Many organisms coexist with people on the planet, some of which are capable of parasitizing inside humans and animals. In people they are called by a common word - worms. Treatment for such a problem, signs of parasite infestation, and methods of prevention are discussed below.
Attention, parasites!
Infected with helminths, and this is the correct name for worms and similar creatures that can parasitize on humans, animals, fish, in many ways. They cause significant harm to health, although often the infected person himself 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 determine the type of individuals who caused the health ailment, and thus, choose the right treatment. After all, why are worms dangerous? The release of waste products into the systems of the body, 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 compliance with 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 daycare and until receipt of health care vouchers, a person must necessarily undergo this procedure. The presence of parasites in the body is the reason for medical withdrawal in certain situations. Many people prefer to take worm prevention pills beforehand, 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 during medical examinations of people of different ages and professions?
Parasites living in the human body have a harmful effect on it, which manifests itself in different ways. Thus, immunity suffers from their 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 the processes occurring 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, aggression, which can lead to depression. Negative consequences follow those suffering from problems such as worms. Its treatment should be carried out competently, taking into account many aspects, starting with the type of helminths and ending with the general state of human health.
Such different parasites
Before deciding on a method of treatment, it is necessary to find out what kind of worms a person has. Scientists have discovered several types. They are divided into two large groups:
- nematodes nematodes (Nematoda);
- flat worms.
Both groups of parasites are very extensive, because only the flukes belonging to the flatworms of the flukes, which can parasitize in the human body and cause disease, are found about 40 species. In humans, diseases caused by the vital activity of worms are divided as follows:
- hookworm;
- enterobiasis;
- trichocephalosis.
What measures should be taken to prevent infection? Why are worms dangerous? Intoxication of the human or animal body with the products of their vital activity, as well as damage to the tissues and organs in which they settle.
Scientists divide parasites that can carry out 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 are pinworms, nematodes, hookworms, bovine tapeworms, whipworms.
- Fabric. They live in other organs and tissues, in addition to the intestine, they affect the heart, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and brain.
This 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 have to be on 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, upon closer examination, turn out to be pinworm-like helminths, should become an incentive to visit a doctor and get tested forhelminthiasis to identify the problem and receive quality treatment. Unfortunately, such obvious signs only appear when the infection has spread. The very first symptoms often go unnoticed, the parasites are assimilated, in some cases spreading to many organs, affecting not only the intestine. In what cases is it necessary to visit a doctor for the appointment of certain tests that can detect helminthiasis? They are divided by specialists according to the exhibition area:
- Gastrointestinal disorders. In the vast majority of cases, parasites are found in the human intestine, causing a disturbance of this particular system: stool disorders occur - constipation is replaced by diarrhea, heartburn and flatulence intensify, painful sensations appear in the abdomen, especially in the right hypochondrium and around the navel.
- Nervous disorders. Poisoning by waste products of parasites causes disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Intoxication leads to headache, dizziness. Often, patients infected with worms take such symptoms for the development of migraines, they begin to take painkillers, which in turn adversely affect their health. In their life, parasites use those useful substances that can be obtained in the human body. Because of this, the patient manifests vitamin deficiency, manifested in a constant feeling of fatigue, weakness. Such ailments due to infection of the body with worms are especially pronounced in children: children do not sleep well, they are capricious, children of school age reduce their school performance.
- Allergic reactions and skin 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 occur more actively, for example, rashes and itching appear. Rhinitis and dry cough may also appear, the condition of nails and hair, suffering from intoxication, is disturbed.
- 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 manifest itself with bad breath and the appearance of an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
All emerging deviations in health and well-being require the consultation of a specialist and certain tests. Many of those who think about the potential for helminth infection are looking for an answer to the question of whether garlic helps against worms, believing that the available means will help to avoid such an unpleasant problem as helminthiasis. But to be sure there are no intruders in your body, you need to undergo a thorough examination.
How to identify the problem?
Under certain circumstances in life, a person may be suspected of having worms. Which doctor should I contact to solve the problem of the diagnosis and adequate treatment of this problem? The main specialist dealing with a disease such as 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, itching is characteristic, felt in the anus, which intensifies mainly at night. If the parasites are actively multiplying and there are a lot of them, they can be seen on 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 such helminths as whipworms, Schistosoma flukes, hookworm. If the invasion of the body is caused by a large tapeworm, 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, liver and spleen disorders may indicate a liver parasitic infection.
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 such as heartworm, which causes heartworm or elephantiasis, that time interval is up to one and a half years.
