Helminthiasis is a disease in which worms begin to parasitize the human body. Most often they live in the gastrointestinal tract, but they can be found in tissues or other organs - liver, lungs, heart, brain. The presence of worms is indicated by characteristic symptoms, among which doctors notice abnormal bowel movements, abdominal pain, allergic rashes, constant weakness and itching in the anal area. Helminths do not leave the human body on their own, as they exist solely at the expense of their owner, depriving him of life force.
Traditional therapies
If signs of infection appear, a doctor should be consulted. The specialist listens to all complaints and gives a referral for laboratory blood and stool tests. If the research confirms helminthiasis, the parasitologist will tell the patient the best ways to remove worms from the human body. Traditionally, the most effective methods of drug treatment of infections are recognized.
Complex-acting anthelmintic products work as quickly as possible. This means that the drugs remove parasites of absolutely all classes - tapeworms, flukes, roundworms. The mechanism of action of such drugs is based on the complete destruction of helminths present in the human body at the time of administration. The chemical compounds that make up the tablets for worms enter the metabolic processes of the parasites at the enzymatic level. The worms lose the ability to absorb nutrients from the intestinal tract of the infected patient. Eventually, the helminths die and die in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Products with a complex effect help to kill parasites better than others, but they have disadvantages. Mass death of worms in some cases leads to poisoning of the body with decomposition products. Children especially suffer from this, so these drugs are mainly prescribed after 2 years. There are also restrictions for adults. Tablets are not taken in case of liver or kidney pathologies.
Certain types of helminthiasis cannot be treated without these drugs. Tapeworms can only be removed with drugs belonging to the benzimidazole group.
When choosing a treatment tactic, the doctor also takes into account the type of parasites living in the human intestinal tract. If laboratory tests indicate the presence of nematodes (roundworms), there is no need to use complex-acting, highly toxic drugs. In this case, it is possible to remove the worms with safe drugs of the pyrimidine group.
This group of drugs is more beneficial for treating childhood infections, but it is also effective in cases where worms are diagnosed in adults. Parasites are not killed by these tablets and suspensions, so poisoning of the body does not occur. Pyrimidines are better than many other agents in removing worms of the nematode class, because these worms have well-developed muscles. After ingestion, the parasites are immobilized and leave the intestines with the feces.
The best home treatments
The optimal solution for helminthiasis is deworming tablets. This is the fastest and safest, but not the only way to remove parasites from the body. Some experts are convinced that the purpose of folk remedies is to enhance the effect of traditional medicines.
Worms in the body cause unpleasant symptoms, so treatment should not be delayed. There is a proven home method to get rid of parasites and restore health. Herbal medicine helps well with helminthiasis. The best plants for fighting worms are tansy, wormwood and cloves.
Grind all the dry ingredients into a powder and mix in equal proportions. The resulting product should be taken orally, ½ teaspoon for 20 days. You can also solve the problem of worms with medication if you buy ready-made herbal medicine at the pharmacy. A triad containing extracts of the same plants is considered popular.
Tansy, clove, and wormwood are rich in essential oils that are harmful to intestinal parasites, but their use may be limited by age or other characteristics. For children under 12, it is better to refrain from such treatment. These plants are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or if you are allergic.
Doctors list several effective recipes that are safe for both children and adults:
- Pumpkin seeds.This product is useful in any form. It is allowed to eat a small handful to prevent helminthiasis and saturate the body with minerals and vitamins. Experts advise to make milk from pumpkin seeds. To do this, it is crushed and filled with water, and then infused for 6-8 hours. After the specified time, collect the liquid formed on the surface and take 100 ml of it orally. The duration of therapy is at least one week.
- Vegetable juices.If a person is diagnosed with worms, drinks made from fresh vegetables can be taken at home as maintenance therapy. This not only strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance, but also creates unfavorable conditions for parasites in the intestinal tract. In case of infection, the best choice is juice from tomatoes, carrots and beets.
- Milk with garlic.Folk remedies against worms are valued for their ease of preparation and availability of ingredients. We will implement the following recipe at home: peel 2-3 cloves of vegetables and crush them into a pulp, then mix them with milk. An adult should drink one glass of the product in the evening before going to bed. It is better for children to refrain from this method due to the high risk of burns to the mucous membrane.
- Enema herbal decoction.You can get rid of parasites at home not only by using the products internally. It is no less useful to inject the infusion of herbs into the rectum. The use of wormwood, chive root and nettle is allowed, but a decoction of tansy flowers helps the most.
All unconventional methods have their own contraindications and limitations. If the infection is detected in a child, there is no need to treat worms at home. This will only aggravate the situation and cause significant damage to the baby's health. Helminthiasis in childhood is best treated with medicines. The pediatrician will determine which medications are appropriate for the child.
Preventive measures
If worms appear in the intestines, they can be removed from the human body with medication or traditional methods, but it is best to follow the precautionary rules to avoid infection with parasites.
Experts explain that worms do not appear in the body if a person carefully follows the rules of personal hygiene. This applies primarily to hand washing. The procedure is not only necessary before meals, but also after visiting public places, playing outside or taking care of pets. This will prevent you from accidentally getting worm eggs on your fingers and swallowing them.
It is important to keep your home and areas where people spend a lot of time clean. This is due to the fact that parasite eggs are not always transmitted from one person to another. Sometimes they enter an apartment on the shoes or paws of animals that are free to go outside. For this reason, it is very important to carry out regular wet cleaning, including disinfecting the floor and furniture.
Another stage in the prevention of helminthiasis is careful control of the food consumed. Vegetables or fruits grown on the ground should be washed with soap and water before serving, as the soil is a source of roundworm eggs. In order to prevent parasites from entering the body, you need to check the quality of drinking water.
Special attention should be paid to meat dishes, as the muscle tissue of pigs or cows may contain tapeworm larvae that are dangerous to humans. At home, it can only be destroyed by completely heat treating the food.
In some cases, it is justified to take anthelmintic tablets. Drug prevention is advisable in childhood, if the child attends a preschool education institution where outbreaks of diseases related to parasitic worms have been detected. The same measure is also mandatory in the event that an invasion is confirmed in a family member. If you suspect that you have roundworms in your body, doctors recommend that you take a medicine from the pyrimidine group for preventive purposes. If the risk of infection with tapeworms or tapeworms is high, parasitologists prefer to prescribe pills with a complex effect - benzimidazoles.