Almost all of us have had to deal with manifestations of helminthiasis. These parasites have coexisted with humans for so long that Hippocrates himself mentioned them in his writings. According to WHO statistics, currently more than five billion people on Earth are affected by various types of helminthiasis.
The pharmacological industry regularly produces modern products designed to neutralize parasites in the human body, and folk remedies for helminthiasis, complementing traditional treatment, have also not lost their relevance.
About helminths
There are about 250 species of parasites that live in human tissues and organs. All of them are divided into two classes:
- flatworms (nematodes);
- roundworms (cestodes and trematodes).
Their size varies from a few millimeters to 10-12 m. Parasites become sexually mature very quickly, after which they acquire the ability to lay ten to one hundred thousand eggs per day.
These eggs remain viable for a long time, even if the conditions in which they are found are not the most favorable. Types of organisms affected by parasites, according to their stage of development:
- the final host in which helminths can develop to the stage of sexual maturity;
- intermediate host, where helminths live until one of the stages of their development.
In the body of the final host, the parasite can complete its full development cycle many times and live in it for several decades. For several types of parasites, humans can be the final or intermediate host, as can shellfish, fish and carnivores. According to the type of biological cycle, cases of parasitic infection are classified into:
- biohelminthiasis - the development of helminths occurs in organisms of different species;
- geohelminthiasis - helminth eggs spend part of their development cycle in the soil, without an intermediate host.
How does parasitic infection occur?
The ways in which helminths enter the human body are very diverse and depend on social characteristics, natural and climatic factors and dietary preferences. The main methods of helminth infection:
- Through dirty hands, contaminated water, poorly processed food.
- By inhaling dust particles containing worm eggs.
- Through the skin.
- After a mosquito bite as an intermediate host (Wuchereria bancrofti).
- By eating contaminated seafood, meat and fish (trematodes).
The eating habits of some northern peoples suggest the use of raw, lightly salted fish. In this population, the prevalence of trichinosis and echinococcosis is high.
What organs are affected by helminthiasis?
Helminth damage can be localized to many organs and tissues. The location of the helminth depends on the stage of its development, therefore, the same type of worm at different stages of its existence can parasitize in different parts of the intestine. Organs affected by helminthiasis:
- Large intestine - roundworms, pinworms.
- Duodenum - Strongyloides stercoralis.
- Lymphatic vessels.
- Lungs – Paragonimidae.
- Subcutaneous tissue - Larva migrans.
- Helminths parasitize hollow organs and tissues in the human body.
Depending on the location of the parasites, helminth infections are divided into types:
- tissue (echinococcosis, cysticercosis);
- luminal (taeniasis, enterobiasis, ascariasis).
Some helminths in the larval stage transform the tissues of the human body, forming capsules or granules around them (Trichinella, Toxocara). There is a type of helminths that migrate in the larval stage both under a person's skin and in the tissues of their organs (larval helminths).
Its temporary residence in the human body takes visceral and cutaneous forms; for them, humans are an intermediate host.
Clinical manifestations of helminthiasis
Like many other infections, helminthiasis goes through two stages of development: acute and chronic. Its duration:
- acute stage – from 2-3 weeks to several months;
- chronic stage – from 2-3 months to several years.
Despite the variety of types of helminths and their location, the symptoms of the acute phase have common manifestations - these are symptoms of allergies and toxic effects on the human body:
- slight increase in temperature
- muscle pain,
- skin rashes,
- swelling of limbs,
- enlarged lymph nodes,
- dyspepsia,
- enlarged spleen and liver,
- damage to the central nervous system.
A laboratory blood test indicates a change in its formula - eosinophilia and a significant increase in the number of leukocytes are diagnosed. The transition of helminthiasis to the chronic stage is marked by symptoms that depend on which organ is affected by the parasites, the stage of development of the worms, their number and variety. In the chronic phase of helminthiasis, the following symptoms are diagnosed:
- dyspepsia and intestinal pain,
- bowel obstruction,
- colitis in hemorrhagic form,
- anemia,
- avitaminosis,
- sudden weight loss,
- obstructive jaundice, hepatitis (with liver damage),
- loss of some functions of the central nervous system (when parasites are located in the brain),
- inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (with migration of worms into the vagina),
- stomach and intestinal ulcers (with chronic strongyloidiasis),
- damage to muscle tissue, formation of granulomas in the capillaries of the brain (with severe trichinosis),
- damage to the lymphatic system (due to nematode infection).
