How To Know If You Have Parasites In Your Stomach

What Do You Do If You Think You Have A Parasite

Whats the next step?

WARNING! The following content is RATED P Not for uptight adults or anyone wearing salmon-colored pants. Boys under the age of 75 and Girls under 8 are good to go.

Aside from being completely turned off by the whole prospect of housing a parasite, all I can assuredly say is, its better that these things be out than in. Literally. I have treated several patients for these critters recently when basic functional medicine work didnt do the trick and boyyou cant imagine what they have been seeing exit their systems!

It is a good idea to start with advanced stool testing like the GI MAP test that I mentioned earlier. However, that those tests may not pick up ALL parasites within your system. These organisms may cling to your intestinal wall and not really slough off into your poop. They may reside higher up in your digestive tract like in your bile ducts and liver. Like the famed Liver Fluke. So called because, well, they like the liver. Much like Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, but without the Fava beans. The point is that although advanced stool testing *may* be of value, it doesnt exclude the presence of parasites.

Change In Appetite & Weight Loss

If you notice a sudden change in your appetite, particularly an increase in appetite, it may be due to the presence of parasites in your body.

In fact, an increased appetite combined with weight loss is often noticed in cases of tapeworm or pinworm infestation.

This happens as the parasites consume a good amount of the food eaten by the infected person, thus making the person hungry more often than usual.

Also, the infected person may notice a strong early morning hunger and may never feel satisfied or full after eating a meal.

If you experience weight loss with an increase in appetite, consult your doctor.

How You Catch Worms

Worms are mainly spread in small bits of poo from people with a worm infection. Some are caught from food.

You can get infected by:

• touching objects or surfaces with worm eggs on them if someone with worms does not wash their hands
• touching soil or swallowing water or food with worm eggs in it mainly a risk in parts of the world without modern toilets or sewage systems
• walking barefoot on soil containing worms only a risk in parts of the world without modern toilets or sewage systems
• eating raw or undercooked beef, pork or freshwater fish containing baby worms more common in parts of the world with poor food hygiene standards

You can catch some worms from pets, but this is rare.

Read Also: How Do You Get The Stomach Flu

Symptom: Increased Gi Upset

Since parasites like to live in your digestive tract, sometimes digestive symptoms can increase during a parasite cleanse. You might experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, cramps, or other issues with your digestion.

How to Fight It

• Fresh ginger or pure aloe can be calming to your digestive system. If youre struggling with diarrhea, carbon-based binders can help bind your stools.
• A digestive essential oil blend of ginger, fennel, peppermint, rosemary, and lemon can also be helpful to apply topically on your stomach.
• Traditionally, chamomile has been used to treat digestive ailments. Chamomile tea may protect you against diarrhea, nausea, and gas due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

You can also up your green juice or bone broth intake to give your digestive system a break.

Read Also: Does Pedialyte Help With Upset Stomach

How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of Intestinal Parasites

It typically takes between 2 and 6 weeks for symptoms to appear. People whose immune systems are weakened . People who have AIDS may experience increased symptoms for an extended period of time. When treating symptoms of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, healthcare providers can suggest certain medications to reduce symptoms as much as possible.

Also Check: Are Bananas Good For Upset Stomach

Recommended Reading: How To Firm Stomach Skin

Complementary And Alternative Therapies

Conventional medical treatments can get rid parasites more quickly and with fewer side effects than most alternative treatments. Alternative treatments may be helpful along with conventional medications. However, your doctor must find out what kind of organism is causing your problems before you start treatment. The following nutritional guidelines may help keep parasites from growing.

How To Tell If You Have Intestinal Parasites And What To Do About That

Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health

There is a misconception that intestinal parasites only exist in underdeveloped countries. Indeed they are more common there, but they are much more common than you think in developed countries as well. Its not a very nice thought to know that you are a host to a colony of intestinal parasites, but you are not alone. According to the World Health Organization you are one of more that 3 billion people who suffer from some type of intestinal parasites, and not all these people live in undeveloped and poor countries.

Don’t Miss: How To Reduce Stomach Fat Naturally At Home

What Else Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider

If you have a roundworm infection, ask your provider:

• Will I need medication?
• How long should I take medication?
• Will the infection come back?
• Will there be long-term health problems from the roundworm infection?
• What can I do to protect myself from roundworms?

A Note from Cleveland Clinic

Roundworms are a group of parasites that includes pinworms and ascariasis. These tiny organisms enter your body, where they often live in your digestive system and cause problems. You can get roundworms by coming into contact with roundworm eggs or larvae. See your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of pinworm or other roundworms. A round of medication usually treats the infection. People dont usually have long-term health effects from roundworms.

How Common Are Roundworms

Hundreds of millions of people around the world are infected with roundworms at any given time. But many of these parasites are uncommon in the United States. Americans may come into contact with them when traveling to certain countries.

