Giardia Lamblia

Giardia Lamblia is a parasite that could infect humans. In most people however it is believed to cause no symptoms. Infection is caused by using contaminated water or ingesting contaminated food. Also direct person to person contact including sexual activities may be responsible for many cases. Many wild and domestic animals carry the parasite.

The symptoms include watery diarrhea in the early stages, associated symptoms may include nausea, anorexia and abdominal bloating. Symptoms however could persist for a long time and in children chronic giardia infection may be confused with celiac disease, cow’s milk allergy or mal-absorption from other causes.

Some studies have suspected that chronic infection in children may cause inhibition of growth. The gold standard for diagnosis is the microscopic demonstration of the parasite, however this is only possible in 80 percent of the cases even after repeated examinations.

Infection is caused by using contaminated water or ingesting contaminated food

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis — also known as litter box disease — is caused by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite multiplies in the cat’s intestine and is excreted via feces into cat litter. Humans who come in contact with parasite-infected feces may acquire toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is also acquired by eating foods containing cysts of the organism. Approximately 10% of the lamb and 25 % of pork meat is contaminated. The prevalence of the organism in beef is yet to be determined.

Approximately 10% of the lamb and 25 % of pork meat is contaminated

Signs and symptoms of toxoplasmosis include swollen lymph glands, rash, fever, headache, cough, sore throat and nasal congestion. Many infected people have no signs or symptoms. The disease is of special concern to pregnant women because it can cause miscarriage, still birth or premature birth. The later in the pregnancy the mother acquires the disease, the greater the risk she will give it to her unborn child. The majority of fetuses who acquire toxoplasmosis develop normally. However, the disease may cause: blindness, enlarged liver or spleen, jaundice, anemia, fever, pneumonia, low platelets count, small head, brain calcifications, seizure, mental retardation. Only 10 to 20 % of infected mothers show symptoms. Whether they show symptoms or not the infant is always at risk.

The organism can affect many organs in humans including ; lymph nodes, eyes, central nervous system, lungs, heart, kidneys and other sites such as the ovaries and the testes. Though a suppressed immune system exposes the individual to toxoplasmosis, the infection could be found in healthy humans. The organism has been estimated to cause 35 percent of all cases of choreo-retinitis. At times symptoms may include enlarged lymph nodes that may mimic lymphoma.

A diagnosis of toxoplasmosis can be established by a blood test. The presence of antibodies to the organism in the blood of the individual may indicate toxoplasmosis. Twenty to 80 percent of those affected will show the presence of toxoplasmosis antibodies when tested. However, many people develop antibodies to the organism because of a previous exposure. To determine if the presence of antibodies represents a prior or a current infection, the doctor may need to check for a change in the patient's levels over several weeks.

To avoid infection don't eat raw or undercooked meat and avoid sampling meat before it is fully cooked, wash your hands immediately after handling raw meat with soap and warm water, wash all raw fruit and vegetables before eating, wear gloves when gardening or handling soil for any reason since outdoor soil may contain the parasite. Some forms of Toxoplasma gondii can survive in soil for over a year. Finally, keep your cats indoors to prevent hunting and subsequent infection and don't feed cats raw or undercooked meats.

Can Alternative and Complementary Medicine Help?

There are many kinds of parasites and most of them can cause serious symptoms and complications for humans. The addition of alternative and complementary medicine approaches to conventional medical treatment could be invaluable to your health. They could help eradicate parasites from your body. Remember that in many cases the presence of parasites is not accompanied by symptoms and hence they are not treated. Also remember that laboratory tests could be negative despite of the presence of parasites.

Eliminating the parasites can simply protect your health as they are posed to strike once the conditions are favorable. One important factor is the integrity of your immune system. Many conditions can help weaken your immune system thus lowering your defense capabilities. Some of these conditions include excess toxins and certain drugs that include steroids and antibiotics. Stress is considered another important factor.

One important factor is the integrity of your immune system

This Center offers two major alternative approaches that include acupuncture and homeopathy. The center also provides nutritional counseling while our affiliates provide additional important and beneficial approaches. Most of these methods aim at supporting your immune system, and help eliminating toxins, thus your body may become more capable to fight these invading organisms before they can strike.

Acupuncture is a treatment system that helps normalize the energetic circulation in the acupuncture meridians. This is believed to bring health to the different organs of the body. Scientific studies suggest that acupuncture can help improve the efficacy of the immune system.

Homeopathy is another system that is believed to help the body restore its integrity and thus allows the body to enhance its defensive capabilities. A strong immune system will help maintain the integrity of the different organs of the body and allow them to function at the highest possible levels.

Information compiled from Web-MD and from the textbook “Infectious Diseases, Sherwood Gorbach, MD. Second edition 1998, W.B. Saunders Company