Helminthiasis is a disease in which worms begin to parasitize the human body. They most often colonize the gastrointestinal tract, but are also found in tissues or other organs - liver, lungs, heart, brain. The presence of worms is indicated by characteristic symptoms, among which doctors note abnormal stools, abdominal pain, allergic rashes, constant weakness and itching in the anal area. Helminths do not leave the human body on their own, since they exist exclusively at the expense of their owner, depriving him of vitality.
Traditional therapies
If signs of infection appear, you should see a doctor. The specialist listens to all complaints and recommends a laboratory test of blood and stool. If research confirms helminthiasis, the parasitologist will tell the patient about the best ways to remove worms from the human body. Traditionally, the most effective methods of drug treatment of infections are recognized.
Deworming products with complex effects work as quickly as possible. This means that the drugs eliminate parasites of absolutely all classes – tapeworms, leeches, roundworms. The mechanism of action of such 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 the tablets against worms are involved in the metabolic processes of the parasites at the enzymatic level. The worms lose the ability to absorb nutrients from the infected patient's intestinal tract. Ultimately, the helminths die, leaving behind a dead human gastrointestinal tract.
Products with a complex effect help better than others in destroying parasites, but they also have disadvantages. In some cases, the mass death of worms leads to poisoning of the body with decay products. Children especially suffer from this, so these drugs are mainly prescribed after 2 years. Restrictions also apply to adults. The tablets are not taken if you have liver or kidney disease.
Some types of helminthiasis cannot be treated without these medications. Tapeworms can only be removed with medications from the benzimidazole group.
When choosing treatment tactics, the doctor also takes into account the type of parasites that live in the human intestinal tract. If laboratory tests indicate the presence of nematodes (roundworms), the use of highly toxic drugs with complex action is not necessary. In this case, it is possible to remove worms using safe drugs from the pyrimidine group.
This group of drugs is primarily used to treat infestations in children, but is also effective in diagnosing worms in adults. These tablets and suspensions do not kill parasites, so the body is not poisoned. Pyrimidines help better than many other agents in removing worms that belong to the nematode class because these worms have well-developed muscles. After ingestion, the parasites become immobilized and leave the intestines in the feces.
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 folk remedies are intended to enhance the effects of traditional medicines.
Worms in the body provoke the development of 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 controlling worms are tansy, wormwood and cloves.
All dried ingredients are ground into a powder and mixed in equal proportions. The resulting product is taken orally at half a teaspoon for 20 days. You can also solve the problem of worms with medication if you buy a ready-made herbal medicine at the pharmacy. The triad, which contains extracts of the same plants, is considered popular.
Tansy, cloves and wormwood are rich in essential oils that have a harmful effect on parasites in the intestines, but their use may be limited due to age or other characteristics. It is better to avoid such treatment for children under 12 years old. These plants are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as if you have allergies.
Doctors list several effective recipes that are safe for both children and adults:
- Pumpkin seeds.This product is useful in every form. It is allowed to eat a small handful to prevent helminthiasis and saturate the body with minerals and vitamins. Experts recommend making milk from pumpkin seeds. To do this, they are chopped up, 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 course of therapy lasts at least a week.
- vegetable juices.If a person is diagnosed with worms, drinks made from fresh vegetables are allowed to 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 in the intestines for parasites. The best choice for an infestation are juices made from tomatoes, carrots and beets.
- Milk with garlic.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 cloves of vegetables are peeled, crushed into pulp and then mixed with milk. An adult should drink a glass of the product in the evening before going to bed. Due to the high risk of mucous membrane burns, it is better for children to avoid this method.
- Enemas with herbal decoctions.At home, it is possible to get rid of parasites not only by using products internally. It is no less useful to inject medicinal plant infusions into the rectum. The use of wormwood, calamus root and nettle is permitted, but a decoction of tansy flowers works best.
Each non-traditional method has its contraindications and limitations. If the infestation is detected in a child, there is no need to treat the worms at home. This will only aggravate the situation and cause significant harm to the baby's health. The best way to treat childhood helminthiasis is with medication. The pediatrician determines which medications are suitable for the child.
Precautions
When worms appear in the intestines, they can be removed from the human body using medication or traditional methods. However, it is best to follow precautionary measures 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 particularly applies to 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 is important to keep your home and areas where people spend a lot of time clean. This is because parasite eggs are not always transmitted from one person to another. Sometimes they enter an apartment on the shoes or paws of animals that have free access to the street. That is why it is so important to regularly carry out wet cleaning, including treating floors and furniture with disinfectants.
Another step in preventing helminthiasis is to carefully control the food consumed. Vegetables or fruits grown on the ground should be washed with soap and water before serving, as the ground is a source of roundworm eggs. To prevent parasites from entering the body, you need to monitor the quality of drinking water.
Particular attention must be paid to meat dishes, as the muscle tissue of pigs or cows may contain tapeworm larvae that are dangerous to humans. They can only be destroyed at home by complete heat treatment of food.
In some cases, taking anti-worm tablets is justified. Drug prevention is useful in childhood if the child attends a preschool educational institution where an outbreak of diseases associated with parasitic worms has been registered. The same action is mandatory if the invasion is confirmed in a family member. If you suspect the presence of roundworms in the body, doctors recommend taking a drug from the pyrimidine group for prevention. If the risk of infection with tapeworms or tapeworms is high, parasitologists prefer to prescribe tablets with a complex effect - benzimidazoles.