PARASITES, AND HOW TO ELIMINATE THEM NATURALLY

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

Ó March 2011, The Center For Development

WHAT ARE PARASITES?

Parasites are a large class of infective organisms that live on or in human beings, animal and plant species. They include several hundred types of flat worms, round worms, tape worms trichina worms, protozoa such as amoebas and giardia lamblia, flagellate organisms, liver and other flukes, spirochete or spiral-shaped organisms such as those that cause Lyme disease, and others. Unlike bacteria and viruses, most parasites are large enough to be seen easily with a microscope, and some can be seen with the naked eye.

Some people also include yeasts and fungi such as candida albicans in the group of infective agents that are termed parasites.

Parasitic infection is extremely common. In fact, most people have Lyme spirochetes, liver flukes, and often various types of worms to some degree. In most people, the degree of infection is not severe, so there are few if any symptoms, and the parasitic infection does not affect the person very much.

Parasites thrive in sick bodies. When people tell me that parasites are their problem, I always know that they are not in good health. The reason is that parasites only thrive in a toxic and nutritionally deficient body. If we can detoxify and renourish the body properly, which takes several years or more, most parasitic infections, including Lyme disease, will diminish in intensity to the point that it will not cause problems. Eventually, it will go away completely.

NUTRITIONAL BALANCING IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO REDUCE AND EVENTUALLY ELIMINATE ALL PARASITES WITHOUT TOXIC HERBS OR DRUGS

Relief with nutritional balancing is often fast without using drugs. Completely ridding the body of all parasites takes several years or more, in most cases, although this is not necessary in every case. If the body is weak and toxic, getting rid of all parasites is impossible. One can take medical drugs, herbs, use Rife machines, and so on, and it will reduce the parasite load.

However, like bacteria, some parasites will usually remain if the terrain or host organism is not in balance and nutritionally adequate. For this reason, to completely rid the body of parasites takes a number of years on a nutritional balancing program, though it certainly can be done.

SOURCES OF EXPOSURE TO PARASITES

Parasites are a worldwide health problem that may account for half the diseases in the world, or more. They are everywhere, though they thrive best in warm, moist, often tropical, and dirty environments. They are a disease of filth and are usually present on foods, in water, even in the air and on other contact surfaces that are not cleaned well enough. The worst areas are often in poor nations with bad sanitation systems, dirt floors instead of tile, linoleum, wood or carpet flooring, and in nations with contaminated and polluted water and food supplies. Going barefoot, eating raw or improperly cooked food, and lack of hygiene are the main sources of parasites.

Food sources. Especially avoid all raw or poorly cooked meats, fish, seafood and shellfish. Sadly, sushi is a big source of problems in developed nations of Europe, Japan, America and others. Eating poorly washed or unwashed fruit and some types of vegetables such as salad is another serious problem. Preferably never eat salad or fruit with skin unless you wash it yourself. This means avoiding salads and fruit in restaurants. One never knows who washed the lettuce and how well and how cleanly it was done.

The problem of raw foods is far worse today than ever before because so much food is now grown in Mexico, China, Asia and elsewhere. Shipping food may allow some parasites to thrive. Some food-growing Asian and other nations have lower levels of cleanliness, and finding out if the food is clean is basically impossible.

Please avoid all pig products such as ham, bacon, pork, lard, pig skin, sausage made with pork intestine, pork rinds and other products of the pig. The only exception is porcine pancreatin, which appears to be very safe. Perhaps it is because pancreatin digests most everything, including parasite ova.

No matter how well cooked it is - and it must be cooked well – the pig products tend to contain some trichina cysts that are not killed off. These can go to the brain and other organs and are present in many people.

Toilet seats and other contact. Other troublesome areas are public places where one touches chairs, toilets, or anything else that has been touched by many people. Such places include theatres, buses, trains, airplanes and other public locations and public transportation. This is why frequent hand washing, wiping down toilet seats before sitting on them, and other hygienic measures are absolutely essential in public places of all kinds. They are even more critical if you travel outside of the United States, even to Europe or Australia.

Water sources. Drinking water supplies are another problematic area in many nations, as parasites thrive in damp environments. Never drink tap water in most nations, even for brushing your teeth. Always use hot water and soap to wash dishes and clothing.

Other sources of parasites are pools, hot tubs, and wet or dirty floors in health clubs and gyms, and so on. Just because a pool or hot tub has been “sanitized” with chlorine or bromine does not mean that all micro-organisms have been killed. Some survive very well in these places. For this reason, I suggest strictly avoiding all public pools or hot tubs. Swim only in the ocean, clean lakes or rivers, or seek out healthful hot springs, which are scattered everywhere and much better because the water is flowing and usually not chlorinated, which is another toxin used in water.

