Parasite Cleansing: Got Worms Anyone?

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When I first heard of human parasites a few years ago I wondered why I hadn’t learned of this important health topic sooner. Upon delving into the disturbing realm of worms, I decided to do a cleanse. After less than a week of cleansing, my husband and I found that we had intestinal parasites! This post provides some brief information on harmful parasites and what we did to get rid of them.

Parasites are organisms that can be found mooching off practically any part of the body but are commonly found in the intestines. Parasites steal the minerals, vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids from your body while causing damage to tissues/organs. Parasites also release toxic metabolic waste into your system that can make you quite sick.

Parasites are surprisingly common, infecting the brain, blood, liver, and many other parts of the body. Over 1.5 billion people in the world have intestinal parasites alone.

There are many different types of parasites humans can acquire, including roundworm, hookworm, pinworm, flatworm, tapeworm, and flukes. Around 70% of parasites are microscopic, and therefore invisible to the naked eye.

Some symptoms of a parasite infection:

– Brain fog/memory issues
– Mood swings
– Headaches
– Fatigue
– Teeth grinding
– GI issues, including bloating, indigestion, gas, constipation, and diarrhea
– Food allergies
– Vertigo
– Susceptibility to illnesses
– Skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, rashes, and sensitivities
– Hunger
– Malnourished/muscle wasting
– Respiratory issues

How does someone get parasites?

If you are alive and breathing it is likely you’ve come into contact with parasites at some point in your life. Parasites can be obtained in a number of ways, including through:
– Contaminated water
– Contaminated foods
– Lakes/streams
– Soil/dirt (walking barefoot)
– Domestic animals
– Touching surfaces an infected person has touched
– From an infected mother to the developing baby in the womb
Some parasites travel through the skin (such as the soles of your feet) to different organs in the body (particularly the intestines) to live and lay eggs.

What we did to naturally and gently rid our body of parasites

We started with an anti-parasite diet and after a few days incorporated supplements to flush them out.

*Before doing a parasite cleanse it’s critical to make sure your drainage pathways are open (elimination routes and organs), including sweat, urination/defecation, lymphatic system, liver, kidneys, and bile ducts.*

Diet:
Parasites thrive off of sugar (they love it!). Our anti-parasitic diet looked pretty similar to the paleo diet; no sugar (including maple syrup, honey, and high glycemic fruits), no grains (they can quickly turn to sugar and tend to cause inflammation in the gut), no toxic oils like canola (added inflammation on the gut), preservatives (no pre-made/out-of-a-box foods – hard to break down), or parasite-prone meats (meat is a big carrier of parasites, especially bottom-feeders like pork and shellfish). What we ate was a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, legumes, potatoes, grass-fed beef, wild caught fish, and chicken. Some anti-parasitic foods you may want to add extra of include onions, garlic, oregano, apple cider vinegar, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, and papaya (a study found papaya seeds cleared intestinal parasites in 78% of the subjects tested).

Supplements:
Diet is super helpful in deterring parasites, but to really crack down on the little guys we also took supplements that would eliminate them. We started the diet and the intestinal mover a few days prior to the other supplements to make sure our systems were clear/draining well before focusing on the parasites. We followed this protocol for 8 weeks (though you could effectively do 2-4 weeks), with the addition of some grains and natural sugars to the diet after the first few weeks. Here is what we took and a brief description of what it does:

Mimosa Pudica – Kills the parasites and helps to drag the bodies out.
Formula 1 – Kills parasites through powerful herbs, including neem and clove.
Zeolite – Toxin/heavy metal binder (binders are a very important part of a parasite cleanse without which you can have worsened die off effects, like headaches, mood swings, flu-like symptoms, stomach pain, etc.).
Fulvic acid – Different type of detoxifier, also found in the Formula 1.
Intestinal mover – Natural laxative/colon cleanser (parasite cleansing can make you a tad constipated, but it is important to go as often as you can and eliminate the parasites as soon as they die, since they release toxins as they decompose that can make you feel quite ill.
High strength probiotic
Biocidin – Additional powerful parasite killing herbs.

There are many wonderful herbs that can kill parasites throughout different parts of the body, such as black walnut (contraindications) for intestinal parasites and wormwood for parasites in the bloodstream (think malaria). The supplements we took have a variety of herbs for overall parasite elimination, though we were primarily focusing on the gut.

*The timing in which you take these supplements, relative to food and one another, is important so as not to cause ineffectiveness. Make sure to read the manufacture’s instructions for dosing and time frames, especially with the Mimosa Pudica and Formula 1 which need to be taken away from food and other supplements.*

I found Microbe Formulas to be the best brand for buying Mimosa Pudica Seed, they also have a parasite protocol and a collection of supplements to support that process already in place. If you’re interested in a simplified parasite cleanse kit, I would recommend their Full Moon Kit.

I had great results from following this parasite cleanse; I no longer wake up “starving” in the night, I don’t grind my teeth while I sleep anymore, my eczema is gone and hasn’t returned, I go to the bathroom more frequently instead of leaning toward constipation, and I have little to no mood swing days! I have been working on a healthy lifestyle and mindset for years, and I don’t contribute my current health to this parasite cleanse alone, but it was a great step forward in my healthy life journey!