Migraine may be an early warning sign of worms.
Do you get migraine or sinus headaches? If you also have a cat, you may have picked up Toxoplasma gondii, a dangerous parasite from your pet.
At least two recent studies suggest that headaches are an early warning sign of this inflammatory infection that—if unchecked—can lead to more serious neurological and immunological problems. While abdominal pain, anemia, fatigue, watery diarrhea, and even constipation are common signals of a parasitic infection, headaches can be another important clue in discovering and eliminating these “unwanted guests.”
Originally considered a non-pathogenic yeast, blastocystis has now been recognized as a type of protozoa, a microscopic, single-cell parasite that infects the GI tract where the small intestine meets the colon. Causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, nausea, and overall flu-like symptoms, this parasite can live for up to two years within a human host—even after treatment.
Dr. Ann Louise’s Take:
Now that at least half of all Americans have “unwanted guests,” it’s hard for mainstream medicine to ignore parasites. Increased international travel and immigration, polluted soil and water, exotic foods from all over the world, inadequate hygiene (particularly in daycare and senior centers), as well as our far-flung armed forces all contribute to the spread of parasites.
Since first writing Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health back in the early ’90s, however, I’ve successfully counseled countless clients on effective ways to discover and eliminate these pests—or better yet, to prevent them in the first place.
Just because researchers are studying parasitic infections doesn’t mean it’s gotten any easier to diagnose them. Since parasites go through various stages of development, it’s important to test every 2 to 3 months.
To test within the privacy of your own home, use the Parasite Flexi-Test, which screens for a variety of parasitic protozoa and worms. Increasingly, we’re finding that many people can have 3 to 4 different parasites at the same time.
Parasite Primer
Unable to survive without a host, parasites can live for years within humans, our pets, and the livestock that comprise much of our food supply. Within our bodies, these critters consume our food and nutrients, producing toxic wastes, and eventually even destroying our tissues and cells. Overall, they can make us very sick!
Here are some other parasites that are easily transmitted today—and how they can masquerade as other problems:
• Pinworms - one of the most common parasites (especially in children), come from contaminated food, water, bedding, and house dust. While anal itching is one signal, these worms also produce a number of behavioral and neurological symptoms including hyperactivity and vision problems.
• Giardia - a parasitic protozoa almost as common as pinworms, is spread by contaminated water (even if chlorinated), unpeeled and unwashed raw produce, and even unsafe sex. In addition to abdominal pain and diarrhea, giardia leads to food sensitivity and nutrient deficiency.
• Hookworm – a parasitic nematode worm that can cause anemia, bronchitis, fatigue, and itchy blistery skin as well as GI symptoms. Hookworms actually have teeth that allow them to attach themselves eventually to the intestines. Spread by contact with pets as well as contaminated water and produce, this worm can live for up to 15 years in humans.
• Roundworm - inflicting about 1 billion worldwide (particularly children), spread by pet contact plus contaminated soil and produce. Its parasitic eggs can find their way from the intestines to various organs, causing infection, pain, weakness, and weight loss.
• Tapeworm - spread by kissing your dog and eating undercooked meat or fish, is the largest of intestinal parasites, stealing valuable nutrients. While this parasite doesn’t always produce symptoms, allergies, bloating and gas, dizziness, “fuzzy” thinking, hunger pains, mineral imbalance, and sensitivity to touch can signal this worm.
• Liver fluke - a flat worm that can live in its human host for 30 years, is spread by swimming in (and drinking) contaminated water plus eating undercooked fish and contaminated produce. Symptoms include depression, edema, enlarged liver, pain on the right side, vertigo, and even cancer.
Avoid “Unwanted Guests”
Obviously, washing your hands (before preparing and eating food, after changing diapers, playing with pets, and going to the bathroom) is hard to overemphasize. Because microscopic parasites can hide under fingernails, also scrub your nails with a brush and soapy water frequently.
Wear gloves when you garden and change cat litter—the latter is something pregnant women should not do! And wear shoes outdoors, especially where the soil is moist and warm.
Drink only filtered water, and wash any food you plan to eat raw in Clorox (1 half teaspoon bleach to 1 gallon water) before placing in filtered water for a 10-minute rinse. Cook all food—particularly fish, pork, poultry, and meat—to its correct internal temperature.
Cleanse Parasites Away
The good news is that parasites do respond to a number of time-tested elimination strategies. For example, cranberry juice, raw garlic, and papaya, pomegranate, and pumpkin seeds are traditional anti-parasitic foods. A number of herbs—butternut, cloves, and wormwood—help, too.
Over the decades, I have researched, experimented with, and written about various anti-parasite protocols. My clients and readers have reported very satisfactory results with several products that are included in My Colon Cleansing Kit.
Designed to get rid of “uninvited guests” while recolonizing the GI tract with beneficial bacteria (probiotics) to cleanse the colon while improving immunity and digestion, Flora-Key, Para-Key, and Verma-Plus help relieve abdominal pain and GI problems, allergies, overall fatigue, and other parasite-related problems, whether taken alone or in combination with what you doctor prescribes.
