Parasites - Body PollutionHow to free your body of toxins and feel healthier and more energetic than ever before
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By Dr. Helena Toth Hardy, N.D., C.N.C.
In life, we tend to pay a very high price for lack of knowledge. It can even cost us our most precious commodity, our health. We live in a highly toxic world, where what we eat and drink plays a more critical role in our health than ever before. Our water is undrinkable, our food is insalubrious and our air is polluted. Not only is our food poisoned with thousands of chemicals but also virtually devoid of any nutrients. We try to compensate for this lack by eating much larger quantities than would otherwise be necessary. To make things worse, most of us don’t engage in regular physical activity and our stress load weighs us down like a ton of bricks.
Almost 1.5 billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed on wheat and vegetable crops in the U.S. each year. That’s more than five pounds for every person! According to experts, only 2% of this actually serves to protect the crops while the air, water and the food itself absorbs the other 98%. (Over 110 different kinds of chemicals are used on apples alone.) In most cities the water contains over 700 chemicals while 10,000 different chemicals are used in food processing and preservation. The average American is exposed to 50,000 chemical agents in his lifetime and only a fraction of these have been studied for their effects on humans. There have been no studies at all showing the consequences of using these agents in varying combinations with each other. Living in such a toxic environment places our bodies under constant bombardment from every conceivable angle.
More than scary: Every other American is chronically ill
To make matters worse, each year the average American consumes 150 lbs of sugar and 566 cans of soft drinks ("liquid candy")(1). Junk food consumption has grown drastically in the last few decades. Compared to 1981, in 2001 the average American consumed in one year: 45 large bags of potato chips - up 78%; 120 orders of french fries - up 130%; 190 candy bars - up 80%; 120 pastries or desserts - up 95%; 150 slices of pizza - up 143%.
Fast and junk foods contain dangerous additives, chemicals, and many are laced with excitotoxins such as aspartame. (Excitotoxins are substances added to foods and beverages that literally stimulate neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees.)(2) Looking at these astonishing figures, the fact that every second person in the U.S. is chronically ill should come as no surprise.
According to the Partnership for Solutions, led by Johns Hopkins University and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, more than 125 million Americans – nearly half of the population – have at least one chronic condition and 60 million have more than one condition. Examples of chronic conditions are cancer, heart disease, diabetes and glaucoma. By 2020, the number of people living with chronic conditions is expected to rise to 157 million and direct medical costs are expected to double to more than $1 trillion (80 percent of the nation's health care spending).
How to maintain health and vitality
As our environment and food are increasingly saturated with chemicals, the body’s detoxification system becomes overburdened. The constant circulation of toxins taxes the immune system which must continually strive to destroy them. Since the body is incapable of eliminating all the accumulated poisons on its own, it needs assistance in detoxifying. We can help this process along through the regular use of natural internal cleanses and targeted detoxification programs.
"Through my 25 years in medical practice and health care…I have come to believe that the cleansing/detoxification process is the missing link in Western nutrition and one of the keys to real healing. I have seen hundreds of patients over the years transform regular or persistent illness into health and greatly improved vitality." – Elson M. Haas, M.D. founder and medical director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin and author of several popular health books
Understanding that our quality of life is determined by our daily choices, we have the power to improve our health and wellbeing one step at a time. Optimum nutrition is a key factor, but our health depends not only on what nutrients we eat, but how much of those nutrients are absorbed and how well and regularly the body’s waste products are eliminated. With the proper use of cleansing and detoxification we can maintain health and vitality, even as we age.
Where to start
Any cleansing program should begin in the colon, the last portion of the digestive system. The colon’s job is to compact the chime, absorb water, and receive B-vitamins that are produced by healthy intestinal bacteria. One of the most renowned nutrition experts in the world, Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D., author of many popular health books, states: "In the 50 years I’ve spent helping people to overcome illness, disability and disease, it has become crystal clear that poor bowel management lies at the root of most people’s health problems. In treating over 300,000 patients, it is the bowel that invariably has to be cared for first before any effective healing can take place."(3)
We could actually compare the function of the colon in our bodies to a sewer system in a large city. Just imagine for a second what would happen if the sewers in our area became clogged by some debris. Undoubtedly, within a short time our whole neighborhood would be filled with filth and an unbearable stench. This is the same process that occurs in our bodies when the elimination system is not functioning properly. When the colon is clean and healthy, we experience an overall wellbeing. When it is congested with stagnant waste, poisons back up into the system and pollute the inner environment. This is called autointoxication or self-poisoning.
