Many organisms coexist with people on the planet, some of which are able to parasitize within humans and animals. In people, they are called by a common word - worms. Treatment for this problem, signs of parasite infestation and methods of prevention are discussed below.
Watch out, parasites!
Infected with helminths, and this is the correct name for worms and similar creatures that can parasitize humans, animals, fish, in many ways. They cause significant damage to health, although often the infected person himself cannot even imagine that the problems that have arisen are a consequence of the parasite's vital activity. What kind of worms do humans have? The answer to that question will help to determine the type of individual who caused the health disorder and therefore choose the right treatment. After all, why are worms dangerous? The release of waste in the body's 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 personal hygiene standards.
What is the danger?
An analysis such as feces for worm eggs serves as a mandatory item for a medical examination to determine overall health. From the moment of admission to the day care center until the receipt of vouchers for sanitary treatment, the person must be subjected to such procedure. The presence of parasites in the body is the reason for medical abstinence in certain situations. Many people prefer to take the worms prevention pills in advance, to make sure they get the necessary negative test results. But why are helminths so dangerous that the procedure for determining their presence in the body is one of the most common procedures during medical examinations of people of different ages and professions?
The parasites that live in the human body have a harmful effect on it, which manifests itself in different ways. Thus, immunity suffers from its vital activity - it increases the tendency to colds, viral and bacterial infections. 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. As worms perform 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 disease. Worms have a negative effect on the functioning of all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. They also affect the functioning of the central nervous system, causing insomnia, irritability, excessive excitability, aggression, which can progress to depression. The negative consequences follow those who suffer from problems like worms. Its treatment must be carried out in a competent manner, taking into account several 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 type of worms a person has. Scientists have discovered several types of them. They fall into two large groups:
- nematode roundworms (Nematoda);
- flatworms.
Both the group of parasites is very extensive, as only worms belonging to the trematode flatworms, which can parasitize in the human body and cause disease, are found in about 40 species. In humans, diseases caused by the worms' vital activity are subdivided as follows:
- hookworm;
- enterobiasis;
- tricocephaly.
What measures should be taken to prevent infection? 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 they are installed.
Scientists divide parasites that can perform vital activities on 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 are strokes, roundworms, hookworms, bovine tapeworms, tricurids.
- Cloth. They live in other organs and tissues, in addition to the intestines, affect the heart, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and brain.
That is why the analysis of feces for worm eggs is not always able to give an accurate answer to the question of the potential for human invasion.
Do you need to be on guard?
Symptoms of a worm infestation generally do not immediately indicate such a problem. Weakness and general malaise, weight loss, deterioration of skin and hair are signs not only of helminthiasis, but also of many other health problems. But itchy anus, especially at night, the appearance of whiteworm-like inclusions in the stool, which, after a more detailed examination, turned out to be moth-like helminths, should become an incentive to visit a doctor and get a helminth test. in order to identify the problem and receive quality treatment. Unfortunately, these obvious signs appear only when the infection has spread. The first symptoms often go unnoticed, the parasites are assimilated, in some cases spreading to various organs, affecting not only the intestine. In what cases is it necessary to go to the doctor to schedule some tests that detect helminthiasis? They are divided by specialists according to the area of manifestation:
- Gastrointestinal diseases. In the vast majority of cases, the parasites are in the human intestine, causing a disturbance in this specific system: disturbances in the stools - constipation is replaced by diarrhea, heartburn and flatulence intensify, painful sensations appear in the abdomen, especially in the right hypochondrium and around thebelly button.
- Nervous disorders. Poisoning by parasite waste products causes disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Intoxication leads to headaches, dizziness. Often, patients infected with worms take these symptoms, for the development of migraines, they take painkillers, which, in turn, negatively affect their health. In their lives, parasites use those useful substances that can be obtained in the human body. Because of this, the patient experiences vitamin deficiency, which manifests itself in a constant feeling of fatigue, weakness. These disorders due to the infection of the body by worms are especially pronounced in children - babies do not sleep well, they are capricious, school children reduce their school performance.
- Allergic reactions and cutaneous manifestations of helminthiasis are also common consequences of this problem. Because the parasites secrete the products of their vital activity in the human body, some reactions in the body begin to occur in a more active way, for example, rashes and itching appear. Rhinitis and dry cough may also appear, disturbing the condition of the nails and hair, which suffer from poisoning.
- Helminths, after entering the human body and settling in it, also cause a worsening of the general state, expressed in decreased immunity, frequent colds. The infected person develops frequent inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx, urinary tract and genital area. In addition, 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 deviations in health and well-being require consultation with a specialist and some tests. Many who think about the potential for helminth infection are looking for an answer to the question whether garlic helps against worms, believing that the means available will help prevent a problem as unpleasant as helminthiasis. But to make sure that there are no intruders in your body, you need to undergo a thorough examination.
How to identify the problem?
