Intestional Parasites
By administrator | March 26, 2008
Parasites
| Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale)
The human hookworms include two nematode (roundworm) species, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. (Adult females: 10 to 13 mm (A. duodenale), 9 to 11 mm (N. americanus); adult males: 8 to 11 mm (A. duodenale), 7 to 9 mm (N. americanus). A smaller group of hookworms infecting animals can invade and parasitize humans (A. ceylanicum) or can penetrate the human skin (causing cutaneous larva migrans), but do not develop any further (A. braziliense, Uncinaria stenocephala). |
Life Cycle:
Eggs are passed in the stool , and under favorable conditions (moisture, warmth, shade), larvae hatch in 1 to 2 days. The released rhabditiform larvae grow in the feces and/or the soil , and after 5 to 10 days (and two molts) they become become filariform (third-stage) larvae that are infective . These infective larvae can survive 3 to 4 weeks in favorable environmental conditions. On contact with the human host, the larvae penetrate the skin and are carried through the veins to the heart and then to the lungs. They penetrate into the pulmonary alveoli, ascend the bronchial tree to the pharynx, and are swallowed . The larvae reach the small intestine, where they reside and mature into adults. Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine, where they attach to the intestinal wall with resultant blood loss by the host . Most adult worms are eliminated in 1 to 2 years, but longevity records can reach several years.
Some A. duodenale larvae, following penetration of the host skin, can become dormant (in the intestine or muscle). In addition, infection by A. duodenale may probably also occur by the oral and transmammary route. N. americanus, however, requires a transpulmonary migration phase.
Geographic Distribution: The second most common human helminthic infection (after ascariasis). Worldwide distribution, mostly in areas with moist, warm climate. Both N. americanus and A. duodenale are found in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Necator americanus predominates in the Americas and Australia, while only A. duodenale is found in the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe.
| Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides)
Ascaris lumbricoides is the largest nematode (roundworm) parasitizing the human intestine. Immature or adult A.lumbricoides are sometimes passed in stools. Adult males measure 15-30 cm in length by 0.3-0.8 cm in diameter and have a ventrally curved tail; adult females measure 20-35 cm in length by 0.5 cm in diameter. |
Life Cycle:
Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine. A female may produce approximately 200,000 eggs per day, which are passed with the feces . Unfertilized eggs may be ingested but are not infective. Fertile eggs embryonate and become infective after 18 days to several weeks , depending on the environmental conditions (optimum: moist, warm, shaded soil). After infective eggs are swallowed , the larvae hatch , invade the intestinal mucosa, and are carried via the portal, then systemic circulation to the lungs . The larvae mature further in the lungs (10 to 14 days), penetrate the alveolar walls, ascend the bronchial tree to the throat, and are swallowed . Upon reaching the small intestine, they develop into adult worms . Between 2 and 3 months are required from ingestion of the infective eggs to oviposition by the adult female. Adult worms can live 1 to 2 years.
Geographic Distribution: The most common human helminthic infection. Worldwide distribution. Highest prevalence in tropical and subtropical regions, and areas with inadequate sanitation. Occurs in rural areas of the southeastern United States.
| Pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis)
The nematode Enterobius vermicularis (previously Oxyuris vermicularis) also called human pinworm. (Adult females: 8 to 13 mm, adult male: 2 to 5 mm.) Humans are considered to be the only hosts of E. vermicularis. A second species, Enterobius gregorii, has been described and reported from Europe, Africa, and Asia. For all practical purposes, the morphology, life cycle, clinical presentation, and treatment of E. gregorii is identical to E. vermicularis. |
Life Cycle:
Eggs are deposited on perianal folds . Self-infection occurs by transferring infective eggs to the mouth with hands that have scratched the perianal area . Person-to-person transmission can also occur through handling of contaminated clothes or bed linens. Enterobiasis may also be acquired through surfaces in the environment that are contaminated with pinworm eggs (e.g., curtains, carpeting). Some small number of eggs may become airborne and inhaled. These would be swallowed and follow the same development as ingested eggs. Following ingestion of infective eggs, the larvae hatch in the small intestine and the adults establish themselves in the colon . The time interval from ingestion of infective eggs to oviposition by the adult females is about one month. The life span of the adults is about two months. Gravid females migrate nocturnally outside the anus and oviposit while crawling on the skin of the perianal area . The larvae contained inside the eggs develop (the eggs become infective) in 4 to 6 hours under optimal conditions . Retroinfection, or the migration of newly hatched larvae from the anal skin back into the rectum, may occur but the frequency with which this happens is unknown.