Signs of self-poisoning
In her best-selling book, Internal Cleansing, Dr. Linda Berry, a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist, summarizes the symptoms of self-poisoning. "If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing autointoxication (a process whereby you are poisoned by substances produced by your own body as a result of inadequate digestion and elimination), and therefore you might want to consider some type of internal cleansing program:
- Allergy or intolerance to certain foods - Bad breath and foul-smelling gas and stools
- Constipation, diarrhea, sluggish elimination, irregular bowel movements
- Frequent congestion, colds, viruses - Flatulence or gas and frequent intestinal disorders
- Frequent headaches for no apparent reason
- General aches and pains that migrate from one place to another
- Intolerance to fatty foods - Low energy; loss of vitality for no apparent reason
- Lower back pain - Lowered resistance to infections
- Needing to sleep a long time - Pain in your liver or gall bladder
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), breast soreness, vaginal infections
- Skin problems, rashes, boils, pimples, acneIf you have severe symptoms or any serious disorders, seek the attention of a competent health care provider. The above list is only meant to indicate some of the symptoms of autointoxication. Anyone who has been on a Standard American Diet for more than two years would benefit from periodic cleansing, especially if you live in an urban area."(4)
Every cell of our body is affected by self-poisoning. When the toxins accumulate in the nervous system, we feel irritable and depressed. We feel weak if they back up into the heart, bloated if they reach the stomach and our breath is foul if they reach the lungs. If the poisons try to escape through our skin, rashes and blotches develop, or we look pale and our skin appears wrinkly. If the toxins make it to the glands, we feel fatigued, lethargic, our sex drive may cease and we appear to look much older than our actual age.
"Lingering demise"
The 20th century’s most recognized colon expert, the legendary Dr. Norman Walker, D. Sc., Ph.D. writes the following: "The elimination of undigested food and other waste products is equally as important as the proper digestion and assimilation of food. In fact, I can think of nothing more significant and vital than preventing the danger of inevitable effects of toxemia and toxic poisons that are a result of the neglect and failure to expel feces, debris, and waste matter from the body. Few of us realize that failure to effectively eliminate waste products from the body causes so much fermentation and putrefaction in the colon that the neglected accumulation of such waste can, and frequently does, result in a lingering demise!"(5)
The most common sign of a toxic colon is chronic constipation. Constipation is commonly defined as a condition where the fecal matter is so tightly packed together that bowel movements are infrequent and incomplete, causing much difficulty and straining, and producing dry, hardened feces. The accumulation of this old, hardened feces sticks to the walls of the colon, inhibiting its proper function of absorbing the remaining nutrients. Instead it is forced to absorb the toxins from the build-up and fight the parasites that make this debris their breeding ground. The passage through which the feces are forced to travel is also greatly reduced in diameter so the stools become much narrower, even as thin as a pencil sometimes. In our society, bowel movements of the chronically constipated may be looked upon as normal. It is not uncommon for doctors to tell their patients, "It’s okay to move your bowels only once a week. That must be normal for you." This, by the way, is a complete fallacy!
Indispensable fiber
This widespread problem begins with our unhealthy Western diet that is deficient in plant fibers. Fiber is indispensable in maintaining a healthy colon. A person with a healthy colon should in fact have two to three bowel movements per day, shortly after each meal. With the help of fiber, elimination should be complete, fast and easy. (See transit time graph.) The stool should be light brown in color, long and large in diameter, fluffy in texture and floating on top of the water. There should be no offensive odor and it should break apart with the toilet flushing. Going to the bathroom once every few days, sitting there straining for half an hour and passing black, hard pebbles that drop to the bottom is not only abnormal, it is also serious trouble waiting to happen.
