Something is bugging my patients. Several have come in with various complaints including nightly rectal itching, itchy scalp, gas, bloating, fatigue, weird poop and a craving to chew ice.I run my usual baseline labs and add Genova's comprehensive stool profile. Many are coming up positive for different parasites. Parasites were thought of as a developing world disease, but modern travel, global warming and immigration are increasing the numbers of cases diagnosed in the USA.
It is estimated that 250 million Americans have parasites.
I thought I should write a blog about common parasitic infections that my patients have that are affecting their baseline of health. Parasite infections go hand in hand with intestinal permeability or leaky gut. These infections can cause intestinal breeches in the mucosal membrane or you can be more susceptible to parasitic infections because you have leaky gut.
Whether it's the chicken or the egg it doesn't matter. What matters is eliminating the infection, repairing the mucosal membranes in the intestines and restoring normal colonization to prevent re-infestation. All patients with autoimmune conditions and cancer have leaky gut and most have parasitic infections that are undiagnosed and untreated.
The bugs, their secretions and their waste change your cell-to-cell biochemical signaling. The bugs run the show called your baseline of health. This affects all of your organ systems. Correct diagnosis and treatment are a key to getting your health back.
Modern medicine offers strong pharmaceuticals for a short period of time and I find that most of these infections have different stages and need longer treatment. Natural treatments might take a longer time frame, but you want to make sure that you catch and kill parasites at every stage in the life cycle. Our treatments don't damage the liver or create new insidious conditions.
