Advertising reports that all people are infected with parasites and need treatment.But is it so?
Who are parasites
The first thing to know: "parasites" and "worms" is not a disease, but a large group of very different infections.There are some common features:
- All parasites are more or less adapted to life within a person.
- They do not bring benefits to a person, but can cause considerable harm.
If advertising says about parasites in general, you can be sure: they want to cheat on you.
Talking about the treatment or diagnosis of parasites in general, without mentioning the type of infection, is as wrong as saying, for example, for damage, without specifying what kind of question.In terms of treatment and potential consequences, some parasitic infections differ from others, as a slight bruise from a fracture.
Which symptoms can cause parasites
Various parasitic infections are common in different countries.For many regions, there is still no accurate statistics for incidence.However, it is impossible to talk about the epidemic: not all people are infected, according to advertising, but only a few.
In Europe, about 15 parasitic infections are more common.
The most important thing is that you need to remember: different parasitic infections can cause various non -specific symptoms.This means that the same symptoms can be caused by many other causes.
Possible symptoms of major parasitic infections can be briefly described as follows:
| symptom | Infection |
| Cough | Ascariasis, toxocarosis, anquilostomosis, strungyloidosis, echinococcosis. |
| A rash on the skin, similar to allergies | Such a symptom can be observed when infected with all types of worms.If the rash is localized in a particular location (for example, standing), its cause may be anquilostomosis, stringedosis, toxocarosis or skistosomosis. |
| Itching in the anus or genitals | speaker |
| Fever, weakness, chills, severe abdominal pain | Lambiosis, opisthorchiasis, clonorchosis, trichinellosis, schistosomosis. |
| Long diarrhea (diarrhea) | Lambliosis |
| Long abdominal pain | Ascaridosis, ankylostomosis, infection with the bull cork, dihylobotriosis, trichocephalosis, strungyidosis. |
| Severe pain in the muscles | Trichinellosis, echinococcosis |
| Visual violation | Perhaps with many infections, including toxocarosis, ascariasis, toxoplasmosis, fasciolosis. |
| Subcutaneous | Fasciolosis, ascariasis, pork infection, ankylostomosis. |
| Periods of epilepsy, speaking violation, walking or coordinating movements | Echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, toxocarosis, cystykosis (pork chain) |
| The appearance of blood in the urine | Shistsomosis |
| Selection of worms with feces | Acaridosis |
Advertising often links many other symptoms to parasites: from poor appetite to hair loss.As a rule, this is just a fiction of charlatans that exploit patients' fear and their ignorance in this very complex area of medicine.
How to get infected
To reduce the risk of infection, you do not need to capture the transmission mechanisms of each infection.It is enough to remember the general transmission paths and how to resist infection.
1. There are unwashed products, drink dirty water
Many infections are transmitted through soil and water polluted products, including giardiasis, ascariasis, echinococcosis, ankylostomosis.
How to protect
- Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly before meals.
- Wash your hands, especially after contact with the soil.
- Never drink water from unknown sources.
- During the journey (especially in developing countries), drink only bottled water.
2. Has raw or fish
This transmission route is characteristic of tiniosis (pork cork), trichinellosis, dipillobotriosis, opisthorchiasis and other infections.
How to protect
- Do not eat raw meat or fish or only the fact that veterinary control has passed.
- Cook meat and fish carefully.
- Raise the fish in an ordinary refrigerator at a temperature of -18 C needs at least two weeks.But this will not kill particularly constant parasites, only industrial frosts can destroy them.Therefore, the fish that you caught yourself should be well boiled and fried: 20 minutes after boiling or heat.
3. Contact with an infected person
Such a mechanism is characteristic of enterobiosis (pin worms).Most often, children are infected with this infection during games with peers in kindergarten or school.
Another infection that is transmitted by infected people is cystistics.
How to protect
- Wash your hands before meals.
- During the trip, do not eat raw food prepared by other people.For example, the fruits are peeled out of the peel.
4. Contact with feces or fleas of infected animals
So transmitted transmission, toxoplasmosis and other infections.
How to protect
- Wash your hands after contact with animals or soil that can be infected with their feces.
- Periodically give an animal antiParasitic agent and use fleas regularly.
5. Contact with water and infected soil
Some parasites (for example, clay scabies or scistosomosis) can penetrate the body through the skin when bathing or go barefoot in infected soil.
How to protect
- As you travel to tropical places, always wear shoes.
- Never swim in fresh unknown tanks that can be contaminated by sewage.
How to understand you have parasites
Blood analysis or feces to identify "all parasites immediately" does not exist.Algorithms for diagnosing parasitic infections are very different and always depends on:
- What symptoms worry about a person.
- Infection what infection can be infected based on the conditions of his life.
If a person has a symptom, the doctor should exclude all possible causes before diagnosing the infection.
Should I drink antiParasitic medication for prevention
No, this is the wrong tactic.First, different parasitic infections are given to different treatment.
There is no magic pill that would be well handled with all kinds of parasites.
Second, to protect against the consequences of parasitic infections, it is much more important to prevent infection, and is not often treated.
If a person continues to contact the source of the infection, the effect of treatment persists only a few days or weeks.But if the contact stops, many parasites die without treatment.
Is it possible to be treated with popular remedies
The use of folk remedies for the treatment of parasites is a bad idea.
Really effective popular remedies for parasites are not yet known.
Moreover, many folk remedies have an annoying effect and cause the migration of parasites.And the latter is fraught with dangerous complications: intestinal obstruction, bile tract blockage, etc.
What you need to remember about parasitic infections
- Advertising wonderful tools by parasites - lies.
- If a person is concerned about a symptom, you should pay attention to all possible reasons.
- Treatment should be directed against a specific infection.
- With many parasitic infections, prevention is much more important than treatment.And prevention is the mass of elementary hygiene.