However, even lake water, river water and occasionally ocean water can be contaminated. Ocean water is safest because few parasites can survive in the salty water. Fresh water is commonly contaminated, often by human beings who either use the water for bathing, or by septic tanks or other ways that water can be contaminated due to human beings.

Pets and farm animals. Animals are often infected with parasites, and these can spread to people easily. Birds are the worst pets for this reason. Birds often flap their wings in their cages, spreading larva and parasite eggs throughout the house.

Dogs and cats are often infected with worms as well, and should be de-wormed periodically, about once a year, according to many veterinarians. If your animal is indoors all the time, this is less of a problem, but still a possibility. Ideally, after petting or grooming any animal, wash your hands, and ideally do not sleep with animals in bed with you, or even on your bed. Hugging and especially kissing pets and other animals can spread these parasites easily and should be avoided.

Ticks and other insects. Other sources include tick, fly and other insect bites. This is one way that Lyme disease, yellow fever, malaria, schistosomiasis and many parasitic diseases are spread. For much more on Lyme disease, click here. When hiking in wooded areas, or even dessert areas, preferably wear long sleeves, long pants and heavy sweat socks to help prevent these insect bites. I know this is inconvenient in the summertime, but can be well worth the trouble.

Other. Dirty clothing, wearing other people’s clothes without washing them first, and even new clothing unless washed first, can possibly transmit parasitic organisms.

Children can be born with parasites that are passed on from the mother, although the placenta affords babies some protection from parasite infection.

Sexual activity. This is a relatively minor cause of parasitic problems other than yeast infections. Sexual activity more often spreads bacterial infections such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and others, and viral infections such as herpes. Even kissing can spread these diseases easily.

DETECTING PARASITES

Stool examinations. These are the most commonly used tests. However, they are notoriously inaccurate. They can miss parasites easily, since most labs just analyze a small amount of the stool and it may not contain the parasites, even though they are present in the body.

Bowel contents exams. More extensive stool testing is much better, but is also much more costly because it is time-consuming work. A few labs offer a ‘bowel contents exam’. This is a very time-consuming and costly test in which the patient is given a laxative and must sit at the lab for several hours and collect everything that comes out of the bowel. The lab then analyzes the entire contents, hopefully. This is not widely offered, however, and is a few hundred dollars.

Blood tests for antibodies and other tests are also not perfectly reliable, as one may be exposed to parasites, so there can be false positives as well as false negatives.

Most people have some parasites. According to my understanding, most people have liver flukes, trichina cysts and often some amoebas and other parasites. This does not mean that the parasites are causing disease, however, as a healthy body can often keep them at bay. This is somewhat similar to the situation with toxic metals, since we find everyone has toxic metals today.

Must one test for parasites? We do not routinely test for parasites for all the following reasons:

· We assume that most people have parasites

· Standard tests are not that reliable

· Nutritional balancing programs, especially with GB-3, near infrared sauna therapy and coffee enemas, will immediately begin to reduce the parasite load and eventually will get rid of most of them without needing testing or other anti-parasitic agents or drugs.

· They often add unnecessary cost, in our view.

When to test for parasites? Helpful times include if a person is not responding well to a nutritional balancing program, especially a young child, and perhaps if unexplained digestive tract symptoms, in particular, seem to require more understanding of the cause of the problem. Other situations requiring testing might also arise, but I have not encountered them so far.

PREVENTING PARASITIC INFECTION

This, of course, is best. However, it requires a careful lifestyle and traveling to other nations is not advised if one wishes to avoid parasites. It means eating only cooked foods in restaurants, avoiding all hot tubs, pools and other possible contaminated water and food. It also means attention to hygiene at all times.

One should also be sure to wear long sleeves, long pants and socks in damp areas where ticks and other insects live, or do not go to these areas. I believe if people realized how prevalent parasitic infection is, as I notice as a physician who regularly receives calls from people who are eliminating worms, for example, most people would be far more careful with their food, water and hygiene practices.

REDUCING THE PARASITE LOAD

Nutritional balancing is a superb method to reduce the load of parasites in the body. No specific anti-parasite medications or herbs are used or required. The anti-parasitic effect most likely occurs for the following reasons:

· Increased vitality. Enhancing overall vitality of the body is essential to rid the body of parasites. Parasites are very low-energy creatures that thrive in sick bodies. As the vitality improves, they are often easily expelled, and are usually dead when they pass out of the body through the colon. Increased vitality also greatly enhances the body’s ability to resist new parasitic infestation.

