Fighting Back Against Parasites
Sunshine Sharing

We tend to think of parasites as something people pick up when they travel in some third world country, but parasites are far more common in the "civilized" world than people imagine. Many of us with chronic health problems may be surprised to discover that they have parasites.

Parasites can be very hard to diagnose. A stool analysis may or may not reveal the existence of parasites because, even if parasites are present in the bowel, they may or may not be present in any particular stool sample. Parasites may also be in other body tissues and not show up in the bowel.

Parasites are not just worms, either. Harmful microbes including giardia, candida and amoebas can also be classified as parasites. When organisms like these are included, it is likely that two-thirds of all Americans have at least one type of parasite in their body

Choose Your Weapons
Herbs that work against parasites are classified as anthelmintics/vermifuges (expel or destroy worms) or parasiticides (kill parasites). Some herbs are directly toxic to parasites. Some "stun" or relax them so that they can't stay in place and are eliminated with regular bowel movements. Other herbs clean up the host terrain, making the environment unfriendly to parasites, encouraging them to leave. Effective herbal therapy for parasites involves a combination of all of these strategies.

Black Walnut Extract (liquid) It is especially easy for children to take. It is a reliable general herb for parasites.

Herbal Pumpkin Used successfully against a variety of parasites.

Artemisia Combination Probably NSP's best formula for use against parasites.

Garlic, especially if taken raw (so that it still has plenty of the stinky allicin), is antimicrobial against bacteria, fungi, and worms. "Odor free" aged garlic products from some companies do not have the same potency against parasites as raw garlic.

Wormwood is very bitter and aromatic. It contains thujone, an oil that can stun roundworms. Artemisia Combination also contains Olive Leaf Extract which is widely used against fungal infections, the malaria parasite, and other parasitic infections. As a "good side effect," olive leaf extract can dramatically improve immune system function and is used to fight viruses and prevent bacterial infections.

Elecampane Combination is no longer available separately but is still part of the Chinese Para-Cleanse package. Elecampane contains a chemical that helps expel parasites and kills some bacteria and fungi. It is also a source of inulin, a compound that helps feed the friendly flora of the bowel.

And speaking of friendly flora, Acidophilus and Bifidophilus Flora Force provide live healthful bacteria to repopulate these species in the gut after a candida - or general parasite cleanse. Having a healthy intestinal environment helps us to resist these and other organisms.

Goldenseal is an excellent remedy for giardia. Activated Charcoal is also helpful for severe diarrhea associated with parasites.

Even when diagnosed correctly, parasites can be very hard to eliminate. It takes very powerful medications to kill parasites and typically, those medications are toxic to healthy tissue as well. Even some of the stronger antiparasitic herbs have some toxicity. However, our approach to parasites is going to be only partially effective if we focus only on trying to kill them.

While parasites may be present in many chronic diseases, they are not really the root cause. All parasites require a supportive host environment in order to survive. If the host environment is not conducive to its growth, a parasite will have a difficult time gaining a foothold.

So, we also need to change the host environment to make it unfriendly for the growth of parasites. This is where herbs can excel over chemical drugs. While they may not be as strong at directly killing the parasites, they are exceptionally good at helping to alter the host environment and making it unfriendly to parasites.

This issue will introduce you to some nasty but common fungi, worms and other bad characters, and the potent parasite products you need to deal with them.

Natural Therapies for Getting Rid of Parasites

Know the Enemy
Parasites are difficult to diagnose and even medical doctors miss them. However, if you have vague health problems that have not been resolved after much effort, one possible cause may be parasites. Some parasites attach themselves to the intestinal lining with suction or teeth. If they migrate out of the intestine into other parts of the body they can cause unexpected serious health problems. Some researchers are discovering direct relationships between parasites and diseases like cancer and AIDS.

Some of the symptoms that may point to a possibility of parasites include constant hunger with an unsatisfied appetite, itching rectum, severe health problems that develop after travel, especially gastrointestinal problems (nausea, diarrhea, sensitive bowels). Parasites can also cause fatigue, continual weakness with no specific diagnosed cause, persistently elevated temperature, bad breath, and anemia.