Pinworms are the most common roundworm infection in the United States. It affects 20 million to 42 million people, many of them children.

You May Like: How To Shrink Your Stomach With Surgery

How Are You Diagnosed

A tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed by finding eggs or tapeworm segments in the stool. Your doctor may ask you to bring in a sample so a lab can look for eggs, larvae, or tapeworm segments. A blood test can spot antigens, foreign substances that let your doctor know your body is trying to fight the infection. Sometimes, an MRI or CAT scan can find cysts formed by the pork tapeworm.

What Are The Risk Factors For Parasites

Its not always travel that leads to a parasite, but it is certainly one of the most common causes. Food poisoning from contaminated food and/or water, overly affectionate pets, poor hygiene practices, a hot and humid environment or an outbreak in your towns water supply can all give you a nasty bug. You see, parasites are a normal part of life in every country on earth. Its whether your immune system and microbiome are strong enough to fight it off that really matters.

Its why we have stomach acid, good bacteria in our gut and an immune system to fight-off these bad guys. But, if you are stressed, intoxicated, fatigued, malnourished, have food sensitivities or any other illness or condition, your immune system is likely to be compromised, increasing your risk of a parasite with potentially lasting effects, like IBS.

Prior use of antibiotics also increases your risk of parasites. While antibiotics can sometimes be effective at killing a bacterial infection, they also destroy the good gut bacteria at the same time, creating an environment for opportunistic parasites to set up camp, proliferate and cause long-term chronic health conditions.

Dont Miss: Is Prune Juice Good For Stomach Ulcers

You May Like: How To Treat Stomach Virus In Kids

What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Roundworm Infection Of Your Intestines

This type of roundworm spreads through poor hygiene. It often lives in human feces . People catch it through hand-to-mouth contact.

If you have a roundworm infection of your intestines , you may not have symptoms. You may see live worms in your poop though. If you do have symptoms, they may include:

How To Prevent Tapeworms In Humans

Tapeworm infections are preventable. Prevention starts with good hygiene. Always wash your hands after using the bathroom and before handling food.

The proper way to wash your hands is with warm soapy water. Lather the soap and rub your hands together for 20 seconds. This is roughly the length of singing the Happy Birthday song twice, says the

Recommended Reading: How To Lose Stomach And Arm Fat

Symptoms Of Parasite In Your Body

How do you know if you have parasites? Symptoms are the often the first and sometimes only sign. Intestinal parasites can cause a whole list of problems in the body. These symptoms might be anywhere from very mild to very severe. Here are the serious parasite symptoms to look for:

• You might have diarrhea or loose stool, lasting for a few days to a few weeks.
• You might suddenly lose weight if you lose at least ten pounds over two months without dieting, thats a warning sign.
• You are exhausted for long periods of time, and it doesnt resolve with sleep.
• You might feel abdominal pain and cramping.
• You might have gas or bloating, or even nausea and vomiting.
• You might notice that your stool looks different. Some people might even notice a worm, alive or dead, in the stool.

The type of problem you have might depend upon the parasites. Symptoms of tapeworms, for example, include feeling dizzy, incoherent thinking, hunger pains, poor digestion, low or high blood sugar levels, sudden allergies, and an overall toxic feeling.

Keep in mind that parasites are not limited to only certain countries or certain foods. In fact, roundworms are very common, and might affect a full 25% of the worlds population thats one in every four people. Roundworms include various species, such as hookworms, whipworms, trichinae and pinworms. They arent small, either some roundworms can grow to the size of pencils.

Symptoms And Sources Of Infection

Andy Miller, MD, is board-certified in infectious disease and internal medicine. He is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, associate attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Presbyterian Hospital and a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America.

It is estimated that three out of five Americans will be affected by parasites at some point in their lives. From protozoa to roundworms, tapeworms to flukes, there are four main classifications of parasites that infect humans. Symptoms may be mild or severe,

Learn about the various types of parasites, symptoms, and the sources of infection and spread.

Don’t Miss: What Causes Your Stomach To Swell After You Eat

Types Of Intestinal Parasites In Humans

Parasites are living forms that feed on a host to gain nourishment and protection.

They can cause poor nutrient absorption, leading to weakness and weight loss or weight gain.

If youre infected with a gut parasite, you can also develop a whole range of symptoms such as skin irritations and unexplained rashes, hives and eczema, aches and pains in your muscles and joints, general fatigue, depression and feelings of apathy.

Symptoms Seen In Babies And Children

Symptoms of intestinal worms in babies and children can present as the following:

• Vomiting, diarrhea or gas
• Bloating that does improve with abdominal massage

Symptoms of intestinal worms in younger patients emerge most frequently in babies over 6 months of age, as they are in frequent contact with dirty floors and have less developed immune systems. Babies and children should be assessed by a doctor or pediatrician to initiate appropriate treatment.

