Almost all of us had to deal with the manifestations of helminthosis. These parasites have been living together with humans for so long that Hippocrates himself mentioned them in his writings. According to WHO statistics, more than five billion people on Earth currently suffer from various types of helminthiasis.
The pharmaceutical industry regularly produces modern products designed to neutralize parasites in the human body, folk remedies for helminthiasis that complement traditional treatment have not lost their relevance.
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 sizes range 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 alive 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 the stage of development:
- the last host in which helminths can develop to the stage of sexual maturity;
- an intermediate host in which helminths live up to one of their developmental stages.
In the body of the final host, the parasite can complete its full development cycle many times and live there for several decades. For different 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 parasite infection are classified as follows:
- biohelminthiases - the development of helminths occurs in various types of organisms;
- geohelminthiasis - helminth eggs spend part of their development cycle in the soil without an intermediate host.
How does a parasite infection occur?
Ways of helminths entering the human body are very diverse, they depend on social characteristics, natural-climatic factors, food preferences. The main methods of infection with helminths:
- Through dirty hands, contaminated water, poorly processed food.
- When inhaling dust particles containing worm eggs.
- Through the skin.
- After a mosquito bite as an intermediate host (Wuchereria bancrofti).
- When eating contaminated seafood, meat, fish (trematode).
The dietary habits of some peoples of the North suggest the use of lightly salted and raw fish. The prevalence of trichinosis and echinococcosis is high in this population.
What organs does helminthosis affect?
Helminth damage can be localized in many organs and tissues. The localization of the helminth depends on its stage of development, so the same type of worm can parasitize in different parts of the intestine at different stages of its existence. Organs affected by helminthosis:
- Large intestine - roundworms, pinworms.
- Duodenum - Strongyloides stercoralis.
- Lymph vessels.
- Lungfish - Paragonimidae.
- Subcutaneous tissue - Larva migrans.
- Helminths are parasites in the hollow organs and tissues of the human body.
Depending on the location of the parasites, helminth infections are divided into types:
- tissue (echinococcosis, cysticercosis);
- luminal (teniasis, enterobiasis, ascariasis).
In the larval stage, some helminths change the tissues of the human body and form capsules or granules around themselves (Trichinella, Toxocara). In the larval stage, there is a type of helminth that migrates both under the skin of a person and in the tissues of his organs (larval helminths).
Their temporary settlement in the human body takes both visceral and skin forms, for which humans are intermediate hosts.
Clinical manifestations of helminthosis
Like many other infections, helminthiasis goes through two stages of development: acute and chronic. Their duration:
- acute stage - from 2-3 weeks to several months;
- chronic stage - from 2-3 months to several years.
Despite the different types of helminths and their localization, the symptoms of the acute stage have common manifestations - they 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,
- 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 stage is manifested by symptoms depending on which organ is affected by the parasites, the stage of development of the worms, their number and variety. In the chronic stage of helminthosis, the following symptoms are diagnosed:
- dyspepsia 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 localized in the brain),
- inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (with the migration of pinworms into the vagina),
- stomach and intestinal ulcers (with chronic strongyloidosis),
- damage to muscle tissue, formation of granulomas in the capillaries of the brain (with severe trichinosis),
- damage to the lymphatic system (due to infection with nematodes).
With helminthosis caused by echinococci, not only liver cysts are formed, but also bone tissue can be damaged by parasites. This makes the bones brittle and increases the risk of further fractures. Damage to the human body by the larvae of Dirofilaria repens occurs in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous nodule containing parasites. This knot can pass through the thickness of the skin and mucous membranes.
Analyzing the symptoms of helminthiasis, one can make sure that there is no stable clinical picture or clear specific symptoms of this disease.
Diagnosis of parasitic infection
If an accurate diagnosis is not made in time, you may miss the time when treatment can be most effective.
The transition of helminthosis from an acute stage to a chronic form often masks the real cause of the disease.
Infection with parasites can be mistaken for 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. In its arsenal there are quite modern methods for diagnosing parasitic infections:
- laboratory examination of feces, bile, sputum, blood, urine, rectal and anal mucous membranes, duodenum 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 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 determines the timing of anthelmintic therapy and a control study after treatment.
All specialist recommendations must be carefully followed to avoid complications.
There is no need to remind to observe hygienic preventive 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 drugs, traditional medicine also has contraindications and side effects. Therefore, it is worth discussing with your doctor before using this method. Home remedies:
- Consume peeled pumpkin seeds with the thin green skin on the seed for 2 weeks.
- 3/4 tablespoon of a decoction of the peel removed from a pomegranate. Hot water remedy is drunk on an empty stomach, it should 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 any laxative.
- An enema with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be done every day for 7 days.
- Regular use of garlic and preparations containing it.
- Injection of a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiasis).
- Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) with warm milk (1 glass), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the intake 1-2 times a day.
- Infusion of a mixture of 50 g of garlic and grated horseradish root in half a liter of vodka. The mixture is brewed for 1. 5 weeks and filtered. Mandatory dose - 1 tbsp. l. The infusion should be washed before each meal. Effective for giardiasis.
- A garlic enema with oatmeal taken shortly before bedtime is effective against pinworms and tapeworms. Enema solution: mix 1 tsp in a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. Do it regularly during the week.
- Decoction of 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. l. dried tansy flowers are applied as an enema. The enema mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Perform 7 times, the effect of treatment can be strengthened by repeating the course after a ten-day break.
Herbs and Fees:
- 1 ch. q. dried wormwood, pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of boiling water, strain and cool, brew 1-2 tablespoons. l. three times a day before each meal. It is effective against ascariasis and enterobiosis.
- Tansy (1 tablespoon of dried flowers) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water are brewed for 3 hours and given as an enema to the rectum before going to bed. The product is contraindicated for pregnant women and children.
- Infusion of 4 tablespoons for half an hour. l. unripe walnut and a glass of salted boiling water, strained and taken at the same time as a laxative. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiasis.
- 1 tablespoon. l. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the tansy flowers and strain the infusion after an hour. Reception frequency is standard - Art. l. 20 minutes before meals. So, you need to be treated for 2-3 days, and finish the infusion with laxatives.
- 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 tablespoons of sugar should be added to it. The volume of the final product is 1 glass of decoction, you need to drink 1-2 sips a day before meals.
Helminthoses are complex infections with a multicomponent clinical picture. They can cause serious complications and cause irreversible damage to human health.
It is not permissible to self-medicate when infected with parasites. Traditional recipes should be used with extreme caution, only as an adjunct to drug therapy.