INTESTINAL PARASITES

Am I carrying parasites in my body?
 

“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.”(10) United Nations data.

The rate of parasitic-related disorders in North America is skyrocketing. An astounding number of people would test positive for parasites. “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.” Parasitology Department of the University of Cambridge, England.

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

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Protozoa Found in Stool Specimens of Humans

Amebae

Flaggelates

Ciliates, Coccidia, Blastocystis

Nematode and Cestode Eggs

Trematode Eggs

Relative Sizes of Helminth Eggs

Hookworm and Strongyloides Larvae

Gravid Proglottids and Scoleces of Cestode Parasites of Humans

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H. Pylori - Blood Test

• Researchers believe that the bacterium H. pylori is responsible for the majority of ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.

• One in 10 Americans develops an ulcer at some time in his or her life.

• H. pylori infection is common in the United States: About 20 percent of people under 40 years old and half of those over 60 have it.

• Researchers are not certain how people contract H. pylori, but they think it may be through food or water.

An ulcer is a sore on the lining of the stomach or duodenum, which is the beginning of the small intestine. Peptic ulcers are common: One cause of peptic ulcer is bacterial infection, but some ulcers are caused by long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), like aspirin and ibuprofen. In a few cases, cancerous tumors in the stomach or pancreas can cause ulcers. Peptic ulcers are not caused by spicy food or stress.

Most infected people, however, do not develop ulcers. Why H. pylori does not cause ulcers in every infected person is not known. Most likely, infection depends on characteristics of the infected person, the type of H. pylori, and other factors yet to be discovered.

Researchers have found H. pylori in some infected people's saliva, so the bacteria may also spread through mouth-to-mouth contact such as kissing.

H. pylori weakens the protective mucous coating of the stomach and duodenum, which allows acid to get through to the sensitive lining beneath. Both the acid and the bacteria irritate the lining and cause a sore, or ulcer.

H. pylori is able to survive in stomach acid because it secretes enzymes that neutralize the acid. This mechanism allows H. pylori to make its way to the "safe" area--the protective mucous lining. Once there, the bacterium's spiral shape helps it burrow through the lining. H. pylori is diagnosed through blood, breath, stool, and tissue tests. Blood tests are most common. They detect antibodies to H. pylori bacteria. Blood is taken at the doctor's office through a finger stick.

Urea breath tests are mainly used after treatment to see whether it worked, but they can be used in diagnosis too. In the doctor's office, the patient drinks a urea solution that contains a special carbon atom. If H. pylori is present, it breaks down the urea, releasing the carbon. The blood carries the carbon to the lungs, where the patient exhales it. The breath test is 96 percent to 98 percent accurate.

Stool tests may be used to detect H. pylori infection in the patient's fecal matter. Studies have shown that the test, called the Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test, is accurate for diagnosing H. pylori.
 

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