Many organisms coexist with people on the planet, some of whom are capable of parasitizing inside humans and animals. In the people they are called by a common word: worms. Treatment for such problem, signs of parasite infestation, and prevention methods are discussed below.
Watch out parasites!
Infected with helminths, and this is the correct name for worms and similar creatures that can parasitize human, animal and fish organisms in many ways. They cause significant damage to health, although many times the infected person cannot even imagine that the problems that have appeared are a consequence of the vital activity of the parasite. What kind of worms do humans have? The answer to this question will help to determine the type of people who caused the health disorder and, therefore, to choose the appropriate treatment. After all, why are worms dangerous? The release of waste products into the body systems, the absorption of nutrients, the lack of which affects the state of health. In the treatment of helminthiasis, one of the main points should be strict adherence to the rules of personal hygiene.
What is the danger?
An analysis such as feces for worm eggs serves as a mandatory element for a medical examination to determine general health. From the moment of admission to the nursery and until receiving vouchers for treatment in the sanatorium, a person must necessarily undergo such a procedure. The presence of parasites in the body is the reason for medical abstinence in certain situations. Many people prefer to take pinworm prevention pills in advance to ensure they get the necessary negative results. But why are helminths so dangerous that the procedure to determine their presence in the body is one of the most common during medical examinations of people of different ages and professions?
Parasites that live in the human body have a detrimental effect on it, which manifests itself in different ways. So, immunity is affected by its vital activity - the tendency to colds, viral and bacterial infections increases. The body begins to lack useful substances - trace elements and vitamins, which affect all processes that occur in the systems, organs and tissues, causing various diseases and pathologies. Since worms carry out all vital processes within the human body, the toxins released by them have a toxic effect and intoxication occurs. This, in turn, contributes to the development of asthma, allergies, liver and kidney disorders. Worms have a negative effect on the work of all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. They also affect the functioning of the central nervous system, causing insomnia, irritability, excessive excitability, aggressiveness, which can turn into depression. The negative consequences follow those who suffer from problems such as worms. Their treatment must be carried out competently, taking into account many aspects, starting with the type of helminths and ending with the general state of human health.
So different parasites
Before deciding on a treatment method, you need to find out what kind of worms a person has. Scientists have discovered several types of them. They are divided into two large groups:
- roundworms nematodes (Nematoda);
- flatworms.
Both the group of parasites is very extensive, since only the trematodes belonging to the flatworms of the trematodes, which can parasitize in the human body and cause diseases, are found about 40 species. In humans, diseases caused by the vital activity of worms are subdivided as follows:
- hookworm;
- enterobiasis;
- trichocephalosis.
What measures should be taken to prevent infections? Why are worms dangerous? Intoxication of the human or animal body with the products of its vital activity, as well as damage to the tissues and organs in which it sits.
Scientists divide parasites that can perform vital activity in the human body, so to speak, according to their habitat:
- Luminal - This type includes worms that settle in various parts of the intestine. There are more than a hundred of them, the most common being pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, bovine tapeworms, whipworms.
- Cloth. They live in other organs and tissues besides the intestines, they affect the heart, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and brain.
This is why stool analysis for worm eggs cannot always give an accurate answer to the question of human invasion potential.
Do you need to be on your guard?
Symptoms of a worm infestation often do not immediately suspect such a problem. Weakness and general malaise, weight loss, deterioration of the skin and hair are signs not only of helminthiasis, but also of many other health problems. But itching in the anus, especially at night, the appearance of white worm-like inclusions in the stool which, on closer inspection, turn out to be pinworm-like helminths, should become an incentive to visit a doctor and getthe helminthiasis test. to identify the problem and receive quality treatment. Unfortunately, these obvious signs appear only when the infection has become widespread. The first symptoms often go unnoticed, the parasites are assimilated, in some cases they spread to many organs, affecting not only the intestines. In which cases is it necessary to go to the doctor for the appointment of certain tests that can detect helminthiasis? They are divided by specialists according to the area of manifestation:
- Gastrointestinal disorders. In the vast majority of cases, parasites are found in the human intestine, causing a disorder of this particular system: stool disorders occur: constipation is replaced by diarrhea, acidity and flatulence intensify, painful sensations appearin the abdomen, especially in the right upper quadrant and around the navel.
