What does it mean when it comes to parasites in the human body? In medicine, parasites are called various pathogenic micro- and macro-organisms that are like parasites inside or outside the host, and feed on it well.
Such parasites include a large family of pathogens of infectious, somatic and parasitic diseases of humans: helminths (worms), viruses, fungi, insects, bacteria, protozoa, rickettsiae and others.
Human parasitic diseases are caused by arthropods, helminths, multicellular parasites and protozoa - plasmodia, lamblia, trichomonas and toxoplasma.
Mechanism of transmission of parasitic pathogens
Parasites from the external environment enter the human body in a variety of ways. For example, helminths enter the digestive tract with dirty hands, insufficiently washed greens, vegetables, berries and fruits. After the introduction of some or other parasites into the body, a person begins to suffer from ascariasis, toxocariasis, enterobiasis, echinococcosis, alveococcosis. In the environment, parasite larvae and eggs can often be found in water or soil contaminated with feces.
At low temperatures or drying, parasites do not die, they retain their viability for many years. Young children become infected through contact with infected toys, laundry, sand from the sandbox. The highest risk of contracting parasitic diseases is recorded in those who like to taste everything.
And also among the category of people who do not respect personal and industrial hygiene. Pork, as well as bovine tapeworm (teniaza and teniarinhoza) enters through the mouth into the digestive tract with meat products that are not sufficiently heat-treated. Fish that are insufficiently heat-treated or slightly salted can be infected with fluke larvae (the cause of opisthorchiasis) and tapeworm. The same goes for fish roe.
In some countries with hot and humid climates, some parasites (filariae and heartworms) are transmitted by the bites of flies, ticks, mosquitoes and fleas. In medicine there is such a name - reinvasion. This is a condition of re-infection with parasites of people who have a habit of biting their nails. Medical statistics claim that any person on earth suffers from a parasitic invasion at least once in their life, mostly at the age of 14.
Parasites in the human body - symptoms of the disease
Today, medicine has data on 250 species of helminths that parasitize on the skin, digestive system, as well as on the tissues and internal organs of a person. While in the intestines, they cause acute pain of varying intensity, discomfort in the abdominal cavity, on the basis of which the patient feels nausea, vomiting, frequent insufficiently formed stool or constipation.
Helminths cause the development of diabetes mellitus, arthritis, eye diseases, cholecystitis, cystitis, hepatitis, urethritis, pancreatitis, myocarditis, pneumonia (pneumonia). Now it makes no sense to describe the symptoms of all the above diseases, the description of which is available on the relevant pages of the site.
Parasites, receiving food from the host, cause a lack of iron, protein, potassium, amino acids, manganese, vitamins and many other useful microelements in his body. In this context, patients complain of general weakness, severe fatigue, headache. Even with good nutrition, these patients lose weight. But sometimes obesity occurs with metabolic disorders that occur in some helminthiasis: bovine tapeworms and broad tapeworms.
Nails and hair become dull and broken. Continued ill health associated with vitamin B deficiency can lead to anxiety, nervousness, and unexplained irritability in adults. And appropriate behavior is observed in children. Pathogens that parasitize the liver cause poor sleep with frequent waking in the morning. Patients have impaired memory, poorly assimilate educational materials, and communication with others is somewhat difficult.
Swine tapeworm cysticercus enters the brain tissue, contributing to the occurrence of convulsive epileptic seizures. There are also violations of speech and vision, movement and sensitivity, delirium and hallucinations, loss of consciousness. The abundance of severe symptoms often leads doctors to suspect the formation of brain tumors.
Patients complain of interruptions (arrhythmia) in the work of the heart, palpitations, itchy skin with a rash on the surface. The presence of parasite larvae in the lungs causes the development of obstructive bronchitis and even bronchial asthma. The bronchial tree is often affected by the larvae of ascaris and toxocara, cysticercus, or swine tapeworms.
Less often, parasites infect the inner layers of the skin, causing discomfort in the form of crawling and swarming, scabies. All types of pathogens of parasitic diseases are able to actively suppress the protective properties of the host organism. The mechanism of pathology consists in the production of antienzymes from parasites that prevent the digestion of food.
Based on this, intestinal infections, acute respiratory diseases, poisoning and colds appear, there is a real risk of developing oncological pathologies. A clinical blood test indicates signs of anemia (anemia), eosinophilia, folate, protein, vitamin B12, and iron deficiency.
In various helminthiasis, the above symptoms and some others are noticed. It all depends on the location of the parasite. Eye diseases are possible: uveitis, conjunctivitis, damage to the lens and retina, and even complete loss of vision.
