Parasites in the human body – is treatment with folk remedies effective?

Almost all of us have had to deal with manifestations of helminthiasis. These parasites have coexisted with humans for so long that Hippocrates himself mentioned them in his writings. According to WHO statistics, more than five billion people on Earth are currently affected by various types of helminthiasis.

The pharmacological industry regularly produces modern products intended to neutralize parasites in the human body; folk remedies for helminthiasis, supplementing traditional treatment, have also not lost their relevance.

About helminths

There are approximately 250 species of parasites living in human tissues and organs. All of them are divided into two classes:

1. flatworms (nematodes);
2. roundworms (cestodes and trematodes).

Their size varies from a few millimeters to 10-12 M. Parasites very quickly become sexually mature, after which they acquire the ability to lay ten to one hundred thousand eggs per day.

These eggs remain viable for a long time, even if the conditions in which they find themselves are not the most favorable. Types of organisms affected by parasites, depending on their stage of development:

• the final host in which helminths can develop to the stage of sexual maturity;
• intermediate host, where helminths live until one of the stages of their development.

In the body of the final host, the parasite can complete its complete development cycle several times and live there for several decades. For different types of parasites, humans can be the final or intermediate host, just as they can be crustaceans, fish and carnivores. Depending on the type of biological cycle, cases of parasitic infection are classified as follows:

1. biohelminthiases - the development of helminths takes place in organisms of various species;
2. soil-transmitted helminthiasis - helminth eggs spend part of their development cycle in the soil, without an intermediate host.

How does parasitic infection occur?

The ways by which helminths enter the human body are very diverse: they depend on social characteristics, natural and climatic factors and food preferences. The main methods of infection with helminths:

• By dirty hands, contaminated water, poorly processed foods.
• When inhaling dust particles containing worm eggs.
• Through the skin.
• After a mosquito bite as an intermediate host (Wuchereria bancrofti).
• By eating contaminated seafood, meat, fish (trematode).

The eating habits of some northern peoples suggest the use of raw, lightly salted fish. In this population, the prevalence of trichinosis and echinococcosis is high.

Which organs are affected by helminthiasis?

Damage caused by helminths can be localized in many organs and tissues. The localization of helminths depends on the stage of its development, so the same type of worm at different stages of its existence can parasitize different parts of the intestine. Organs affected by helminthiasis:

1. Large intestine - roundworms, pinworms.
2. Duodenum - Strongyloides stercoralis.
3. Lymphatic vessels.
4. Lungs – Paragonimidae.
5. Subcutaneous tissue - Larva migrans.
6. Helminths parasitize the hollow organs and tissues of the human body.

Depending on the location of the parasites, helminthic infections are divided into types:

• tissues (echinococcosis, cysticercosis);
• luminal (taeniasis, enterobiasis, ascariasis).

Certain helminths in the larval stage transform the tissues of the human body by forming capsules or granules around them (Trichinella, Toxocara). There is a type of helminths that migrate in the larval stage both under the skin of a person and in the tissues of his organs (larval helminths).

Their temporary stay in the human body takes both visceral and cutaneous forms; for them, humans are an intermediate host.

Clinical manifestations of helminthiasis

Like many other infections, helminthiases go through two stages of development: acute and chronic. Their duration:

1. acute stage – from 2-3 weeks to several months;
2. chronic stage – from 2-3 months to several years.

Despite the variety of types of helminths and their localization, the symptoms of the acute stage have common manifestations - these are symptoms of allergies and toxic effects on the human body:

• slight increase in temperature
• muscle pain,
• Rashes,
• swelling of the limbs,
• enlarged lymph nodes,
• dyspepsia,
• enlarged spleen and liver,
• damage to the central nervous system.

A laboratory blood test indicates a change in its formula - eosinophilia and a significant increase in the number of leukocytes are diagnosed. The transition from helminthiasis to the chronic stage is marked by symptoms which depend on the organ affected by the parasites, the stage of development of the worms, their number and their variety. In the chronic stage of helminthiasis, the following symptoms are diagnosed:

1. dyspepsia and intestinal pain,
2. intestinal obstruction,
3. colitis in hemorrhagic form,
4. anemia,
5. avitaminosis,
6. sudden weight loss,
7. obstructive jaundice, hepatitis (with liver damage),
8. loss of certain functions of the central nervous system (when the parasites are located in the brain),
9. inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (with migration of pinworms into the vagina),
10. stomach and intestinal ulcers (with chronic anguloidosis),
11. damage to muscle tissue, formation of granulomas in the capillaries of the brain (with severe trichinosis),
12. damage to the lymphatic system (due to infection with nematodes).

