On the health edge - parasitic diseases

American Fitness, March-April, 1993 by Ann Louise Gittleman

If you suffer chronic, unexplained health problems which your doctor can't diagnose, you may be a victim of the parasite epidemic affecting millions of Americans. The epidemic has no territorial or economic boundaries--a silent epidemic most people aren't aware of. According to parasite expert Louis Parrish, M.D., at least eight out of 10 of his patients carry some kind of parasite infection.

Parasitic worms--from microscopic amoeba to the feet-long tapeworm--are fundamental root causes of disease and health problems. Repulsive as the idea may be, learning all we can about parasites is the only way to rid ourselves of their hazards.

As a health care professional, I encounter many clients who are not well even though they follow a balanced diet and good exercise program. Many of their unexplained health conditions, including environmental illness, skin and digestive problems, hypoglycemia, arthritic-like aches, long standing obesity

and depression, disappear when parasites are eliminated from the body. Examining food habits, lifestyle, favorite restaurants and travel records often reveals the source of infection.

A problem in solving the parasite puzzle is parasite-based illness can mimic familiar diseases. Roundworm has been misdiagnosed as peptic ulcer. Amoebic colitis is often mislabeled as ulcerative colitis. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and yeast infections may be chronic giardiasis, while diabetes and hypoglycemia can be caused by tapeworm infection. Parasites remain unrecognized by many doctors in the United States and therefore undiagnosed. Parasites' reproductive cycles, in which eggs or cysts are passed at irregular intervals, also make diagnosis difficult.

Twentieth century environmental factors have increased the parasite risk in the United States. They are commonly transmitted through food, water, animals, sexual practices and children's day care centers. Parasites and the diseases they cause are no longer limited to faraway tropical places with primitive sanitation conditions. Giardia and pinworms are now being found more predominately in the United States.

My latest book, Guess What Came To Dinner, addresses sources and treatments of parasite infection. Hopefully, it will be a wake up call to the American public about today's prevalence of parasites.