In helminthiasis caused by echinococci, not only do liver cysts form, but bone tissue can be damaged by parasites. This makes bones brittle and creates an additional risk of bone fractures. Damage to the human body by Dirofilaria repens larvae occurs in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous nodule containing parasites. This node is able to move through the thickness of the skin and mucous membranes.
When analyzing the symptoms of helminthiasis, one can be sure that there is no stable clinical picture of the disease or clear specific signs.
Diagnosis of parasitic infestation
If an accurate diagnosis is not made in time, you could miss the moment when treatment could be most effective.
The transition of helminthiasis from the acute stage to the chronic form often masks the true cause of the disease.
Parasite infection can be confused with symptoms of completely different diseases. It is extremely important not to self-medicate, but rather to seek medical help from an infectious disease specialist or parasitologist. Its arsenal includes some modern methods for diagnosing parasitic infestations:
- laboratory examination of feces, bile, sputum, blood, urine, rectal and anal mucus scrapings, duodenal contents to detect parasites, their eggs and larvae;
- Ultrasound, radiography;
- endoscopy, endobiopsy.
The most effective method is considered to be a serological test - a method of analyzing blood serum for the presence of antigens for infection with certain types of helminths.
This test can reveal the presence of parasites even in the early stages of infection.
Treatment of parasitic infection with traditional methods
Based on the results of the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic therapy and the timing of the control study after treatment.
All specialist recommendations must be followed carefully to avoid complications.
It is not necessary to remind you to observe hygienic preventive measures that will prevent parasites from infecting family members and secondary infections.
Advocates of the use of traditional recipes need to remember that the use of these remedies is an auxiliary method that does not replace drug treatment.
Just like medicines, traditional medicine has contraindications and side effects. That's why it's worth discussing this method with your doctor before using them. Home remedies:
- Consume peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks, keeping the thin green skin of the seed.
- A decoction of the peel taken from a pomegranate in 3/4 tbsp. boiling waterThe medicine is drunk on an empty stomach, it must be done an hour and a half beforehand, dividing the decoction into three doses. After a few hours, stimulate the stool with any laxative.
- Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be done daily for 7 days.
- Regular consumption of garlic and preparations that contain it.
- Insert a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiasis).
- Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) along with warm milk (1 glass), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the intake 1-2 times a day.
- Infusion of 50 g of a mixture of garlic and grated horseradish root in half a liter of vodka. The mixture is infused for 1. 5 weeks, filtered. Mandatory dose – 1 tablespoon. I. Before each meal, the infusion must be watered. Effective for giardiasis.
- An enema with garlic gruel, taken just before bed, is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema Solution: Mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of water. chopped garlic. Do it regularly throughout the week.
- Decoction of 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. I. Dried tansy flowers are administered as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Carried out 7 times, the effect of treatment can be consolidated by repeating the course after a ten-day break.
Herbs and Fees:
- 1 teaspoon. dry wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of boiling water, strain and cool, take an infusion of 1-2 tablespoons. I. three times a day before each meal. Effective against ascariasis and enterobiasis.
- Infuse tansy (1 tablespoon of dried flowers) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water for 3 hours and administer as an enema into the rectum before bed. The product is contraindicated for pregnant women and children.
- Infuse for half an hour from 4 tbsp. I. green walnuts and a glass of boiling salted water, filtered and taken simultaneously with a laxative. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiasis.
- 1 Tbsp. I. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the tansy flowers and filter the infusion after an hour. The frequency of admission is standard – Art. 20 minutes before meals. Then you need to undergo treatment for 2 to 3 days, finish taking the infusion with a laxative.
- A decoction of 1 kg of sorrel and 1 liter of boiling water is boiled for 2 hours (it is better to do this in a water bath), filtered and a few spoons of sugar are added. The volume of the final product is 1 glass of decoction, and it should be drunk 1 to 2 sips a day before meals.
Helminthiases are complex infections with a multicomponent clinical picture. They can cause serious complications and cause irreversible damage to human health.
It is unacceptable to self-medicate when infected with parasites. Traditional recipes should be used with extreme caution, only as an adjunct to monitoring drug therapy.