The terrifying dangers of parasites you don’t hear about

When you consider parasite dangers and the diseases they cause, you probably think it’s an issue confined to underdeveloped nations or tropical climates.

But the truth is most citizens of North America have no clue how prevalent these organisms are in their daily life. Physicians completely overlook (or do not know) the possibility that Americans and Canadians experience parasitic infections, too.

So, if you don’t have to live in a tropical or sub-tropical region to be in danger, you’d be wrong…

Parasites are bad news and getting worse

A parasitic infection can lead to seizures, blindness, pregnancy complications, heart failure, and even death.

In the United States alone, more than 60 million people are chronically infected with toxoplasma gondii (found in the feces of cats, undercooked meat, and unwashed vegetables). That’s just one of many parasites the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued warnings on.

A parasite is an organism that gets nourishment from or at the expense of the host. As they syphon off nutrients, mild symptoms can go unnoticed at first.  When a patient begins to wonder about their declining health or energy, they’re often misdiagnosed or ignored by doctors unless they’ve traveled recently.

In National Geographic’s award-winning documentary, Body Snatchers, they reported, “Parasites have killed more humans than all the wars in history.”

Parasites are probably the most diverse of all biological forms and yet, by definition, remain implacably hostile to humans. Of the 7.8 billion acres of potential arable land on Earth, only 3.4 billion acres can be farmed. Most of the rest cannot be developed because of parasitic infections such as malaria, trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis, and onchocerciasis.

In other words, less than half the farmable land is available because of parasitic infestation. In Africa alone, an area the size of the United States cannot be farmed because of trypanosomes (blood parasites). Many millions in South America have never experienced a healthy day in their lives because of these unicellular parasitic protozoa.

Domestic animals and cattle die quickly upon contracting them. Humans may survive but trypanosomes invade every organ and tissue in the body. They have a special attraction to your lymphatic system and brain, with disastrous consequences (sleeping sickness).

Parasites are everywhere

With the ease of international travel, the danger of parasite exposure has exploded. They’ve been able to spread rapidly and uncontrolled across every land mass on Earth. When a new parasite invades a population where there is low or zero natural immunity, the results can be catastrophic.

Parasites are some of the most successful and abundant creatures on the planet.

It has been said that one group (nematodes or roundworms) are so plentiful that if everything on Earth was removed except them, you’d still be able to see the shape of the hills, the animals, trees, and humans!

They are everywhere. In the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Every single living organism is susceptible to invasion. Even bacteria have parasites!

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 3.5 billion people are infected with some type of parasite. The world population is 7 billion, which translates into 50% of the people on the planet are infected. In actuality, the infection rate is likely much higher (between 94% and 98%).  Most people simply aren’t aware that they’re hosting a parasite.

Worldwide, 15.6% of all female deaths and 16.7% of all male deaths are caused by parasite infections. Malaria remains the number one killer infection in the world. It is classified as a parasitic disease.

What parasites do to your health

Where the immune system is strong, the infected host generally remains well. However, if overall immunity is compromised, these infestations can be source of serious symptoms.

Most parasites do not kill their host outright (it’s not in their best interest) but they can make life difficult and painful while keeping you alive.

Severe allergic reactions may manifest, where the cause is not obvious unless diligently searched out. Fatal anaphylaxis has been documented. Competition for nutrients from parasites will inevitably lead to micro- and macro-nutrient deficiency. This in turn can lead to chronic health problems from compromised immunity.

All of this raises your risk of succumbing to a disease not related to parasitic infection – yet caused by it all the same. Parasites must be part of the clinical ecology picture. This is not a sick body problem but a healthy body being damaged by extraneous factors. Parasites are just another type of toxic body burden. One we cannot afford to ignore anymore.

Parasites, even when present in significant numbers, may not be the sole cause of the patient’s problems but merely a contributive overload factor. Here’s a list of the most common parasitic infections and their side effects:

• Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a parasite (Trichomonas vaginalis) that often produces no symptoms. May cause itching, redness, irritation, and an unusual discharge in your genital area.
• Giardiasis is an intestinal infection (from a parasite called Giardia lamblia) that can lead to diarrhea, gas, upset stomach, greasy stools, and dehydration.
• Cryptosporidiosis is another intestinal infection (from the parasite Cryptosporidium) that causes stomach cramps, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, weight loss, and fever.
• Toxoplasmosis is one of the world’s most common and easily transmitted parasitic infections (Toxoplasma gondii) that mimics flu-like symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, and muscle aches or pains that can last for over a month.

How do you know if you’re affected?

Could the dangers of parasite invasion be affecting you? You should suspect parasites if you regularly experience tiredness, listlessness, loss of appetite, irritability, insomnia, vague aches and pains (not confined to bowel), swings in bowel habit, flatulence, inappropriate hunger, skin rashes, itching anus, or itching ears.

The good news is that most of these parasitic infections can be prevented and many are treatable. However, these infections often go undetected and untreated.

Most people don’t know they’re infected, at risk, or may not have access to appropriate care.  Health care providers (particularly in developed countries) are unfamiliar with parasitic infections, don’t consider them as a probable cause, and may not diagnose or treat them appropriately.  There is a limited understanding of how many are infected or who is at risk.

Parasites are transmitted in a number of ways…

• Domesticated pets
• Infected water
• Raw (unpasteurized) milk
• Uncooked or undercooked foods
• Other humans who are infected
• Insect populations (such as mosquitoes)
• Animal populations (such as pigs, cattle, and even raccoons)
• Ectoparasites (ticks and fleas)

As you can see from transmission, many of these sources of parasitic exposure are controllable, preventable, or avoidable entirely.

Filtering water, preparing food properly, safe sexual practices, controlling exposure to insects and external parasites (ticks and fleas), and simple hand washing can help you avoid the dangers of parasites in many cases.

If you suspect parasitic infection, speak to your doctor about testing and treatment. If you don’t bring it up (and live in a developed nation), it will likely not occur to him/her to check!

For more information about parasites and methods to avoid or treat them, read my book “The Parasite Handbook!”