f you suffer from various responses to certain foods, such as wheat, sugar, sweets or carbohydrates in general, then your problem may not be what you, your doctor or Naturopath think it is.

It is not a very pleasant thought to have an unhealthy micro-organism living inside your intestinal tract, however it is more common than we like to think.  And parasites thrive on sweets and carbohydrate, which is why your symptoms get worse when you eat these foods.

Parasites include worms, but the vast majorities are microscopic, you cannot see them in your stool, you can only be on the receiving end of their metabolic processes, reproduction and waste materials, known as endotoxins.

We can become contaminated with these unhealthy micro-organisms by consuming infected water or food, especially meat and fish, being bitten by various insects, touching animals, and walking bare foot on infected soil.

Parasites can cause a whole host of symptoms, not only the obvious such as bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation but also low immune function, fatigue, brain fog, asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, behavior problems, ADD/ADHD, eczema, dermatitis, and mineral deficiencies, such as reduced iron levels.

Cancer is probably one of the more serious immunological dysfunctions.  Jean Marie Houghton’s M.D PHD work showed that most forms of infectious microbes, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can create an inflammatory immune response which, under toxic environmental conditions, can cause cancer cells to grow.  And all this goes on under the hidden guise of chronic inflammation, whereby, infectious microbes are the cause.

Testing for Parasites
Common microbiology stool testing may not be very reliable. It is probable that they pick up less than 10 % of active infections. There are hundreds of parasites in existence that humans can carry inside the intestinal tract as well as outside the intestinal tract (liver, gall bladder, lung, pancreas, stomach etc) that are often not picked up by standard testing. Specific research laboratories may be more expensive, but may well be worth the money, as they have a higher chance of picking up parasitical and fungal infections.

And it may be a great relief for a person to finally get a diagnosis.  95% of every person I have ever met with Irritable Bowel Syndrome have had unhealthy micro-organisms living in their gut.  And guess what, many of these people have never left the country.   We get parasites right here in Australia.

Allergy
An allergy is a disorder of the immune system which causes hypersensitivity.  White blood cells called basophils, will show up in raised amounts on a person’s Live Blood Assessment (Hemaview) where they are suffering from a true allergic reaction.  Allergies can cause asthma, hay fever, runny nose, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea etc.  These symptoms are identical to symptoms caused by a parasitical infection, so in this case, it is worth sending a stool sample off to a specialised research laboratory.

Food Intolerance
Food intolerances may be enzymatic, so that a person lacking the enzyme lactase will be lactose intolerant.  Reactions to the chemical components of food, including food additives and genetically engineered foods, are more common than true food allergies.

It is extremely common to have intolerance to food such as wheat and milk.  Both these foods have been ‘played’ about with and altered by humanity.  Have you ever noticed that your digestive system may have a different reaction to wheat depending on which country you are in?  The wheat eaten in France for example is much softer and easier to digest, than it is here in Australia.

There is a whole area of missing research in relation to what causes extreme intolerances, such as cealic’s disease.  However I question what caused the hypersensitivity, inflammation and tissue damage in the intestine of a cealic sufferer in the first place, particularly when they are not born with the disease.  We can suspect that parasites are the link.

Miriam Young is a Medical Herbalist specialising in gut detoxification programs and loves to get rid of unhealthy micro-organisms.  She practices from Flourish Remedies in Doonan and also Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane.  07 5449 1130 or explore ww.detox4life.com.au