Helminthiasis is a disease in which worms begin to parasitize the human body. Most often they inhabit the gastrointestinal tract, but can be found in tissues or other organs - liver, lungs, heart, brain. The presence of worms is signaled by characteristic symptoms, among which doctors note abnormal stools, abdominal pain, allergic skin rashes, constant weakness and itching in the anal area. Helminths will not leave the human body on their own, since they exist only at the expense of their owner, depriving him of vitality.
Traditional therapies
If signs of infection appear, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will listen to all complaints and refer for laboratory tests of blood and stool. If research confirms helminthiasis, the parasitologist will explain to the patient the best ways to eliminate worms from the human body. Traditionally, the most effective methods of treating infestations using medications are recognized.
Deworming products with a complex effect act as quickly as possible. This means that the drugs eliminate parasites of all classes – tapeworms, flukes, roundworms. The mechanism of action of these drugs is based on the complete destruction of all helminths present in the human body at the time of administration. The chemical compounds that make up tablets against worms are included in the metabolic processes of parasites at the enzymatic level. The worms lose the ability to absorb nutrients from the infected patient's intestinal tract. Ultimately, the helminths die and leave the human gastrointestinal tract dead.
Products with complex action help destroy parasites better than others, but they have their drawbacks. Mass death of worms in some cases leads to poisoning of the body with decomposition products. Children especially suffer from this, which is why these drugs are prescribed mainly after 2 years. There are also restrictions for adults. The tablets are not taken in case of liver or kidney pathologies.
Some types of helminthiasis cannot be treated without these medications. It is possible to eliminate tapeworms only using drugs from the benzimidazole group.
When choosing treatment tactics, the doctor will also take into account the type of parasites living in the human intestinal tract. If laboratory tests indicate the presence of nematodes (roundworms), then there is no need to use highly toxic drugs with complex effects. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the worms using safe drugs from the pyrimidine group.
This group of pharmaceutical drugs is preferable for the treatment of infestations in children, but is also effective in cases where worms are diagnosed in an adult. Parasites do not die from these tablets and suspensions, therefore no poisoning of the body occurs. Pyrimidines are better than many other means to help eliminate worms belonging to the nematode class, because these worms have well-developed muscles. After taking them, the parasites are immobilized and leave the intestines with the stool.
The best home care
The optimal solution against helminthiasis is deworming tablets. This is the fastest and safest, but not the only, way to eliminate parasites from the body. Some experts are convinced that folk remedies are designed to enhance the effect of traditional medicines.
Worms in the body cause the development of unpleasant symptoms, so treatment should not be delayed. There is a proven home method for getting rid of parasites and restoring health. Herbal medicine helps well against helminthiasis. The best plants for fighting worms are tansy, wormwood and cloves.
All dried ingredients are ground into powder and mixed in equal proportions. The resulting product is taken orally, ½ teaspoon for 20 days. You can also solve the problem of worms with medicines if you buy a ready-made herbal medicine at the pharmacy. The triad containing extracts of the same plants is considered popular.
Tansy, clove and wormwood are rich in essential oils that have a detrimental effect on intestinal parasites, but their use may be limited by age or other characteristics. It is best for children under 12 to refrain from this type of treatment. These plants are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or if you have allergies.
Doctors list several effective and safe recipes for children and adults:
- Pumpkin seeds.This product is useful in any form. It is allowed to eat a small handful of them to prevent helminthiasis and saturate the body with minerals and vitamins. Experts advise preparing milk from pumpkin seeds. To do this, they are crushed and filled with water, then infused for 6-8 hours. After the allotted time, collect the liquid formed on the surface and take 100 ml orally. The therapy course lasts at least a week.
- Vegetable juice.If a person is diagnosed with worms, drinks made from fresh vegetables can be consumed at home as a maintenance treatment. This not only strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance, but also creates unfavorable conditions for parasites in the intestines. The best choice in case of an infestation is tomato, carrot and beet juice.
- Garlic milk.Folk remedies for worms are valued for their ease of preparation and availability of ingredients. At home, we will implement the following recipe: 2-3 pods of the vegetable are peeled and crushed into pulp, then mixed with milk. An adult should drink a 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 mucosal burns.
- Enemas with herbal decoctions.At home, it is possible to get rid of parasites not only by using the products internally. It is no less useful to inject infusions of medicinal plants into the rectum. The use of wormwood, calamus root and nettle is allowed, but a decoction of tansy flowers is most effective.
Any non-traditional method has its contraindications and limitations. If the infestation is detected in a child, there is no need to treat worms at home. This will only aggravate the situation and significantly harm the baby's health. It is best to treat helminthiasis in childhood with medication. 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 using medications or folk methods, but it is better to follow precautionary rules to avoid infection with parasites.
Experts explain that worms will not appear in the body if a person strictly follows the rules of personal hygiene. This primarily concerns hand washing. The procedure is necessary not only before eating, but also after visiting public places, playing outdoors or caring for pets. This will prevent you from accidentally getting worm eggs on your fingers and then swallowing them.
It's important to keep your home and areas where people spend a lot of time clean. This is because parasite eggs are not always passed from one person to another. Sometimes they enter an apartment on the shoes or paws of animals that have free access to the street. For this reason, it is so important to carry out wet cleaning regularly, including treating the floor and furniture with disinfectants.
Another step in the prevention of helminthiasis is careful control of the foods consumed. Any vegetables or fruits growing on the ground should be washed with soap and water before serving, as the soil is a source of roundworm eggs. To prevent parasites from entering the body, you need to monitor the quality of drinking water.
Particular attention should be paid to meat dishes, since the muscle tissues of pigs or cows may contain tapeworm larvae, dangerous for humans. They can only be destroyed at home with complete heat treatment of food.
In some cases, taking anti-worm tablets is justified. Prevention with medication is appropriate during childhood if the child attends a preschool educational institution in which an outbreak of diseases associated with parasitic worms has been recorded. The same measure is obligatory in the case when the invasion is confirmed in one of the family members. If you suspect the presence of roundworms in the body, doctors recommend taking a drug from the pyrimidine group for preventive purposes. If the risk of infection with tapeworm or tapeworm is high, parasitologists prefer to prescribe tablets with a complex effect - benzimidazoles.