Parasite infection? after trip to Cuba

Hello Sheila

Parasites, apparently, we all have them. My suggestion to you, before you explore this further (or whilst you wait for tests and appointments) is to do your level best to optimise your gut biota. The easiest way to do this is to take a VERY GOOD QUALITY probiotic (which will invariably be expensive) and take a high dose until the bottle is finished. I've had success with BioKult at a dosage of 3/day, instead of the recommended 1/day.

The reason I suggest BioKult (or a selection from OptiBac would also do) is because you need to find a mix which inhabit the small intestine and those which inhabit the large intestine. The most numerous probiotic bacteria normally inhabiting the small intestine are species of Lactobacilli. In the colon the majority are mainly Bifidobacteria. You need to ingest the complete spectrum of probiotics as each is particularly active and healing for different parts of your intestine: Acidophilus for the esophageal tube, stomach and small intestine; Bifidum for the large intestine; Bulgaricus is a transient species that travels throughout the intestinal tract and also assists the action of Acidophilus and Bifidus. I'd suggest taking the [url]Bowel Calm[/url] supplement initially, 3 capsules per day until the pack ends. Then addressing the small intestine problem by taking the [url]For A Flat Stomach[/url] supplement - one sachet per day.

I'd also make sure that your bowels empty every day, fully. To help this you can have a tablespoon of ground linseeds (I grind them in a coffee grinder) morning and evening. Have it with a large cup of herbal tea, or another warm drink (without milk). Also take care to drink plenty of non-milky drinks - water, weak herbal tea, hot water with lemon, hot water with ginger slices. Ginger is very good for nausea too, so you may wish to add a slice to each cup of herbal tea.

Good luck!

Ava x

Well, that's a pretty confusing picture. What you are suffering from may be compounded by constipation and medication, suppressive treatment that fights the symptoms but not the cause, and the effect of antibiotics, antacids, not allowing your body to expel unwanted matter etc etc. Even without anything new, that lot could have a profound effect.

Remember that people often have a few days of sickness when they visit a new country, it doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong, but can be part of the adjustment to new environment, time zone, diet, dehydration, strange activities etc. The trick is to get the basic support and allow time to do its thing, giving the body a chance to complete the process, in other words; always mindful of possible complicating or dangerous additional factors.

So there may or may not have been any kind of parasite, but with these changes in your health, you could be more vulnerable to them, and might well have one now. But these symptoms can be accounted for without.

I stick to a golden rule with medication, and that is never to take it without an objectively confirmed diagnosis (unless you are in an immediate 'do or die' situation). Given that you have been to the tropics with all the nasty possibilities that raises, I think you should insist on this much, before agreeing to any further treatment.

Not only can it be harmful to be on the wrong medication, it also means that you aren't on the right one for your problem - so insist on the necessary tests.

Treating this naturally would involve trying to clear the decks of as many confusing factors as can be done safely, eg unnecessary medication, and then providing the support for your body to sort itself out. Nutritive and digestive support, manual adjustment to the organs and spine, complete rest, hyrdation all part of it. A healthy body is an inhospitable home for parasites, and sometimes this is enough. We might not always know what is the cause to begin with, but we start by looking at what the body itself is asking for.

On a desert island, that is what we would do. With an NHS GP surgery nearby, let's get some basic investigations done first.

Hi there Sheila - welcome to HP!

Good advice from Ava and kvdp! - as usual :D. A good probiotic is essential.

I'd also look at additional ways to improve bowel emptying - such as psyllium husk (take with a full glass of water as it swells considerably!) if the linseed isn't enough. Eat lots of vegetables - 5 servings daily, a serving being 3-4oz, plus some fruit. These will supply bulk and fibre, plus lots of phytonutrients to help the bacteria do their work.

To help settle the gut, garlic is amazing. If possible I'd take it raw - 1 clove mashed (not whole) in a sandwich at least daily. This will help normalise gut bacteria and is anti-inflammatory. Chlorophyll tablets may help with 'garlic breath'!

I suspect gut inflammation is part of your problem, so another thing that is brilliant at healing the gut is cabbage juice (or LOTS of lightly cooked cabbage). I has lots of beneficial nutrients in it including L-glutamine, indoles and sulphorophanes which are all helpful - and used for the purpose as far back as Roman times!

Mastic gum is good too, as is DGL (deglycyrhised liquorice) to suck, aloe vera, marshmallow herb and slippery elm.

If that doesn't sort it, I'd look at developing food intolerances - you are hypothyroid, is this Hashimoto's? This is an auto-immune problem which started from gut permeability. See Elizabeth Lipski's [url]Digestive Wellness [/url]for all the ins and outs of the problem - brilliant book! - see the bottom of the page. Once one has developed, others soon follow, so it is definitely worth getting this sorted out.

For best results see a qualified Nutritional Therapist, [url]see here[/url], who will give you an individual assessment and programme to get you better.

Watch with the proton-pump inhibitors lowering your stomach acid can cause more problems not limited to digestive problems and candida overgrowth but stomach acid is your first line of defense.

No matter the infection building up your good flora is a good start, especially as you took anti-biotics, fermented food is the best way to repopulate your good bacteria. Sources are homemade cultured vegetables/sauerkraut, water kefir etc.

Mastic gum is very good at eliminating h.pylori. You can add a little licorice root powder also which also helps eliminate it and helps intestinal inflammation.

Thank you all for your responses which have been very helpful and detailed. I am taking a probiotic but will check out it contains all the right stuff. Also have psyllium. I do have Hashimoto's and have just had another blood test today. I asked the GP several times for this during the course of this illness just to rule it out and he finally agreed. I know he thought there couldn't be any connection between the two but you never know with the thyroid it far more complicated than GP's seem to think.
Thank you all again i can't wait to be ME again this has now been going on for soooo very long.

Hello again

If you look at [url]this link [/url]I am sure you can pick out a scholarly article to give your GP on the link between Hashimoto's and gut permeability.

I also would not rely on probiotics from the high street to sort this out - they mostly do not contain enough viable bacteria. The ones both Ava and I have mentioned are good, but whatever, the best mostly contain about 60 billion bacteria and are usually kept in the fridge.

It is a complex matter getting back to normal so I wouldn't expect to get this right for some time - unless a specific parasite has been found and can be dealt with straight away - but even so repopulating the gut with the right bacteria takes time. Your diet should be to help reduce inflammation, see here and here.

And for the constipation, lots of fluids are essential!

Sheila
All the rest have given good advice but I would just like to add to Caroline's about garlic. I find in my experience that aged garlic works better - leaves no taste or smell and gives good results.

Kaif