The question of how to get rid of parasites in the body has become topical.
The article describes what helminths are, where or how they become infected, how to quickly get rid of parasites and how to properly treat themselves at home.
How does the body become infected with parasites?
According to statistics, more than 4 billion people suffer from helminthiasis. Most types of parasites have been living in the human body for many years, practically nothing about themselves, and the patient writes off the malaise from intoxication with the waste products of parasites for ordinary fatigue or problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
So why do so many people suffer from helminthiasis? The main problem is that it will not be difficult for even a very wealthy person who observes personal hygiene to "catch" parasites. Parasites often appear in children because they have not fully developed hygiene skills.
The most common options for infecting the body:
- alimentary route of infection - parasites enter the human body through food, water and dirty hands;
- contact-household - infection through touching household items and through contact with infected household members or pets;
- transmissible - infection with parasites through the blood when bitten by insects;
- percutaneous - the larva penetrates the skin upon contact with the ground or when swimming in bodies of water.
Usually parasites enter the human body through the mouth. Especially often in this way, helminths appear in children who, for example, playing in the sandbox, then pull dirty fingers into their mouths.
To prevent infection of the body in this way, you need to strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene and carefully monitor that the child only eats washed fruits and vegetables.
Please note that the eggs of the worms are covered with a sticky compound, thanks to which they adhere firmly to surfaces, so you need to thoroughly wash the food before cooking or eating.
There is a fairly common disease - giardiasis. It is infected by drinking untreated water from the mains or by swallowing water from an open reservoir.
Dogs and cats carry more than a dozen dangerous parasites. If the family has pets, then you need to pay attention to the prevention of infection with parasites: to vaccinate animals and after walking on the street, be sure to wash their paws.
There are certain types of insects (mosquitoes and flies) that carry the eggs of parasites and protozoa.
Parasites can enter the human body through the skin. For example, walking barefoot on the beach, vacationers run the risk of getting hookworm infection: helminth larvae enter the bloodstream through the skin, and then into the small intestine.
A disease called schistosomal dermatitis (bather's itch) is widespread.
You can become infected with this type of parasite by swimming in a pond, where feces of a sick person got into with poorly treated drains.
There is a high risk of contracting parasites through the consumption of poorly processed food.
Beef and pork meat is especially dangerous - cattle and pigs are carriers of such parasites as bovine and pork tapeworm.
The disease caused by these parasites is called cysticercosis. The presence of the parasite can be determined by checking the carcass in special laboratories.
With extreme caution, you need to eat the meat of wild animals, for example, wild boars, bears - they can live with Trichinella bacteria, which cause trichinosis.
The disease is often fatal. Experts warn not only to beware of meat, but also to be careful when buying lard.
Types of helminths
There are many worms that can parasitize the human body. It is worth considering the most common types of helminths.
Roundworms live in the small intestine, the length of the parasite is 15 - 40 cm. The eggs of these parasites leave the body along with the feces and are in the soil, which is why you need to thoroughly rinse vegetables from the beds before serving.
This type of parasite provokes allergic reactions, internal bleeding, disrupts the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, causes general weakness and decreased performance.
Pinworms enter the human body through contact and everyday life. The length of adults is 4 - 12 mm. One of the most characteristic symptoms of enterobiasis is itching in the anus.
Trichocephalosis (infection with whipworms) is characterized by symptoms such as seizures, frequent migraines, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea, constipation, nausea, in severe cases, vomiting).
Trichinella are thin worms, 4-5 mm long. Their infection of the body occurs through poorly processed pork or poultry meat.
Symptoms of the disease: the face becomes puffy, fever appears, muscles ache.
A few days after infection, the temperature rises sharply, sometimes it becomes painful to blink. Trichinosis can even be fatal.
Bovine tapeworm is a long worm, can reach up to 10 m in length. The worm can appear in the body of a person who consumes poorly cooked meat.
The danger of infection exists for housewives who taste minced meat during cooking. The disease causes headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and problems with appetite.
Wide tapeworm - the length of the worm is up to 15 m. It is dangerous for the organisms of those who consume poorly processed river fish.
The characteristic manifestations of infection are the appearance of bright cracks or spots on the tongue. Symptoms of diphyllobothriasis are mild: it can be salivation, weakness, sleep problems, etc.
Infection of the body with dwarf tapeworm (the length of adult worms is only 3 - 5 cm) often occurs in public places.