Dietary fiber plays a crucial role in the proper function and maintenance of the colon. For colon cleansing it is best to use a fiber supplement designed specifically for this purpose. Good-quality supplements contain both soluble and insoluble fiber and are formulated to loosen the stool, absorb and sweep away fat and toxins, reduce transit time, and make elimination effortless and complete.
The role of fiber
- Binds toxic chemicals preventing their absorption
- Binds bile acids lowering serum cholesterol levels
- Increases bulk and softness of feces, reducing pressure on colon walls
- Decreases transit time of fecesParasites - What to expect during cleansing
When we start using an effective fiber supplement, we can expect some startling occurrences within a few days. The fiber goes to work immediately by loosening the hardened feces on the walls of the large intestine and gradually sweeping it out of the body. If we are not repulsed to look at what’s leaving our body, we’ll be surprised to see a lot of mucus and all the different colors of debris. It’s hard to believe that all these things could actually be lurking inside us. What’s even more shocking is that among the different colors people often notice various forms of parasites.
This is unfortunately a lot more frequent than most would like to believe. According to United Nations data: "Overall, about 1.5 billion people have roundworms, making it the third most common human infection in the world. Whipworm infects 1 billion people… More than 1.3 billion people carry hookworm in their gut, and 265 million people are infected with schistosomes."(6)
It is true that most of these infections occur in developing countries, but the rate of parasitic-related disorders in North America is skyrocketing. An astounding number of people would test positive for parasites. This is from the Parasitology Department of the University of Cambridge, England: "Pinworm. An extremely common nematode infection, particularly in temperate areas such as Western Europe and North America… It has been estimated that the annual incidence of infection is over 200 million, this probably being a conservative figure. Samples of caucasian children in the USA and Canada have shown incidences of infection of 30% to 80%, with similar levels in Europe."
Humans can actually play host to more than a hundred different types of parasites, ranging from microscopic ones to tapeworms that are several feet long. Contrary to popular belief, parasites are not restricted to our colon alone, but can be found in any other part of the body - in the lungs, the liver, in the muscles and joints, in the esophagus, the brain, the blood, the skin and even in the eyes!
"Parasites are the missing diagnosis in the genesis of many chronic health problems, including diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and endocrine system. Most individuals would be truly amazed if they knew the extraordinarily high number of Americans who are unknowingly infected by parasites…" – Dr. Hermann R. Bueno, Fellow of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene of London
It is extremely easy to come in contact with parasites. Contaminated water, undercooked meats, improperly washed fruits and vegetables, are just some of the common sources of infections. Transmission from pets or other infected persons is also quite common. Overuse of antibiotics further adds to this problem as this can interfere with normal intestinal flora and lower the body’s resistance.
What are some of the symptoms of parasite infection?
One of the most popular books ever written on the topic of parasites is Guess What Came to Dinner by the well-known nutritionist, Ann Louise Gittleman. In this book she explains what parasites are, why they are harmful, and how they are spread. This is what she says: "Over half of all Americans will at some point in their lives become hosts to parasites, according to health experts. Since the effects of infection reach far beyond the gastrointestinal tract, it behooves all of us to be on the alert for the wide array of bodily symptoms that signal the presence of parasites. Signs and symptoms may come about during initial exposure, shortly after that exposure, or many months later. What many of us are attributing to old age, stress, or plain old poor health may, in fact, be due to an uninvited guest."
She explains that the symptoms of parasitic diseases are often mistaken for other common health conditions: "The warning signs for parasites are also symptoms of other common illnesses. For this reason, parasitic infections are often misdiagnosed and ensuing treatment does not result in the alleviation of symptoms or disease. When symptoms continue even after a course of treatment, parasite-screening procedures should be initiated. The following are warning signs for parasites:
CONSTIPATION - Some worms, because of their shape and large size, can physically obstruct certain organs. Heavy worm infections can block the common bile duct and the intestinal tract, making elimination infrequent and difficult.
