Parasite cleanse

Parasites are no longer reserved for travellers to remote locations. As bird-flu showed, our planet is much smaller than it used to be when it comes to spreading illness. It is incredibly easy to pick up parasites and may be as simple as giving your dog a kiss on the head. Perhaps you like digging in the garden without gloves or walking barefoot through the grass. Or eating at that wonderful seafood restaurant with the sushi chef.

Perhaps you have served in the armed forces overseas, or had a sip of water from a clear stream while camping. Maybe your children are in day-care where giardia is prevalent and easily passed between children. You may work with recent immigrants from parasite-infested areas or it could be the practises of your own life that can set you up for parasites. An overuse of antibiotics or immune suppressive drugs combined with a high sugar diet provides an ideal place for parasites to thrive.

The warning signs for parasites mirror the symptoms of other common illnesses- constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, joint and muscle pain, allergies, skin conditions, anaemia, granulomas, sleep disturbances, nervousness, teeth grinding, chronic fatigue, immune dysfunction and depression.

We are told to de-worm our pets annually- why not ourselves? Many cultures do parasite cleansing as a routine yet in the West we are loathe to think we may have this problem. In the USA in 1976, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that one in six people selected at random had one or more parasites.(1)  Fast forward thirty years and there is a very good possibility the number is even greater.

I use a programme that takes six weeks to complete and is easy to follow. These are herbal preparations that make your body less hospitable to worms as well as candida and other single-celled organisms. You do two weeks of the parasite cleansing supplements, take one week of friendly bacteria, another two weeks of cleansing followed by a second week of bacteria. During this time it is best to follow a low sugar diet, drink plenty of water and take daily exercise.

My patients have enjoyed breakthroughs in health after completing this regime. If you suffer the above symptoms and have not found relief through other means, I highly recommend a parasite cleanse.

(1) Gittleman Ann Louise (2001) Guess What Came to Dinner, Penguin Group, NY, USA