- Nervous disorders. Poisoning by waste products of parasites causes alterations in the functioning of the nervous system. Poisoning causes headaches, dizziness. Often, patients infected with worms take such symptoms for the development of migraines, begin to take painkillers, which, in turn, adversely affects their health. In their life, parasites use those useful substances that can be obtained in the human body. Due to this, the patient experiences a vitamin deficiency, which manifests itself in a constant feeling of fatigue, weakness. Such disorders due to infection of the body with worms are especially pronounced in children: babies do not sleep well, they are fickle, and school-age children reduce their academic performance.
- Allergic reactions and cutaneous manifestations of helminthiasis are also common consequences of this problem. Due to the fact that parasites secrete the products of their vital activity in the human body, some reactions of the body begin to take place more actively, for example, skin rashes and itching appear. Rhinitis and dry cough may also appear, the state of nails and hair are altered, which suffer intoxication.
- Helminths, having entered the human body and settled in it, also cause a deterioration in general health, expressed in a decrease in immunity, frequent colds. The infected person develops frequent inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, urinary tract, and genital area. Also, the presence of helminths in the human body can be manifested by bad breath and the appearance of an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
All emerging health and wellness deviations require consultation with a specialist and certain tests. Many who think about the potential for helminth infection seek an answer to the question whether garlic helps against worms, believing that the available means will help to avoid such an unpleasant problem as helminthiasis. But to be sure that there are no intruders on your body, you need to undergo a full examination.
How to identify the problem?
In certain life circumstances, a person may be suspected of having worms. Which doctor should I contact to solve the problem of the diagnosis and proper treatment of said problem? The main specialist who deals with a disease like helminthiasis is an infectious disease doctor.
A specialist can make a preliminary diagnosis of a particular type of parasite, "settled" in the patient's body, according to certain signs. So, for the invasion of pinworms, the itching is characteristic, it is felt in the anus, which intensifies mainly at night. If the parasites are actively multiplying, and there are a lot of them, then they can be seen in the feces, even with the naked eye. Deep dysbiosis against the background of damage to the intestinal mucosa develops against the background of infection with helminths such as whipworms, Schistosoma trematodes, hookworms. If the invasion of the body is caused by a broad tapeworm, then a characteristic symptom, in addition to dysbiosis, will be B-12 deficiency anemia. Ascariasis can be characterized by severe weight loss, obsessive cough, weakness, sore throat. The development of jaundice, alteration of the liver and spleen may indicate infection with liver parasites.
It should be noted that the incubation period for different types of helminths can last from 3 to 4 days to 3 or 4 weeks. But for a parasite like filariae, which causes filariasis or elephantiasis, that time interval is up to a year and a half.
Only a specialist can determine the presence of helminths in the body, their type and method of treatment. It is impossible to choose an effective remedy for worms for children or adults on your own!
To determine helminthic invasion, a person of any age is assigned three main tests:
- feces for helminth eggs;
- blood in lamblia, parasitic in liver;
- enterobiasis scraping.
Under certain conditions, the patient may be assigned additional tests, for example, during a recent visit to tropical regions, where she may become infected with parasites atypical for our country.
Risk group
Perhaps no person is immune to a problem like worms. Treatment of an invasion should be selected by a specialist only after a diagnosis has been made and the general health of the patient has been taken into account. Perhaps someone will object that in any pharmacy you can see on the shelves drugs for worms of a broad spectrum of action, sold without a prescription. But only a specialist can recommend this or that remedy for use. As with any disease, helminthiasis is best prevented. This is especially true for people at risk:
- small children;
- people in close contact with animals;
- those who eat meat or fish that have not been completely heat treated;
- hunters.
Currently, experts are investigating the influence of helminths in the development of many serious diseases, including cancer. That is why the timely identified invasion problem, high-quality infection prevention become very relevant to modern society.