Geographic Distribution: Worldwide, with infections more frequent in school- or preschool- children and in crowded conditions. Enterobiasis appears to be more common in temperate than tropical countries. The most common helminthic infection in the United States (an estimated 40 million persons infected).
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Schistosoma Schistosomiasis is caused by digenetic blood trematodes. The three main species infecting humans are Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni. Two other species, more localized geographically, are S. mekongi and S. intercalatum. In addition, other species of schistosomes, which parasitize birds and mammals, can cause cercarial dermatitis in humans. |
Life Cycle:
Eggs are eliminated with feces or urine . Under optimal conditions the eggs hatch and release miracidia , which swim and penetrate specific snail intermediate hosts . The stages in the snail include 2 generations of sporocysts and the production of cercariae . Upon release from the snail, the infective cercariae swim, penetrate the skin of the human host , and shed their forked tail, becoming schistosomulae . The schistosomulae migrate through several tissues and stages to their residence in the veins (, ). Adult worms in humans reside in the mesenteric venules in various locations, which at times seem to be specific for each species . For instance, S. japonicum is more frequently found in the superior mesenteric veins draining the small intestine , and S. mansoni occurs more often in the superior mesenteric veins draining the large intestine . However, both species can occupy either location, and they are capable of moving between sites, so it is not possible to state unequivocally that one species only occurs in one location. S. haematobium most often occurs in the venous plexus of bladder , but it can also be found in the rectal venules. The females (size 7 to 20 mm; males slightly smaller) deposit eggs in the small venules of the portal and perivesical systems. The eggs are moved progressively toward the lumen of the intestine (S. mansoni and S. japonicum) and of the bladder and ureters (S. haematobium), and are eliminated with feces or urine, respectively . Pathology of S. mansoni and S. japonicum schistosomiasis includes: Katayama fever, hepatic perisinusoidal egg granulomas, Symmers’ pipe stem periportal fibrosis, portal hypertension, and occasional embolic egg granulomas in brain or spinal cord. Pathology of S. haematobium schistosomiasis includes: hematuria, scarring, calcification, squamous cell carcinoma, and occasional embolic egg granulomas in brain or spinal cord.
Human contact with water is thus necessary for infection by schistosomes. Various animals, such as dogs, cats, rodents, pigs, hourse and goats, serve as reservoirs for S. japonicum, and dogs for S. mekongi.
Geographic Distribution: Schistosoma mansoni is found in parts of South America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East; S. haematobium in Africa and the Middle East; and S. japonicum in the Far East. Schistosoma mekongi and S. intercalatum are found focally in Southeast Asia and central West Africa, respectively.
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Tapeworm The cestodes (tapeworms) Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) and Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). T.saginata may measure 9 m (27 ft), whereas T.solium may reach 6 m (18 ft). Taeniasis occurs when raw or undercooked unfrozen beef (T.saginata) or pork (T.solium) are eaten. T. solium can also cause cysticercosis. |
Life cycle of Taenia saginata and Taenia solium:
Humans are the only definitive hosts for Taenia saginata and Taenia solium. Eggs or gravid proglottids are passed with feces ; the eggs can survive for days to months in the environment. Cattle (T. saginata) and pigs (T. solium) become infected by ingesting vegetation contaminated with eggs or gravid proglottids . In the animal’s intestine, the oncospheres hatch , invade the intestinal wall, and migrate to the striated muscles, where they develop into cysticerci. A cysticercus can survive for several years in the animal. Humans become infected by ingesting raw or undercooked infected meat . In the human intestine, the cysticercus develops over 2 months into an adult tapeworm, which can survive for years. The adult tapeworms attach to the small intestine by their scolex and reside in the small intestine . Length of adult worms is usually 5 m or less for T. saginata (however it may reach up to 25 m) and 2 to 7 m for T. solium. The adults produce proglottids which mature, become gravid, detach from the tapeworm, and migrate to the anus or are passed in the stool (approximately 6 per day). T. saginata adults usually have 1,000 to 2,000 proglottids, while T. solium adults have an average of 1,000 proglottids. The eggs contained in the gravid proglottids are released after the proglottids are passed with the feces. T. saginata may produce up to 100,000 and T. solium may produce 50,000 eggs per proglottid respectively.
