Despite the current 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 worst enemies of man, and they must 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 obtain all the necessary micro and macro elements. They can live not only in the intestines, but also in the muscles, lungs, liver and joints, causing not only the destruction of organs, tissues and systems, but also a number of deadly diseases. That is why everyone needs to prevent different types of worms to prevent the complications of helminthiasis.
Methods of penetration of helminths into the human body
Given the number of helminths that can live in the human body, there are many ways for them to enter the carrier. They are the most infected children because they often play in the sand, come into contact with soil and animals, and do not always eat well-processed berries. Adults are most often infected by their children or by not following basic hygiene standards.
Experts have noted the following ways in which helminths enter the body:
- If a person sits down to eat without washing his hands after an active day, then in addition to food, he will eat germs, bacteria and helminth eggs collected during the day, which will lead to infection. Also, if a person puts his dirty hands in his mouth, an invasion can occur.
- Unwashed vegetables or fruits come into contact with the soil or organs of an infected person. Inadequate processing of such products can lead to infection as described above.
- Poorly processed meat and fish products. Processing of meat products is required to destroy the helminth larvae in them, to prevent them from entering the body and starting to grow.
- The use of untreated water can also serve as a source of infection, as the water may contain worm larvae.
- Flies and insects come into contact with the soil, which contains helminth eggs, so that they can carry the larvae of worms in their paws and place them in human food.
- When swimming in open water, humans can absorb water containing parasite eggs, which can lead to infection.
- When in direct contact with contaminated soil, helminth infestation can also occur, as some helminths can enter the human body through micro-cracks in the skin.
- Animals require regular treatment because they do not follow a completely nutritious diet and often eat raw meat from mice infected with tapeworm.
- Exotic cuisine, water from an untested source, foreign insects and animals can immediately strike a person, as it is not customary in exotic countries to process every product well (there are countries where raw food diet or bloody meat is accepted).
Symptoms of helminth infection
Sometimes the disease can occur without symptoms, so an annual examination of the body for helminthiasis is recommended. The diagnosis should be made by the whole family, because the infection of one person poses a threat to the rest of the family. When signs of helminthic infestation appear, it is necessary to see a doctor immediately to get timely medical care.
Helminths provoke the following symptoms:
- Physical weakness and high thermometer readings.
- Pain and dizziness at first.
- apathy condition.
- Abdominal pain.
- Itching in the anus.
- Enlargement of the spleen and liver.
- Skin rash in the form of dermatosis or urticaria.
- Constipation, nausea replaced by vomiting, diarrhea.
- Anemia, hypovitaminosis.
- Bad breath.
- Sudden weight loss or sudden starvation can occur, which can lead to obesity.
After listening to your complaints, the parasitologist will prescribe helminthic symptoms and means to eliminate their pathogen, depending on the severity of the invasion. If the larvae of the worms are not found during the examination, he will recommend appropriate drugs for prophylactic use.
Pros and cons of worm prevention
Many wonder if it is still necessary to take measures to prevent it and use specially designed tools for worms. Experts differ here. Some believe that preventive treatment is not necessary, because the use of non-specific techniques and folk remedies is enough to prevent the invasion.
Others claim that only drugs play a barrier between large-scale invasion and health, so only pharmacological drugs will help prevent the spread of helminthiasis in the population.
It is known that the disease is easier to prevent than to get rid of it later, and the prevention of various types of worms allows to prevent large-scale invasions by timely destruction of individual helminths.
Useful tips. To prevent infection of the whole family, it is recommended to take a tablet course of worms in spring and autumn, periodically use folk remedies that allow the body to create a microflora unsuitable for the life of helminths, and also apply non-specific preventive measures to prevent accidental penetration of parasites. This is especially true for people who keep pets and eat poor quality food.
Non-specific anthelmintic prophylaxis
These preventive measures allow you to protect yourself from helminth attacks without financial costs.
This will require:
- Regularly follow hygiene standards: change bedding and underwear on time, perform water procedures, wash your hands with soap and water before eating (especially after visiting public transport, baths and shops).
- Visit the beach in beach shoes. There are many helminthic larvae in the soil that enter the sand from animal feces and enter the human body through cracks in their legs. After walking on the beach with shoes, it is recommended to wash your feet with soap to prevent such worms from settling on your body.
- It is good to wash fruits and vegetables, fry meat and fish to destroy all helminth larvae present in these products.
- Strengthen the immune system so that the body can more easily fight helminth infections and parasitic diseases.
- Use antihelminthic therapy in pets because they also infect helminths and transmit them to humans.
- Do not drink water from unapproved sources. Worm larvae can live in water for a long time, so it is necessary to boil it before drinking, and it is better to completely replace it with purified water.
Sometimes a person does not have the opportunity to apply these safety measures, for example, by train, bus, etc. During a long trip with, then the parasites have the opportunity to penetrate the unprotected body and attack it, so it is necessary to exercise. prevention of worms in children and adults.
Prevention of helminths in humans: drugs
There are currently many antihelminthic medications, but self-medication is not recommended. This should be done by a professional who knows the properties of the medication and how to choose the dose that is right for your body. Prophylactic treatment of worms in humans should focus on the destruction of young worms and the preservation of the body.
As you know, many drugs are forbidden to take with alcohol. This reduces the effect of the drug and increases the side effects. If you want to get a positive result from the treatment, you should eliminate alcohol from your diet 1 week before taking the drug and for 30 days after the prevention of helminth infections.
Folk methods for the prevention of worms in humans
Traditional medicine also shows good results in the prevention of helminthiasis. Some herbal remedies create a disturbing atmosphere for worms to live in the digestive system, forcing them to leave the host's body. You should consult a doctor before using these recipes, because due to their bitter properties, they can cause more harm to a person with diseases of the digestive system or kidneys.
- Walnut tincture over alcoholIt is prepared as follows: take a glass of chopped walnut partitions, pour a glass of vodka. The finished infusion can be taken in a day, 5-7 drops on an empty stomach, for 10-15 days.
- Decoction of wormwood and tansy: first you need to grind the herbs, resulting in 2 tbsp. Pour boiling water on the spoons of the collection, insist and take 100-150 ml. within a month.
- garlicthere are no contraindications and it is available to everyone. To prevent helminthiasis, you need to eat 2-3 cloves of garlic a day.
- Pumpkin seedshas good antiparasitic activity. Eat 2 cups of pumpkin seeds at least once a week on an empty stomach. You can also prepare healing anthelmintic tinctures from this product.
- carrot rootwill be useful for the prevention of helminths in the form of juice. Before eating, crush 1 root, strain the juice and drink.
- Ashes of linden branches: Ash has long been known for its healing properties. The ash of linden twigs has antihelminthic properties, so it is currently used. To prevent helminthiasis, add 1 teaspoon of ash to a glass of milk and drink it on an empty stomach.
Medications according to the above prescriptions should be taken once a week. If a person has no protection against helminths for a long time, these drugs should be drunk daily for 2 weeks, and then switch to weekly use.
In traditional medicine, there are many antihelminthic agents to fight parasitic worms. In the old days, grandparents used these tools because they affect worms and do not harm the human body. As a result, prevention with folk remedies does not require much effort and money on drugs, but you can not do without drug prevention, especially if you suspect the existence of the initial stage of the occupation.