Pharmacy Products
Worm pills are sold at any pharmacy. Its price range is quite extensive. But before buying and taking any medicine, you should consult with a specialist, since different types of parasites, such as worms, require proper treatment. Only a doctor will be able to recommend a drug capable of getting rid of uninvited guests in the human body within a certain period of time. Medications can be roughly classified according to how they act on parasites:
- paralyze the activity of individuals;
- violate the metabolic processes in the tissues of the parasite;
- blocking certain processes in the helminth's body.
What pills for the prevention of worms can be bought? This is a common question that pharmacists hear in pharmacies. They work mainly to anticipate the evident manifestation of helminthic invasion, a person only assumes infection, without observing deviations in the state of health.
Also in pharmacies you can buy herbs for worms, which are proven by scientific research and have an anthelmintic effect.
Auxiliary plants
The treatment of worms in children, as well as the prevention of helminthiasis should become one of the permanent points of attention for a child of any age. Since children, dominating the world around them, try to "taste and taste", the risk of contracting the same pinworms or pinworms is constantly present.
For centuries, people have tried to get rid of worms with the help of plants. Currently, scientific research confirms the antiparasitic effect of some of them. It is, for example, pumpkin seeds, which have laxative and therefore anthelmintic properties. A brittle sea buckthorn bark has a similar effect, which can be purchased in pharmacies in powder form to prepare an infusion or decoction.
Does garlic help with worms? Yes, in some cases, this spice is capable of anthelmintic action. Additionally, garlic-based teas and tinctures boost the immune system and affect the body's ability to self-purify itself from unwanted hosts: viruses, bacteria, fungi, and helminths. Herbs against worms are invariably popular, especially as prophylactic agents: tansy, centaur, bitter wormwood, ginger, and chamomile. They are used in decoctions and infusions, have laxative, anthelmintic, disinfectant, anti-inflammatory properties. It would be more reasonable to take these folk medicines in addition to the main therapy of an established invasion or preventive measures.
Traditional methods
Another way to get rid of pinworms is to eliminate them. You can use medicines and plants that cause diarrhea. And you can use a recipe for an enema for worms. For example, this:
- 20 grams of absinthe should be minced;
- pour 3 liters of hot boiled water into the raw material;
- insist for half an hour;
- drain, strain, the resulting product and squeeze through cheesecloth;
- use warm infusion - 25-35 degrees for a more comfortable feeling during the procedure and better action of the components.
You can only give an enema once a day. Also, like any other medical intervention on the human body, it must be agreed with a specialist. Enemas help eliminate toxins and toxins, waste products of parasites and themselves. But if the invasion is not a cavity, but an interstitial one, then the enema will only be an auxiliary agent, cleaning the intestines. Many medicinal plants can be used to prepare a remedy such as an enema for parasites: chamomile, St. John's wort, calendula. The proportions in this case remain unchanged: 20 grams of dry grass per 3 liters of water. They will allow you to cope with the task and not harm the intestinal microflora.
Hygiene and prevention
For people at all times a problem like worms has been relevant. Treatment of invasions was carried out and is carried out using all possible means. The pharmaceutical industry constantly launches new drugs that can cope with helminth infection of the body. But the best remedy is prevention. Since helminth infection occurs mainly through the mouth, any possibility of parasite eggs entering the oral cavity and intestine should be excluded. To do this, the following rules must be strictly observed:
- wash your hands regularly with soap and water;
- put away household items, such as toys, that a child could put in their mouth to clean;
- wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly under running water;
- vaccinate and treat pets with whom family members come in contact;
- completely heat meat and fish during cooking;
- follow the rules of personal hygiene (regular change of underwear, care of the intimate area with special care products);
- if you suspect a helminth infection, or even just for the purpose of prophylaxis, you should consult a doctor for the appointment of a special examination and the selection of drugs and prophylactic drugs.
Taking precautions will help you avoid health problems like worms. Treating an invasion can be quite time consuming and therefore expensive, although prevention will provide protection against invasion and an overall benefit to the body, preventing infection not only by worms, but also by fungi, viruses, and bacteria.