Despite today's development of civilization and modern medicine, various microorganisms remain in this world to live, multiply and harm. These include: bacteria, germs and worms. 70-80% of people in the world are infected with helminths. These are the most terrible enemies of man, which should be fought.
Helminths and their larvae use the human body for their own development and reproduction, while extracting nutrients from it, depriving the carrier of the opportunity to receive all the necessary micro and macro elements. They can live not only in the intestines, but also in the muscles, lungs, liver, joints, which leads not only to the destruction of organs, tissues and systems, but also causes a number of diseases that lead to death. That is why, each person needs the prevention of various types of worms in order to prevent complications caused by helminthiasis.
Methods of penetration of helminths into the human body
Given the number of helminths that can live in the human body, they have many ways to get inside the carrier. It is children who are most often infected, because they often play in the sand, come into contact with soil and animals, and also do not always eat well-processed berries. Adults are most often infected precisely from their children or due to non-compliance with basic hygiene standards.
Experts have recorded the following ways of penetration of helminths into the body:
- If a person after an active day sat down to have dinner without washing his hands, then along with food he will consume the microbes, bacteria and helminth eggs collected during the day, which will lead to infection. Also, invasion can occur if a person pulls dirty hands into his mouth.
- Unwashed vegetables or fruits come into contact with the soil or limbs of the infected. Insufficient processing of such products leads to infection in the manner described above.
- Poorly processed meat and fish products. Processing of meat products is required to destroy helminth larvae in them, preventing them from entering the body and starting to develop.
- The use of untreated water can also serve as a source of infection, since worm larvae may be present in the water.
- Flies and insects come into contact with soil containing helminthic eggs, as a result of which they can carry worm larvae on their paws and place them on food consumed by humans.
- When swimming in open water, a person is able to swallow water containing eggs of parasites and thereby provoke infection.
- With direct contact with contaminated soil, helminth invasion can also occur, because some helminths can enter the human body through microcracks in the skin.
- Regular treatment of pets is required, because animals absolutely do not follow a nutritious diet, and often eat raw meat from mice infected with tapeworm.
- Exotic cuisine, water from an unverified source, foreign insects and animals can instantly strike a person, because in exotic countries it is not customary to process each product well (there are countries where a raw food diet or meat with blood is welcome).
Symptoms of helminth infestation
Sometimes the disease can occur without symptoms, so an annual examination of the body for helminthiasis is recommended. Diagnosis should be carried out by the whole family, because the infection of one person endangers the rest of the family. When signs of helminthic invasion appear, it is urgent to visit a doctor in order to receive timely medical care.
Helminths provoke the following symptoms:
- Physical weakness and elevated thermometer readings.
- Pain in the head and whirling.
- state of apathy.
- Pain in the abdomen.
- Itching sensation in the anus.
- Splenic and hepatic enlargement.
- Skin rashes, in the form of dermatosis or urticaria.
- Nausea, diarrhea alternating with constipation, vomiting.
- Anemia, hypovitaminosis.
- Bad smell from the mouth.
- Sudden weight loss or sudden hunger can occur, leading to obesity.
After listening to your complaints, the parasitologist will prescribe remedies to eliminate helminthic symptoms and their pathogen, based on the severity of the invasion. If during the examination the larvae of the worms were not found, then he will advise medicines suitable for use as a prophylaxis.
Pros and cons of worm prevention
Many are interested in whether it is still necessary to take measures and use specially designed remedies for worms for the purpose of prevention? Here the opinions of experts differ. Some believe that it is not necessary to carry out preventive treatment, since a non-specific technique for preventing invasion and the use of folk remedies is sufficient.
And others argue that only drugs serve as a barrier between large-scale invasion and health, so only pharmacological drugs will help prevent an outbreak of helminthiasis in the population.
It is known that it is easier to prevent a disease than to get rid of it later, and prevention from various types of worms makes it possible to prevent large-scale invasions by timely destroying individual helminths.