Roundworms (including protozoa and flukes), ascarids, and hookworms are contagious intestinal parasites. They are shaped like earth worms but smaller. Hookworms can also infect the feet and cause itching there. The smaller roundworms can infect muscles and also damage the heart and nervous system. Large roundworms and whipworms can cause respiratory problems and may crawl up into the throat and, in extreme cases, exit through the mouth or nose.

Pinworms show up as short white threads less than half an inch long. Pinworms can cause severe anal itching and trouble sleeping. They may leave through the rectum at night to lay eggs. They are the most common worm problem for young children.

Tapeworms range from one inch to thirty feet (yes, feet) long. They are believed to live up to 25 years and can cause weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Candida albicans produces a common fungal/yeast infection. Although many of the herbs that are used for other parasites are also helpful with candida infections, the topic of yeast infections alone has occupied entire issues of Sunshine Sharing.

Ringworm is actually a fungal infection of the skin and can often be treated topically.

Giardia is a single-celled organism that can be picked up by drinking contaminated water. It causes diarrhea.

Amoebas are another intestinal parasite that cause severe diarrhea (amoebic dysentery).


Preventing Infections
Our environment exposes us with live parasites. Anyone with pets should consider using a parasite cleanse at least twice a year. Their pets should be treated at the same time. You can pick up parasites in your garden dirt or in untreated water.

Our food can contain live parasites.
Eating pork is often a direct route to becoming infected with parasites. Pork often carries parasites, some of which can survive even the high temperatures of grilling. Although reducing land animal meats is a good strategy for several reasons, we advise people to avoid pork altogether.

Sushi (raw fish) is another common way to acquire fresh parasites.
If you do eat these foods, consider taking an antiparasitic herb such as Black Walnut before and after the meal.

Should we cook everything that we eat?
Francis Pottenger did nutritional experiments in the 1930s with cats and found that cats on a diet of raw meat and milk were free of Parasites and fleas. It was the cats that were fed cooked meat and (homogenized) milk that developed problems with parasites and fleas. So much for the idea that it is raw food that causes one to get parasites.

Cooked food creates a more toxic environment in the gastrointestinal tract, and thus creates a better host environment for parasites. The cleaner the bowel, the less hospitable it is for any parasite.

The high-acid environment of a healthy stomach is a protection against food-borne parasites. However, stress and poor nutrition can damage the stomach's ability to maintain its lining adequately. The best approach is to reduce stress, improve nutrition, and heal the stomach. Instead, drug companies, doctors, and frequent commercials promote products that suppress the stomach's ability to secrete acid for digestion and protection. Antacids neutralize the stomach's existing acid, needed for effective natural digestion and protection.

Getting Them All
Some parasites reproduce through a multi-stage life cycle. Eggs may be protected in a durable shell, so that even if you take an antiparasitic product now, those eggs will survive and hatch, and the larvae will promptly create a reinfestation. The solution is to use a program that repeats the treatment several times. (See box, "Putting it All Together" below.)

 

What about Essential Oils?
Consuming essential oils is generally not advisable. They are very concentrated, and it is easy to overdose. If you take too much, sometimes just a few drops, it's not uncommon to vomit them right back up. Some commercial essential oils for candida and other parasites are on the market, but they are packaged in enteric-coated soft gel caplets so that they do not open in the stomach.


1. Start with a gentle clesnsing
Pre-program: it is best to use a lower bowel cleanse first such as Chinese Tiao-He-Cleanse (10 days) to loosen and start removing old fecal material that may be present, making a happy home for parasites.

2. Continuing with the killing of parasites
Fight parasites with Para Cleanse with Paw-Paw, an ideal foundation for treating intestinal parasites. Take the contents of one cello packet twice a day 15 minutes before your morning and evening meals with at least 8 oz. pure water. Continue the program for 10 days, eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

3. Finally... Strengthrn the intestinal defense system
Post-program: be sure to use probiotics such as Acidophilus, Bifidophilus or Probiotics Eleven after the strong herbs of an antiparasitic just as you would after using antibiotics. This assures that healthful bacteria, which may also have been killed, are replanted.

Notes: Always drink plenty of (mineral) water when on a cleansing program. Since family members often share parasites with each other, best results are obtained when all family members use the same program at the same time.