Mornin' Good Buddies!
This topic has been coming up a lot lately, and I wanted to share my viewpoint. Apparently, there is a major difference between the way parasites are diagnosed and treated by traditional medicine vs. naturopaths.
Parasites seem to be diagnosed much more frequently by naturopaths. Indeed, of the 4 people I know (Celia is one) who regularly go to a naturopath, all 4 have been diagnosed/treated for parasites. This is not the case in traditional medicine.
Almost all of us MCers were tested for intestinal parasites (helminths) before we were first diagnosed with MC - by a stool test for "ova and parasites" (O&P). This test is typically done by docs to evaluate cases of chronic diarrhea. Although there ARE parasites that can infect parts of the body other than the GI tract (for example, the eye, muscle, liver, blood, etc.), docs usually only rule out the intestinal ones when trying to find the cause for intestinal symptoms. Plus, most of the other parasites are quite "exotic" - and are usually diagnosed in folks who acquired them while traveling abroad.
Celia is correct that an O&P test could be falsely negative. ANY and ALL lab tests have their false positive/negative rates. Often an O&P test may be done several times to try and "catch" the worms and/or their eggs. A given stool specimen may not have any worms in it, but the next stool sample may.
Also, Celia mentioned that the treatment is the same for all parasites, and I am assuming that this means naturopathic treatment. In medicine, the treatment is specific to the type of parasite. Many different medications are used. Also in medicine, it is absolutely critical to identify the exact parasite in order to provide the definitive treatment. And various methods are used to diagnose these non-intestinal parasites - for example, a muscle biopsy to find a muscle parasite, etc. It simply would not work, for example, to treat malaria (a blood parasite) with the same medication recommended for scabies (a skin parasite).
I'm not claiming here that one approach is better than another.....just pointing out that there are major differences in the way parasites are handled in naturopathy vs. traditional medicine.
Love,
Polly
Parasites
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Polly,
Thanks for the primer on parasite treatment! I am sorry if I gave the wrong impression that ALL parasites are treated with the same remedy. I'm not certain that is the case. I beleive that there are certain remedies that have been used for centuries now that are effective in treating many different parasites---in particular, wormwood, black walnut, and cloves. However, this remedy may not be the best for ALL parasites. My chiropractor muscle tested the particular remedy I am using. If it didn't test positive, we would have reconsidered the problem and the treatment.
I think you are probably correct that some doctors of natural medicine beleive that parasitic infection is under investigated as a possible cause by conventional doctors, and that parasites are far more prevalent in the U. S. than most people beleive. It has certainly never been mentioned by any of the conventional doctors I have seen. On the opther hand, conventional doctors probably think they are overdiagnosed by natural medicine doctors! Just to to be clear though, my naturopath did not identify the problem, she simply concurred with the redommendation made by the chiropractor. And since the chiropractor identified my h. pylori infection which was later confirmed by an MD, I have confidence in his method.
I had a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis done a year ago which involved three different stool samples on different non-consecutive days. It did not indicate the presence of parasites, but then no test is 100% accurate. On the other hand, this may be a problem I picked up later due to a weakened immune system or one that has been present but hidden for a number of years. We will never know for sure!
At any rate, the reduction in my symptoms has been very noticeable since I started the treatment. The jaw / teeth / ear pain is just about dissolved and I am able to eat far more foods with far less symptoms. The small amount of mucous in my stool is a curiousity. In fact, I wonder if it is mucous or if it could even be parasites that I am eliminating. I'm not sure! But I will keep observing it.
Natural medicine definitely is a whole different ball game. What has worked best for me is using the wonderful testing methods available through conventional medicine in concert with naturopathic treatment. I don't think either system would have worked adequately on their own in my case. That's bearing in mind that my goal is to heal my body, not to take drugs to hold symptoms at bay. I'm not saying my approach is right or better, but just the path I've chosen!
I've improved radically over the past two years, but there seemed to be some missing pieces to the puzzle in order to achieve more complete healing. I am excited to be uncovering those missing pieces now!
Hugs, Celia
Thanks for the primer on parasite treatment! I am sorry if I gave the wrong impression that ALL parasites are treated with the same remedy. I'm not certain that is the case. I beleive that there are certain remedies that have been used for centuries now that are effective in treating many different parasites---in particular, wormwood, black walnut, and cloves. However, this remedy may not be the best for ALL parasites. My chiropractor muscle tested the particular remedy I am using. If it didn't test positive, we would have reconsidered the problem and the treatment.
I think you are probably correct that some doctors of natural medicine beleive that parasitic infection is under investigated as a possible cause by conventional doctors, and that parasites are far more prevalent in the U. S. than most people beleive. It has certainly never been mentioned by any of the conventional doctors I have seen. On the opther hand, conventional doctors probably think they are overdiagnosed by natural medicine doctors! Just to to be clear though, my naturopath did not identify the problem, she simply concurred with the redommendation made by the chiropractor. And since the chiropractor identified my h. pylori infection which was later confirmed by an MD, I have confidence in his method.
I had a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis done a year ago which involved three different stool samples on different non-consecutive days. It did not indicate the presence of parasites, but then no test is 100% accurate. On the other hand, this may be a problem I picked up later due to a weakened immune system or one that has been present but hidden for a number of years. We will never know for sure!
At any rate, the reduction in my symptoms has been very noticeable since I started the treatment. The jaw / teeth / ear pain is just about dissolved and I am able to eat far more foods with far less symptoms. The small amount of mucous in my stool is a curiousity. In fact, I wonder if it is mucous or if it could even be parasites that I am eliminating. I'm not sure! But I will keep observing it.
Natural medicine definitely is a whole different ball game. What has worked best for me is using the wonderful testing methods available through conventional medicine in concert with naturopathic treatment. I don't think either system would have worked adequately on their own in my case. That's bearing in mind that my goal is to heal my body, not to take drugs to hold symptoms at bay. I'm not saying my approach is right or better, but just the path I've chosen!
I've improved radically over the past two years, but there seemed to be some missing pieces to the puzzle in order to achieve more complete healing. I am excited to be uncovering those missing pieces now!
Hugs, Celia
I beleive in magic!