Helminthiasis is a disease in which worms begin to parasitize the human body. Most often they live in the gastrointestinal tract, but can be found in tissues or other organs: liver, lungs, heart, brain. The presence of worms is indicated by characteristic symptoms, among which doctors note abnormal bowel movements, abdominal pain, allergic rashes, constant weakness and itching in the anal area. Helminths will not leave the human body on their own, since they exist solely at the expense of their owner, depriving him of vitality.
Traditional therapies
If signs indicating an infection develop, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will listen to all complaints and give you a referral for laboratory tests of blood and feces. If the studies confirm helminthiasis, the parasitologist will inform the patient of the best ways to eliminate worms from the human body. Traditionally, the most effective methods of treating infestations are recognized with the help of medications.
Antiparasitic products that have a complex effect act as quickly as possible. This means that the drugs eliminate parasites of absolutely all kinds: tapeworms, flukes and intestinal worms. The mechanism of action of this type of medicine is based on the total destruction of all helminths present in the human body at the time of administration. The chemical compounds that make up worm tablets are included in the metabolic processes of parasites at the enzymatic level. The worms lose the ability to absorb nutrients from the intestinal tract of the infected patient. Ultimately, the helminths die, leaving the human gastrointestinal tract dead.
Complex action products are better than others at helping destroy parasites, but they have their drawbacks. Mass death of worms in some cases leads to poisoning of the body with decay products. Children especially suffer from this, which is why these drugs are prescribed mainly after the age of 2 years. There are also restrictions for adults. The tablets are not taken for liver or kidney pathologies.
Some types of helminthiasis cannot be treated without these medications. It is possible to eliminate tapeworms only using drugs from the benzimidazole group.
When choosing treatment tactics, the doctor will also take into account the type of parasites that live inside the human intestinal tract. If laboratory tests indicate the presence of nematodes (intestinal worms), then it is not necessary to use highly toxic drugs with complex effects. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the worms using safe drugs from the pyrimidine group.
This group of drugs is preferable for the treatment of infestations in childhood, but is also effective in cases where worms are diagnosed in an adult. Parasites do not die from these tablets and suspensions, so poisoning of the body does not occur. Pyrimidines are better than many other means to help eliminate worms that belong to the class of nematodes, since these worms have well-developed muscles. After ingestion, the parasites are immobilized and leave the intestines along with the feces.
The best home treatments
The optimal solution for helminthiasis is antiparasitic pills. This is the fastest and safest way, but not the only way, to eliminate parasites from the body. Some experts are convinced that folk remedies are designed to enhance the effect of traditional medicines.
Worms in the body provoke the development of unpleasant symptoms, so treatment should not be delayed. There is a proven home method to get rid of parasites and restore health. Herbal medicines help well with helminthiasis. The best plants to combat worms are tansy, wormwood and cloves.
All dry ingredients are ground to a powder and mixed in equal proportions. The resulting product is taken orally, ½ teaspoon for 20 days. You can also solve the problem of worms with medicines if you buy a prepared herbal medicine from the pharmacy. The triad containing extracts from the same plants is considered popular.
Tansy, cloves and wormwood are rich in essential oils that have a detrimental effect on parasites in the intestines, but their use may be limited by age or other characteristics. It is best for children under 12 years of age to refrain from this type of treatment. These plants are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or if you have allergies.
Doctors list several effective recipes that are safe for both children and adults:
- Pumpkin seeds.This product is useful in any way. It is allowed to eat a small handful to prevent helminthiasis and saturate the body with minerals and vitamins. Experts advise making milk with pumpkin seeds. To do this, they are crushed and poured with water, and then infused for 6-8 hours. After the specified time, collect the liquid formed on the surface and take 100 ml orally. The course of therapy lasts at least a week.
- Vegetable juices.If a person is diagnosed with worms, drinks made from fresh vegetables are allowed at home as maintenance therapy. This not only strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance, but also creates unfavorable conditions for parasites in the intestines. The best option for infestation is tomato, carrot and beet juices.
- Milk with garlic.Home remedies for worms are valued for their ease of preparation and availability of ingredients. At home, we will implement the following recipe: 2-3 cloves of the vegetable are peeled, crushed to a pulp, and then mixed with milk. An adult should drink a glass of the product in the evening before going to bed. Children are better off refraining from this method due to the high risk of burns to the mucous membranes.
- Enemas with herbal decoction.At home, it is possible to get rid of parasites not only by using the products internally. It is no less useful to inject infusions of medicinal plants into the rectum. The use of wormwood, calamus root and nettle is allowed, but a decoction of tansy flowers is best.
Any non-traditional method has its contraindications and limitations. If the infestation is detected in a child, it is not necessary to treat the worms at home. This will only aggravate the situation and cause significant damage to the baby's health. It is best to treat helminthiasis in childhood with medication. The pediatrician will determine which medications are appropriate for the child.
Precautionary measures
If worms appear in the intestines, they can be eliminated from the human body with medications or traditional methods, but it is better to follow precautionary rules to avoid infection with parasites.
Experts explain that worms will not appear in the body if a person carefully observes the rules of personal hygiene. It is mainly about hand washing. The procedure is necessary not only before eating, but also after visiting public places, playing outdoors or caring for pets. This will prevent worm eggs from accidentally getting on your fingers and then being swallowed.
It is important to keep your home and areas where people spend a lot of time clean. This is because the parasite eggs are not always transmitted from one person to another. Sometimes they enter an apartment on the shoes or paws of animals that have free access to the street. This is why it is so important to periodically carry out wet cleaning, including treating floors and furniture with disinfectants.
Another stage in the prevention of helminthiasis is careful control of the food consumed. Any vegetables or fruits that have grown in soil should be washed with soap and water before serving, as soil is a source of roundworm eggs. To prevent parasites from entering the body, it is necessary to control the quality of drinking water.
Particular attention should be paid to meat dishes, since the muscle tissue of pigs or cows may contain tapeworm larvae, which are dangerous to humans. They can be destroyed at home only by thorough heat treatment of food.
In some cases, taking anti-worm tablets is justified. Prevention with the help of medications is appropriate in childhood if the child attends a preschool educational institution in which an outbreak of diseases associated with parasitic worms has been recorded. The same measure is mandatory in the event that the invasion is confirmed in one of the family members. If you suspect the presence of intestinal worms in the body, doctors recommend taking a drug from the pyrimidine group for preventive purposes. If the risk of tapeworm or tapeworm infection is high, parasitologists prefer to prescribe tablets with a complex effect - benzimidazoles.