Geographic Distribution: Both species are worldwide in distribution. Taenia solium is more prevalent in poorer communities where humans live in close contact with pigs and eat undercooked pork, and in very rare in Muslim countries.
| Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura)
The nematode Trichuris trichiura, also called the human whipworm. The adult female measures about 35-50 mm in length, and the male about 30-45 mm. |
Life Cycle:
The unembryonated eggs are passed with the stool . In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage , an advanced cleavage stage , and then they embryonate ; eggs become infective in 15 to 30 days. After ingestion (soil-contaminated hands or food), the eggs hatch in the small intestine, and release larvae that mature and establish themselves as adults in the colon . The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and ascending colon. The adult worms are fixed in that location, with the anterior portions threaded into the mucosa. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs per day. The life span of the adults is about 1 year.
Geographic Distribution: The third most common roundworm of humans. Worldwide, with infections more frequent in areas with tropical weather and poor sanitation practices, and among children. It is estimated that 800 million people are infected worldwide. Trichuriasis occurs in the southern United States.
Source: CDC - DPDx: Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern
What to do…
Dealing with parasites is not difficult. There are several effective herbal supplements that are readily accessible from your local health food store, such as black walnut, wormwood, grapefruit seed extract, and pumpkin seeds, to name just a few. When these are taken in conjunction with a series of colonics (6 – 10 in most cases will suffice), intestinal health returns in short order.
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Understaning pH
By administrator | February 28, 2008
The Necessity of Chemical Balance
If the laws of proper eating are followed you will have chemical balance throughout the body. One of the subtlest forms of bodily imbalances involves excess acids left over from digestion.
In order to maintain a healthy body we must eat food. Food is generally classified into three categories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Mixed in with these foods are many inorganic minerals which are either acid forming or alkaline forming elements. Acid forming elements are sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine. Alkaline forming elements consist of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron
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Almost all the calcium and phosphorus in our body are in the bones and teeth, though the blood does contain trace amounts of calcium. Irritability of the nerves is a result of an imbalance of calcium in the blood. When the calcium content of the blood falls below normal levels, it has to be taken from the bone structure itself.
Phosphorus is an essential part of every living cell. It takes part in the chemical reactions with proteins, fats and carbohydrates to give the body energy and to repair itself.
Sodium and potassium are both similar in their chemical properties but have different locations in the body. Sodium is chiefly in the fluids that circulate outside the cells, with only a small amount in the cells. Potassium is mostly in the cells, with only a small amount in the extra cellular fluids. They are both needed for keeping a proper water balance between the cells and the extra cellular fluids. A decline in sodium results in a transfer of water from the fluids to the cells. An increase causes a transfer of water from the cells to the fluids.
Sodium and potassium are essential for nerves to respond to stimulation and for muscles to contract. Thus it is vitally important to maintain a proper balance of these two minerals.
The major proportion of iron in the body is in the form of hemoglobin, though it is found in the liver and bone marrow as well. Iron is essential both for the transport of oxygen to the tissues, and for the maintenance of oxidative systems within the tissue cells. Without it, we would be dead in seconds.
Magnesium is closely related to calcium and phosphorus in its location and function in the body. As much as 70% is found in the bones, with the rest in the soft tissues and blood. Muscle tissue contains more magnesium than calcium. Blood contains more calcium than magnesium.
Being a muscle, a healthy well functioning bowel contains sodium, potassium and magnesium. These three chemical elements are sorely lacking in biochemical form in our modern foods. Sodium neutralizes acid and is required by the tissues that are pliable, active and movable - joints, ligaments and tendons. It is found in the lymphatic system, assists in the reconstruction of the bowel wall and helps the bowel to regain pliability in its ligamentous support structures. Sodium neutralizes the gases of putrefication and acts as a sweetener in the intestinal tract, much the same way that baking soda “sweetens” the mouth when used to brush the teeth.
Potassium is necessary for the muscle structure and elasticity that speed transit time in the bowel. Like sodium, it is needed to neutralize acids in the body. Potassium should always be supplied in the proper proportion to sodium. That proportion is nine parts potassium to four parts sodium.
