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

Almost all of us had to face manifestations of helminthiasis. These parasites 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 pharmaceutical industry regularly produces modern products designed to neutralize parasites in the human body; folk remedies for helminthiasis, supplementing 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 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 are found are not the most favorable. Types of organisms affected by parasites, according to the stage of development:

• the final host in which helminths can develop to the stage of sexual maturity;
• an 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 cycle of development many times and live in it for several decades. For different types of parasites, humans can be either a final or an intermediate host, just as shellfish, fish and carnivores can be. According to the type of biological cycle, cases of parasitic infection are classified as:

1. biohelminthiasis - the development of helminths takes place in organisms of different 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.
• Inhalation of 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 eating habits of some peoples in the north suggest the use of slightly salted and raw fish. In this population, the prevalence of trichinellosis 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. Colon - roundworms, pinworms.
2. Duodenum - Strongyloides stercoralis.
3. Lymph 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 (taeniosis, enterobiosis, ascariasis).

Some helminths in 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 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 has both visceral and cutaneous form, for them man is 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.

The laboratory blood test showed a change in its formula - eosinophilia and a significant increase in the number of leukocytes were diagnosed. The transition of helminthiasis to a chronic stage is characterized 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 the 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 strongyloidosis),
11. damage to muscle tissue, formation of granulomas in the capillaries of the brain (with severe trichinellosis),
12. damage to the lymphatic system (due to nematode infection).

In helminthiasis caused by echinococci, not only liver cysts are formed, but also bone tissue can be damaged by parasites. This makes the bones brittle and creates an additional risk of bone fractures. Damage to the human body by the larvae of Dirofilaria repens manifests itself in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous nodule 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 or clear specific signs.

Diagnosis of parasite infestation

If the correct diagnosis is not made in time, you may miss the moment when the treatment could be most effective.

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

Parasite infection can be confused with 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. Its arsenal includes quite modern methods for the diagnosis of parasite infestations:

• laboratory examination of feces, bile, sputum, blood, urine, scrapings from rectal and anal mucus, duodenal contents to detect parasites, their eggs and larvae;
• Ultrasound, radiography;
• endoscopy, enbiopsy.

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 time of the control examination after treatment.

All recommendations of a specialist must be followed carefully to avoid complications.

It is needless to remind you to observe hygienic preventive measures that will prevent the contamination of family members with parasites and secondary infections.

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

Like drugs, traditional medicine has contraindications and side effects. That's why it's worth discussing this method with your doctor before using them. Home Remedies:

• Consume peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks, keeping the thin green seed coat.
• Decoction of the peeled peel of one pomegranate in 3/4 tbsp boiling water. The remedy is drunk on an empty stomach, and this should be done an hour and a half before, dividing the decoction into three doses. After a few hours, do not forget to stimulate the stool with any laxative.
• Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) are made daily for 7 days.
• Regular consumption of garlic and preparations containing it.
• Entering a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiosis).
• Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) together with warm milk (1 cup), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the intake 1-2 times during the day.
• An 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. Before each meal, the infusion must be washed down. Effective in giardiasis.
• A garlic mash enema taken shortly before bed is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema solution: mix 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic in a glass of water. Conduct regularly throughout the week.
• A decoction of 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon of dried tansy flowers is applied as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Perform 7 times, the effect of the treatment can be consolidated by repeating the course after a ten-day break.

Herbs and Fees:

1. 1 teaspoon of dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of boiling water, strain and cool, take an infusion of 1-2 tablespoons three times a day before each meal. Effective against ascariasis and enterobiosis.
2. Steam tansy (1 tablespoon of dried flower) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water for 3 hours and apply as an enema in the rectum before going to bed. The product is contraindicated for pregnant women and children.
3. An infusion for half an hour of 4 tablespoons of unripe walnuts and a glass of salted boiling water, strain and take at the same time as a laxative. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiosis.
4. 1 tbsp. The flowers of tansy are poured with 200 ml of boiling water and after an hour the infusion is filtered. The periodicity 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), strained and a few tablespoons of sugar are added to it. The volume of the final product is 1 cup of decoction, it should be drunk 1-2 sips a day before meals.

Helminthiasis are complex infections with a multi-component clinical picture. They can cause 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 care, only as an aid to accompany drug therapy.