Natural Parasite Cleanse: How Parasites Can Ruin Your Health

Before we really get into how to do a natural parasite cleanse, let me say: in a perfect world where our minerals were balanced, we would NOT be able to harbor these gross pests like parasites, yeast, bacteria, and viruses.  Bioavailable copper is the MOST critical nutrient for keeping these nasty things at bay.  Nearly everyone has a copper imbalance and other mineral deficiencies at this point- and these are just 2 of the major issues out there that are plaguing people.

That being said, it’s important to know that nearly everyone has parasites. They have different side effects for people because they can either live in your body without bothering you or they could completely ruin your health.  It all depends on your terrain and how strong your body is through your life. Some people can be harboring parasites for years, even decades, without ever noticing.  We pick up parasites from under-cooked foods (pork is a huge offender), unwashed produce, international travel, pets, and inadequate hygiene. They thrive in people that live on the Standard American Diet because of all of the sugar and processed carbs.

Before the Western world gave up on natural health, people used to actually de-worm themselves on a regular basis, usually with a spoonful of castor oil every so often.  Nowadays, we de-worm our pets but we never even think that we are susceptible to the same issues!  Times have changed so much that we ignore common sense.

Types of Parasites and How They Can Ruin Your Health

(Sourced from Body Ecology as this list was perfectly written)

• Tapeworms, which can grow as long as 60 feet while living in the human intestines. There are currently more than 5,000 different species of tapeworm.
• Hookworms. If given the chance, they will suck blood from our intestinal walls.
• Giardia, a single-celled parasite that is usually the result of drinking infected waters. It typically survives in chlorinated water and commonly lives in mountain streams, earning it the name, “backpacker’s diarrhea.” About 2.5 million cases are reported annually. (1)
• Blood flukes. They mature first in snails and then complete their life cycle by burrowing through human skin and swimming through veins. Blood flukes infect more than 200 million people. There are also other species of flukes found living in the liver, lungs, and pancreas.
• In the case of malaria, a new generation of parasitic microbugs will burst from a single red blood cell.
• Pinworms, the most common roundworm in the United States. Worldwide, roughly 209 million people are infected. (2) The most common sign of pinworm infestation is anal itching at night, which is when the female pinworm migrates to the perineum to lay her eggs. Children are the most common carriers.
• One of the most common parasites to infect human beings is the yeast-like Blastocystis hominis, a single-celled parasitic organism that causes abdominal cramping, bloating, gas, and sometimes anal itching.

How Do I Know if I Have Parasites?

1. Gut issues: This will be the most common and obvious problem if you have a parasite. Gut healing does take time but if you are on a gut healing protocol and not seeing any benefits, then it may be time to address a possible underlying parasitic infection. Heartburn, bloating, constipation, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain- any type of gut related symptom can be a clue.
2. FATIGUE: This seems like another obvious clue. If our bodies are being invaded by a foreign intruder, then we are not able to properly digest nutrients or eliminate toxins effectively.
3. Auto-Immune Disease: The strength of the immune system is key for regulating illness so when parasites are present, your immunity is very weak.  Over time, parasite infections, mineral imbalances, and gut issues lead to illnesses like lupus, MS, and RA.
4. SUGAR CRAVINGS: We tend to get sugar cravings when our bodies are craving energy.  Parasites can steal our food so we tend to lack nutrients that help us function.  Sugar gives us such a quick burst of energy so this is why it is such a common craving when health suffers.
5. Mental Distress: Anxiety, depression, bipolar, eye aches, visual hallucinations, behavioral changes, schizophrenia, a strange sensation that something is stuck in the head, and especially brain fog.  We all know about the connection between the gut and the brain. When we have critters in our gut, they severely interfere with nutrient absorption as well as neurotransmitter health.
6. Insomnia: This is especially true around the full moon when parasites tend to be more active.
7. Other symptoms: joint and muscle pain, acne, skin disorders, dark circles under the eyes, frequent infections, chronic swollen lymph nodes, inability to lose or gain weight, teeth grinding, and ESPECIALLY anal itching!

How do I Confirm a Parasite Infection?

Obviously the most common way of “diagnosing” parasites is to notice them in your stool. That doesn’t exactly tell you what kind they are but there are many general courses of treatment you can choose once you see them.  There are some stool tests that help figure out which kinds of parasites you have which is ideal so you know exactly what you are dealing with. A doctor can help figure out testing for you if you have a nice, cooperative, and knowledgeable doctor.  They can also help figure out whether natural remedies or clinical anti-parasitic drugs would be best for your personal condition.  There are several websites around that you can also order kits from like these from Walk In Lab.

There are DOZENS of natural treatments for eliminating parasites. It’s best to employ several techniques to help eliminate parasites in all 3 stages: eggs, larval and adult. Most experts say it is even more effective to use these foods/herbs/etc starting a few days before the full moon and continue them for at least a week afterwards.  The full moon is when the little monsters are most active so starting a full days before the moon can catch them off guard.

I offer GI Map testing along with HTMA testing here as well. You can click here to read more about GI Map testing. When it comes to parasite detox though, it is much better to go the way that I have been using for years now. Start with HTMA and then work on rebuilding your strength before jumping into detox of any pathogens or heavy metals. As natural health evolves, our knowledge of how the body works is increasing. We now know that all of the most common toxins stick together in the body: parasites, heavy metals, infections, and more. 

We all need the same basic foundational care in order to work on eliminating these toxins so I highly recommend starting with an entire healing plan before going right to parasite detox. Detoxification can be very hard on the body if one is nutritional depleted or if your detox pathways aren’t open.

Natural Parasite Cleanse Suggestions

These are just some of the most common ways that you can support the body to detox parasites and balance the microbiome.

