Help! I Think I Have Parasites!!
As we’ve mentioned before, we play host to millions upon millions of microorganisms which basically determine who we are as a person. We are pretty much walking, talking eco-systems and all of the inhabitants within our eco-system perform a function. That being said, all eco-systems, humans included, are vulnerable to invaders.
Parasites are organisms, either single-celled (protozoa) or multi-celled (helminths/worms) that can invade our precious eco-system. They live, feed and breed within our bodies.
If you’re not scrunching up your face and squirming in your chair just yet, you will be after reading this next sentence. It is estimated that up to 85% of the Western world is infested with parasites and here’s the clincher - many people are asymptomatic, meaning they have no symptoms or their symptoms can be mild and ongoing and often missed or mis-diagnosed.
Parasitic infections commonly go un-diagnosed because:
A) They are not routinely screened for
B) Even when they are screened, a single stool sample will often miss protozoan infections due to the life cycle of the parasite
What can parasites do to my health?
Blastocystis hominis (B.hominis) and Dientamoeba Fragilis (D.fragilis) are types of pathogenic protozoa that can be the cause for frequent intestinal distress including:
• Excessive flatulence
• Abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Greasy/floaty stools
Non gastro-intestinal complaints can include:
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Depression
• Muscle aches
B.hominis and D.fragilis are commonly incorrectly labelled as IBD or IBS and can go on for years. These chronic infestations have a huge impact on the rest of our micro-biome - our eco-system. They feed off our nutrients, create an inflammatory state, and deplete our immune system, which gives rise to opportunistic flora such as Candida to take hold and flourish...creating a vicious cycle of unwanted and disrespectful house guests!!
What if I have parasites?
Intestinal parasites are hardy organisms not easily killed. Common treatment for parasites is antibiotic treatment such as metronidazole. This can actually make symptoms worse as it wipes out our ‘good guys’, our little soldiers, and gives rise to clostridia (noooooo!)
Clove, black walnut and wormwood are three botanicals that have antihelminthic and antiprotazoa effects WITHOUT wiping out our good guys. These three specifically have synergistic constituents which work to attack parasites at all stages of the life cycle.
Kultured Wellness herbal parasitic cleanse is a gentle way to consume these powerful anti-parasitic herbs to restore your biome to balance.
Will my health return to normal?
Once all of the parasites haven been killed off and evicted from the premises, it is important to replenish the rest of our good workers to restore our eco-system to equilibrium. We’ve said it before, but we will say it again (...and again, and again!) it is so important to have such a diverse range of flora in our guts. If we create the perfect environment for them, they will reward us with good health. So once we’ve done our internal spring clean, we need to replenish by consuming probiotic-rich foods such as coconut yoghurt using Kultured Wellness Cultures and avoiding refined sugar and carbohydrates in our diet. Once our flora is diverse and flourishing, health will be restored.
Spring is the perfect time of year to refresh our home, so why not refresh the home of our gut bugs too! Happy Spring cleaning!