites hide in various parts of the body, not just the intestines. 
• Parasites hide in biofilms (a protective gel coating) and are very good at staying IN the body. They don’t automatically come out when you poop.

Blood testing can test for antibodies that are produced when you have a parasite infection. But the elevated blood can also indicate other issues, not just parasites.

Parasites are not obvious, their intention is to be hidden.

Fortunately, parasite detoxes are surprisingly gentle and use a lot of natural and homeopathic treatments so if you do a cleanse and you happen to not have any parasites, your body shouldn’t have any major issues.

What to do before you start a detox?

Eating the right foods before and during your cleanse can help a lot (details below)!

Also, opening your detox pathways is essential to ensure the parasites can leave your body once they start dying. That’s an entire blog post itself so CLICK HERE to learn all about this important step.

Eliminating Parasites

The good news is that parasites are easy to treat with supplements- you don’t need any fancy prescriptions or devices. I was given specific supplements from my frequent doctors, but if you’re interested in trying a detox without spending a ton of money on visiting a doctor or getting specific testing done there are other options. I’ve heard AMAZING things about THIS detox. I’ve ordered it for my husband and will update this post after he’s completed his cleanse.

Herbs and Foods That Can Help Get Rid of Parasites

Apart from doing an anti-parasitic protocol, there are a lot of things you can add to your diet to help detoxify. Changing to a clean diet is a big one. Parasites love carbs, dairy, and sugar, so you’ll want to avoid refined foods, dairy products, and all sugars, except honey.

Parasites love carbs, dairy, and sugar, so you’ll want to avoid refined foods, dairy products, and all sugars, except honey. My dr. told me to eliminate gluten, dairy, and sugar while I prepared for and did my cleanse. Those are their main food sources so if you stop feeding them you can kill them off easier. Another fun fact, if you’re having issues with dairy you’re more than likely reacting to parasitic waste. Once you get rid of your parasites your dairy intolerance may resolve itself!

These are some healthy foods to incorporate to help get rid of parasites.

Here is a list of things that you can add to your diet to keep parasites at bay:

• Garlic: Consuming garlic is believed to have antiparasitic properties. Garlic has been used for thousands of years and has a host of well-known medicinal properties. It can also boost the production of stomach acids, which is crucial as chronically low stomach acid has been linked to bacteria and yeast overgrowth in the gut.
• Ginger: Just like garlic, ginger can also increase the production of stomach acid, which can kill parasites, prevent infections and also make your gut overall healthier so that parasites won’t thrive. Ginger is also very good for other stomach issues and is anti-inflammatory.
• Pumpkin Seeds: Rich in an amino acid called cucurbitacin, pumpkin seeds are thought to have anthelmintic effects.
• Papaya and Papaya Seeds: Papaya seeds contain an enzyme called papain, which may help eliminate intestinal parasites.
• Cloves: Cloves contain a powerful germicidal agent called eugenol. This compound along with caryophyllene in cloves travels through the bloodstream and kills parasites, parasite larvae as well as parasite eggs. Making clove tea is a great way to incorporate this spice.
• Olive Leaf: Olive Leaf Extract is a powerful anti-parasitic. It kills parasites very effectively. Especially parasites that infect the bloodstream.
• Diatomaceous Earth: This is a very interesting way to rid parasites. Diatomaceous earth is ground-up diatoms (fossils of single-celled organisms). It has a strong negative charge and is microscopically very sharp. The negative charge of DE attracts to parasites like a magnet and the sharp edges cut the exterior part of the parasite to damage them and cause them to dehydrate and die off. It is important to use food grade Diatomaceous Earth when taking it internally. To learn more about DE check out this blog post.

The Homeopathic Supplements that Dr Charlie Uses to Treat Parasites are:

Another great resource that I love for holistic health is Dr. Charlie. He’s one of my favorite online functional medicine doctors. He talks about parasites A LOT. About 50% of the time he spends treating patients is spent on ridding parasites. He says most people have parasites and he recommends detoxing regularly- he says quarterly.

• VerVita Klenz. This supplement is high in oregano, which is a great and effective parasite killer.
• Sore to Soar oil. This is an essential oil blend that contains Ho Wood, Spruce, Blue Tansy and Frankincense. These all work together in the body to balance, nourish, and energize. Ho Wood and Spruce are also strong anti-parasitics.
• Black walnut supreme– Black Walnut has been used in herbal medicine for centuries as a very effective anti-parasitic. It is also a powerful antifungal.
• Artemisia supreme– Contains Sweet Wormwood and has been used for over 2,000 years in Europe and Asia and the WHO has recognized it as effective against malaria. Studies have shown it to have widespread anti-parasitic properties. It also has antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.

In some cases, Dr. Charlie takes a more aggressive approach to rid people of parasites. When there is a more chronic case, he will use:

• Mimosa Supreme. This supplement is most often used for gastrointestinal problems and fatigue. It is best for killing off liver flukes, worms, and intestinal nematodes.
• Melia Supreme. Also known as neem leaf is effective against various fungi, bacteria, parasites, and various viruses.
• Vidanga Supreme: This herb is powered by a berry native to Asia and India. It expels intestinal worms and can also help lower cholesterol.

Other ways to Rid Infections

I recently did a parasite cleanse and used an at-home enema kit and saw my parasite come out! I started the cleanse in May with the products mentioned above. Then went to a frequency medicine practitioner in Nashville and they told me I did indeed have parasites and I started a custom homeopathic cleanse.

I’m surprised that the practitioner didn’t recommend I open my detox pathways first… I didn’t experience any horrible detox symptoms for the first month then one month in I was traveling in Europe and started to have diarrhea (for 6 weeks!). I urge you to start with your detox pathways, and then start your parasite cleanse.

See below for graphic photos of my parasite!

Preventing Parasites

After doing a cleanse, it’s important to follow up with some simple practices to make sure these unwanted guests don’t return. The best ways to prevent these are washing hands regularly, drinking less alcohol, and reducing stress and cortisol levels.

There are also some good supplements you can take to help optimize your body for anti-parasite success. These include B vitamins, Zinc, and digestive enzymes. Dr. Charlie recommends taking Vervita Inspiracell, and Vervita Immune -Rmor. I’ve been taking Inspiracell for a month now and It makes me feel AMAZING!

I hope this post about recognizing and treating a parasite was helpful! If you liked this post, check out my post about healing your cold, flu, and sore throat for more holistic health ideas.

If you liked this post you’ll love:

My journey getting rid of parasites

How to Open Your Detox Pathways

The benefits of Coffee Enemas & how to do one at home

xx,

Lauren