Recommended Reading: How To Test For Stomach Cancer

Supplements For Eliminating Parasites

Sometimes, however, the parasite could not be identified. Thats why I formulated The Myers Way® Parasite Breakthrough® Kit to help promote and maintain a healthy and normal population of probiotic bacteria in your digestive tract. I designed this kit specifically to help tackle the issue of microbial imbalance, as well as help populate the digestive tract with beneficial probiotic bacteria that are normal residents in your digestive tract.

You can treat your intestinal parasite symptoms at home with the two powerhouse supplements I include in my Parasite Breakthrough Kit. Microb-Clear® creates an inhospitable environment for parasitic microorganisms and the most common pathogens present in the human GI tract and stomach while sparing the beneficial gut bacteria.

Probiotic 100 Billion CFU restore and maintain healthy levels of the good bacteria that keep infections in check, support a healthy immune system, and repair your gut.

How Do You Get Rid Of Parasites

A very important step before you start to remove and get rid of parasites in your body, is to find out how did you get parasites in your body to begin with. You do not want to reinfect yourself all over again. Sometimes the cause of the parasitic infection may be related to one time incidents such as international trips, consuming contaminated food or water, or being exposed to someone with a parasitic infection. In many cases however, parasitic infections may be caused by your daily activities and lifestyle. Common causes of worms in humans may include eating raw or undercooked meat or fish, catching the parasites from your pet, poor hygiene and more.

Here is an overview of our parasite cleanse protocol. In addition to its effectiveness, special consideration was given for safety. The objective is to get rid of parasites while minimizing potential parasite die off symptoms and other side effects.

Intestinal parasites such as intestinal worms in humans doesnt always cause any signs or specific parasite symptoms. For this reason, many people who are at higher risk, such as frequent international travelers, people with pets or with a weakened immune system follow the parasite cleanse protocol for prevention 1-2 times a year. Notice that the order of the steps matters. Click on the links to the topics you wish to learn more about.

Read Also: How Do You Know If You Have The Stomach Flu

What Is Ascaris Lumbricoides

Ascaris lumbricoides, which is also referred to as just Ascaris, is a parasitic wormone that can grow up to 14 inches long that lives in the intestine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains. Ascaris eggs come out in the poop of an infected person and, if a person with an Ascaris infection poops outside or if their feces is used as fertilizer, the worm eggs can be deposited in the soil. From there, they can be accidentally ingested by someone who puts their hands or fingers that have contaminated dirt on them in their mouth, or by eating vegetables or fruits that have not been carefully peeled, washed, or cooked, the CDC says.

Some food safety and hygiene precautions can help prevent giardiasis. To help protect your family:

Also, itâs questionable whether infants and toddlers still in diapers should be sharing public pools. But they definitely should not if theyâre having diarrhea or loose stools .

Donât Miss: How To Improve My Stomach Health

The Risks Of Parasite Cleanses

Not only is there no upside to these cleanses , there are many potential downsides. “The risks depend on the type of cleanse,” says Dr. Mannon. Note that parasite cleanses are not tested to see if they work or if they’re safe. They haven’t gone through any type of Food and Drug Administration review or approval process.

Don’t Miss: Can Nexium Cause Stomach Cancer

How Is Giardiasis Diagnosed

Doctors confirm the diagnosis of giardiasis by taking stool samples that are checked for Giardia parasites. Several samples may be needed before the parasites are found. For that reason, the doctor might order a much more sensitive test, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or ELISA test.

Less often, doctors make the diagnosis by looking at the lining of the small intestine with an instrument called an and taking samples from inside the intestine to be checked in a lab. This is done in more extreme cases, when a definite cause for the diarrhea hasn’t been found.

My Experience With A Natural Parasite Cleanse Protocol

Taking garlic capsules for ten days is not a big deal at all the hardest part is remembering to do it.

Worm Out is a little more annoying, for a few reasons:

• Liquid means you have to grab a spoon I started just leaving the same one out on the counter with my bottle so we didnt have a spoonless household. Silly, but true.
• It tastes terrible, no joke. Just gotta be tough!
• Every 3 hours was just unrealistic for me. I couldnt keep it up. I lowered the bar and shot for 2-3 times a day, thinking that something is better than nothing.

As I mentioned, Worm Out did seem to constipate me, but I dont know that I was ideal on my colon cleansing foods and water intake especially. I have noticed that very stinky, stinky, gas has increased, but I cant quite remember if it was during or after the Worm Out regimen. Arent you glad you read my thoughts online instead of in person now? :/

Probiotics for ten days was also easy, since thats part of a routine thats important to me and Ive pretty much got it down so that I dont miss a day.

Dont Miss: How To Get Rid Of Bulgy Stomach

Don’t Miss: What Makes Your Stomach Bloated All The Time