Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A topic no one enjoys, but needs to consider

What might that be?  Parasites!  Yup, parasites.  We treat our pets annually, but we don't treat ourselves? The only word that comes to mind is yuck!  Rather than me trying to explain how we get them, I am going to refer to the professionals, this information comes from Humaworm, where the owner is of native Indian decent.  His grandparents used all of these herbs on a regular basis, his knowledge is from generations of accumulated information and personal experience.

A link to their site - Humaworm welcom page

HOW WE GET PARASITES IN THE FIRST PLACE

First, you need to understand that you’re not actually eating worms to become infected – you’re getting infected from the microscopic parasite eggs that can be virtually anywhere. If after reading this section you're thinking "If parasite eggs are everywhere and are so easy to obtain, then why aren't we ALL infected?" The answer? 90% of us ALREADY ARE. Here are some examples of how easily you can become a parasite host:

CONTAMINATED WATER
Water is the primary way parasites infect humans. For example, over 50% of our lakes, river streams and creeks are infected with the protozoa parasite Giardia Lambia. This parasite is not killed by chlorine and is steadily finding it’s way into urban areas with “treated” drinking water. Symptoms of an infestation include, diarrhea and cramping that lasts for over a week and is most often misdiagnosed as the stomach flu.
ALSO when swimmers have parasites and they swim in places with others, the water is then contaminated with eggs from their bodies. It only takes a very small amount of swallowed water to become infected.

OTHER HUMANS
You can obtain parasite eggs from other humans very easily. Since most infections come from the anal-oral route think about this – someone has parasites, they use the restroom, do not wash their hands afterwards, then they sit down and use the salt shaker on the restaurant’s table – they have just deposited microscopic eggs onto this object. You are the next person to sit at this table and use the salt shaker – you then lick your finger or even put your hand to your face – you are now the new host to parasites. Parasite eggs can live under human fingernails for up to 2 months. Think of how many common objects you come into contact with on a daily basis. Even more common infections come from kissing, holding hands, sharing eating utensils and of course, sexual contact.
Usually if one family member is a host to parasites, the entire family is infected. There are many parasite eggs that can live without a host for weeks – for example, microscopic pinworms eggs become airborne and can travel ANYWHERE and they can live for two days outside of a host. These microscopic eggs are inhaled where they then hatch inside your body.

ANIMALS
Animals, including pets, can spread 240 diseases to humans via parasites. By petting or grooming animals, you are picking up eggs that pass from them to us via hands, nose and mouth. ALSO parasite infected fleas and ticks and parasite infected animal feces are concerns. This is why walking barefoot where animals have defecated is a major source of parasite infections - especially when you CAN'T SEE the actual animal feces - you just happen to be walking where they have been before. THINK about this – when your pet (or someone else’s) licks their anus, they are depositing thousands of eggs onto their tongues – then they lick you and those eggs have just been transmitted to their new host. YOU. Americans now have the highest rate of toxoplasmosis parasites in the world. You have probably heard of this one as all pregnant women are warned about toxplasmosis because they can die from an infestation.
Pets and domesticated animals are not the only ones spreading parasites – mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, lice and all other biting insects transmit protozoa (one cell) parasites to humans.

MEATS
Undercooked meats are a very high source of parasite infections. Commercial pork products are also notorious for infections – bacon, ham, pork chops, cold cuts, hot dogs, etc. Also cuts of meat such as beef, lamb, chicken and fish contain parasite eggs. Sushi (raw fish) alone contains eggs and larvae of several species of parasites. We trust the cattle, pork and chicken producers to keep their livestock wormed on a regular basis, but over 50% of animals that go to slaughter are parasite infected.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Unwashed fruit and vegetables are also a big source of parasite carriers. A lot of vegetables are eaten raw and according to the Center for Disease Control diseases from fruit and vegetables are on the rise. With a huge demand for fruit and vegetables, we Americans import 30 billion tons of food per year. Some of this food comes from countries where animal manure and human feces are used as fertilizer. This practice greatly increases the spread of parasites. The practice of eating out is also on the rise. Salad bars, infected food handlers, and improperly washed fruits and vegetables are all sources for parasites.

TRAVEL
In our modern age, world travel is a way of life for many. These travelers are bringing home parasites that were once almost unknown in America. Airplanes are a great source for parasite transmission. It's very common for a family to go on vacation and bring back uninvited guests with them. We also have a huge influx of refugee and immigrant populations who are bringing us their countries’ parasites.

HOW YOU CAN HELP PREVENT INFESTATION
REMEMBER this – if parasites are so easy to “catch” then why isn’t everyone infected? Over 90% of us ALREADY ARE – it’s just the parasite’s mission to remain undetected.
Follow the age old advice of DON’T DRINK THE WATER – especially on camping trips, while traveling in foreign countries and when swimming in public places. Filtering your home drinking water also helps, as does boiling water to drink while away from home (camping, in foreign countries, etc.).
Avoid putting your hands in your mouth or touching your face and wash your hands often when out and about shopping, eating out, etc.
Worm your pets (and livestock) twice per year and do not walk barefoot where animals have been known to defecate. Do not allow animals to lick you in the face or mouth.
Thoroughly cook all meats – stay away from raw meats (including sushi) and cold cuts (including hot dogs) if possible.
Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables before consuming.
Deworm YOURSELF and your family twice per year to stay clear of any parasitic infestations!
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Are you thoroughly disgusted now?  Enough to encourage you to do a parasite cleanse yourself?  I am!  In fact, in the circle of experienced moms I talk to on message boards, parasites is actually a huge topic, because many kids with autism are highly infected.  Don't think that you are exempt from these nasty little creatures.

