Parasite cleansing has become a pretty hot and heavy topic within the wellness community over the last few years. From youtubers and your next-door neighbor, to perhaps even one of your closest relatives; we all know at least one person who has had amazing success with their skin, or overall health, through parasite cleansing.
But, to be quite frank, having a parasite can be a pretty terrifying thought. It's almost like "I'd rather not know that I have worms squirming around in my stomach, thank you very much." But- if you do have parasites it's better that you find out sooner rather than later. If left untreated, they can lead to a mired of health problems later down the road.
One of the most visible of those problems being severe cystic acne. Just take it from famous health advocate and blogger Organic Olivia who underwent several rounds of parasite cleansing, to find herself completely cleared from chronic cystic acne as well as her digestion and fatigue suddenly vanished. And- she's not the only one. Pop over to the acne.org message boards and you'll see tons of people experimenting with parasite cleansing and claiming that it too, healed their chronic cystic acne.
so, how do i get a parasite?
But- I didn’t travel anywhere out of the ordinary and I'm pretty diligent about being clean around the house and with my food- I hear you, I hear you. But parasites are a part of our daily lives and we can pick them up almost anywhere. From our dogs kissing us, walking around in the grass, swimming in a lake, to contaminated food and water, or even undercooked meat- sometimes they can happen out of the blue. However, it's much more common to pick them up from contaminated water when traveling abroad.
Seven Common Parasite Symptoms
There are tons of signs that you may be struggling with a parasite other than just persistent acne. Parasite symptoms can range far and wide. You may present all the symptoms below or you might be struggling with only one. Some of the most common signs of a parasite infection are:
- Insomnia or sleep anxiety
- Teeth grinding during sleep
- Achy muscles and joints
- Skin irritations like hives, rashes, acne, or rosacea
- Abdominal pain, bloating, IBS or like symptoms
- Frequent feelings of fatigue or exhaustion throughout the day
- Traveling internationally and getting diarrhea
How to Tell if You Have A Parasite
Besides self-diagnosing based on the symptoms above, the only way to tell if you actually have a parasite is by getting a stool sample taken by either a conventional doctor or a functional medicine doctor. Most people prefer functional medicine doctors because the stool test can be much more reliable and comprehensive.
When a conventional doctor tests for a parasite they typically send off samples to three separate testing facilities. The life cycle of a parasite is very time sensitive and has the potential to die between the time the sample is sent and when it is received within the lab, leading to false negative results.
Functional medicine uses comprehensive stool testing that can test for up to 17 different parasites, whether they are dead or alive, which almost always yields accurate results. Comprehensive functional tests are more reliable and can often pick up results that conventional tests miss.
i have parasites... now what?
A parasite cleanse. Depending on your results, your doctor may prescribe a specific medicine to kill off the parasites or recommend a cleanse. There are a few popular cleanses like the Organic Olivia Parapro formula, Paracomplete, or you can create your very own cleanse by using natural herbs and following a strict anti-parasitic diet.
A few popular natural herbal remedies for parasites are:
- Black Walnut (250 mg 3x daily)
- Wormwood (200 mg 3x daily)
- Oregano Oil (500 mg 4x daily)
- Grapefruit Seed Extract (take as directed)
- Clove Oil (500 mg 4x daily)
(Dosing recommendations provided by Dr.Axe.com)
This parasite cleanse, along with many others, is most effective when breaks are taken in between sessions. Try two weeks on of cleansing, then a week or two off, then two weeks back on. You may need multiple rounds or treatments to fully rid your body of parasites. It all depends on how bad the infection is.
An Anti-Parasitic Diet
While you are cleansing there are a few foods that you should be sure to incorporate, as well as avoid, for their anti-parasitic effects. When combined with a cleanse, a strong anti-parasitic diet can help to boost quicker results- helping you look and feel better, faster!
A few important anti-parasitic foods you can incorporate into your diet are:
- Cloves
- Garlic
- Green leafy vegetables
- Coconut oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Papaya
- Pineapple
- Pumpkin seeds (especially helpful for roundworms and tape worms)
- Carrots/carrot juice
- Cayenne, chilies, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg
- Probiotics and fermented foods
Two important foods you should absolutely avoid:
SUGAR!
Refined Carbs
Sugar feeds parasites so it's best to completely remove it from your diet to starve off any parasites in your system. A parasitic infection can lead to sugar and carb cravings, but these will eventually go away after a few weeks when the parasites die off. Because parasites can also hide in meat and vegetables it's important to pay extra care when handling these foods.
If you are a meat eater, make sure you are thoroughly cooking your food and not consuming any raw or undercooked food. When it comes to your veggies, make sure you are thoroughly washing and rinsing!
parasite die off reactions
Unfortunately, when undergoing a parasitic cleanse or an anti-parasitic diet, the symptoms you are experiencing can get worse for a short period of time before they get better. This is called a herxheimer, or die-off reaction.
A die off reaction usually only lasts a few days to a few weeks, until the body has finished the detoxification process. It's fairly common to experience flu like symptoms; muscle pains, chills, body aches, headaches, increased acne, and fatigue. So, if you're personally struggling with acne or insomnia, expect it to get worse for a few weeks before it gets better.
Once your symptoms have cleared up, expect them to stay that way! Parasite cleansing can help to clear up bloat, fatigue, clear up the skin, clear out the GI tract, and increase overall energy. After your first round, you may find yourself doing a second, third, or even fourth because you feel so great!
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