In certain circumstances of life, a person may be suspected of having worms. Which doctor should I contact to resolve the issue of diagnosis and proper treatment of such a 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 certain type of parasite, "installed" in the patient's body, according to certain signs. Thus, in the invasion of the moth, itching is characteristic, felt in the anus, which intensifies mainly at night. If the parasites are actively multiplying, and there are many of them, then they can be seen in the stool, even with the naked eye. Deep dysbiosis in the context of damage to the intestinal mucosa develops in the context of infection by helminths such as tricurids, trematode Schistosoma, hookworm. If the invasion of the body is caused by a wide tapeworm, a characteristic symptom, in addition to dysbiosis, will be anemia due to B-12 deficiency. Ascariasis can be characterized by severe weight loss, obsessive cough, weakness, sore throat. The development of jaundice, disorders of the liver and spleen may indicate infection by liver parasites.
It should be noted that the incubation period for different types of helminths can last from 3-4 days to 3-4 weeks. But for a parasite like filarias, which cause filariasis or elephantiasis, this 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 in children or adults alone!
To determine helminthic invasion, a person of any age must do three main tests:
- feces for helminth eggs;
- blood in lamblia, a parasite of the liver;
- scraping for enterobiasis.
Under certain conditions, the patient may be assigned to additional tests, for example, during a recent visit to tropical regions, where you can become infected with atypical parasites in our country.
Risk group
Perhaps no one is immune to a problem like worms. The treatment of an invasion should be selected by a specialist only after the diagnosis has been made and the patient's general health is taken into account. Perhaps someone objects that in any pharmacy there are remedies for worms with a wide 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 fully heat treated;
- hunters.
Today, experts are conducting research on the influence of helminths on the development of many serious diseases, including cancer. That is why the invasion problem identified in due time and the prevention of high-quality infection become very relevant for modern society.
Pharmaceutical products
Worm pills are sold in any pharmacy. Its price range is quite extensive. But before buying and taking any medication, you need to get the advice of a specialist, because different types of parasites, such as worms, require proper treatment. Only a doctor can recommend a drug that can eliminate unwanted people from the human body within a certain period of time. Drugs can be classified according to how they act on parasites:
- paralyzing the activity of individuals;
- violating metabolic processes in parasitic tissues;
- blocking certain processes in the helminth body.
What pills for preventing worms can be purchased? This is a common question that pharmacists hear in pharmacies. They act mainly to anticipate the obvious manifestation of helminthic invasion, a person only assumes infection, without observing any deviations in the state of health.
Also in pharmacies you can buy herbs for worms, which are proven by scientific research and have anthelmintic effect.
Auxiliary plants
The treatment of worms in children, as well as the prevention of helminthiasis, should become one of the permanent cares for a child of any age. Since children, dominating the world around them, everyone tries to "prove and prove", the risk of contracting the same traits or worms is constantly present.
For centuries, people have tried to get rid of worms with the help of plants. Currently, the antiparasitic effect of some of them is confirmed by scientific research. They are, for example, pumpkin seeds, which have laxative properties and, consequently, anthelmintics. A brittle hawthorn 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. In addition, garlic-based infusions and tinctures stimulate the immune system, affect the body's ability to purify itself of unwanted guests - viruses, bacteria, fungi and helminths. Herbs against worms are invariably popular, especially as prophylactic agents - these are tansy, centaury, bitter wormwood, ginger, chamomile. They are used in decoctions and infusions, have laxative, anthelmintic, disinfectant and anti-inflammatory properties. It would be more reasonable to take such popular drugs as a complement to the main therapy of an established invasion or preventive measures.
Traditional methods
Another way to get rid of intestinal worms is to eliminate them. You can use drugs and plants that cause diarrhea. And you can use an enema recipe for worms. For example, this:
- 20 grams of absinthe must be chopped;
- pour 3 liters of hot boiled water into the raw material;
- to insist for half an hour;
- drain, straining, the resulting product and squeeze through gauze;
- use a warm infusion - 25-35 degrees for a more comfortable feeling during the procedure and better action of the components.
You can only apply an enema once a day. In addition, like any other medical intervention on the human body, it must be agreed with a specialist. Enemas help to remove toxins and toxins, parasite residues and themselves. But if the invasion is not a cavity, but an interstitial one, then the enema is just an auxiliary agent that cleans the intestines. Many medicinal plants can be used to prepare a remedy such as an enema for parasites - chamomile, St. John's wort, marigold. The proportions, in this case, remain unchanged - 20 grams of dry grass per 3 liters of water. They will allow you to face the task and do not harm the intestinal microflora.
Hygiene and prevention
For people at all times, problems like worms have been relevant. The treatment of invasions has been carried out and is carried out using all possible means. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly launching new drugs that can deal with helminth infection of the body. But the best medicine is prevention. As helminth infection occurs mainly through the mouth, any possibility of the parasite's eggs entering the oral cavity and entering the intestine must be excluded. To do this, the following rules must be strictly observed:
- wash your hands regularly with soap and water;
- keep household items, such as toys that a child can put in his mouth to clean;
- wash vegetables and fruits well under running water;
- vaccinate and treat pets with which family members have contact;
- heat meat and fish during cooking;
- follow personal hygiene rules (regular change of underwear, care for the intimate area with special care products);
- if you suspect helminth infection, or even just for the purpose of prophylaxis, it is necessary to consult a doctor to schedule a special examination and select medications and prophylaxis.
Taking precautions will help you avoid health problems like worms. The treatment of an invasion can be quite time consuming and therefore expensive, although prevention brings protection against invasion and general benefit to the body, preventing infection not only by worms, but also by fungi, viruses and bacteria.