Diagnosis of parasites in the human body
Before prescribing a course of treatment, a doctor who examines the patient in detail to clarify the diagnosis of the disease. This will be aided by a bacteriological examination of the feces containing the helminth eggs; porcine tapeworm larvae are often isolated in the conjunctival sac. Perennial adult roundworms several tens of centimeters long emerge from the rectum with active physical effort or exertion.
Eggs and larvae of all types of parasites are found by examining feces under a microscope. However, there are often difficulties in identifying the cause of the disease. They may not be seen in the feces. A biochemical blood test shows the presence of class G immunoglobulin and a state of immunity, which decreases when the parasites are affected. But this cannot serve as an indicator of the type of pathogen.
Therefore, research results may remain positive for several years. Of course, the presence of a large accumulation of parasites in the body leads to a significant decrease in immunity, a decrease in the titer of immunoglobulins or their complete absence. Class M immunoglobulin is found in the acute period of invasion, but in a short period of time. The presence of this immunoglobulin reliably indicates the presence of parasites in the body.
How to get rid of parasites in the body
The doctor prescribes treatment primarily to patients who have obvious signs of parasite infection: use of unwashed vegetables and (or) fruits, herbs, poorly processed slices, contact with animals, finger sucking and nail biting. In any case, the doctor individually prescribes a complex treatment, because improper therapy often leads to serious complications.
For example, taking anti-swine tapeworm drugs can lead to fragmentation of the pathogen and spread of its parts to various organs and to the consequences that follow.
Special preparations enable the solution of the simplest parasites. The treatment regimen is developed individually, taking into account the type of pathogen, possible side effects and the age of the patient. Usually, two or more courses of conservative therapy are performed at intervals of three weeks. Probiotics actively help fight parasites that have attacked the body, normalize the active microflora. Natural fermented dairy products - fermented baked milk, kefir and others - also help. Decomposition products of parasites (toxins) are efficiently removed from the body by a group of enterosorbents.
If the patient develops rashes and allergic reactions, antihistamines are added to the main treatment.
Folk remedies for parasites in the human body
Traditional medicine has many medicines and prescriptions against parasites. Our ancestors, not having modern medicines, successfully grew helminths with garlic, onion, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil, red pepper, ginger, mustard, horseradish, bitter wormwood, cloves, black and Manchurian walnuts, aura, tansy, pomegranate peel(mushrooms), carrots and strawberries.
Marigold, sausage, currant leaves, lespedets, sauerkraut, cumin and dill seeds, strawberries, birch leaves help solve the simplest parasites.
Recipes of traditional medicine for parasites
- Recipe # 1.Chop one medium-sized onion, pour a glass of boiling water into a thermos and leave for 12 hours, then filter. Drink all the contents on an empty stomach the next morning.
- Recipe no. 2.Mix 100 g of chopped pumpkin seeds with 100 g of sugar. Take orally in the morning before breakfast for 3 tbsp. spoons of the mixture and immediately drink 3 tbsp. spoons of castor oil.
- Recipe number 3.Pour a glass of boiling water with 2 tablespoons. spoons of crushed dried wormwood leaves, leave for three hours, strain. Treat for 10 days in a row, taking 3 teaspoons in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Recipe no. 4.Used for patients with sensitive stomach. Insist for 6 hours taken in 2 tbsp. spoons of chamomile bark and buckthorn in a glass of boiling water. Filter and drink the entire infusion in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Recipe no. 5.Mix 1 tsp. oak bark, buckthorn, tansy and chamomile medicinal. Insist the mixture for 6 hours in half a liter of boiling water. Filter and drink 100 ml in the morning before breakfast. The treatment is in all cases long - from 40 to 90 days. Despite the fact that the efficiency of herbal products is lower than the efficiency of pharmaceutical preparations, they improve the work of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, the general condition of the patient and do not allow re-infection. Choleretic herbs remove parasites from the gallbladder and ducts.
- Recipe # 6.Used to raise protozoa. 1 tbsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over the chopped saussure, leave to infuse for three hours and filter. 1 tbsp. 3 h / day before meals for 30-40 minutes.
- Recipe # 7.Also from protozoa. The composition includes equal parts of chopped peppermint and stalk herbs, elecampane root and sand immortelle flowers. Insist for 3 hours (2 tablespoons of the mixture in 500 ml of boiling water). ⅓ cups three times a day for a month before meals for 1 hour.
If there is no complete cure, repeat the course of therapy.