· Repair of the intestinal tract is a high priority. This is done by eliminating all fruit, all juices except a little carrot juice, all raw food, all wheat products, and all food chemicals and refined foods. A much better diet of this type only slowly strengthens and balances the intestines. This will limit reproduction of parasites and help kill them.

· Reduction of inflammation in the body. This also helps reduce irritation that may allow some parasites to flourish.

· Making the body much more yang. This is critical and is another reason to avoid all fruit and raw food. Animal protein daily is essential for those with parasites, in most cases. Parasites thrive in a more yin body. They cannot thrive well in a more yang body.

· Balancing the oxidation rate and the major mineral ratios. This does many things to assist the body to eliminate parasites, including enhancing vitality, making the body more yang, and enhancing bile flow, among others.

· A focus on liver function and liver detoxification. This increases bile flow, which is lethal for most parasites.

· The use of GB-3. This is one of the most powerful digestive aids available (sold by Endomet Laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.) It contains a lot of ox bile, pancreatin, dehydrocholic acid and Russian black radish. The digestive enzymes can literally break down and kill many parasites.

· A better lifestyle with more rest is helpful.

· Reducing all the toxic metals and hundreds of toxic chemicals. This enhances vitality even more.

· Near infrared sauna therapy. This seems to help remove parasites in many ways. Heating the body a few degrees can weaken and disable or even kill some parasites. Improving circulation may help as well. Near infrared energy feeds the human body, but is not beneficial for most parasites. Other mechanisms may be at work in the sauna as well, such as removing toxic substances that parasites feed upon.

· Coffee enemas. This is probably the most powerful single additional procedure. It stimulates bile flow, mechanically cleans the colon, upsets many parasite nesting places, and the coffee is probably somewhat toxic for them as well. Many people call me to say they notice parasites in their stool after a coffee enema. Often they feel much better when the parasites are removed. The coffee may be directly toxic for the parasites, or the enema may just help loosen them and remove them from the body. The coffee enema also reduces liver toxicity and promotes extra bile secretion that probably weakens or even kills many parasites.

· Colonic irrigation. This is another excellent method we sometimes use to remove some intestinal parasites. A series of 10 colonic irrigations may be need to loosen and remove them. Combining this with a nutritional balancing program is best.

SPECIFIC ANTI-PARASITIC METHODS WE USE OFTEN

Parasites are opportunists. Strengthening the host is the key. In my personal and professional experience, having lived in Mexico and become quite ill there, parasites are basically impossible to get rid of completely if the body is not strengthened significantly. One can use herbs, drugs or any method to reduce the load of parasites. However, parasites are opportunists.

This means that if there is significant debris, infection, inflammation or undigested food in the intestines, removing all parasites will be difficult, if not impossible. Also, if there is sluggish liver activity with low bile secretion, improper pH of the intestine, either too acid or too alkaline, or if the diet is high in carbohydrates, especially wheat that causes inflammation, then one will never get rid of parasites completely.

If, however, nutritional balancing is used for a few years, perhaps, to balance and strengthen the body in hundreds of ways, then removing parasites is often a natural process and is accomplished easily. This is a very important concept that is too often overlooked by both conventional and holistic doctors.

Remedies to use with nutritional balancing. In almost all cases, a nutritional balancing program will be sufficient to remove all parasites, eventually. In some serious cases, however, other remedies may be needed. There is no single remedy for all parasites, as they are a very varied group of organisms. However, the following may be helpful if parasitic infection is severe.

GB-3. This is the digestive aid and liver detoxification product currently used with all nutritional balancing programs. Each tablet contains 112 mg of ox bile, 160 mg of pancreatin 4x, 130 mg dehydrocholic acid (a bile acid), and 130 mg of Russian black radish root (raphenus sativus). This product is particularly powerful and, by itself, can slowly kill hundreds of parasitic organisms, yeasts, bacteria and others. This is why I recommend it so highly in all nutritional balancing programs.

Note: A few people cannot use it, at first. If the intestinal flora are very deranged or the intestinal tract very sensitive, it may cause a powerful reaction that results in diarrhea. In this case, begin with a less powerful, more standard digestive product and after a few months of a better diet and other supplements, then reintroduce GB-3 very slowly. For more about this product, read GB-3 on this website.

Garlic. Garlic is a powerful vermifuge, which means it can expel parasites. One can take about 15 large garlic cloves, peel them and place them whole in about 2 cups of water. Boil for about 35 minutes, and eat as a soup. Eat the garlic cloves and the water.

