The subject of intestinal worms is probably very frowned upon or avoided by most people, including doctors. The truth of the matter is, based on my current research, one out of six Americans has actual living worms inside his body.

There are many types of worms. There are tapeworms which are long, opaque, thin, ribbon-like sort of noodle-shaped things, which live in the intestines, can grow well over fifteen feet long, and specialize in consuming your food. This can cause you to be chronically hungry but not able to gain weight.

There are round worms that can grow sometimes up to a foot long and just look literally like a worm out of the garden. There are pinworms which are smaller worms which actually resemble a pin in shape and size. These are usually very close to the anal area and cause a lot of itching. There are even worms which live in your bladder which many times look like a fish with a head or a tail and can be expelled through the colon when taking the right medicine.

There are worms that live in the liver and actually can migrate to other parts of the body and take up residence there.

The typical symptoms of worms include all types of gastrointestinal stress, rectal itching, itching on the skin and throughout the body, all manner of digestive discomfort which could include constipation and diarrhea. A crawling feeling is very commonly reported by people who have worms.

There are other symptoms but the main ones would be: anemia, chronic fatigue, inability to gain or lose weight, insatiable appetite (hungry all the time but never satisfied), any general gastrointestinal distress such as bloating, burping and belching. Key signs are rectal itching, especially when it seems to be worse between one and three a.m.. Some patients also report a worsening of these symptoms that we've already mentioned when the moon is full! It seems that worms living in the body become more active when there's a full moon. I guess if a wolf or dog howls, worms can be more active!

These are some of the key signs of worms. There are many others, but these tend to be the most outstanding.

How do I know that one out of six people have worms? In my practice we see many people who have chronic fatigue (which can be caused by a host of different viruses) and also chronic candida (a yeast infection in the intestines, vaginal, or genital area in men). Recently, we gave all the patients that we have with these conditions--which number in the hundreds--herbs which would expel worms if indeed these patients had them. To my amazement, 50% of those who took the herbs called up to tell us that they were seeing strange things in their feces. Very commonly, the scenario went like this: The patient took the herbs, then began to feel an increased amount of rectal itching or itching on the skin, increased amount of burning upon having a bowel movement, or an increase in some type of wet or moist feeling in the rectal area. This was then followed by abdominal cramps and pain upon which the person had to have an urgent bowel movement. Having the bowel movement, the patient reported seeing worms in their stool or in the toilet water. Some only saw a few, but one patient actually saw an entire handful! Luckily for these patients the worms were dead, as the herbs had killed them. I find it extremely important to test for worms and other bacteria and parasites by taking the CDSA 3P test.

Statistically, after going over all the records, I found that it was just about half the patients. This tells me that 50% of all the people with chronic fatigue and candida have worms.

Loosely figuring, if one out of three people in this country has an overgrowth of candida or one of the viruses that are known to cause chronic fatigue, and if we conclude that half of all our patients with those conditions had worms, then we can compute that one out of six Americans probably has worms.

We can only guess how many people with gastrointestinal complaints, chronic fatigue, anemia, and the other symptoms I've mentioned, have worms--and it's being completely overlooked by their doctors! In America, most physicians and health practitioners would consider that we're too hygienically clean to ever have such a thing. Maybe in third world countries, but not here. Well, I've got news for all those practitioners and doctors. If they take a good walk down the streets and take a look at who's handling the food we buy, they'll find that it is mainly people from third world countries who are ignorant to our hygienic standards. So, it's no wonder that American could be getting worms without having to travel to third world
countries!

If we examine the common causes of why one would have worms, we find this: 1) eating sushi or improperly cooked meats will cause worms; 2) eating vegetables or fruits not properly washed could also cause worms if they are exposed to fecal matter, even in tiny amounts. 3) sexual practices which involve the rectal area and involve contacting feces can also pass worms.

Exactly how one would get worms is pretty simple. Someone eating improperly or raw cooked meat, fish, chicken or some other food that has had some contact with feces. The next step is that the food comes into your stomach and if your stomach does not make enough acid to destroy harmful bacteria in the food, worms or eggs which might already be present in the food will pass into the digestive tract where they begin to grow. Bacteria, mixing with improperly cooked flesh, will actually give rise to eggs of different types of worms. Beef, poultry, pork, fish, all individually have their own unique types of worms that will
grow from them. Once these worms begin growing in the intestinal tract many of them will start to reproduce and lay eggs. Worms generally are male and female, so they literally reproduce and the female drops her eggs into the intestinal tract where they hatch. The next thing you know, you have a living colony of these things in your intestines. Then the symptoms begin.

Several factors have to be present for the person to be susceptible to worms. The stomach would be low in acid, the digestive juices that the body makes from the pancreas would be low, or the bile from the liver would be deficient. Normally, these juices aid in destroying organisms before they're able to grow and mature. A weakened immune response also would be involved. Many times people with candida and other microscopic parasites already have the perfect home in their intestinal tract for worms to grow. (For our purposes in this article, parasites refer to organisms seen only with a microscope while worms can be
seen with the naked eye.) The worms settle in and nest and multiply and soon they're all living together in harmony, much to your dismay.

In order to properly eliminate worms from your system, one must first eliminate the other infections, whether they're bacterial, fungal, yeast, viral or parasitic. Then you would take herbs that would literally purge the worms out. Fasting for at least a 24-hour period before taking the worm expellers is ideal. Veterinarians have done this for years, but many doctors don't seem to utilize this. Once the worms are eliminated, herbs that would be able to destroy the eggs they leave behind should be taken for at least a month to make sure the worms don't come back.

The worm purging should also be done every few weeks to kill any eggs that have grown into mature adults. Then we normalize the intestinal tract and digestive system to prevent the situation from ever reoccurring. You would need to take certain natural substances which can absorb any harmful toxins in the intestines and clean it and make it germ- and poison-free. The next step is taking natural substances to strengthen the digestive system and make sure you're producing enough digestive juices so any future organisms that are ingested can be killed. Substances like FOS, which feed the friendly bacteria, need to be taken to build up the friendly bacteria and increase your own immune response. There are natural substances we now know of which do increase the immune response in addition to the friendly bacteria.

All these things need to be done to ensure the person has eliminated the worms and they won't come back. When this is done we can start to correct vitamin deficiencies and boost the person's overall immune system so that the problem doesn't return.

Call to set up a nutritional consultation so that tests can be performed and a comprehensive strategy of lifestyle, dietary modification and nutrient supplementation can be implemented to aid you in reversing this disorder.

For an appointment, contact our office at: 800-956-7083 and visit our web site www.completehealthinstitute.com go to lab tests and click on appropriate test for information.

Dr. Rispoli, Ph.D., L Ac. has had a clinical practice for over 20 years. Her programs work because she is so thorough in testing and providing a nutritional approach. Remember that the body can heal itself if given the proper nutrients.

The information herein is not intended as diagnosis, treatment or a cure. Should you have a medical condition please seek the advice of your medical doctor.