Worming into your life: Part II

In Part I of “Worming into Your life,” we explored how parasites can be a part of your life by vectors we weren’t even aware of. These include our dogs or cats, bed bugs, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and fleas. That sweet “kiss” from our dog or cat may not be all that sweet!

But there are also other ways of getting parasites. One source is from inhaling contaminated air or dust, another way is through our water. Giardia and cryptosporidium are common parasites found in unclean water. Typically, this is caused by animal or human waste contaminating the water from upstream. But even in a less rural environment, they can be found. These parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to chlorinated water. The only option I’ve found (other than the standard boiling of water), is to get a reverse osmosis unit.

In our foods, we have to be careful. Wild animals and pigs are common carriers of cryptosporidium or trichinella. Tapeworm can be transmitted via raw fish or meat incompletely cooked. Eat out at restaurants that are clean and use good cleanliness practices. Red Snapper and Pacific salmon are often infested with roundworms and cyclospora has been found in some produce.

So many of these parasites are in our soils. Although most have a needful role in soil, some are pathogenic if we stick our dirty hands in our mouth after touching infected soil (usually soil that has had animal waste on it — some you can’t even see, like rodents’), we can get sick. If produce has been contaminated and we eat it, we could get sick. That may happen if an infected bird loses its bodily functions as it is flying overhead.

Many of these parasitic infections can be avoided by good hygiene. Wearing a mask and/or cleaning our hands after handling any kind of animal waste, working in the soil, or with plants that may have been infected. With our foods, washing them well, cooking them well, buying locally grown foods that come from clean farms can help, but there is no guarantee we won’t get sick.

But why do some get sick, and others, eating the same foods, don’t.

There are several reasons. One is because we have poor digestion. One of the roles of Hydrochloric Acid (HCL), the primary digestive enzyme in the stomach is to digest any parasite, bacteria, virus, mold, yeast or fungus that gets ingested. If our HCL levels are too low, either due to lifestyle factors or acid-stopping medications, these critters get by our first line of defense, and merrily stroll down the digestive system and take up residence. Another reason is if your immune system is too low.

While millions of Americans are housing pathogenic parasites, there are many options available to get rid of them. Learn more by attending our upcoming health class, Parasites? Signs, Symptoms & Solutions, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: (208) 765-1994.

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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective,” she looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.