10 Signs You May Have A Parasite & What To Do About It

Although the thought of having parasites in our body is quite unpleasant, the infestation is more common than you may think. They exist all over the globe and can attack anyone within any race, gender, and economic status [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

Some of these parasites include roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms, whipworms, among many. They come in different sizes and shapes and cause a wide range of problems.

The good news is that they can be treated and managed naturally.

There are numerous ways you can contact the parasites, which includes consuming undercooked food. You can also contact them from unclean water, vegetables, and fruits or the bottom of your foot [6, 7].

It’s also easy to contact the parasites from animals, and once you have it, you can easily pass it over to your loved one. Here are some signs that could mean that you are hosting one of these invaders [8].

Symptoms of Parasite Invasion

Different types of parasites result in different symptoms, and they may vary from one person to another. Before you self-diagnose your conditions as parasitic related, refer to the following common symptoms and signs [9].

You May Experience Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Commonly, parasitic worms cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, itching, and abdominal pain. Protozoa destroy the cells around the gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea problems while helminths lead to abdominal pain.

Note that excessive accumulation of these parasites may lead to intestinal obstruction or prolapse. Additionally, you might not notice signs of tapeworms right away, but they may lead to unexplained constipation with time. They’re very common. It is estimated that 1 in 6 people on earth have parasites [10, 11].

You Can Experience Skin Irritation

The parasites may lay eggs on the skin, causing an itching sensation. Some species tend to burrow into your skin to lay eggs, and this activity can lead to rashes. People with Lyme Disease have been known to develop rashes and other irritations.  

Additionally, the hookworm can creep onto the skin surface to develop an itchy rash with snake-like patterns. Others live on your scalp, making it very itchy. The threadworms cause anal itching, and excessive scratching of the affected area can lead to pus sores [12, 13, 14, 15, 16].

You May Suffer from Fatigue

Intestinal parasites can also lead to persistent dizziness and fatigue. If you often feel exhausted or you have brain fog, constant mood changes, depression, or frequent apathy feelings, you could be suffering from worms Infections. In extreme cases, these worms may cause your energy slump. Sushi anyone [17, 18, 19, 20]?

You Might Notice Some Iron-deficiency

Some species of parasites feed on red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. A hookworm sucks blood from a human host. When they rapidly multiply in your body, they can consume a good deal of blood, which contains essential nutrients [21].

When this happens, your body will appear pale and weak, and it can even stop you from thinking and moving correctly. In children, parasites can actually slow the growth rate.

The very common, tapeworms and roundworms attach themselves to the small intestines lining, leading to internal bleeding and loss of nutrients.  This can slowly cause you to become anemic [22].

You Might Experience Aching Muscles Or Joints

Toxoplasma parasites can lead to lymphatic inflammation, which causes pain in your joints and/or muscles, which can last months at a time.

This is very common with Lyme disease patients. 

Here are 12 signs you have lyme disease & how to cure it [23].

You May Notice Some Unexplained Weight loss

Although there are many conditions associated with unexplained weight loss, it’s also one of the first signs of parasite infestations. The tapeworm for instance, consumes most of your food, leaving you hungry, and losing weight.

If you never feel satisfied or full after meals, this could be a possible sign. Mostly, they feast on all your food before it gets digested, meaning that you won’t get enough nourishment. Worms’ infestations can also lead to loss of appetite and stomach discomfort [24].

You May Have A Compromised Immune System

Excessive accumulation of parasites in your body can deactivate specific immune cells and inhibit your ability to fight off diseases.

You are at high risk of immune system compromise if you have some underlying conditions, including diabetes and HIV, due to parasite infestations [25].

You May Experience Sleeping Problems

If you have trouble sleeping at night or wake up multiple times, it could be an indicator. Some parasites, such as the Trypanosoma, can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle leading to insomnia at night and daytime dizziness. It achieves this by altering your biological clock and shortens your sleeping cycle [26, 27].

