Almost all of us have had to deal with helminthiasis. These parasites have lived with humans for so long that Hippocrates himself spoke of them in his writings. According to WHO statistics, more than five billion people around the world suffer from various types of helminthiasis.
The pharmaceutical industry regularly produces modern products designed to neutralize parasites in the human body, folk remedies against helminthiasis complement the traditional treatment, but have not lost their relevance.
About helminths
About 250 species of parasites live in human tissues and organs. All of them are divided into two classes:
- flatworms (nemotodes);
- roundworms (cestodia and trematodes).
Their size ranges from a few millimeters to 10-12 m. The parasites mature sexually very quickly, after which they are able to lay tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of eggs a day.
These eggs survive for a long time, even in the most unfavorable conditions. Types of organisms affected by parasites according to the stage of development:
- the last host where helminths can develop to adulthood;
- intermediate host where helminths live up to one of the developmental stages.
In the body of the final host, the parasite repeatedly carries out its full cycle of development and can live there for several decades. For various types of parasites, humans can be both final and intermediate hosts, as can mollusks, fish, and carnivores. According to the type of biological cycle, cases of infection with parasites are classified as follows:
- biohelminthiasis - the development of helminths occurs in different types of organisms;
- geohelminthiasis - helminth eggs spend part of the developmental period in the soil without an intermediate host.
How does a parasitic infection work?
The ways in which helminths enter the human body are very different, they depend on social characteristics, natural-climatic factors, food preferences. The main ways of infection with helminths:
- Through dirty hands, contaminated water, poorly processed foods.
- When inhaling dust particles with worm eggs;
- Through the skin;
- After a mosquito bite as an intermediate host (Wuchereria bancrofti);
- When eating contaminated seafood, meat, fish (trematodes).
The nutritional characteristics of some northern peoples suggest the use of lightly salted and raw fish for cooking. The prevalence of trichinosis and echinococcosis is high in this population.
Which organs are affected by helminthiasis
Defeat by helminths can be localized in many organs and tissues. The localization of the helminth depends on its stage of development, so at different stages of its existence, the same type of worms 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 - Larvae migrans.
- Helminths parasitize hollow organs and tissues of the human body.
Depending on the location of the parasites, helminthiasis is divided into types:
- tissue (echinococcosis, cysticercosis);
- transparent (teniasis, enterobiosis, ascariasis).
Some larvae in the larval stage change the tissues of the human body to form capsules or granules around them (trichinella, toxocara). There is a type of helminth that migrates in the larval stage and under the skin of a person and in the tissues of his organs (larval helminths).
Their temporary stay in the human body takes the form of both visceral and skin, for which a human is an intermediate host.
Clinical manifestations of helminthiasis
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 phase have a common manifestation - they are symptoms of allergies and toxic effects on the human body:
- slight increase in temperature;
- muscle pain,
- skin rashes,
- edema of the extremities,
- enlarged lymph nodes,
- dyspepsia,
- enlargement of the spleen and liver,
- CNS damage.
Laboratory blood tests show a change in its formula - eosinophilia and a significant increase in the number of leukocytes. The transition to the chronic stage of helminthiasis is manifested by symptoms that depend on which organ the parasites are exposed to, the stage of development of the worms, their number and variety. In the chronic stage of helminthiasis, the following symptoms are diagnosed:
- dyspepsia and pain in the intestines,
- intestinal obstruction,
- hemorrhagic colitis,
- anemia,
- avitaminosis,
- acute weight loss
- obstructive jaundice, hepatitis (with liver damage),
- loss of some functions of the central nervous system (with localization of parasites in the brain),
- Inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs (when pinworms migrate to the vagina),
- gastric and intestinal ulcers (with chronic strontyloidosis),
- damage to muscle tissue, the formation of granulomas in the capillaries of the brain (with severe trichinosis),
- damage to the lymphatic system (in case of nematode infection).
Helminthiasis caused by echinococci not only causes liver cysts, but also parasites that can damage bone tissue. This makes the bones fragile and increases the risk of additional bone fractures. Defeat of the human body by Dirofilaria repens larvae occurs in the form of the formation of a subcutaneous nodule containing parasites. This knot can move in the thickness of the skin and mucous membranes.
