PARASITES: MAN’S OLDEST ENEMY

These pesky little organisms thrive by living in or on our bodies. We are usually completely unaware that we have become a never-ending smorgasbord for a party we weren’t invited to.

Parasites way of survival is to be fruitful and multiply, we become the sole provider – giving safe shelter and food supply to these tiny trespassers. Parasites will often enter the body as eggs or cysts in our food, or from the soil, dirty water, pets, or touching freshly contaminated surfaces (most don’t survive long independently). Parasites need a host to survive, and once they infect and grow – we can suffer the consequences of various diseases, health issues, infections, and irritation.

30% ARE IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT
70% ARE IN THE REST OF THE BODY

We can also go on hosting these parasites with no discomforts, so much so that many nutritional experts feel that 90% of the population maintain unknown levels of parasites in our intestines. People often write off their symptoms as part of growing old, or poor diet choices. Most of us hate to entertain the thought of these scavengers being behind our symptoms.

Diagnosing Parasites

The average medical screenings are not designed to search for these and are missing parasitic infections! We are hearing more and more about people who have provided stool samples, blood work and were unable to find ‘clinical’ proof of parasitic infections. (Often this is because conventional tests require a lab tech to visually see a parasite move across a slide under a microscope.) Even when the person has witnessed proof of these parasite infections this doesn’t translate into positive test results.

For the best analysis, we are aware of we suggest to look for a Functional Medicine Doctor in your area and ask for a comprehensive stool sample for parasites. The comprehensive test is much more sensitive than the conventional stool test because it uses Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to amplify the DNA of the parasite if there is one. This means that the parasite can actually be dead or in its dormant phase and it will be detected on this test. Because this test utilizes PCR technology, it isn’t reliant on a pathologist seeing a live parasite swimming on the slide.

 

TAPEWORMS KEPT ME THIN!

Did you know historically people have deliberately consumed tapeworms to help lose weight, and it was effective as they ate away the food the person was eating?

This soon began creating a state of malnutrition where their bodies would begin wasting away, resulting in lower numbers on the scale but a loss of muscle tone and health as well.

This may sound ridiculous now, but it was a marketing feature for over many years!

Globally, there are 700 million people infected with hookworm (including 44 million pregnant women), 807 million people infected with ascariasis, and 604 million people infected with trichuriasis. Transmission mainly occurs in tropical climates and where sanitation and hygiene are poor. (The End Fund, 2016)