Under the skins' surface is a silent epidemic...... a parasitic epidemic and with it, a war.
Okay that's a little dramatic, but the reality is many of us are being diagnosed with parasites, 'an organism which lives in or on another organism (its host)...' It's a diagnosis that immediately brings a reaction to eliminate them, all of them, ASAP.
Roughly 50% of Americans carry them and many more without showing symptoms or being diagnosed. Unfortunately I couldn't find the figures for Australia.
Although, I heard a Western Australian Doctor, who specialises in gut health, referring to it
'as an epidemic' in our children.
Why is it such a concern? Parasites get their food from their host i.e. if we are carrying them around, a lot of the food we're eating is shunted off to keep them alive, potentially leaving us deprived of key nutrients. And importantly they can cause disease in us.
However... humans, like many animals, have hosted parasites forever. Is it really such a terrible thing? Is 'war' absolutely necessary'?
Maybe not.
Our Diagnosis.
I first became aware of this 'epidemic' when our children and I were diagnosed about 3 years ago, with Blastocystis Hominis and Dientamoeba Fragilis, the terrible two. I was alarmed and absolutely prepared for war too! I did NOT want these freeloaders in our bodies, gobbling up our nutrients, robbing our energy, compromising our immunity and weighing us down (literally).
I was prepared to do whatever was needed... until, after bombarding our systems with potent herbs, I stopped and explored this for myself.
I found 4 reasons NOT to be so alarmed;
It's a fact that parasites are ruling our health in so many ways, however, we don't need to panic or go to WAR with these menacing microbes - yet. Here are 4 good reasons why;
- Parasites do not thrive when we are healthy. In Nature, we know it is the less healthy animal that is the most parasitised.
- Poor health and parasitism go together. Get healthy.
- Real, organic and non industrialised food along with good, clean water are instrumental in helping manage parasitic infections.
- Parasites, kept at bay, may play an important role in stimulating a healthy immune system.
'Phew... I'm healthy', I hear you say, 'I don't experience symptoms', 'I don't need to worry'...
Actually, maybe you do.
The kids and I didn't experience symptoms either. But... I felt my energy was lagging, and I put that down to being busy as a Mum! The reason being our good flora was especially good and helping to keep the symptoms at bay. 'So why worry'? Because life changes, especially for our children. They are going to be taking on more responsibility (stress), their bodies are growing and developing and need all the nutrition possibly available to them (not parasites) and ... their food choices won't always be as we'd like!
We are safeguarding them (our husbands and ourselves) for the future. Prevention.
In addition, generally with our modern day, busy lifestyles and eating habits our microbiomes are weakened, we are carrying toxins that acidify our systems and our immune systems are compromised, meaning our terrain (our gut) is wide open and accommodating to pathogens.
While these pathogens have been around forever, historically, I believe our bodies were healthier and more capable of 'dealing with them' effectively and naturally.
The symptoms.
They are many and varied, mild and chronic and can include;
- fatigue
- constipation
- diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
- vomiting
- heartburn
- stomach pain or cramping
- rectal itching
- bloating
- skin irritations
Parasites are generally acquired from consuming contaminated food or water but with an imbalance in gut flora, toxins or a weakened immune system we are more susceptible.
How do you know if you have a parasite? Work with your health practitioner and have a stool analysis done. Although it's hard to know how accurate these are too.
Treatments.
Parasites are highly evolved in their ability to survive. Some can be easily treated - some are not. Common treatments use antibiotics and / or a course of potent herbs.
Herbs and Foods that can help include;
- Garlic
- Pumpkin seeds
- Essential oils including, oregano and clove oil
- Wormwood
- Black walnut
- Olive leaf
- Black cumin oil
Plus limit all sugars, grains, processed foods that will continue to feed the parasite(s).
It's critical while doing a parasite cleanse to rebuild the terrain at the same time i.e. our digestive system. As the expression goes, Weed. Seed & Feed. i.e.
- detoxify.
- repair the gut and mind with good foods, herbs, supplements and thoughts.
- reseed the microbiome with a wide range of good bacteria.
- feed the good bugs with whole, natural, organic foods.
Summary.
If you have a diagnosis or a 'hunch' that you have a parasite, listen to your body first. How well is it already dealing with it or not? Try the gentle approach above first and then create a terrain that's not hospitable to parasites in the first place - before 'going to WAR'.
A gentle cleanse or detox a couple of times a year is a great preventative measure either way.
A Gentle Cleanse with Kate: If you are feeling the need to do a gentle cleanse - as I am. I'm hosting a 3-5 day program in October. Wherever you are you'll be able to join in with me as it's all online. It is gentle and NOT hard core and won't put stress on the body. It includes whole foods, shopping lists, menu plans and loads of supportive info. + WHY. If you're interested email me your details at kate@katebarnes.com.au.
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