Parasites
The whole planet is infested with parasites that happily live in humans and all living creatures.
What exactly is a parasite? A parasite is an organism that lives off the host, the host being you or me, causing harm in the process.
Its name comes from the Greek word para that means beside, and sitos, which means food. Parasites live a parallel life inside our bodies, feeding off our own
energy, our own cells or the food we eat, and even feeding off the health supplements we use. These harmful organisms are biochemically complex creatures in
their life histories, development, reproductive cycles, nutritional requirements, and manifestation. They are categorized according to structure, shape,
function, and reproductive ability. These include microscopic organisms (protozoa); roundworms, pinworms, whipworms, and hookworms (nematoda); tapeworms
(cestoda); and flukes (trematoda).
The immediate question that comes to mind when people are informed of this situation is: ‘How can a parasite possibly live in my body
and I don't even know it is there’? The answer to this is simple. The purpose of a parasitical organism is to not make itself known. They have an innate ability
to remain undetected in order to survive and reproduce.
Parasites eat the food that we eat, excrete in our system, and can also travel throughout our body. While there are over 3000 varieties
of parasites, they basically fall into two major groups: protozoa and worms. Protozoa are single-celled parasites. When ingested, they germinate, reproduce and can
cause havoc within our bodies. Worms come in all sizes, from thread worms, measuring less than one centimetre, to tapeworms up to 12 meters in length. Once inside
our bodies, their presence could greatly add to the degradation of our overall health.
Harmful organisms live everywhere and are commonly transmitted to humans in different ways, such as insect bites, eating under-cooked meats
and fish, and numerous other ways. Some people who prepare food, as well as the general population do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom. When you
consider that many of the unhealthy organisms are spread by fecal-oral contact, this lack of personal hygiene may be one of the more common factors in the spread
of these invaders. Consider everything that you touch that is handled by others; money, shopping carts, door handles, menus, salt shakers, and everything else --
the possibilities for contamination are enormous.
If you are like most people, you will be surprised and at the same time horrified as you witness the results. The thought that other life
forms are living inside of our bodies sounds more a science fiction movie, but the reality of the fact is that for most people, a myriad of parasitical creatures call
our bodies (and our pet's bodies) home.
The longer a parasite is in the human body, the more likely there will be some damage. If the parasite is in the intestinal tract, one of the
things that the body will do is to produce more mucus to protect the intestinal cells. Unfortunately, this coating interferes with digestion, leading to the
mal-absorption of important nutrients, particularly fats and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and E. As the parasites continue to flourish, they take
more nutrition and leave us nutritionally depleted
There can be over 100 different types of parasitic worms living in human bodies. Parasites will vary in size from one-thousandth of one
micron to whale tapeworms one hundred feet long.
Some of the things you can do to reduce the risk of parasitic infestations are:
- Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
- Thoroughly cook meats and fish.
- Drink pure water.
- Keep your living environment clean.
- De-worm pets .
Practice good personal hygiene. Wash your hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. or handling pets. Keep your fingernails
short and clean. Parasites can live for up to two months under the fingernails.
A healthy immune system is the best defence against parasites and disease.
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