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 been coexisting with humans for so long that Hippocrates himself mentioned them in his writings. According to WHO statistics, currently more than five billion people on Earth are affected by helminthiasis of various types.

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

About helminths

There are about 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 ranges from a few millimeters to 10-12 m. The parasites very quickly become sexually mature, after which they acquire the ability to lay from ten to one hundred thousand eggs per day.

These eggs remain viable for a long time, even if the conditions in which they are located are not the most favorable. Types of organisms affected by parasites, according to 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 full development cycle many times and live in it for several decades. For various types of parasites, humans can be either the final or intermediate host, just as they can be shellfish, fish, and carnivores. According to the type of biological cycle, cases of parasite infection are classified as:

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

How does parasite infection occur?

The ways in 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:

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

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

Which organs are affected by helminthiasis?

Helminth damage can be localized in many organs and tissues. The localization of the helminth depends on the stage of its development, so the same type of worm at different stages of its existence can parasitize in 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 in hollow organs and tissues of the human body.

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

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

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

Their temporary residence 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, helminthiasis goes 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,
• skin rashes,
• swelling of the limbs,
• enlarged lymph nodes,
• dyspepsia,
• enlargement of the 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 of helminthiasis to the chronic stage is marked by symptoms depending on which organ is affected by parasites, the stage of development of worms, their number, and 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 some functions of the central nervous system (when parasites are localized in the brain),
9. inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (with the migration of pinworms into the vagina),
10. stomach and intestinal ulcers (with chronic strongyloidiasis),
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 helminthiases caused by echinococci, not only liver cysts are formed, but bone tissue may be damaged by parasites. This makes bones brittle 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 node containing parasites. This node is capable of moving through the thickness of the skin and mucous membranes.

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

Diagnosis of parasite infestation

If an accurate diagnosis is not made in time, you may miss the time 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 ailment.

Infection with parasites can be mistaken for symptoms of completely different diseases. It is extremely important not to self-medicate, but to seek medical help from an infectious disease specialist or parasitologist. His arsenal includes quite a few 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, radiography;
• endoscopy, endobiopsy.

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

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

Treatment of parasitic infection with traditional methods

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

All specialist recommendations should be carefully followed to avoid complications.

It is unnecessary to remind you to observe hygienic preventive measures that will prevent parasites from infecting family members and secondary infections.

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

Like medicines, traditional medicine has contraindications and side effects. That is why it is worth discussing this method with your doctor before using them. Home remedies:

• Consume peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks, keeping the thin green skin on the seed.
• A decoction of the peel removed from one pomegranate in 3/4 tbsp. boiling waterThe remedy is drunk on an empty stomach; this must be done an hour and a half before, dividing the decoction into three doses. After a few hours, be sure to stimulate the stool 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.
• Introducing a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiasis).
• Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) along 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. Mandatory dose – 1 tbsp. l. Before each meal, the infusion must be washed down. Effective for giardiasis.
• An enema with garlic gruel, taken shortly before bedtime, is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema solution: stir 1 tsp in a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. Carry out 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. Carry out 7 times, the effect of treatment can be consolidated by repeating the course after a ten-day break.

Herbs and fees:

1. 1 tsp. dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tbsp. ) of boiling water, strain and cool, take an infusion of 1-2 tbsp. 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 for pregnant women and children.
3. Infusion for half an hour from 4 tbsp. l. unripe walnuts and a glass of salted boiling 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. So you need to be treated for 2-3 days, finish taking 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 couple of 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 a day before meals.

Helminthiases are complex infections with a multicomponent clinical picture. They can cause serious complications and cause irreversible harm 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 therapy.