DIARRHEA - Certain parasites, primarily protozoa, produce a prostaglandin (hormone-like substances found in various human tissues) which creates a sodium and chloride loss that leads to frequent watery stools. The diarrhea process in parasite infection is, therefore, a function of the parasite, not the body's attempt to rid itself of an infectious organism.
GAS AND BLOATING - Some parasites five in the upper small intestine where the inflammation they produce causes both gas and bloating. This situation can be magnified when hard-to-digest foods such as beans and raw fruits and vegetables are eaten. Persistent abdominal distention is a frequent sign of hidden invaders. These gastrointestinal symptoms can persist intermittently for many months or years if the parasites are not eliminated from the body.
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME - Parasites can irritate, inflame, and coat the intestinal cell wall, leading to a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and malabsorption of vital nutrients, particularly fatty substances. This malabsorption leads to bulky stools and steatorrhea (excess fat in feces).
JOINT AND MUSCLE ACHES AND PAINS - Parasites are known to migrate and encyst (become enclosed in a sac) in joint fluids, and worms can encyst in muscles. Once this happens, pain becomes evident and is often assumed to be caused by arthritis. Joint and muscle pains and inflammation are also the result of tissue damage caused by some parasites or the body's ongoing immune response to their presence.
ANEMIA - Some varieties of intestinal worms attach themselves to the mucosal lining of the intestines and then leach nutrients from the human host. If they are present in large enough numbers, they can create enough blood loss to cause a type of iron deficiency or pernicious anemia.
ALLERGY - Parasites can irritate and sometimes perforate the intestinal lining, increasing bowel permeability to large undigested molecules. This can activate the body's immune response to produce increased levels of eosinophils, one type of the body's fighter cells. The eosinophils can inflame body tissue, resulting in an allergic reaction. Like allergy, parasites also trigger an increase in the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE).
SKIN CONDITIONS - Intestinal worms can cause hives, rashes, weeping eczema, and other allergic?type skin reactions. Cutaneous ulcers, swellings and sores, papular lesions, and itchy dermatitis can all result from protozoan invasion.
GRANULOMAS - Granulomas are tumor-like masses that encase destroyed larva or parasitic eggs. They develop most often in the colon or rectal walls but can also be found in the lungs, liver, peritoneum, and uterus.
NERVOUSNESS - Parasitic metabolic wastes and toxic substances can serve as irritants to the central nervous system. Restlessness and anxiety are often the result of systemic parasite infestation.
SLEEP DISTURBANCES - Multiple awakenings during the night, particularly between 2 and 3 a.m., are possibly caused by the body's attempts to eliminate toxic wastes via the liver. According to Chinese medicine, these hours are governed by the liver. Sleep disturbances are also caused by nocturnal exits of certain parasites through the anus, creating intense discomfort and itching.
TEETH GRINDING - Bruxism - abnormal grinding, clenching, and gnashing of the teeth - has been observed in cases of parasitic infection. These symptoms are most noticeable among sleeping children. Bruxism may be a nervous response to the internal foreign irritant…
CHRONIC FATIGUE - Chronic fatigue symptoms include tiredness, flu-like complaints, apathy, depression, impaired concentration, and faulty memory. Parasites cause these physical, mental, and emotional symptoms through malnutrition resulting from malabsorption of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and especially vitamins A and B?12.
IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION - Parasites depress immune system functioning by decreasing the secretion of immunoglobulin A (IgA). Their presence continuously stimulates the immune system response and over time can exhaust this vital defense system, leaving the body open to bacterial and viral infections."
Fiber supplements help to get rid of parasites, but they are not enough. We need to use specific herbal formulas to deal with this issue. Some of the most potent herbs for parasite cleansing include Black Walnut hulls, Wormwood, Pau D’Arco, Garlic, Yellow Dock, Pumpkin seed, Male Fern root, False Unicorn, Fenugreek, Grapefruit Seed extract and Prickley Ash bark.
Personal experiences
To better explain what one might expect during an internal cleanse, I will share some personal experiences of others who have already been through it. Cleansing and detoxification played a fundamental role in my studies to become a Naturopathic Doctor. It is also something that I have been actively engaged in for many years. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say, "I’ll never forget my first colon cleanse". But I don’t want to bore you with my modest story instead I will embarrass some people very close to me – with their permission of course.
