When To See A Doctor
If you or your child show symptoms of an intestinal parasitic infection and, especially if you have been out of the country recently, you should see your doctor. This is especially true if you have frequent bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, and unexpected weight loss.
Your doctor may take stool samples or blood samples to check for parasite or worm infections of your intestines.
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What Is An Intestinal Parasite
A parasite is any organism that lives and feeds off of another organism. Intestinal parasites are tiny. Usually, they are parasitic worms that feed off the material in your body.
Some examples of intestinal parasites include tapeworms, roundworms, pinworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Intestinal parasites come in many forms, so they can cause a wide range of parasite symptoms.
Some intestinal parasites consume your food, leaving you hungry after every meal and unable to gain weight. Others feed off your red blood cells, causing anemia. Some lay eggs that can cause itching, irritability, and insomnia.
If you have tried to repair your gut and relieve your symptoms without success, an intestinal parasite could be the underlying cause.
Types Of Parasites In Humans
Here are the most common types of intestinal worms and parasites that are found in the human body.
Tapeworms. These flatworms cause a common parasitic infection that affect humans, especially in developing countries.
Doctors from WebMD say that tapeworms can grow up to 30 ft in humans!1 They are contracted from eating undercooked food or food that has been prepared by an infected person. Some types of tapeworms are Taenia solium , Taenia saginata , and Diphyllobothrium latum . Tapeworms can cause digestive upset and weight loss.2
Roundworms. A common roundworm that affects humans is Ascaris which, according to Dr. Lars Grimmon on Medscape, can grow up to 35 cm in size and live for up to 2 years. Usually, the eggs are ingested in contaminated food. They feed on food in your digestive system and can cause vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. The worms are usually detected in feces.3
Whipworms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that whipworms are about 4 cm long and infect the intestines of humans. The infection occurs from whipworm eggs in the soil that get transferred to the mouth.
The parasitic infection can happen by eating vegetables or fruits that havent been washed, cooked, or peeled properly. Or, not washing your hands after working with soil can cause a whipworm infection. Symptoms are painful bowel movements with mucus, water, and blood.4
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Mr Gyurik How Did You Get Into Medical Research
I always thought I would be involved in science and became interested in chemistry around the age of 12. My father encouraged me in that direction.
I scored very high in the college entrance exams and went to Rutgers University in New Jersey. After completing a 2-year scholarship, I dropped out I felt that I had learned enough and did not want to borrow money .
For 3.5 years, I worked as an Assistant Medicinal Chemist at Schering Corporation in New Jersey, working on memory and learning drugs and anti-Parkinson drugs.
Following a year of travel in Northern Canada, I returned to the United States of America and was hired by SmithKline Animal Health Products in 1971.
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.
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How To Diagnose Stomach Worm In Children
Many symptoms of the stomach parasites in children contain symptoms of other illnesses. To diagnose the accurate problem, the Doctor may prescribe various exams and tests:
- Abdomen Ultrasound to capture the moving body of intestinal worm infection.
- Test under the fingernails samples to diagnose germs and worms.
- Use diagnostic modalities like Contrast-enhanced MRI and CT brain to diagnose parasites.
Doctors identify actual treatment and start it soon after all the diagnoses.
Stomach worm Treatment
You may have any type of worms the treatment for all stomach worm infection is similar:
- The patient needs to give a sample of poo in the laboratory to check whether it contains the worm eggs.
- In case the person has a stomach worm, GP will prescribe medicine to drop them. This course of medicine will be for 1 to 3 days. The family members of the patient also need the treatment.
Note: any stomach worm in the human gut needs to pass out in the stool. To avoid repeated infection, it is important to wash hands:
- After using toilets
- Before preparing or eating foods
- During the regular day.
Natural Home Remedies for Stomach Worms in Children
There are a few home remedies to treat stomach worms, but you cannot use them as first-line treatment. These home remedies need the primary support of anecdotes to use them.
Here is a list of all home remedies one can consider to treat stomach worm infections:
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Pomegranate
Lotus Stem
Carom seeds
Neem
How Do Medicines For Worms Work
Most medicines used to treat worm infections kill worms by either starving them or paralysing them for example:
- Mebendazole, albendazole and tiabendazole work by preventing the worms from absorbing the sugars they need for survival. They kill the worms but not the eggs.
- Praziquantel and ivermectin work by paralysing the worms in the gut . This allows them to be easily dislodged and removed from the gut in the stools .
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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.
Infographic: 7 Safe Food Practices To Prevent Parasitic Infections
Parasitic worms like pinworms or hookworms can result in symptoms like weight loss, anemia, stomach aches, and skin rashes. The good news is that following a few simple home remedies can help in flushing your body of these parasites. However, prevention is better than cure. We have listed some safe food practices to reduce your risk of developing these infections. Check out the infographic below to know more!
Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
Intestinal parasites, like flatworms and roundworms, are organisms that feed on the waste products of humans and animals. Symptoms of having parasites in the intestines include fatigue, unexplained loss of weight, anemia, lack of appetite, nausea, stomach ache, and weakness. You may get these parasites by eating undercooked meat, drinking water that is contaminated, or coming into contact with contaminated objects, soil, or excreta. Tea tree oil, garlic, castor oil, turmeric, papaya, vitamin C, ginger, aloe vera, etc., are some natural ingredients that can help you get rid of intestinal parasites.
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Parasite Cleanse Home Remedies
Some natural health practitioners claim that a large percentage of the U.S. population has parasites, and that everyone should do a regular parasite cleanse. Some even say it should be done once a year. There is no research to support this.
Nevertheless, many natural health practitioners recommend cleansing human parasite infections with herbal supplements, such as:
There are other naturally based, plant-derived medicines that claim to cleanse parasites from various body systems, including the intestines, liver, and other parts of the digestive tract. Your natural health practitioner may also recommend homeopathic treatments to eliminate specific parasites from your body.
Your practitioner should choose gentle herbs for your detox. Some herbal detox supplements can have harsh side effects or interact with medications youre already taking. Because of this, be sure to ask your doctor or health practitioner before beginning any supplemental detox program.
Some herbal detox programs last two weeks on, two weeks off. Others can last for up to a month. Its important to consult your practitioner regarding how long you should be taking your antiparasitic supplements.
Many herbs and remedies interact with medications. If you are taking any medications, talk to your doctor and pharmacist before beginning.
The Life Cycle Of The Hookworm
The life cycle of the hookworm is similar to those of other intestinal parasites:
- The eggs of the worm are present in infected individuals feces.
- People defecate out in the open or the stool is collected to use as fertilizer, so the eggs get into the soil.
- Over time, the eggs hatch and release larvae, which mature.
- If you come into contact with the soil, the larvae penetrate your skin to get inside your body. Or you may eat food or drink water that has been contaminated with eggs.
- The larvae make their way to the intestines, where they mature into adults and lay eggs, continuing the cycle.
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The Parasite Cleanse And Diet
If you suspect you may have a parasitic infection, there is a natural way to treat it. Its called a parasite cleanse.
Parasitic infections have become more common with international travel over time. We now know that a variety of parasites can infect the intestinal tract, leading to a variety of digestive symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and heartburn, as well as fatigue and chills.
A parasite cleanse involves eating a diet thats free of foods that can feed parasites and consuming more of the foods that are anti-parasitic, such antioxidant-rich foods. Its pretty close to a Paleo diet, which provides you with essential nutrients from things like probiotic foods, herbs, vegetables and more.
Supplements can also be helpful for supporting your gastrointestinal and immune systems while you recover on a parasite cleanse.
Wondering if those white specks in your stool are parasites? Although its possible , worms can also be completely invisible to the naked eye. Having a parasitic worm infection can cause a variety of symptoms, some of which are more obvious than others. Read on to find out how to tell if you have worms in your stool.
How Do You Get Worms
Some other types of worms enter humans when their larvae penetrate the skin, often through bare feet.
Dog hookworms can be caught like this through the skin. This commonly happens by being barefoot outdoors and coming into contact with larval hookworms in soil or sand contaminated with stool from an infected dog.
Strongyloides, a roundworm, also infects humans when its larvae penetrate the skin.
Pork tapeworm and beef tapeworm can be acquired from eating undercooked meat containing cysts of the tapeworm larvae. These infections are not common in Australia, and are usually only acquired overseas.
Dog tapeworms are yet another type of tapeworm. They can infect humans who accidentally ingest the tapeworms eggs, which are released from dog or dingo stools. The tapeworm sheds segments into the animals stool, which then rupture releasing the eggs. The eggs can contaminate a dogs coat, kennel, and fields and play areas. A person may then ingest an egg and become infected. Patting an infected dog may be enough to get infected.
Dog tapeworm can cause a serious disease in humans, known as hydatid disease.
Dwarf tapeworms are acquired by ingesting dwarf tapeworm eggs or are transmitted between people in areas of poor sanitation and hygiene.
Whipworm infection happens if a person ingests the eggs from contact with infected soil, or by eating foods grown in soil that contains whipworm eggs.
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Was This The Right Working Environment And Job
Interestingly, benzimidazole anthelmintics were not part of our teams mandate. We were focused on other molecule classes .
