Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (42 page)

If your anus itches at night, you may have pinworms. They are most commonly found in children and parents of small children. It’s fairly simple to determine whether or not you have them. When you feel the itching, put a piece of cellophane tape on your anus, and examine the tape for small, white, wiggly worms that look like white pieces of thread that move. Or, you can simply put your finger into your anus and see if you pull out any worms. With children, use tape or just look.

Many physicians request parasitology testing on random stool samples (called ova and parasite testing), but this type of testing is not very accurate. Even with repeated samples, accurate results are found only 85 to 90 percent of the time. Typically labs look under microscopes to see parasites. They may also try to culture them to grow in Petri dishes. The most accurate stool testing is usually done by labs that specialize in parasitology testing. Because of the high volume of samples, high-tech microscopes, and slow pace, their staffs have become experts in detection and recognition of parasites. Many parasites, like giardia, live farther up the digestive tract so that many labs now give an oral laxative to induce diarrhea when testing for parasites. This type of sample is called a stool purge. The newest technology in stool testing uses what’s known as PCR genetic testing. By looking for the genes of parasites, they can be found more easily. (See
Chapter 11
, “Functional Medicine/Functional Testing,” for more information on comprehensive digestive stool analysis.)

Prescription medication may be the most efficient treatment for most parasite infections. Within a week or two, you are parasite-free. However, these medications can be hard on the liver and are always disruptive to the intestinal flora. After using them, it’s wise to take probiotics and/or to eat probiotic-rich foods to replace and rebalance the intestinal flora.

Natural options work more slowly—about a month—but can be highly effective. They generally contain garlic, wormwood (artemisia), goldenseal, black walnut, and/or grapefruit seed extract. You can find many of these in combination products. Probiotic supplements should be used after therapy is finished.

Virtually all indigenous cultures have excellent parasite cures. When I studied Hawaiian medicine, it seemed that nearly every other plant I learned was to cure parasites! Here are some common parasite remedies to try. You can find many supplements that combine several of these remedies. This helps you get the best results.

Take garlic.
Historically, garlic has been used for pinworms; it has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Allicin, the active component in garlic, has been shown to be effective against Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia. Entamoeba histolytica is an amoeba that has been used to evaluate the value of entamoeba drugs.

Try goldenseal or berberine.
Historically, goldenseal has been used to balance infections of mucous membranes throughout the body. It is also effective with candida infections. Berberine sulfate, an active ingredient in goldenseal, has been shown to be effective against amoebas and giardia parasites.

Try artemisia (wormwood).
Wormwood has been used for centuries in China and Europe for worms and parasites. It contains sesquiterpene lactone, which works like peroxide. It is believed to affect the parasite membranes, weakening them so our natural defense system kicks in. Artemisia also contains an ingredient that is effective against malaria even when it is resistant to quinine drugs. Tea of wormwood has been successfully used for pinworms and roundworms by Dr. John R. Christopher, one of America’s foremost 20th-century herbalists. It’s important to note that artemisia is safe when used in a tea or capsule, but pure wormwood oil is poisonous. Take ½ teaspoon powdered wormwood once or twice daily or make a tea using 2 teaspoons of fresh leaves or tops in 1 cup water. Drink 2 cups a day, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Try black walnut.
The juice of unripe, green hulls of black walnuts has been traditionally used for treatment of parasites and fungal infections. Black walnut is a folk remedy for ringworm, athlete’s foot, and cracks in the palms and feet.

Try Dichroa febrifuga (saxifragaceae).
Dichroa is a Chinese herb called changshan, which is effective against malaria, amoebas, and giardia.

Use Jerusalem oak.
A folk medicine used throughout the Americas, the Jerusalem oak (also called American wormseed or chenopod) expels roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms, and it is especially useful for children. More scientific studies need to be done to confirm the historical usage of this herb.

Eat pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds have also been used historically as a folk medicine for tapeworms and roundworms. To be really effective, enormous amounts must be eaten: 7 to 14 ounces for children and up to 25 ounces for adults. Mash them and mix with juice. Two or three hours afterward, take castor oil to clear your bowels.

Biofilms are aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that create communities. They can be beneficial or harmful. When we have the proper balance of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in our microbiome, we develop healthy biofilms. Just as we live in harmony with pets, computers, cell phones, furniture, and other people, biofilms are also made of lots of types of organisms, minerals, metals, and a starchy matrix (polysaccharide). Each component takes a role and forms a cohesive force. As they mature, biofilms gain mass and influence in our bodies. They form in our mouths, respiratory system, digestive tract, and vaginas as well as inside of industrial tubing, on your contact lenses, in wounds, in catheters, on knee and hip replacement pieces, on pacemakers, in machines, on ponds, and elsewhere.

Biofilms operate like corporations. They are well organized and, if filled with a balance of microbes, are beneficial, yet when disordered they wreak havoc. It is believed that 70 percent of all bacterial infections in people are caused by biofilms. And these are hard to eradicate. They’ve found a cushy place to thrive at our expense and are linked to lung infections in cystic fibrosis, periodontal disease, chronic ear infections, and candida infections. Imagine, for example, that you’ve had a stent or pacemaker put into your heart and that it begins forming a biofilm that’s loaded with candida. These biofilms can cause endocarditis, an infection inside of the heart chambers and valves. Infectious biofilms are resistant to antibiotics and can take 100 to a 1,000 times the amount of antibiotics to eradicate compared to a regular infection. If your immune system isn’t functioning well, these biofilms can cause infections that become life-threatening.

Little is known about prevention and treatment of biofilms in people; research is just beginning to flourish in this field. Some of the ideas that are being researched include the following: Some researchers hypothesize that having adequate amounts of bile helps to keep biofilm formation from occurring. Others are looking at probiotic supplements to normalize biofilms. One group of researchers looked at E. coli strain Nissle 1917 and found that it helped to form healthy biofilms that pushed out disease-causing E. coli bacteria. This could be especially useful in ulcerative colitis, which has been shown to respond well to E. coli Nissle. Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus salivarius (strain: W24) also produce healthful biofilms. Other researchers report that use of prebiotics, such as inulin-type fructans such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), support healthy biofilms and a healthy gut. One group of researchers has looked at components of oregano oil, carcavol, and thymol and found them to be effective at inhibiting biofilm formation. Chitosan, a product made from purified shrimp shells, has also been shown to break down biofilms in the heart caused by a biofilms composed primarily of a bacteria called Cryptococcus neoformans.
In dental therapy use of ozone and probiotics seem to keep the gums and teeth healthy. Much more work needs to be done in this area, but common sense leads me to believe that what is healthful to overall digestive health will also prove to be healthful for prevention of disease-causing biofilms.