Another, and perhaps a better way to use garlic is to make or possibly buy fresh garlic juice. This needs more research at this time. One can make garlic juice using a carrot juicing machine, although it will leave an odor in the machine for a while. It may be possible to buy garlic juice, as it is sold to deworm animals. A company that sells it is Garlic Barrier in California, 1-800-424-7990 or www.garlicbarrier.com. Garlic juice can be added to food or possibly used in an enema by adding just a small amount to the enema water.

Colloidal silver. This wide-spectrum anti-infective agent, when used properly, can help kill many parasites. I do not use it often, however, as it is not needed and is somewhat toxic. More research would be helpful concerning its use. Generally, one must take at least half a teaspoon or more three or four times daily for two or three weeks. This is necessary to interrupt the parasite’s entire reproductive cycle, which often lasts two weeks or so.

Take this product about one half hour away from any food or beverage, including water, for maximum utilization. Do not mix it with water. Just take it straight. Also, I do not recommend the home-made colloidal silver. Good brands are Arabesque and Live-Silver (live-silver.com), Sovereign Silver, Argentyn, and a few others.

A red infrared heat lamp for some brain and other parasites. Some parasites such as trichina ova and cysts that may lodge in the brain or other places may be more difficult to eradicate. They will generally not cause too many problems, although there are cases in which they have caused seizures and other serious disorders.

A possible method to help remove them, in addition to a complete nutritional balancing program, is to shine a reddish, 250-watt infrared “heat lamp” bulb on the area. This method helps by increasing circulation, and heating the local area. This can weaken parasites, and perhaps by other subtle mechanisms. I suggest that this be done only under supervision of someone familiar with the use of the heat bulbs.

Heat lamp cautions: Never shine a 250-watt infrared heat bulb on your head for more than 10 minutes at one session, or more than about four or five times daily. Also, never move the light closer than one foot from an adult’s head. I do not recommend it at all for children without supervision. It is not that it is so dangerous, but I do not have enough experience with it to recommend it more than this.

Diatomaceous earth and possibly bentonite. These are slightly more toxic remedies, but they work well.

Other herbs for parasites. While garlic and onions are quite non-toxic, many other herbs used to expel or kill parasites are toxic to some degree. These include wormwood, artemesia, cloves, black walnut husks and many others. If you want to use an herbal product, a good combination product is called Clear by Awareness Corporation.

Be careful with the herbs, as some are fairly toxic. I believe they should be used only as a last resort, if nutritional balancing and the remedies above are not sufficient. Then they should be used strictly according to directions, and only for short periods of time. I have rarely needed to use them.

Machines that expose parasites to toxic frequencies. These include Rife machines, Zappers, and others. This method is fine, but does not rebuild the body enough, in my view. It may help reduce the load of parasites, however, as they do not like the frequencies of electricity. Another possible problem with them is they are generally yin in nature, and the goal is always to make the body more yang. However, they are helpful for some people. We don’t seem to require them much at all for most people.

Anti-parasitic pharmaceutical drugs. These drugs include metronizadole (Flagyl, Helidac, Metizol, Metric 21, Metro IV, Metrogel, Neo-metric, Novonidazole, Prostat, Satric, Trikacide), itraconazole (Sporanex), ketoconizole (Nizoril), fluconizole (Diflucan), quinacrine, (Atabrine) and perhaps others.

Anti-parasitic drugs are often not all that helpful, and many are extremely toxic. They may have a temporary effect, but if the body is not made stronger with a complete nutritional balancing program, the drugs will not work well, or the parasites often come back just as bad after the drug therapy is over. These drugs are quite toxic for the liver and perhaps for other organs, so they slow the general healing of the body. I would avoid them if at all possible. Always use the natural methods first such as a nutritional balancing program and natural remedies.

There may be exceptions to the above in a few situations. However, so far, we have never needed to resort to anti-parasitic drugs to clear parasites quite easily. Drugs should only be used if all other methods above are not working. I believe that nutritional balancing and the herbs are plenty powerful, in fact more so than the drugs, although I have not compared them directly, but only indirectly.

THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION TO THE PARASITE PROBLEM

Unfortunately, we are surrounded by parasitic organisms found on our food, in our water, on our silverware and plates we eat from, and on common objects we touch. As a result, reinfection with parasites is a terrible problem. Therefore, one must remain vigilant in one’s lifestyle or reinfection will occur easily.

A more permanent solution is offered by a nutritional balancing program, if one stays with it for a few years. This solution I call development. While it may sound like an esoteric idea, it refers to very specific changes that occur within the body that help protect the body from lower or more yin infecting organisms such as parasites.

The specifics of development are discussed in a number of articles on this website such as Spiritual Development. Here I will just summarize say that by improving one’s health quite drastically, including making the body much more yang in Chinese medicine terminology, one can protect oneself from most parasitic infections.

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