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

Almost every one of us has 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, helminthiasis of various types currently affects more than five billion people on Earth.

The pharmacological industry regularly produces modern products 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 that live 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 become sexually mature very quickly and then acquire the ability to lay ten to 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, depending on the stage of development:

• the definitive host in which helminths can develop until sexual maturity;
• Intermediate host in which helminths live until one of their developmental stages.

In the body of the definitive host, the parasite can go through its entire development cycle many times and live there for several decades. For various types of parasites, humans can be either the final or intermediate host, as can crustaceans, fish, and carnivores. Depending on the type of biological cycle, cases of parasitic infections are classified as follows:

1. Biohelminthiases – the development of helminths occurs in organisms of various species;
2. Geohelminthiasis – Worm eggs spend part of their development cycle in the soil, without an intermediate host.

How does a parasite infection occur?

The way helminths enter the human body varies greatly and depends 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 that contain 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 northern peoples 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 can parasitize in different parts of the intestine at different stages of its existence. Organs affected by helminthiasis:

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

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

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

Some helminths change the tissues of the human body in the larval stage, 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 residence in the human body occurs both viscerally and cutaneously; 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. Your duration:

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

Despite the diversity of helminth species 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 aches,
• 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 characterized by symptoms that depend on which organ is affected by parasites, the stage of development of the worms, as well as 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 (if parasites are localized in the brain),
9. inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (with 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 (in severe trichinosis),
12. Damage to the lymphatic system (due to infection with nematodes).

Helminthiases caused by echinococci not only lead to the formation of liver cysts, but also damage to bone tissue caused by parasites can occur. This makes the bones brittle and increases the risk of fractures. Damage to the human body by Dirofilaria repens larvae occurs in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous nodule containing parasites. This node can move 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 a parasite infestation

If an accurate diagnosis is not made in a timely manner, you may miss the time when treatment could be most effective.

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

Infection with parasites 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 a parasitologist. His arsenal includes a whole range of modern methods for diagnosing parasitic infestation:

• Laboratory examination of feces, bile, sputum, blood, urine, rectal and anal mucous smears, duodenal contents to detect 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 early in the infection.

Treating parasitic infections 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 followed carefully to avoid complications.

It is unnecessary to remind you to follow hygienic precautions that prevent parasites from infecting family members and causing secondary infections.

Proponents of using traditional recipes must remember that the use of these remedies is an auxiliary method that does not replace drug treatment.

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

• Eat peeled pumpkin seeds for two weeks, leaving the thin green shell on the kernel.
• A decoction of the peel of 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 bowel movements with a laxative.
• Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be done daily for 7 days.
• Regular consumption of garlic and preparations containing it.
• Inserting 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 and repeat 1-2 times a 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 and filtered. Mandatory dose – 1 tbsp. l. The infusion must be washed down before each meal. Effective for giardiasis.
• An enema with garlic paste just before bedtime is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema solution: Stir 1 teaspoon into a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. Perform regularly throughout the week.
• Decoction of 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. l. Dried tansy flowers are given as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Carry out 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. dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tbsp) boiling water, strain and let 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 going to 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 boiling salted water, filtered and taken at the same time as a laxative. Effective against tapeworms, 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 and complete the infusion with a laxative.
5. A decoction of 1 kg of sorrel and 1 liter of boiling water is boiled for 2 hours (preferably in a water bath), filtered and a few tablespoons of sugar are added. The volume of the final product is 1 glass of decoction, it should be drunk 1-2 sips daily before meals.

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

If you have a parasitic infection, self-medication is unacceptable. Traditional recipes should be used with extreme caution and only as an adjunct to drug therapy.