| Gastrointestinal Parasites
While parastitic infections are far more common in developing countries, infections can and do still occur right here in the U.S. Common gastrointestinal parasites include: giardia, protozoa such as amoeba, tapeworms and roundworms. Most infections occur when people travel to foreign countries and are exposed to contaminated food or water, but they may also occasionally occur from ingesting contaminated food and water locally, and from fecal spread from infected animals and humans. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to diarrhea, constipation, anal itching, fever, vomiting, and fatigue. If you suspect that you may have a parasitic infection, there are stool tests which can help to identify the presence and type of organism, in order to pinpoint the most effective therapy to rid the infection. (In addition to standard medications, there are natural herbs which can effectively serve this purpose.)
One way to help prevent infection is to maintain a healthy barrier to invading organisms in the gut. Taking probiotics has been shown to be a safe and effective way of helping to prevent intestinal infection with certain parasites. |
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