Almost all of us have had to deal with the 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 helminthiasis of various types.
The pharmaceutical industry regularly produces modern products designed to neutralize parasites in the human body; folk remedies for helminthiasis, complementing traditional treatment, have also not lost their importance.
About helminths
About 250 types of parasites 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 very quickly become sexually mature, after which they acquire the ability to lay ten to one hundred thousand eggs per day.
These eggs remain stable for a long time, even if the conditions in which they are located are not the most favorable. Types of organisms affected by parasites, according to their stage of development:
- the last 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 complete development cycle many times and live in it for several decades. For different types of parasites, humans can be either the final or intermediate host, as can shellfish, fish and carnivores. According to the type of biological cycle, cases of parasite infection are classified as:
- biohelminthiases - the development of helminths occurs in organisms of various types;
- geohelminthiasis - helminth eggs spend part of their development cycle in the soil, without an intermediate host.
How does parasite infection occur?
The ways in which helminths enter the human body are very different; they depend on social characteristics, natural and climatic factors and food preferences. The main methods of infection with helminths:
- Through dirty hands, contaminated water, poorly processed food.
- When you inhale dust particles that contain worm eggs.
- Through the skin.
- After biting mosquitoes as intermediate host (Wuchereria bancrofti).
- When you eat contaminated seafood, meat, fish (trematodes).
The dietary habits of some northern peoples suggest the use of lightly salted and raw fish. In this population, the prevalence of trichinosis and echinococcosis is high.
What organs are affected by helminthiasis?
Helminth damage can be localized in many organs and tissues. The localization of the helminth depends on the stage of its development, so the same type of worm in different stages of its existence can parasitize in different parts of the intestine. Organs affected by helminthiasis:
- Colon - roundworms, pinworms.
- Duodenum - Strongyloides stercoralis.
- Lymphatic vessels.
- Lungs – Paragonimidae.
- Subcutaneous tissue - Larva migrans.
- Helminths parasitize the organs and hollow tissues of 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 themselves (Trichinella, Toxocara). There is a type of helminths that migrate in the larval stage both under the skin of a person and in the tissues of his organs (larva helminths).
Their temporary stay in the human body takes the form of the inside and the skin; 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. Their duration:
- acute phase - from 2-3 weeks to several months;
- Chronic phase - from 2-3 months to several years.
Despite the variety of types of helminths and their localization, 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 rash,
- swelling of the limbs,
- enlarged lymph nodes,
- indigestion,
- enlargement of the spleen and liver,
- damage to the central nervous system.
A laboratory blood test shows a change in its formula - eosinophilia and a significant increase in the number of leukocytes are diagnosed. The transition of helminthiasis to the chronic phase is characterized by symptoms depending on the organ 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:
- indigestion and intestinal pain,
- intestinal obstruction,
- hemorrhagic colitis,
- 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 the migration of worms into the vagina),
- stomach and intestinal ulcers (with chronic strongyloidiasis),
- muscle tissue damage, granuloma formation in brain capillaries (with severe trichinosis),
- damage to the lymphatic system (due to infection with nematodes).
With helminthiases caused by echinococci, not only liver cysts are formed, but bone tissue can be damaged by parasites. This makes the 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 joint is able to move through the thickness of the skin and mucous membrane.
Analyzing the symptoms of helminthiasis, you can be convinced that there is no stable clinical picture of this disease or clear specific signs.
Diagnosis of parasite infestation
If an accurate diagnosis is not made in time, you may miss the time when the treatment could be more effective.
The transition of helminthiasis from the acute phase to the chronic form often masks the true cause of the disease.
Infection with parasites can be confused with symptoms of completely different diseases. It is extremely important not to self-medicate, but to seek medical help from an infectious disease specialist or parasitologist. His arsenal includes many modern methods for diagnosing parasitic infections:
- Laboratory examination of feces, bile, saliva, blood, urine, rectal and anal mucus scrapings, duodenal contents for the detection of parasites, their eggs and larvae;
- Ultrasound, X-ray;
- 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 detect the presence of parasites even in the early stages of infection.
Treatment of parasitic infection with traditional methods
Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic therapy and the time of the post-treatment control study.
All recommendations of specialists must be followed carefully to avoid complications.
It is needless to remind you to observe preventive hygiene measures that will prevent parasites from infecting family members and secondary infections.
Supporters of the use of traditional recipes should remember that the use of these tools is an auxiliary method that does not replace drug treatment.
Like medicines, traditional medicine has contraindications and side effects. That is why it is worth discussing this method with your doctor before using them. Home Remedies:
- Consume peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks, keeping the thin green skin on the seed.
- A decoction of the peel is removed from a pomegranate in 3/4 tsp. boiling water. The medicine is drunk on an empty stomach, it must be done an hour and a half before, dividing the decoction into three doses. After a few hours, be sure to stimulate the stool with a laxative.
- Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be done every day for 7 days.
- Regular consumption of garlic and preparations containing it.
- Inserting a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiasis).
- Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) together with warm milk (1 glass), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the intake 1-2 times during the day.
- Infusion of 50 g of a mixture of garlic and chopped horseradish root in half a liter of vodka. The mixture is infused for 1. 5 weeks, filtered. Mandatory dose - 1 tablespoon. l. Before each meal, the infusion should be washed down. Effective for giardiasis.
- A garlic enema taken just before bed is effective against worms and tapeworms. Enema solution: mix 1 spoon in a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. Do it regularly throughout the week.
- Boil 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. l. dried tansy flowers are administered as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Perform 7 times, the treatment effect can be consolidated by repeating the course after a ten-day break.
Plants and fees:
- 1 spoon. dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of boiling water, strain and cool, take an infusion of 1-2 tablespoons. l. three times a day before each meal. Effective against ascariasis and enterobiasis.
- Pour tansy (1 spoonful of dried flowers) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water for 3 hours and enter as an enema in the rectum before going to bed. The product is contraindicated for pregnant women and children.
- Infusion for half an hour from 4 tablespoons. l. unripe nuts and a glass of boiled water with salt, filtered and taken simultaneously with a laxative. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiasis.
- 1 tablespoon. l. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the tansy flowers and filter the infusion after an hour. The frequency of acceptance is standard - Art. l. 20 minutes before meals. So you need to be treated for 2-3 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 couple of spoons of sugar should be added to it. The volume of the final product is 1 glass of decoction, you should drink 1-2 sips a day before meals.
Helminthiasis 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 prescriptions should be used with extreme caution, only as an adjunct to accompany drug therapy.