Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (52 page)

Yeasts possibly play a role in causing health problems in children with scores of 60 or higher.

Yeasts probably play a role in causing health problems in children with scores of 100 or higher.

Yeasts almost certainly play a role in causing health problems in children with scores of 140 or higher.

Source: Used with permission from William Crook,
The Yeast Connection and Women’s Health
. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers, 2003.

Though we think of parasites as something we get from traveling in other countries, it’s not true. According to the June 27, 1978,
Miami Herald
, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one out of six randomly selected people had one or more parasites. Genova Diagnostics Laboratory routinely surveys stool samples that come into the lab for parasites. I had a conversation about this with Patrick Hanaway, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer at Genova Diagnostics Laboratory. In stool samples coming from people who have symptoms that meet the diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome, parasites were discovered in 23.5 percent of 14,000 stool samples. The most common ones were Blastocystis hominis (12.5 percent), Dientamoeba fragilis (3.8 percent), Entamoeba species (3.4 percent), Endolimax nana (2.2 percent), and Giardia lamblia (0.7 percent). More than 130 types of parasites have been found in Americans. Parasites have become more prevalent for many reasons, including contaminated water supplies, day-care centers, ease of international travel, foods, increased immigration, pets, and the sexual revolution. Most people will meet a parasite at some point in their lives. Contrary to popular myths, having parasites isn’t a reflection of your cleanliness.

If you have prolonged digestive symptoms, you should really consider having a comprehensive parasitology screening. Some symptoms of parasites can appear to
be like other digestive problems: abdominal pain, allergy, anemia, bloating, bloody stools, chronic fatigue, constipation, coughing, diarrhea, gas, granulomas, irritable bowel syndrome, itching, joint and muscle aches, nervousness, pain, poor immune response, rashes, sleep disturbances, teeth grinding, unexplained fever, and unexplained weight loss. Most doctors use random ova and parasite testing (O & P), which misses many parasites, so repeated testing is often necessary to get definitive results. For example, in order to rule out giardia with O & P, you’d have to do eight tests before you’d be sure.

Cryptosporidium, giardia, and Clostridium difficile can easily be tested through stool antigen tests. The most accurate testing is done by laboratories that specialize in parasitology testing. Some labs recommend inducing diarrhea with an oral laxative in order to detect parasites that live further up the digestive tract. Other parasites may be found by using a rectal swab rather than a stool sample. Still others use PCR genetic testing.

While I typically recommend natural approaches for most health issues, I recommend pharmaceutical treatment for parasites, which can be followed up with probiotics and sometimes more herbal balancing.

Check if yes.

1.
Have you ever been to Africa, Asia, Central or South America, China, Europe, Israel, Mexico, or Russia?

2.
Have you traveled to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Hawaii, or other tropical islands?

3.
Do you frequently swim in freshwater lakes, ponds, or streams while abroad?

4.
Did you serve overseas while in the military?

5.
Were you a prisoner of war in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam?

6.
Have you had an elevated white blood count, intestinal problems, night sweats, or unexplained fever during or since traveling abroad?

7.
Is your water supply from a mountainous area?

8.
Do you drink untested water?

9.
Have you ever drunk water from lakes, rivers, or streams on hiking or camping trips without first boiling or filtering it?

10.
Do you use plain tap water to clean your contact lenses?

11.
Do you use regular tap water that is unfiltered for colonics or enemas?

12.
Can you trace the onset of symptoms (intermittent constipation and diarrhea, muscle aches and pains, night sweats, unexplained eye ulcers) to any of the above?

13.
Do you regularly eat unpeeled raw fruits and raw vegetables in salads?

14.
Do you frequently eat in Armenian, Chinese, Ethiopian, Filipino, fish, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Pakistani, Thai, or vegetarian restaurants; in delicatessens, fast-food restaurants, steak houses, or sushi or salad bars?

15.
Do you use a microwave oven for cooking (as opposed to reheating) beef, fish, or pork?

16.
Do you prefer fish or meat that is undercooked, i.e., rare or medium rare?

17.
Do you frequently eat hot dogs made from pork?

18.
Do you enjoy raw fish dishes like Dutch green herring, Latin American ceviche, or sushi and sashimi?

19.
Do you enjoy raw meat dishes like Italian carpaccio, Middle Eastern kibbe, or steak tartare?

20.
At home, do you use the same cutting board for chicken, fish, and meat as you do for vegetables?

21.
Do you prepare gefilte fish at home?

22.
Can you trace the onset of symptoms (anemia, bloating, distended belly, weight loss) to any of the above?

23.
Have you gotten a puppy recently?

24.
Have you lived with, or do you currently live with or frequently handle pets?

25.
Do you forget to wash your hands after petting or cleaning up after your animals and before eating?

26.
Does your pet sleep with you in bed?

27.
Does your pet eat off your plates?

28.
Do you clean your cat’s litter box?

29.
Do you keep your pets in the yard where children play?

30.
Can you trace the onset of your symptoms (abdominal pain, distended belly in children, high white blood count, unexplained fever) to any of the above?

31.
Do you work in a hospital?

32.
Do you work in an experimental laboratory, pet shop, veterinary clinic, or zoo?

33.
Do you work with or around animals?

34.
Do you work in a day-care center?

35.
Do you garden or work in a yard to which cats and dogs have access?

36.
Do you work in sanitation?

37.
Can you trace the onset of symptoms (gastrointestinal disorders) to any of the above?

38.
Do you engage in oral sex?

39.
Do you practice anal intercourse without the use of a condom?

40.
Have you had sexual relations with a foreign-born individual?

41.
Can you trace the onset of symptoms (persistent reproductive organ problems) to any of the above?

MAJOR SYMPTOMS

Please note that although some or all of these major symptoms can occur in any adult, child, or infant with parasite-based illness, these symptoms might instead be the result of one of many other illnesses.

Adults

1.
Do you have a bluish cast around your lips?

2.
Is your abdomen distended no matter what you eat?

3.
Are there dark circles around or under your eyes?

4.
Do you have a history of allergy?

5.
Do you suffer from intermittent diarrhea and constipation, intermittent loose and hard stools, or chronic constipation?

6.
Do you have persistent acne, anal itching, anemia, anorexia, bad breath, bloody stools, chronic fatigue, difficulty in breathing, edema, food sensitivities, itching, open ileocecal valve, pale skin, palpitations, PMS, puffy eyes, ringing of the ears, sinus congestion, skin eruptions, vague abdominal discomfort, or vertigo?

7.
Do you grind your teeth?

8.
Are you experiencing craving for sugar, depression, disorientation, insomnia, lethargy, loss of appetite, moodiness, or weight loss or gain?

Children

1.
Does your child have dark circles under his or her eyes?

2.
Is your child hyperactive?

3.
Does your child grind or clench his teeth at night?

4.
Does your child constantly pick her nose or scratch her behind?

5.
Does your child have a habit of eating dirt?

6.
Does your child wet his bed?

7.
Is your child often restless at night?

8.
Does your child cry often or for no reason?

9.
Does your child tear her hair out?

10.
Does your child have a limp that orthopedic treatment has not helped?

11.
Does your child have a brassy, staccato-type cough?

12.
Does your child have convulsions or an abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG)?

13.
Does your child have recurring headaches?

14.
Is your child unusually sensitive to light and prone to blinking frequently, eyelid twitching, or squinting?

15.
Does your child have unusual tendencies to bleed in the gums, the nose, or the rectum?