Magnesium, in association with calcium, relaxes the muscles of the body and helps hold potassium in the cells. It helps to eliminate spastic conditions, strictures, tension, disorders resulting from emotional strain, loss of tone and ballooned conditions in the colon itself. It acts like a laxative and therefore is an essential element for healthy bowel movements. Milk of Magnesia, one of the most popular over the counter medications, is a good peristaltic stimulator. However, it contains an inorganic form of magnesium that gives only symptomatic relief, not natural and long lasting correction. Inorganic substances in foods and medications do not act favorably in rebuilding body tissues. Many of these inorganic substances become toxic pockets when they are unable to pass through out tissues. This alters our pH balance and disease sets in.
When these three important minerals - sodium, potassium and magnesium - are lacking in the diet, they must be obtained from the tissues of the bowel wall where they are stored. The most important elements found in the bowel wall must be kept in constant supply or the body suffers the consequences; premature aging or chronic and degenerative disease.
Foods Rich in Sodium
-apples, dried apricots, asparagus, barley, beet greens, beets, black olives, carrots, celery, cheese, dried chickpeas, dried coconut, collard greens, dandelion greens, dates, dulse, egg yolks, figs, fish, goat’s milk, horseradish, Irish moss, kale, kelp, lentils, raw milk, mustard greens, okra, parsley, dried peas, dried prunes, raisins, red cabbage, red peppers, sesame seeds, spinach, strawberries, sunflower seeds, swiss chard and turnips.
Foods Rich in Magnesium
-apples, dried apricots, avocados, dried bananas, dried beans, beet greens, beets, black walnuts, brazil nuts, brown rice, cabbage, cashews, coconuts, comfrey leaves, dates, dulse, endive, english walnuts, dried figs, filberts, fish, goat’s milk, grapes, green peppers, hickory nuts, honey, lentils, mint, New Zealand spinach, oats, okra, onion tops, parsley, peaches, dried pears, pecans, pistachio nuts, prunes, sorrel, dried soybeans, soy milk, sunflower seeds, sweet yellow corn, swiss chard, tofu, turbot, turnip greens, watercress, wheat germ, whole rye, whole wheat, wild rice, and yellow cornmeal*
-*Magnesium is found most abundantly in yellow cornmeal
-unpolished rice has eleven times the magnesium content of polished rice and rice polishings are an even higher concentrated source of the mineral
Foods Rich in Potassium
-Dried apricots, baked potatoes, and bananas
-Potassium is a trace mineral and is not found in a lot of foods. Thus, supplementing potassium tablets can be most beneficial.
Understanding pH Level and Why Many People Have Disease, Including Cancer.
According to the research of Dr. Enderlein, total healing of chronic illness only takes place when and if the blood is restored to a normal, slightly alkaline pH. In case you missed it, let me say it again…
Total healing of chronic illness only takes place when and if the blood is restored to a normal, slightly alkaline pH.
pH: What does it mean? pH is the abbreviation for potential hydrogen. The pH of any solution is the measure of its hydrogen-ion concentration. The higher the pH reading, the more alkaline and oxygen rich the fluid is. The lower the pH reading, the more acidic and oxygen deprived the fluid is. The pH range is from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being neutral. Anything above 7.0 is alkaline, anything below 7.0 is considered acidic.
The pH scale is from 0 - 14 - 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 healthy 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Human blood stays in a very narrow pH range right around (7.35 - 7.45). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. If blood pH moves too much below 6.8 or above 7.8, cells stop functioning and the patient dies. The ideal pH for blood is 7.4
A healthy blood pH without cancer has acid + alkaline balance almost equal. Actually a healthy body is slightly alkaline measuring approximately 7.4. This ideal blood 7.4 pH measurement means it is just slightly more alkaline than acid.
0 is acid —— blood pH (7.35 - 7.45 ) healthy —— over 7 to 14 is alkaline
If you have a health problem, most likely you are acidic. Research shows that unless the body’s pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. So, no matter what type of modality you choose to use to take care of your health problem, it won’t be effective until the pH level is up. If your body’s pH is not balanced, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements. Your body pH affects everything.
The body has to have a balanced pH like most living things on earth or it does not function correctly. The alkaline level is very important because research has already proven that disease cannot survive in an alkaline state and yet they thrive in an acidic environment.
An acidic environment will: decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it’s ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it’s ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness.
An acidic pH can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur.
There are two factors that are ALWAYS present with aging and chronic disease, no matter what else may be present. Those two factors are Acid pH and Lack of Oxygen.