With helminthiasis caused by echinococci, not only liver cysts are formed, bone tissue can also be damaged by parasites. This makes bones fragile and creates an additional risk of bone fractures. Damage to the human body by Dirofilaria repens larvae occurs in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous lymph node containing parasites. This node is capable of moving through the thickness of the skin and mucous membranes.

Analyzing the symptoms of helminthiasis, one can be convinced that there is no stable clinical picture of this disease and no clear specific signs.

Diagnosis of parasitic infestation

If an accurate diagnosis is not made in time, you risk missing the moment when treatment could be most effective.

The transition of helminthiasis from the acute stage to the chronic form often masks the true cause of the disease.

Parasitic infection can be confused with symptoms of completely different diseases. It is extremely important not to self-medicate, but to seek help from an infectious disease specialist or parasitologist. Its arsenal includes many modern methods for diagnosing parasitic infestations:

• laboratory examination of feces, bile, sputum, blood, urine, rectal and anal mucus scrapings, duodenal contents for the detection of parasites, their eggs and larvae;
• Ultrasound, x-ray;
• endoscopy, endobiopsy.

The most effective method is considered to be a serological test - a method of analyzing blood serum for the presence of antigens of infection with certain types of helminths.

This test can reveal the presence of parasites even in the early stages of infection.

Treatment of parasitic infections with traditional methods

Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic treatment and the schedule of the control study after treatment.

All recommendations of specialists must be carefully followed to avoid complications.

There is no need to remind you to observe preventive hygiene measures that will prevent parasites from infecting family members and secondary infections.

Supporters of the use of traditional recipes should remember that the use of these remedies is an auxiliary method that does not replace drug treatment.

Like medications, traditional medicine has contraindications and side effects. This is why it is worth discussing this method with your doctor before using it. Home Remedies:

• Eat peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks, keeping the thin green skin on the seed.
• A decoction of the skin removed from a pomegranate in 3/4 tsp. boiling water The remedy is drunk on an empty stomach, it must be done an hour and a half before, dividing the decoction into three doses. After a few hours, be sure to stimulate bowel movements with any laxative.
• Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be done daily for 7 days.
• Regular consumption of garlic and preparations containing it.
• Introduce a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiosis).
• Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) with warm milk (1 glass), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the intake 1-2 times during the day.
• Infusion of 50 g of a mixture of garlic and grated horseradish root in half a liter of vodka. The mixture is infused for 1. 5 weeks, filtered. Obligatory dose – 1 tbsp. L. Before each meal, the infusion must be watered. Effective against giardiasis.
• An enema with garlic gruel, taken shortly before bedtime, is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema Solution: Mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. To be done regularly throughout the week.
• Decoction of 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. L. Dried tansy flowers are administered as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Perform 7 times, the effect of treatment can be consolidated by repeating the course after a break of ten days.

Herbs and fees:

1. 1 C. dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of boiling water, filter and let cool, take an infusion of 1-2 tablespoons. L. three times a day before each meal. Effective against ascariasis and enterobiasis.
2. Infuse tansy (1 tablespoon of dried flowers) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water for 3 hours and administer as an enema into the rectum before bed. The product is contraindicated in pregnant women and children.
3. Infusion for half an hour from 4 tbsp. L. unripe nuts and a glass of boiling salted water, filtered and taken simultaneously with a laxative. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiasis.
4. 1 tbsp. L. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the tansy flowers and filter the infusion after an hour. The frequency of admission is standard - Art. L. 20 minutes before meals. It is therefore necessary to be treated for 2-3 days, finishing the infusion with a laxative.
5. A decoction of 1 kg of sorrel and 1 liter of boiling water is boiled for 2 hours (it is better to do this in a water bath), filtered and a few tablespoons of sugar should be added to it. The volume of the final product is 1 glass of decoction, it should be drunk 1-2 sips per day before meals.

Helminthiases are complex infections with a multicomponent clinical picture. They can lead to serious complications and cause irreversible damage to human health.

It is unacceptable to self-medicate when infected with parasites. Traditional recipes should be used with extreme caution, only as an adjuvant to accompany drug treatment.