You Grind Your Teeth When You Sleep

If you notice that you always grind your teeth during sleep, some researchers suggest this may be the result from intestinal parasites or pinworms. Note that the vagus nerves closely connect your brain and gut. In the presence of toxic invaders in your stomach, the brain can trigger teeth grinding.

Alternatively, pinworms, roundworms, and tapeworms release harmful molecules into the body, which may trigger teeth grinding. More studies are needed.

You Experienced Prolonged Diarrhea When Traveling

If you traveled internationally and you experienced diarrhea on your trip, chances are, you could be having a parasitic infection.

The infections cause watery, smelly, and fatty diarrhea. It could also lead to dehydration if it persists. You probably developed diarrhea after consuming food contaminated with these toxic parasites [28, 29].

How to Treat Your Parasitic Infection

Are you experiencing any of the above signs? Well, never mind because I have just the right solution for you.
You can depend on some nutritional guidelines and other natural approaches to keep your body free from parasites.

To treat the parasitic infections effectively, you need to understand their causes. You can get the parasites from freshwater bodies including rivers, and ponds; the dirtier they seem, the more likely they are to harbor parasites.

You can get them from the soil, infected and undercooked meat, fish or pork, poor hygiene, and pets. Here are simple ways in which you can flush out the parasites from your gut [30, 31, 32].

Check Your Diet

You must adopt an anti-parasite diet to get rid of them and discourage their multiplication. You achieve this by switching to sugar and grains free meals.

Also, avoid simple carbs found in refined foods, including processed juices, and fruits sugar feeds the parasites, and some grains, including wheat, can easily breakdown to sugars.

Also, avoid pork since it’s prone to parasites. You need to eat more garlic, beets, carrots, pomegranates, and pumpkin seeds to aid in killing these parasites.

Remember to drink a lot of water and consume enough fiber to help in a bowel movement to flush out the worms out of your system.

Consume more probiotic foods, including sauerkraut and yogurt, to strengthen your gut bacteria so that they can effectively fight off the parasites.

Also, go for foods rich in the following to help support your immune system:

• Vitamin C
• B Vitamins
• Vitamin D
• Zinc

When traveling, avoid consuming tap or unclean water. Also, don’t eat street foods, sushi or fruits you cannot peel [33, 34, 35].

Use Some Herbs

Most herbs have also proven to strengthen your immune system and get rid of irritating parasites. You can make various herbs concoction to help you keep the worms at bay.

Wormwood contains active compounds that weaken the membranes in helminths.
Subsequently, you can consume pumpkin seeds that kill the worms and destroy their eggs or turmeric, which also proven effective in parasite eliminations.

Use a mixture of papaya seeds and honey to clear your gut from parasites. It helps to destroy any soil or human transmitted helminths and kills other protozoa in your body.

You can also freshly crush garlic and take it in every meal to help flush out the toxins. Berberine will help get rid of stubborn tapeworms. Other herbs like oregano and ginger contain anti-parasitic and antibacterial effects [36, 37, 38].

Detox Your Body

Detoxing will help you loosen up these parasites from your intestinal walls and flush out any other toxic substances. You can use a mixture of olive leaves, garlic, and wormwood for a start.

You can also use spices, including cinnamon, cardamoms, and cloves. The natural detox elements are readily available; they are safe, easy to use, and guarantees optimal results.

Taking pumpkin seeds smoothie is another valid form of detox, simply blend them or eat them throughout the day to help kill the parasites.

You can also choose to take some papaya juice or coconut oil, which also has anti-microbial and anti-parasitic effects [39, 40, 41].

Conclusion

The above guideline outlines various symptoms associated with parasites infections and appropriate remedies to help you fight off these stubborn.

Note that early detection is critical and will help you eliminate them as soon as possible to mitigate adverse effects. Remember to get rid of sugar from your diet, maintain proper hygiene, and take enough water and fiber-rich foods.

Health by choice, not by chance.