Should You do a Parasite Cleanse?
If you are squeamish when it comes to creepy crawly critters, you may want to skip this article! But if you want to achieve optimal health and get to the root of mysterious health symptoms, you will want to read on.
I don’t blame you, the first time I read about parasites I had to put the material down and come back later. It was overwhelming to think I could have worms living in my body and I wanted to pretend it was impossible. But it’s all too possible! A parasite is an organism that lives inside its host and takes its food from them, and many of us have a parasite problem without realizing it.
Many of us, doctors included, assume that since we live in the United States, parasites don’t exist in great enough numbers to impact our health. We think that’s a problem for other countries with poor sanitation and “dirty” living conditions. But with hundreds of types of parasites existing around the globe, they are a very real problem for us too. Dr. Josh Axe estimates 50% of Americans have parasites.
Someone even said, “I once heard a doctor talking about how a patient asked him how they can know if they have parasites. He said, ‘There’s a super simple test for parasites. Take your two fingers, put them on the side of your neck. Do you feel a pulse? Yes? Then you have parasites.’”
People in other countries are actually at an advantage because they and their doctors acknowledge the presence of parasites and regularly take deworming medication. Many children in other countries are even given deworming medication on a consistent schedule at school.
When a person in the United States complains about a sudden, dramatic digestive upset, one question the doctor will ask is, “Have you traveled out of the country recently?” This is because it’s true that water in other countries often contains parasites that make travelers sick. But we should be asking more questions! There are many ways parasites can enter the body. For example:
Eating raw fish (sushi)
Eating undercooked meat (especially pork)
Contact with animal saliva or blood (even your pet dog’s kisses!)
Tap water (even in the United States)
Contact with soil (especially if the skin is broken)
Insect bites (ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs)
Restrooms
Shopping carts/doorknobs
You see, it’s easier than you’d think to pick up a parasite! You may even have a few parasites and not feel sick at all because of the severity of your symptoms, in part, depends on the parasite load or how many parasites are present in the body.
What’s even more interesting is that parasites can mask other causes of illness in our bodies. They ingest not only vitamins and minerals, robbing us of nutrients, but they also ingest metals and mold found in our bodies. This is actually beneficial to us and helps protect our bodies from the harmful effects of mold and metals but, in the long run, you will want all of those things out of your system—the parasites, mold, and metals.
Parasites can cause a lot of symptoms both in and out of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is because parasites are not limited to living in the GI tract alone. They can migrate to other areas of the body and have been found in the liver, bladder and urinary tract, reproductive organs, and lungs. Some of the symptoms caused by parasites include:
Skin rashes (hives, eczema, sores, lesions, acne, ulcers)
Mood disorders
Anxiety/nervousness
Teeth grinding
Inability to fall asleep at night
Strong cravings for processed and sugary foods
Persistent digestive problems (cramps, bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting)
Itching (mouth, nose, anus)
Memory problems
Malnourishment
Anemia
Numbness
Paresthesia (abnormal skin sensations)
Weakness
Unsteady gait
Eye floaters
If you suspect you or a family member has a parasitic infection, you can request a stool test that may reveal the presence of parasite eggs or a blood test to look for elevated levels of eosinophils, a component of the immune system that may take action against parasites. But both testing methods are flawed—some types of parasites will not show up no matter which type of testing is used. In that case, if the symptoms are present, a parasite cleanse would be safe to begin.
When cleansing parasites from the body, remember that there will be some present at each stage in their life cycle—egg, larva, adult. A cleanse must be consistently done for weeks to months for best results, to completely clear out all parasites. Without knowing the exact type of parasites or the volume of parasites present in your body, you will use the improvement of symptoms to determine how long to continue your herbal cleanse.
You may also notice symptoms worsening around the time of a full moon. I was very skeptical about the validity of this claim when I first heard it. But after reading more about it, I learned that the moon exerts a gravitational pull on the earth that is especially strong during a full moon. (We’ve all heard stories of more women going into labor on the night of a full moon. This may explain that phenomenon as well!) Parasites respond to this gravitational pull and are more active during the days before and after each full moon. Anxiety and mood disorders may worsen during the full moon due to parasitic activity—but it’s the perfect time to do a parasite cleanse since they are easier to kill during this time of increased activity!
Before beginning an herbal parasite cleanse, stop eating things that feed parasites. Processed foods, sugars, and simple carbohydrates are their favorite foods. Avoid pork as well because of the high rate of contamination with parasites. Make sure you have a clean, filtered source of water so tap water does not reintroduce any parasites to your body.
Choose a few easy-to-make paleo meals that contain mostly vegetables so you won’t be hungry. You may even want to freeze some meals ahead of time so you won’t have to make separate meals for the rest of the family or spend an effort cooking when you may feel under the weather from your cleanse.
Parasites may release the mold and metals they’ve ingested once they have died, making you feel temporarily sicker. Set aside a little extra time for rest, take a warm bath with Epsom salts to soothe any body aches, and consider using enemas several times a week, or even daily while cleansing to move the waste materials out of your body faster. This will help you feel more comfortable.
Some of the most effective parasite-killing herbs include:
Black walnut hull
Male fern
Papaya leaf
Wormwood
Sage
Thyme
Oregano
Grapefruit seed extract
Uva ursi
Clove
Mimosa pudica
In addition to herbs, a type of mineral called zeolite will gently and effectively remove metals and mold from your body, so you can starve parasites further and increase the effectiveness of your cleanse. Some people report passing parasites when they use the restroom from taking zeolites alone. Zeolites come as a tasteless, odorless liquid that looks and tastes like water, making them easy to administer to children.
You may also want to optimize your parasite cleanse by eating foods that kill parasites, such as:
Pumpkin seeds (up to 1 cup a day!)
Garlic and onions
Papaya juice
Coconut oil
What about parasite cleansing while pregnant or breastfeeding? This is a personal decision and one we can’t make for you. Something to consider is this: How severe is the parasite infestation? Mothers with mild to moderate parasitic loads are encouraged to wait until after delivery to seek treatment. But what if the mother is affected greatly with anemia due to parasites?
Pregnant mothers with parasitic infections have been studied and many do have anemia, which resulted in many of their newborns being anemic at birth. Also, in cases of pregnant women with malaria, which is a parasitic infection, treatment cannot be delayed due to the severity of the disease. Interestingly, the World Health Organization recommends women with serious parasitic infections take anti-parasitic medication during either the second or third trimester while under a doctor’s care. Each case must be evaluated individually and ultimately the mother must decide if her symptoms are severe enough to begin treatment.
To prevent the reoccurrence of a parasitic infection, consider a maintenance cleanse 2-4 times a year for your whole family. Lead by example and teach your children that health is something to maintain, not to wait for a problem to occur before taking action!