Hymenolepiasis causes a general decrease in performance, stomach problems, even epileptic seizures.
Echinococcus is a parasitic organism, infection occurs through contact with cats and dogs. Its length is 5-6 mm.
Helminth can affect any organ in the body, respectively, the clinical picture will be different in each case.
Sometimes only surgical intervention helps to get rid of this parasite in the body.
Siberian fluke is a small worm 4 - 13 mm long. The parasite enters the body by eating fish cooked without sufficient heat treatment.
Opisthorchiasis gives a high temperature, which can last for several months, jaundice and problems with the gastrointestinal tract may appear.
How do worms appear?
There are many symptoms that indicate the presence of parasites in the body.
It is worth sounding the alarm if a person suddenly began to lose weight without restricting himself in food - this is one of the sure signs of the appearance of helminths in the body.
A sharp weight gain, in which diets are powerless, can also indicate the presence of parasites in the body.
If, for no good reason, insomnia and problems with performance appeared, you began to get tired quickly, headaches became more frequent, an allergy developed that had never happened before, then you must definitely go to the clinic for a specialist to diagnose the presence of worms in the body.
Stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation and other problems with the gastrointestinal tract can also indicate the appearance of parasites in the body.
So, the following signs may indicate the appearance of worms in the body:
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract - frequent diarrhea and constipation, abdominal pain, most often in the navel, periodic vomiting, bloating;
- problems with the central nervous system - dizziness, nausea, migraines, fever, sometimes fever;
- allergy - itchy skin, rash, cough appear;
- decreased immunity - chronic diseases may worsen, diseases of the nasopharynx or problems with the reproductive system may appear.
If you notice signs of infection with worms, then be sure to take the time to go to the doctor.
A professional will tell you how to get rid of parasites in the best way, and tell you what medications should be used to solve your specific problem.
Choosing the right drug will increase the effectiveness of your treatment and speed up your recovery.
By the way, it is important to remember that if one person in the family is infected with parasites, then there is a high probability of their detection in the body of the rest of the household. In such situations, doctors advise each family member to be examined and undergo prophylaxis.
How to treat helminthiasis with drugs?
If the suspicion of the presence of parasites in the body was confirmed by tests, then it's time to think about how to get rid of the worms.
The appearance of parasites in the body can lead to serious health problems, so the only option is to get treatment as soon as possible.
Most often, doctors suggest getting rid of parasites in the body with medication. The most suitable drug for removing parasites from the body will be recommended by a specialist.
Antiparasitic agents treat enterobiasis, ascariasis, necatorosis, toxoplasmosis. Various side effects are possible, for example, allergies, insomnia, diarrhea, migraines.
Treatment of parasites at home
Few people like to go to the clinic once again and stand in line for an appointment with a doctor, so the question of how to get rid of parasites at home is relevant. In addition to drug treatment, you can treat parasites and folk methods.
There are a huge number of ways to get rid of parasites in the human body without resorting to pharmacological drugs:
- onion tincture: chopped onion is mixed with vodka, pour the mixture into a half-liter jar, insist for 10 days. After the onion is removed from the tincture, the liquid is taken in the amount of two tablespoons before meals;
- decoction of onions: finely chopped onions must be mixed with water and boiled. Dosage: 50 - 100 ml 2-3 times a day before meals;
- horseradish and garlic tincture: chopped horseradish and garlic are mixed with vodka (25 grams of each component), let it brew for 10 days. Dosage: 3 times daily before meals;
- enema with a decoction of garlic: mix 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of tansy and half a liter of milk, boil the resulting composition for 10 minutes, then cool the broth and make them an enema 2 times a day. Need to run a weekly course
Garlic is very popular among the people.
There are a number of recipes for using it:
- soften the garlic in the oven and put on the navel for an hour. You can take a few cloves of softened garlic inside;
- a few hours before bedtime, make enemas from garlic, grated and mixed with water;
- apply thinly chopped garlic to your feet for the whole day. While walking, juice is secreted from the garlic and, being absorbed into the skin, penetrates into the blood;
- for the treatment of worms in children, a mixture of grated garlic with boiled milk helps. It is recommended to take such a "cocktail" 2 times a day, 400 ml.
Do not get carried away with folk remedies, because modern medicine has a huge arsenal of various pharmacological drugs that allow you to quickly and effectively get rid of parasites.