A Parasite in the Human Body

The relationship between parasites and humans goes back a long way, to evolution in fact. Many a parasite can only reach maturity in a human body, including tapeworms Taenia saginata or Taenia solium. Other species, like certain types of pinworms, feed exclusively on humans for their entire life cycle. This means the battle against parasites is not easily won. We have to work against thousands of years of evolutionary development driving these parasites to infest humans for survival.

Keeping ourselves free of parasites becomes an even tougher task when considering that in the human body parasite presence can be asymptomatic. This means parasites can be in your system for decades, infecting muscle tissue and even your nervous system without you knowing. Some parasites actually feed on your tissue and body organs while others consume your digested food, stealing away the nutrients that fuel body function.  When parasites present symptoms, they can include nausea, abdominal cramping, and weakness. In the long term, they can cause malnutrition, constant fatigue, infections, and even neurological damage. 

Medical testing for parasites can be unreliable considering that more than 1,000 species of parasites can infest humans with only about 50 detectable in normal screenings. Those tests are not always accurate, leaving even more to chance. Luckily, the serious damage caused by a long-term parasite infestation in the human system is slow to come, so prevention and early treatment can keep you healthy. Frequent bathing, regular housekeeping, cooking meat thoroughly, avoiding water in developing countries, and washing your hands regularly – especially after contact with pets or soil – are good prevention methods. An herbal parasitic cleanse twice a year can destroy any parasites that make it passed your safeguards.