1. Garlic- eat raw if possible
2. Eliminate processed sugars
3. Increase fiber intake and work on bile flow
4. Pumpkin seeds/oil/butter- these help to paralyze and eliminate parasites
5. Cloves– Cloves are the highest food source of manganese, an essential mineral that is critical for proper detoxification. Cloves help to kill parasite eggs especially.  Make a tea with cloves and sip through the day to get the benefit of this awesome herb. Or check out Earthley’s Gut Health Oil!
6. Gut healing supplements like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, fermented foods, and digestive bitters
7. Limit raw foods and eat plenty of high- quality protein to help strengthen your body with the essential amino acids for rebuilding tissue (think beef, gelatin/collagen, and eggs)
8. Wormwood/black walnut/cloves- This is part of the famous Hulda Clark parasite cleanse which is apparently effective for about 100 types of parasites.  Overall though, I prefer the Bioray items mentioned below for a good parasite cleanse as they are backed up by lab reports to work effectively.
9. Papaya seeds- you can read ALL about how to use papaya seeds here (study)
10. Castor oil Packs, especially over the liver and colon
11. Nutrients like zinc, vitamin C, copper and retinol- think pumpkin seeds, beef liver, beef, cod liver oil, whole food vitamin C supplement and citrus fruits. As I mentioned above, balancing copper is HUGE and is something we work on a lot with our HTMA plans.
12. Or check out this amazing herbal dewormer recipe that you can make yourself and control the dosage on.
13. BioRay products! I’m in love with BioRay Liver Life, and they have a few choices for getting rid of parasites too: Artemisia and Clove, Belly Mend, and Microbe Slayer. Read more here.
14. Fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, kimchi, etc- you want to increase your intake of GOOD bacteria to help balance the BAD. I highly recommend fermented foods over probiotics too because they tend to be less expensive, better absorbed, and the synergy of the bacteria in a natural source works so much better than a pill.
15. Look into HTMA and GI Map testing to assess the strength of your gut health and overall state of health.

The Main Symptoms of Parasite Die Off:

The only thing worse than knowing that you have a parasite inside of you is dealing with the effects of it dying off.  When parasites finally start dying, they get ANGRY.  They create all sorts of symptoms. The most parasite die off symptoms are: brain fog, anxiety, constipation (or the opposite), a feeling of being disconnected from oneself, insomnia, any gut flare-ups, anger, depression, hopelessness, headaches, skin crawling, fatigue, weakness, easy bruising, mood swings, and bad breath. However, please keep in mind that if you are feeling these symptoms extremely that it is likely a sign you are NOT ready for such intense detox. Please see the section above where I talk about HTMA testing as it’s the best place to start to get stronger before embarking on a parasite cleanse.

As any nasty thing starts to die inside of us, we can get ammonia build up.  The dead and dying yeast/parasites let off this horrible gas and it can overload your liver and brain. Ammonia can interfere with glucose metabolism as well, which can cause a whole other slew of symptoms, especially if you have adrenal fatigue.  When toxins start to move out of the body, they can create many uncomfortable symptoms.  This is usually a sign that your detox pathways are backed up and you either need to slow down or stop with heavy detoxing. Please take this seriously as I have seen many people take many steps backwards with trying to detox before their bodies are ready for it.

How to Get Through a Detox Reaction During a Natural Parasite Cleanse

• stay hydrated! Coconut water, nettle infusions, or just regular water can help with making sure you’re getting rid of whatever is floating around.
• Use binders like activated charcoal (helps in acute situations but not good long term) or Biotoxin Binder (best for long term issues as it won’t interact with nutrient absorption)
• use apple cider vinegar (1-2 tablespoons diluted in water)
• use dandelion tea or decoctions Anything that will help increase bile flow can really help too as bile is needed for removal of copper, most heavy metals, parasites, and yeast. Check out on my post on bile boosting here!
• Fiber like this powder from GOL is also great for ushering stuff out quickly.
• Rest more! About 80% of our energy goes into detoxing. If we’re pushing ourselves to go, go, go then we don’t have much energy left for healing.
• Also, legs-on-the-wall yoga pose, Buteyko breathing, meditation, and EFT are great ways to calm down and help release both toxins and emotions that may come up with a healing reaction.
• Going for a walk or grounding can also help!  
• try a salt flush if you are VERY backed up- I would not make this a first option but if you are incredibly uncomfortable and nothing else is working this can be helpful
• If you know what caused the reaction, stop it for a few days and give your body a chance to catch up. You can go back at a smaller amount when you are ready. This is why I prefer food, liquids, and tinctures for healing because it is so much easier to go slowly and gauge reactions.

Remember that these symptoms are TEMPORARY and are a sign that the buggers are finally going to leave you alone. Try to use several of the tips above to help eliminate them so your symptoms are more manageable. Enemas are probably the most effective way to get quick relief from any terrible symptoms. But keeping the colon moving is the MOST essential things to remember.  It may be hard but try to stay positive through the process and remind yourself that you are HEALING finally.

Sources and More Resources:

• http://www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=843071
• http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/parasites.htm
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC440118/
• http://wellnessmama.com/1969/bugs-in-your-belly/

Kristin

Welcome to Sassy Holistics! My name is Kristin, and I'm a Holistic Health Coach. I've been on the path to help people achieve better health using whole food nutrition, mineral balancing, and holistic healing principles for almost 7 years now.

The body is a whole and we must treat it as such! I have my Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Sciences, certificates in Herbal Studies from Herbal Academy, and I am constantly learning more about health to help my clients and followers.

My goal is to help you unleash your own inner healer! You already hold the power to heal inside you. My role is as a guide to help you realize this potential.