Helpful tips. In order to prevent infection of the whole family, it is recommended to drink a course of tablets from worms in spring and autumn, periodically use folk remedies that allow you to create a microflora in the body that is not suitable for the life of helminths, and also apply non-specific preventive measures that protect against accidental penetration of parasites into the body. This is especially true for people who keep pets and eat low-quality food.
Nonspecific antihelminthic prophylaxis
These preventive measures allow you to protect yourself from the attack of helminths without financial costs.
This will require:
- Observe hygiene standards regularly: change bed and underwear in a timely manner, carry out water procedures, wash hands with soap and water before eating (especially after visiting public transport, bathrooms and shops).
- Visit the beach in beach shoes. There are many helminthic larvae in the soil, which get into the sand from the feces of the animal and enter the human body through cracks in the legs. Even after walking on the beach in slippers, it is recommended to wash your feet with soap to prevent worms from settling in your body.
- It is good to wash fruits and vegetables, fry meat and fish in order to destroy all available helminth larvae in these products.
- Strengthen the immune system so that the body can more easily cope with helminth infestation and diseases caused by parasites.
- Carry out antihelminthic therapy in pets, because they also become infected with helminths and transmit them to humans.
- Do not drink water from unverified sources. Worm larvae can live in water for a long time, so before drinking, it must be boiled, and it is better to completely replace it with purified water.
Sometimes a person does not have the opportunity to apply these security measures, for example, during a long trip by train, bus, etc. Then the parasites have the opportunity to penetrate the unprotected body and attack it, so it is necessary to carry out prevention from worms in children and adults.
Prevention against helminths in humans: drugs
Currently, there are many antihelminthic drugs, but it is not recommended to self-prescribe treatment. This must be done by a specialist who knows the characteristics of drugs, and how to choose the dosage that is right for your body. Preventive treatment for worms in humans should be targeted at the destruction of young worms and maintaining the body.
As you know, many drugs are forbidden to be taken together with alcohol. This reduces the effect of the drug and increases side effects. If you want to get a positive result from the treatment, you should exclude alcohol from your diet 1 week before taking medication, and for 30 days after the prevention of helminth infestation.
Folk methods for the prevention of worms in humans
Traditional medicine also shows good results in the prevention of helminthiasis. Some herbal remedies create an uncomfortable atmosphere in the digestive system for the worms to live in, as a result of which they are forced to leave the host's body. Before using these recipes, you should consult a doctor, because due to their bitter properties, they can further injure a person who has diseases of the digestive system or kidneys.
- Nut tincture on alcoholprepared as follows: take a glass of chopped walnut partitions, pour a glass of vodka. Ready infusion can be taken in a day, 5-7 drops on an empty stomach, for 10-15 days.
- A decoction of wormwood and tansy: initially you will need to grind the herbs, as a result of which 2 tbsp. Pour boiling water over spoons of the collection, insist and take 100-150 ml. within a month.
- Garlichas no contraindications and is available to everyone. For the prevention of helminthiasis, you should eat 2-3 garlic cloves daily.
- Pumpkin seedshave good antiparasitic activity. You need to eat 2 cups of pumpkin seed on an empty stomach, at least 1 time per week. Also from this product you can prepare healing anthelmintic tinctures.
- carrot rootwill be useful for the prevention of helminths in the form of juice. You will need to crush 1 carrot, strain the juice and drink before meals.
- Ashes of linden branches: ash has long been famous for its healing properties. The ash of linden branches has anthelmintic properties, therefore it is also used at the present time. For the prevention of helminthiasis, you need to add 1 teaspoon of ash to a glass of milk and drink on an empty stomach.
Drugs according to the above recipes should be consumed 1 time per week. If a person has not had any protection against helminths for a long time, then these funds will need to be drunk daily for 2 weeks, and then switched to weekly use.
Traditional medicine has many antihelminthic agents to combat parasitic worms. In the old days, grandfathers and great-grandfathers used these means, because they act on worms and do not harm the human body. Consequently, prevention with folk remedies does not require much effort and spending money on medicines, but you can’t do without drug prevention either, especially if you suspect the presence of an initial stage of invasion.