Pinworms – Healthy.net https://healthy.net Wed, 04 Sep 2019 20:49:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://healthy.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-Healthy_Logo_Solid_Angle-1-1-32x32.png Pinworms – Healthy.net https://healthy.net 32 32 165319808 BODY AND MIND https://healthy.net/2006/07/02/body-and-mind/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=body-and-mind Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000 https://healthy.net/2006/07/02/body-and-mind/ In addition to physical symptoms, parasites are also associated with a wide range of emotional and neurological symptoms. Few studies have devoted much space to this subject. However, one 10 year study into pinworms (threadworms) by Dr Leo Litter was published decades ago (Arch Ped, 1961; 78: 440-55), and remains a standard reference in the field. The children in his study exhibited a large number of behavioural problems, including irritability, insomnia, inability to concentrate, mood swings, unruly behaviour, impatience, impulsiveness, aggressiveness and a short attention span symptoms similar to those of the hyperactive child.


Dr Little suggested that these symptoms were provoked by an allergic response to the parasite. He also noted that children who have parasites showed abnormal brain wave activity, which may also be linked to behavioural problems. Among his patients, there was a remarkable change in behaviour once parasites were cleared from the system.More recently, personality changes have been noted in those with chronic toxoplasmosis (Parasitology, 1996; 113: 49-54). Negative personality traits, noted in men and women, tended to increase with the duration of the infection.

]]> 17422 IT’S SPRING-CLEAN SEASON: How to clear out your gut https://healthy.net/2006/07/02/its-spring-clean-season-how-to-clear-out-your-gut/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-spring-clean-season-how-to-clear-out-your-gut Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000 https://healthy.net/2006/07/02/its-spring-clean-season-how-to-clear-out-your-gut/ Those of you not jetting off this Easter may instead by thinking of a Spring-clean in the home. But while the spare room may be in need of a clear out, how about a physical Spring-clean of our own bodies?


It’s a salutary thought that the majority of us carry intestinal parasites, which can often be the unsuspected cause of a range of chronic ailments, such as stomach disorders and allergies.


Herbal medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) both have a range of supplements that have successfully treated the intestinal parasite. Perhaps the best known is the aptly named herb wormwood, or Artemisia absinthium. It’s been used for centuries to treat parasites, and a wormwood tincture is used today as a worm preventative in the West Indies. Wormwood has also been used for de-worming horses, cows and sheep. It’s vitally important never to exceed the recommended dose as wormwood includes monoterpene thujone, a potentially toxic substance.


Several medical studies attest to the efficacy of wormwood, and it’s also used to treat appetite loss, disturbed digestion, flatulence and disordered bile flow. Trials have also shown that it can increase the flow of gastric enzymes, pancreatic enzymes and bile.


Other herbal remedies include a decoction from the fruit of the black walnut tree, which has been effective in treating some types of parasites, and clove-bud essential oil, which can be effective if you’re suffering from nausea, flatulence and dyspepsia or if you’re taking other herbal remedies.


TCM offers stemona, which is a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades. It’s used for the treatment of acute cough, and externally to treat fungal infections and lice infestation. It’s also used as an enema for pinworm infestation.


A combination of several of the herbal remedies can have a powerful, synergistic effect, especially on a bad case of infestation, although this should be done in conjunction with a qualified herbal practitioner.


(Source: Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients,2003; 237: 46-50).

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