Parasites are organisms that live on, or in, a host organism and draw their protection and nourishment from the host. Humans have been reported to host over 70 species of Protozoa, 25 species of Flukes and 342 species of Helminths.
There's a current misconception that you can only get parasitic infections from travelling to under developed/third world countries. However, this is far from the truth and parasitic infections are extremely easy to get in well developed countries, including England! These microscopic invaders are far easier to catch than we think and can affect many bodily systems, not just the digestive tract!
Parasites usually hide themselves in protective cysts which allow easy transmission from one host to another and a long life cycle. It only takes 1 protozoa cyst to be consumed orally for infection to occur!
Some of the most common ways you can get a parasitic infection:
Travelling to countries with underdeveloped sanitisation and poor quality drinking water
Swimming and accidentally swallowing a bit of the water (chlorine doesn't always kill parasites!)
Not washing your hands after outdoor activities such as horse riding or gardening
Drinking contaminated water e.g from a well
Having pets who currently have a parasitic infection (it's important to de-worm dogs regularly!)
Eating unwashed food and undercooked seafood (store bought sushi is sometimes not well cared for!)
Changing diapers and bathing those with an infection (nursing homes are a risk!)
Parasitic infections often manifest as gastrointestinal symptoms, however, this is only 10% of the problems parasites can cause! These invaders can travel to many different organs and wreak havoc, causing a whole host of symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue. The multi-systemic symptoms they produce make parasites extremely hard to identify considering the medical industry only associates gastrointestinal symptoms with parasites. Furthermore, medical testing is not always accurate and negative tests shouldn't always rule out an infection.
Common symptoms of parasitic infections include:
Abdominal pain
Anal itching
Bed wetting
Bloating
Brain fog
Central nervous system impairment
Chest pain
Chills
Cramping
Chronic fatigue
Colitis
Constipation
Coughing
Diarrhoea
Digestive disturbance
Dizziness
Dysuria
Facial swelling
Fever
Flatulence
Hair loss or thinning
Headaches
Insomnia
Jaundice
Joint pain
Lung congestion
Memory loss
Mental health difficulties
Muscle spasms
Nausea
Night sweats
Rectal prolapse
Restless children
Skin Disorders
Sweating
Teeth grinding
Ulcers
Vaginitis
Vomiting
Weakness
Weight loss
Another common argument made is that parasites are apart of our microbiome and we all have them so they can't be the cause of our symptoms. This is true, however there is a difference between symbiotic parasites (where both the human body and microbiome benefit) and pathogenic/opportunistic parasites (promote disease when given the chance) in a healthy terrain vs unhealthy terrain.
In a healthy body, both pathogenic/opportunistic and symbiotic parasites exist without a problem, however, when our overall terrain health is not optimal, these pathogenic/opportunistic parasites can thrive and we may pick up infections easily. In an unhealthy terrain, it is common that our stomach acid production becomes poor due to consumption of excess process foods, refined sugar and low nutrient dense foods. As well as being there to digest our food, stomach acid is crucial for killing off any invaders that have entered the body. When production is low, pathogens become easier to pick up and can thrive for a long time in our bodies.
Some of the ways our terrain can become unhealthy and welcome parasites to thrive:
Poor sleep and lifestyle choices
Poor digestion and low stomach acid
Poor nutrition and processed foods
Unmanaged stress
Immune insufficiency
Being in a toxic situation/relationship etc
Smoking, excessive alcohol, recreational drugs etc
Poor protection mechanisms e.g low stomach acid, immune insufficiency etc
If you feel that you have any of the symptoms of a parasitic infection and have not found a cause yet, it is important to get functional testing performed with a naturopath to identify if parasites are the root problem. That being said, the above symptoms are extremely common and can have many different causes e.g from Lyme disease, heavy metal toxicity, fungal overgrowth, sluggish liver function, mould toxicity etc.
Testing is extremely important when it comes to identifying which parasite you have, as different parasites respond to different treatment. Once the parasite has been identified, specific anti-helminthic herbs herbs such as wormwood and dietary changes should be the next step. Ensuring optimal digestion and nutrient intake is critical so that pathogens cannot thrive and you cannot picking up further infections. Reducing consumption of refined sugar, alcohol, dairy, inflammatory foods and processed foods is crucial when improving terrain health and reducing disease risk.
References
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