Sources:
Guess What Came to Dinner?
www.allergyescape.com/human-parasites.html
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093234
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20127113
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19916846
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19564786
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19537576
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
My daughter-in-law is pregnant and they have a cat. My son takes care of it when he’s around, but as a pilot, that’s not all the time. Should she wear a mask as well as gloves when she cleans out the litter?
Thanks for your help!
Patsy- If there is no one else to do if for her, she should, as well as washing her hands really well afterwards. It’s the parasite Toxoplama that’s the problem, and there are other things she can also do to avoid infection, such as:
-Clean the litter box daily, toxoplama become infectious in cat feces in 1-5 days.
-Avoid unfamaliar cats entirely, especially kittens.
-if she gardens, she needs to wear gloves and wash her hands afterwards.
-Keep cat indoors.
-Feed the cat commercial cat food, do not feed it raw meat.
-Follow Dr. Ann Louise’s advise above for food prep., as getting infected by food is also possible.
I hope this helps, and congradulations on your new grandchild.
Annlouise
When i takeDr.Ohhira”s probiotics i get heart burn & bleching have you had this to happen before with any one. Dorothy
Annlouse, I have been using your colon cleansing kit for 3 months now. I just started my 4th kit. I had many symptoms of parasites and had been to several doctors without luck when I saw your article in First for Women. I asked my doctor if I should try your product and he thought it was a good idea. I started feeling better almost immediatly. I also follow the strict diet suggested and have lost close to 30 pounds, I have only had one migraine in 6 months which I used to get 2-3 a week. However I am seeing some of my symptoms coming back{ increased hunger, gas, bruising,] Is this normal? I am getting a bit discouraged. I am very good about sticking to the diet and using the kit as I should be and I feel like I’ve taken a step backwards somehow.
Linda
Hi There Dorothy:
As mentioned before, you probably should cut back on Dr. O’s for a while. It can precipitate a powerful detox – which may be what you are experiencing.
Linda: I would increase Vitamin C and add some Zymex II before meals to catch any of the reproductive cycles that may have blossomed. Also, because this is liver time, I would consider that you add Liver Lovin-Formula to assist the liver in finally getting rid of the residues once and for all that are then dumped into your colon.
I can barely afford the supplements I currently take, so it is not possible for me to do the parasite test, especially when you have to repeat it several times. Realizing that most of us have some parasites, would it be all right to just plan on using the products you recommend once or twice a year?
Janine: Doing a parasite cleanse at least twice a year or after a vacation overseas would be a wonderful idea – even without testing !
Dr. Ann Louise, is Morgellons a parasite illness? My daughter has been told that she may have it. But some think it is from a parasite and others thinks its from a form of plant type of infections!!! We are not sure what to do or who to see to find out. Please help us. Thank you, Wanda Vasil
I had never even heard of parasites before moving to Mexico. I was sick once, feeling very weak and confused and couldn’t eat anything. The doctors here just give you the medicine, they don’t test for parasites.
I remember being insulted the first time, but now I think they are smart to assume that parasites can be the cause of many symptoms.
I don’t remember a doctor in Canada asking me : “when is the last time you took parasites medication ?”
this is the first time that I’ve heard of a “home testing kit” for parasites – I am super curious about it… how accurate can it be ?
The parasite “home test kit” means the samples are collected in the privacy of your home. The samples are then sent overnight to the best professional lab to be analyzed.
Dr. Ann Louise looks at the results and sends you a personal letter of recommendations.
What worms is this? can you give us more information regarding this site? I’m a bit confused on it. I have migraine and I don’t want that to happen to me. Thank you!
Any parasites can occupy the brain and cause headaches. You can also get headaches with parasites in other places in your body as well. That’s why it is good to get tested to see if you do have parasites and which ones so you can treat them.
I have seen these tiny worms in my eyes under certain lights and when I talk to the Dr.’s about them they just laugh at me. I am having these awful headaches and have even went to the eye Dr. and he laughed at me too saying that if I had worms in my eyes I would have the redest eyes and that he would be able to see the worms. I know what I am seeing and the headaches are killing me. What can I do???
I lived in India and Mexico for many years and have been sick for many years. I have a large parasite in my brain, I can feel it moving around, when I told the Dr he was rude and told me I was imagining it and when I pushed him he took samples for tests. The tests came back as showing no parasites or worms, yet I know they are there. So my question is, how effective is your cleanse for a large parasite in my brain area. Most cleanses are for the colon, I have already done a lot of these types of cleanses and it has not helped with my parasite, so what can my next effective step be. Thanks and much love
Ann, the herbs in the Para-Key and Verma-Plus are very effective for large parasite, not only in the colon but throughout the body. You may also benefit from a private consultation with Dr. Ann Louise. For information, please email kim@annlouise.com