Digestive parasites cause very unpleasant symptoms. My own experience of having H pylori and Blastocystis hominis was particularly unpleasant, with digestive issues and energy issues. In fact, they are the root cause of many chronic health problems. Unfortunately, Western medicine does not recognize parasites as a problem.
Parasites are easily transmitted from person to person or picked up in contaminated food and water or in day care centers and municipal swimming pools. The following ten parasites are regularly seen in patient stool samples:
#1 Helicobacter pylori
H pylori isn’t really a parasite, it’s a bacterium. It buries itself in the stomach and small intestine causing heartburn, reflux, gastritis, bad breath, bloating, and other digestive symptoms. It is known to cause 80% of stomach ulcers and 90% of duodenal ulcers. It can also lead to stomach cancer and possibly heart disease.
#2 Blastocystis homins
‘Blasto’ can cause virtually any digestive symptom and has been linked to arthritis and weight gain. It is the most common protozoan found in stool samples with at least 10% of the western population carrying the parasite.
#3 Cryptosporidium
‘Crypto’ is also a very common parasite. It is one of the classic diarrhea-causing parasites and there have recently been significant outbreaks in Milwaukee, Sydney (Australia) and Daventry (UK). Long-term Cryptosporidium infections can be very damaging, leading to intestinal destruction and nutritional deficiencies.
#4 Giardia lamblia
Giardia can cause the same or similar symptoms to Cryptosporidium. Smelly and greasy stools, wind, bloating, and diarrhea are common. This parasite can cause long-term symptoms, such as chronic fatigue.
#5 Entamoeba histolytica
‘MY. histo’ causes amoebic dysentery. It’s a very nasty bug. Severe diarrhea, fever, and vomiting often clear up on their own, but the parasite has the ability to migrate out of the gastrointestinal tract and invade the liver and other organs, where it causes abscesses. Chronic symptoms include mood problems, chronic fatigue, poor blood sugar control, and liver dysfunction.
#6 Dientamoeba fragilis
D. fragilis is another infection that causes diarrhea. Although it is usually not as serious as E. histo, it can cause a multitude of chronic symptoms.
#7 Strongyloides (roundworm)
I see worms quite often in customer stool samples. Adults live in the upper part of the small intestine. The larvae enter the body through the skin and then migrate to the lungs where they can cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing and runny nose. The larvae are coughed up and enter the GI tract where they mature. The adult worms cause symptoms similar to those of H. pylori and are often misdiagnosed as ulcer disease and GERD.
#8 Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)
Whipworm is relatively common and can cause symptoms similar to any of the parasites listed above, including bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.
#9 Enterobius vermicularis (pinworms)
Pinworm is generally considered a childhood infection, but it is also frequently seen in adults. It often doesn’t cause significant symptoms, but rectal itching is common.
#10 Necator americanus (hookworm)
In my experience, hookworm infections can be very unpleasant. Although worms are very small, because they attach themselves to the intestinal wall, they can cause significant damage to digestion and cause a great deal of stress on the body.
If you have unexplained chronic symptoms of any kind, suspect parasites are playing a role, even if you don’t have digestive symptoms. Click the link below to find out how to get tested.