Over the preceding decades, 190+ individual benzimidazole molecules had been synthesized and tested for anthelmintic activity, resulting in parbendazole and oxibendazole commercial successes for veterinary applications.
I was discouraged from synthesizing albendazole. The perception was that the benzimidazole class had been exhausted. Furthermore, the albendazole structure was demonstrated to have no better activity than oxibendazole.
At the time, investigators could spend 10% of their time on skunkworks projects. So, I decided to make the molecule. Since my focus was supposed to be on other potential drug classes, I often stayed late or used the weekend to finish making the molecule in the shortest order. Also, sulfur chemistry was not loved at the time the intermediates were often odorific, to say the least.
However, my supervisor, who had been trained in sulfur chemistry, provided encouragement and synthetic direction.
About 2 months and 7 successful synthetic steps later, I had 3.5 grams of a pure white powder. It was 1972. Next, I had next to prove its structure, which took another month. But finally, albendazole was here!
Wish You Knew All The Answers To Keep Your Family Healthy
How about a crash course?
Id love to send you a 7-day Quick Start Guide email mini-course to give you Health Agency! When something goes wrong in your family, YOU can be the agent of healing and not allllllways have to call a doctor for every little thing.
Imagine this email series as a virtual chat over the backyard fence with your own neighbor, a wise older mom whos raising 4 kids with intention, trying to avoid unnecessary medication and being kind to the earth.
Looking forward to connecting to help you learn EXACTLY what you need to know to stock your natural remedies medicine cabinet, deal with normal childhood ailments, and even the dreaded, Whats that on my skin? issue!
- Syntol from Arthur Andrew Medical
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When To See A Healthcare Provider
Many cases of taeniasis are asymptomatic . If you experience any of the signs or symptoms of tapeworm infection after traveling to an endemic area, seek medical attention.
This is especially true if you experience any of the rare signs and symptoms of cysticercosis, including:
- Severe headache with a stiff neck
- Abnormally rapid heartbeat
Symptoms Of Parasites Or Worms In Humans
Depending on the type of parasite or worm that has infected your intestinal system, you may show varying degrees of the symptoms. Some parasitic infections cause digestive upset and some worms can cause damage to organs.
Dr. Lars Grimm says that the most common symptoms of parasitic worm infections are the following:
- Fatigue and general feelings of being unwell
- Bowel obstruction
- Symptoms of anemia
Of course, the above symptoms can also be signs of a stomach bug or other underlying health condition. However, if you think that you may have a parasite or worm infection, you should visit your doctor for a checkup.
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How Are Intestinal Worms Treated
Medication
Intestinal worms are treated with a single dose of medication: either Albendazole® donated by GlaxoSmithKline, or Mebendazole® donated by Johnson and Johnson.
Volunteers
Medication is distributed to schools and communities. Specially trained school teachers play a key role in distributing and administering these vital treatments.
Hygiene
Our deworming work also includes educating people about good hygiene. Access to clean water, as well as hygienic behaviour, is vital to stop the disease spreading.
What Are The Symptoms Of Parasitic Infections
The symptoms of parasitic infections depend on the parasite. Here are a few examples:
Giardia infection infection can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramping and bloating, gas, nausea, fatigue, and weight loss. Not everyone with the infection shows symptoms though, and they may pass the infection on to others unknowingly.
Chagas disease: Most people who contract Chagas disease may not have symptoms for the first few weeks or months. If they do, they may experience mild swelling at the infection site, low fever, body aches and pains, skin rash, headache, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and swollen glands, among other symptoms. The infection then moves into the chronic phase. This is when signs and symptoms may start for those who did not have any during the acute phase. They may include an irregular heartbeat, congestive heart failure, swollen esophagus that makes it hard to swallow, and abdominal pain or constipation. The infection could also cause a cardiac arrest.
Tapeworm: Symptoms of tapeworm may not be noticed right away, beginning only about 8 weeks after the tapeworms have developed in the intestine. The symptoms may be mild and non-specific, including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Untreated tapeworms can live for years, and can lead to malnutrition. Long-term complications could include headaches, blindness, and seizures.
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Next You Had To Go Through The Formal Approval Process How Did This Unfold
My new job was to get albendazole approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration .
My team dosed 4 species of animals with radioactive 14C albendazole. We then isolated and identified the hot metabolites in urine from each. Chromatography identified 9 metabolites of unknown structure. Next, I had to isolate the metabolites and elucidate the structures.
The result was published in the Journal of Metabolism and the paper presented to the FDA. This was key to albendazole being approved for the treatment of meat-producing animals. Once identified, each metabolite had to be synthesized for further study. This development effort took a further 2 years.