Once I completed my first cleanse, which consisted of a fiber supplement, anti-parasite capsules and a detoxifying tea, I managed to convince my husband to also give it a try. He ended up continuing the program for three months and throughout this period not a day went by without something rather "unusual" leaving his body. His stools, much like those of my other "victims", contained a lot of mucus, chunks of debris that resembled cooked liver, long black twisted rope-like pieces, and the things he was most ashamed of – parasites.
Unfortunately, when someone’s body is infested with parasites, the critters can sometimes pick a very unruly time to leave their "nest". What happened to my girlfriend, Donna, is a perfect example of such an occurrence. She was already a couple of weeks into the program when she was driving to her mom’s house. She got such a strong urge to empty her bowels that she had to pull off the highway and run for the nearest bush. Donna was never a very queasy person, but even she was shocked when she left an approximately 12-inch long roundworm behind.
My husband’s childhood friend was also on the program for a couple of weeks when interesting things started happening. He was beside himself when he called us late one evening:
"I’ve been standing over the toilet for an hour. I can’t imagine where these things could possibly be coming from! One is about 25 inches long, the other looks to be about 15 inches. I don’t know what they are, but I do know that I’ve never eaten anything that resembles these!"
He was only 33 years old at the time and for three weeks straight he kept passing the strangest and grossest things one could imagine. If this happens to such a young person, what "surprises" could someone much older be harboring?
More energy – Better state of mind
Despite the sometimes shocking effects of this program, all of us who’ve tried it have become big fans of internal cleansing and would not let a year go by without repeating it. Only when we see with our own eyes the many years of built-up debris, not to mention the parasites, do we realize the possible serious consequences of not eliminating these toxins. This also helps remove any doubt that detoxifying our colon on a regular basis is an indispensable part of maintaining our good health.
My conviction on the topic has led me to write numerous articles on the importance of cleansing/detoxification. Through my publications I have come to know of thousands of people who have also completed the said colon cleanse. Hundreds of letters attest to their overall satisfaction with the program. In fact, the majority is so thrilled with the experience of renewed energy and improved state of mind that they have incorporated regular cleansing into their daily lives.
"The secret to great health"
In my opinion, we are not going to change the catastrophic situation where every second person is chronically ill until we place as much emphasis on internal cleansing as we do on external hygiene, such as brushing our teeth or washing our hands. If you are middle-aged, you’ve taken about 15,000 showers in your lifetime, and you’ve brushed your teeth close to 30,000 times. Still, you won’t stop doing that just because you’ve done it so many times. Here’s an interesting question: If you have to keep cleansing your skin and teeth daily, then wouldn't you think it makes equal sense to clean the inside of your body at least periodically?
Of course detoxification should not be limited to the colon. It is just as important to detoxify the liver, kidneys, arteries, and in general, every cell in the body. [See Dr. Fauszt's article about whole-body detoxification.] But internal cleansing must start with the colon, because if this region is kept unclean, it will contaminate every other part of the system.
The importance of internal cleansing can best be summed up in the words of Dr. Paul Bragg, one of the "fathers" of alternative medicine in the U.S. and the author of dozens of highly successful health books: "The secret to great health can be described in three words: Cleanse Your Body! Engrave these three words permanently in your memory."
REFERENCES:
(1) Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH: SOFT DRINK "POURING RIGHTS": MARKETING EMPTY CALORIES
(2) Russel L. Blaylock, M.D.: Excitotoxins, The Taste that Kills; Health Press 1997
(3) Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D.: Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management, ISBN 0960836071
(4) Linda Berry: Internal Cleansing; Prima Publishing 1997
(5) Norman Walker, D.Sc., Ph.D.: Colon Health: The Key to a Vibrant Life, Norwalk Press
(6) UNICEF: The State of the World’s Children 1998
Dr. Toth Hardy is a Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Nutrition Consultant. She is Director of the Global Institute For Alternative Medicine. She is a member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association and the American Association of Nutritional Consultants.