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 for yourself!
To determine helminth invasion, a person of any age is assigned three main tests:
- feces for helminth eggs;
- blood on lamblia, parasite in the liver;
- scraping enterobiasis.
Under certain conditions, the patient may be assigned additional tests, for example during a recent visit to tropical regions, where he can become infected with parasites that are atypical for our country.
Risk group
Perhaps no one is immune to problems like worms. Treatment of an invasion should only be selected by a specialist after a diagnosis has been made and the patient's general health has been taken into account. Perhaps someone will object that in any pharmacy you can see drugs for broad-spectrum worms on the shelves, sold without a prescription. But only a specialist can recommend this or that remedy for use. As with any disease, it is best to prevent helminthiasis. 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. This is why the timely identified problem of invasion and high-quality infection prevention become very relevant to modern society.
Pharmaceutical products
Worm pills are sold in any pharmacy. Their price range is quite broad. But before buying and taking any drugs, it is necessary to consult a specialist, because different types of parasites such as worms require appropriate treatment. Only a doctor will be able to recommend a drug that can get rid of uninvited guests in the human body within a certain amount of time. Drugs can be roughly classified according to how they act on parasites:
- paralyzing the activity of individuals;
- violate metabolic processes in the tissues of parasites;
- by blocking certain processes in the helminth's body.
What worm prevention pills can you buy? This is a common question that pharmacists hear in pharmacies. They work mainly to anticipate the obvious manifestation of the helminthic invasion, a person assumes only the infection, without observing any deviations in the state of health.
Also in pharmacies you can buy worm herbs, which are proven by scientific research and have an anthelmintic effect.
Helper plants
The treatment of worms in children, as well as the prevention of helminthiasis, should become one of the permanent points of care for a child of any age. As children, dominating the world around them, all try to "taste and taste", the risk of contracting the same pinworms or roundworms is constantly present.
For centuries, people have been trying to get rid of worms with the help of plants. Currently, the pesticide effect of some of them is confirmed by scientific research. These are, for example, pumpkin seeds, which have laxative and, consequently, antihelminthic properties. A brittle sea buckthorn bark has a similar effect, which can be bought at the pharmacy in the form of a powder to prepare an infusion or decoction.
Does garlic help with worms? Yes, in some cases, this spice is capable of anthelmintic action. In addition, infusions and tinctures based on garlic stimulate the immune system, affect the body's ability to self-cleanse itself from unwanted guests: viruses, bacteria, fungi and helminths. Herbs against worms are invariably popular, especially as prophylactic agents: they are tansy, centaury, bitter wormwood, ginger, chamomile. They are used in decoctions and infusions, have laxative, anti-helminthic, disinfectant, anti-inflammatory properties. It would be more reasonable to take such folk medicines as an addition to the main therapy of an established invasion or preventive measures.
Traditional methods
Another way to get rid of intestinal worms is to flush them out. You can use drugs and plants that cause diarrhea. And you can use a recipe for an enema for worms. For example, this:
- 20 grams of wormwood must be chopped;
- pour 3 liters of hot boiled water into the raw material;
- to insist for half an hour;
- drain the resulting product by filtering it and squeeze it on gauze;
- uses a warm infusion - 25-35 degrees for a more comfortable feeling during the procedure and better action of the components.
You can only have an enema once a day. Also, like any other medical intervention on the human body, it must be agreed with a specialist. Enemas help remove toxins and toxins, parasite waste products, and oneself. But if the invasion is not a cavity, but an interstitial, the enema will only be an auxiliary agent that cleans the intestines. Many medicinal plants can be used to prepare such a remedy 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 damage the intestinal microflora.
Hygiene and prevention
For people at all times such a problem as worms has been relevant. The treatment of invasions has been carried out and is carried out using all possible means. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly releasing 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 further into the intestine must be ruled out. To do this, the following rules must be strictly observed:
- wash your hands regularly with soap and water;
- keeping household items such as toys that a child could put in their mouth to clean;
- wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly with running water;
- vaccinating and treating pets with which family members come into contact;
- Treat meat and fish carefully during cooking;
- follow the rules of personal hygiene (regular change of underwear, care of the intimate area with special care products);
- if a helminth infection is suspected, or even just for the purpose of prophylaxis, it is necessary to 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 such as worms. Treating an invasion can be quite lengthy and therefore expensive, although prevention will bring both protection from invasion and general benefit to the body, preventing infection not only from worms, but also from fungi, viruses and bacteria.