By analyzing the symptoms of helminthiasis, one can be sure that the clinical picture of the disease is stable and there are no clear specific symptoms.
Diagnosis of parasitic infection
If you do not make an accurate diagnosis in time, you can miss the time when treatment can be most effective.
The transition from acute to chronic helminthiasis often obscures the true cause of the disease.
Infection with parasites can be confused with symptoms of completely different diseases.
It is extremely important to seek medical help from an infectious disease specialist or parasitologist, not to treat yourself. In its arsenal are quite modern methods for the diagnosis of parasitic infections:
- stool, bile, sputum, blood, urine, rectal and laboratory examination
- prianal itching of mucus, duodenal contents to detect parasites, their eggs and larvae;
- ultrasound, radiography;
- Endoscopy, endobiopsy.
The most effective method is a serological test - a method of analyzing blood serum for the presence of an antigen against infection with certain types of helminths.
This study can show the presence of parasites even in the early stages of infection.
Treatment of parasitic infections with folk remedies
Based on the results of the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic therapy, the timing of a follow-up study after treatment.
All the recommendations of a specialist should be carefully followed to prevent complications.
There is no need to remind family members to follow preventive hygiene measures to prevent parasitic infections and secondary infections.
Proponents of the use of folk remedies should remember that the use of these drugs is an adjunct that is not a substitute for drug treatment.
Like medicines, traditional medicines have contraindications and side effects. Therefore, it is worth discussing with your doctor before using this method. Home remedies:
- Take peeled pumpkin seeds for 2 weeks and keep a thin green peel on the seeds.
- 3/4 tablespoon is a decoction of pomegranate peel. Hot water. The remedy is drunk on an empty stomach, it should be done in an hour and a half, dividing the water into three doses. After a few hours, be sure to stimulate the stool with any laxative.
- Enemas with freshly squeezed carrot juice (40 ml) should be taken daily for 7 days.
- Regular use of garlic and preparations containing it.
- Insertion of a whole clove of garlic into the rectum (against enterobiasis).
- Take freshly prepared garlic juice (10-15 ml) with warm milk (1 cup), drink the mixture on an empty stomach, repeat the remedy 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 brewed for 1, 5 weeks, filtered. Mandatory dose - 1 tbsp. l. The infusion should be washed before each meal. Effective in giardiasis.
- Enemas with garlic oats taken some time before bedtime are effective for pinworms and tapeworms. Imala solution: Mix 1 tsp in a glass of water. finely chopped garlic. Exercise regularly throughout the week.
- A decoction of 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. l. Dried tansy flowers are applied as an enema. The mixture should be boiled for about 10 minutes. Perform 7 times, the effect of treatment can be determined by repeating the course after a ten-day break.
Herbs and fees:
- 1 ç. Pour 400 ml (2 tablespoons) of dried wormwood boiling water, filter and cool, infuse 1-2 tbsp. l. three times a day before each meal. Effective for ascariasis & enterobiosis
- Tansy (1 tablespoon dried flowers) and 0. 5 liters of boiling water leave for 3 hours and enter the rectum as an enema before bedtime. The drug is contraindicated in pregnant women and children.
- Infuse 4 tablespoons for half an hour. l. unripe walnuts and a glass of salted boiling water are filtered and taken at the same time as laxatives. Effective against tapeworm, ascariasis, enterobiasis.
- 1 st. l. tansy flowers pour 200 ml boiling water, an hour later the infusion is filtered. Admission frequency is standard - Art. l. 20 minutes before eating. So, you need to treat for 2-3 days, finish the infusion with a laxative.
- A decoction of 1 kg of herbs and 1 liter of boiling water is boiled for 2 hours (it is better to do it in a water bath), filtered, to which should be added a few tablespoons of sugar. The volume of the final product is 1 cup of broth, you need to take 1-2 sips a day before meals.
- Helminthiasis is a complex infection with a multicomponent clinical picture. They can cause serious complications and irreversible damage to human health.
Self-medication for parasites is not allowed. Folk recipes should be used with extreme caution, only as an adjunct to drug treatment.