Also, research Hulda Clark and parasites.  She was a FABULOUS researcher and doctor who has proven that each illness and disease has a prominent parasite associated with it....remove that parasite from the body with a simple cleanse and cure the disease.  No joke!  Just watch this video, it's AMAZING!  She was a pioneer in this arena and cured people of illnesses that include cancer!  This was one remarkable woman.  She even addressed the connection of amalgam fillings and mercury as well as how to address the increasing cases of allergies in children....this was at a time when this knowledge wasn't well known. 

Hulda Clark video

Our household is on our second parasite cleanse (doing them every 6 months or so) and the first time Gavin is able to be included in the treatment.  We use Humaworm based on extensive research, however, for the kids we also add in artemisia/sweet wormwood, because all the most successful and pricey parasite cleanses include this herb.  Humaworm includes it for adults, but not kids.  So we have made do with a great and affordable cleanse program lacking in one important piece.  Their herbs are all organic and the capsules are handmade upon order, so they are as fresh as they can be!

Parasite cleanses are started 4 days before a full moon, because this is when most of them begin to hatch, nice huh?  Imagine all that is going on inside you right now, we are walking breathing hosts! Today is the actual full moon and for the first time, Grayson has reacted to the capsule I give him first thing in the morning.  Shortly after giving him the capsule, he ran to the couch feeling nauseous.  At first he thought he was going to throw up, but he didn't, he just felt awful and laid down a bit, he didn't even want to eat which is unlike him.  After about an hour, he was feeling better and in the kitchen looking for a meal.  I am convinced this is related to the timing of the cleanse and the full moon.  There was potentially something there today that wasn't there yesterday.

I just talked to my friend whose child had a stool test showing DNA positive for a non-human parasite.  They are all doing this cleanse now too and ironically, on this full moon day when Grayson is feeling nauseous, her daughter JUST started vomiting.   This is actually a pretty typical die off sign for her when she has considerable yeast overgrowth too.  Tell me this stuff isn't killing something in our kids??

I know what you are dying to know, have we seen anything gross in our toilets, lol.  Nothing that looks like a creature, but keep in mind that at least 70% of parasites are NOT worms or even visible to the naked eye.  We have had die off responses to the cleanse though.  Even hubby and I are experiencing the wrath of the herbs with some initial exhaustion, diarrhea and (sorry TMI) very itchy bums, eeew!  My husband is a very calm and patient person, but on this cleanse, he's a changed person temporarily!  He is irritable, snappy and tired.  He is most definitely addressing something!

I probably should have warned you not to read this post after a meal?

UPDATE - It's still Tuesday the 24th, the full moon.  I just spoke with my panicked friend after changing one of her child's diapers.  I can now say that I have personally seen what visible "things" can come out of a person during a parasite cleanse.  Let me also say that I did NOT enjoy the lunch I just ate, it was actually painful to eat, because my stomach is cramping.  I would post a picture, but considering I post a lot of food pictures with recipes, I will spare you.  The bottom line....it was a worm, and NOT a small one!  Holy moly, I might be afraid to use the ladies room later!!  Oh and what came with this, after the vomiting, was a lot of aggression.  I have read repeatedly that parasites cause aggression, even that a lot of jail prisoners are infected with them.  There is nothing more humbling than seeing it for yourself though.  On a good note, it's OUT of the child now!!

2 comments:

kara said...

Jessica,
I plan on doing a parasite cleanse with the next full moon. I am ordering the humaworm but I would also like to use the sweetworm like you did, as per my reading it seems important to include. What I can not seem to locate is what is a good and safe dose for a child? Also, would I dose it like the humaworm just the one time a day for the length of the cleanse? Is there a brand you prefer?
I am so excited and petrified to do this.

Jessica said...

Kara,
Some kids have problems with the Artmesia, my friends daughter went crazy on it, even just one drop, but I am convinced it might have had something to do with her parasite problem, aka - die off, but who knows. Follow your gut on that. Maybe start the Artmesia (sweet wormwood) a few days before the cleanse to see how your child reacts to it. I just started with one drop and honestly, didn't get much past 3 drops through the whole cleanse. We are doing a cleanse now and 3-4 drops, once a day, is all we are doing. But we have also added in a worm cleanse (maybe too much for most kids, but I want this parasite GONE) called W-W from Pure herbs. He handles the Humaworm well and seems to do well with the W-W, but the Artmesia definitely puts him a little over the edge, mood-wise. Not sure if it's truly irritating him or if it's die-off, but I know it's short term in the spectrum of things so I just keep the dose low. I think the brand we bought was from iHerb, a tincture. I am using it right now too. The maximum you would want to use is based on weight. Use 150 pounds for the adult dose, for instance, ours is 20 drops for an adult. So a child who is 1/5th of 150 pounds would get no more than 4 drops. I wouldn't want to use much more than that with our son anyway, since he clearly reacts differently when we add that in.

Don't be petrified, you are doing a good thing. Everyone should be doing parasite cleanses at least twice a year. When we just did the Humaworm, both kids improved while on it. It's very gentle. If you need to do the cleanse without the Artmesia, it will still work and it might be a good way to start doing the cleanses by easing into them, then try adding the Artmesia again next time you do a cleanse. Follow your child's cues and go with your gut. Don't be surprised if there is die off initially though, symptoms can worsen at first.