How Do I Get A Parasite? What Are The Symptoms?

Can you rid your body of intestinal parasites?

How Do I Get A Parasite? What Are The Symptoms?
Written by Our: Morning Runner
Medical Fact Checked by: Dr. Bryan Havoc
Last updated:

A parasite is considered an infection that can ravage your intestinal system and cause a range of health issues if not taken care of. Parasites, also known as intestinal worms, can live and feed on your insides, and you can contract them from a number of sources: eating undercooked meats, coming into contact with contaminated soil, consuming contaminated water, and much more.

What’s worse is a person could have parasites living in their body for days, months, or even years without knowing, as in some cases, there may not be any symptoms. However, before we take a look at the symptoms of parasites, let’s take a look at the different ones.


Pinworms


You’ve probably heard of pinworms before because you’ve most likely had a pinworm infection as a kid. Pinworms are a common infection and get into the body when people breathe their eggs through everything from towels and clothing to drinking glasses and utensils. The worms themselves do not hatch until they reach your small intestine.


Hookworms

Hookworms can get into your skin if you come into contact with contaminated soil that contains their eggs and larvae. They are small enough to get into your skin and travel into the bloodstream, and eventually, make their way to your lungs. Once they’re in your lungs, the only way for them to get into your intestines is for you to swallow them back inside of you when you cough them out.


Tapeworm

A tapeworm is another common infection you’ve most likely heard of. They are also the more disturbing of the worms as they can grow into a massive size of up to 80 feet long and live inside of a human for about half of their host’s lifespan. Animals mostly get these by eating grass, but humans can get a tapeworm by eating undercooked fish, beef, or pork. Humans can also ingest them by drinking contaminated water.


Flukes


Flukes are smaller flatworms and are a little rarer to get into humans. However, one can still ingest a fluke if they drink contaminated water or consume a raw fish that lived in contaminated water. While they may be small, they still live inside of humans for up to 30 years while producing eggs.


Trichinosis Worms

Humans only get a trichinosis worm in its larval form by eating infected meat that wasn’t cooked properly. Trichinosis worms are mostly found in pork and pork products and are one of the few worms that can leave your intestine and infect other body tissues. The fact that they can move to different tissues and organs means they can possibly cause fatal complications.

Each different parasite brings its own range of symptoms

Let’s take a look at some of the more common infections caused by these intestinal worms.


Abdominal Pain

Since most of these worms live in and affect your intestines, then there’s no surprise that one of the more common symptoms is abdominal pain. The pain could be the worms themselves getting into your bloodstream and ravaging the tissues in your intestines. A lot of the pain could also be associated with the gas and bloating because your body doesn’t know how to handle a foreign invader.


Diarrhea

While some of these worms can live in the small intestine, some of them live in the colon as well. The parasites throw off the fluid levels in your gut and cause you to lose more fluid than normal. This can cause a range of issues as well as it leaves your body dehydrated if you do not consume enough fluid to make up for the fluid you lose. The loss of fluids can lead to other symptoms of worms such as headaches and nausea.


Muscle Pain

Some worms can move out of your intestines and start to infect your muscle tissues. The unfortunate is, if you remember, your heart is a muscle and if the worm ends up infecting your heart tissues, it could possibly lead to a fatality. If the worms don’t infect your heart, they can infect other muscle groups such as your ligaments and tendons.


Fatigue And Lack Of Energy

If you’re constantly feeling fatigued with no other explanation, then you may have contracted a worm. Fatigue is normally acute through other life causes such as stress and lack of sleep, but if you’re feeling chronically fatigued then it may be time to get checked for worms.


How Can You Rid Your Body Of Worms?

Since the majority of worms infect your intestines. The best course of action to take would be to perform a detox or cleanse. The parasites that live in your intestines feed off of the waste that linger if you don’t properly cleanse your digestive system from time to time.

There is so much buildup in your intestines after years of particles from undigested food.

If you cleanse those particles and other buildup in your intestines, then the parasites will essentially start eating To death.

Taking a detox or cleansing product with the right combination of natural ingredients will flush your gut from the buildup that the parasitic worms live off. A healthy gut provides an inhospitable environment for foreign invaders, eliminates the bodily symptoms caused by the parasites, and increases your energy.

Performing a cleanse improves your overall wellness and health. Getting rid of the waste that’s been weighing down your system doesn’t just provide immediate physical, mental, and emotional benefits for your body, but it also helps prevent future buildup and by allowing waste to move easily through your digestive system.

When your body doesn’t focus so hard on processing your waste it has an easier time absorbing more nutrients and vitamins into your bloodstream. Performing an occasional cleanse also reduces your risk of various diseases and cancers. When waste builds up in your system, you’re at a higher risk of cancers related to the digestive system such as colon cancer.

Make sure that if you’re taking a cleanse product to find one with natural ingredients to help kill off parasites and bring you relief from their life-affecting symptoms.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.