Can we manipulate those two factors that always have to be present for disease like cancer to develop and by doing so will that help reverse the cancer? Definitely, but we need to learn how to manipulate those two factors.
Cancer needs an acid and low oxygen environment to survive and flourish within. Terminal cancer patients are around 1000 times more acidic than normal healthy people. The vast majority of terminal cancer patients possess a very low body pH. Why?
In the absence of oxygen, glucose undergoes fermentation to lactic acid. This causes the pH of the cell to drop from between 7.3 to 7.2 down to 7 and later to 6.5 in more advanced stages of cancer and in metastases the pH drops to 6.0 and even 5.7 or lower. Our bodies simply can not fight disease if our body pH is not properly balanced.
The normal human cell has a lot of molecular oxygen and a slightly alkaline pH. The cancer cell has an acid pH and lack of oxygen. Cancer cells cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment. At a pH slightly above 7.4 cancer cells become dormant and at pH 8.5 cancer cells will die while healthy cells will live. Again, the higher the pH reading, the more alkaline and oxygen rich the fluid is. Cancer and all diseases hate oxygen / pH balance. The proper alkalinity pH of the blood ( 7.35 - 7.45 ) is critical for the overall health of the body. In other words… alkaline or die.
Remember that the pH number is an exponent number of 10; therefore, a small difference in pH translates to a big difference in the number of oxygen or OH-ions. A difference of 1 in a pH value means ten times the difference in the number of OH-ions, a difference of 2 means one hundred times the difference in the number of OH-ions. In other words, blood with a pH value of 7.45 contains 64.9% more oxygen than blood with a pH value of 7.30.
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Arthritis
By administrator | February 28, 2008
Arthritis
Arthritis is an inflammatory condition affecting joints by displacing the synovial fluid. In healthy joints, the synovial membrane is thin, the cartilage that covers the bones is smooth, and a thin layer of synovial fluid covers the bone surfaces. If anything goes wrong with any of these factors, arthritis can result. It can appear suddenly or come on gradually. Some people feel a sharp burning or grinding pain. Others compare the pain to that of a toothache. Moving the joint usually hurts, although sometimes there is only stiffness. The swelling and deformity that takes place in arthritic joints can result from a thickening of the synovial membrane, an increase in the secretion of the synovial fluid, enlargement of the bones, or some combination of these factors.
Whether you suffer from Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spondyloarthropathies; Gout; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; Infectious arthritis; or even Kawaski syndrome, the cause can often be little more than a process known as Autointoxication.
Autointoxication occurs when the body’s digestive system fails to work properly through long-term constipation or other digestive challenges. When the digestive system fails to work properly, acids and other toxic wastes build up, causing an imbalance in pH through out the body. These acids can compromise the lining of the large intestine and make their way into the bloodstream. Once they enter the bloodstream, the body’s defence mechanism deposits them as far away from the heart as possible, such as in the hands and feet. These acids can replace the synovial fluid in our joints, causing an inflammatory condition.
The first consideration in treating arthritis sucessfully is to correct the ph balance throughout the body. We accomplish this through cleansing the digestive system, the circulation system and through the use of nutritional supplementation. Cleansing is best accomplished through a combination of proper nutrition & colonic-hydrotherapy. Colonic hydrotherapy is a gentle means of ridding the body of toxins & acids which quickly eases inflammation, thereby allowing the healing process to begin. Once the colon is properly cleaned and toxins stop building up, the body will quickly begin to remove any accumulated toxins in compromised joints. If arthritis is allowed to continue over a long period of time, irreversible damage can occur. But when treated promptly, all damage can be reversed.
Nutritional Supplementation:
- Ground flax seed - one tablespoon in a large glass of water 1st thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Multi-enzyme complex - 2 capsules before every meal to improve digestion.
- Probiotics - 10 billion count after every meal to repopulate the ‘friendly’ bacteria in the large intestine.
- liquid chlorophyl or a ‘green’s drink’ - to help alkalinize the blood and to neutralize acids.
- Zinc - 50 mg daily to neutralize acids
-Omega 3 fish oils - 2,000 mg 3x daily will ease inflammation.
- Superoxide dismutase (SOD) - An antioxidant that protects the fluid in the joints. A.D.O.L.
- Calcium/magnesium - 2:1 ratio in a liquid citrate from is best. Needed to prevent bone loss.
-Whey of Soy protein powder in the form of smoothies.
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