Parasites(from Greek parasites - parasite, parasite) - lower plant and animal organisms that live outside or inside another organism (host) and feed at its expense.
Parasitesarose during the historical development of organisms from free life forms.
Their adaptation to certain living conditions requires simplifying the organization, developing special fixed organs, enhancing the development of hypoxic reproductive and respiratory organs, making it possible to survive in an oxygen-free environment.
Many parasites include:
- helminths;
- mushroom;
- viruses;
- protozoa;
- worms;
- crustaceans;
- arachnid;
- insect.
The host of the parasite can be:
- bacteria;
- protozoa;
- plants;
- animal;
- Humanity.
Parasites go through a complex development cycle: sometimes they need to change 2-3 hosts, their organisms are intermediate (adult flukes through the larval stage) or final (sexually mature flukes, invasive).
Classification of parasites
According to their distribution, parasites are divided into:
- everywhere- found everywhere.
- tropical- Popular in tropical climates.
According to biological and epidemiological characteristics, parasites are divided into:
- Helminth disease- a disease in which parasites (helminths) first develop in the human body, then on a non-living substrate, usually in the ground.
- Biological helminthsis a disease in which the biological development cycle of parasites (helminths) necessarily takes place in the bodies of living organisms other than humans.There are final hosts, in whose bodies the helminths develop to sexual maturity, as well as intermediate hosts, where the parasites are in their larval stage or reproduce asexually.Humans are usually the final host, rarely the intermediate host.
- Contact with helminths- a disease in which parasites are released from the adult or nearly adult human body, thereby being able to infect another person or re-infect him (autoinfection, re-infection).
Depending on the location of the parasite in the human body:
- Parasites in the heart- live in the intestinal cavity and other cavities of the human body (e.g. roundworms, tapeworms).
- Tissue parasites- lives in the tissues of the human body (schistosomiasis, echinococcosis).
According to the residence of the owner (person):
- External parasites(mosquitoes, horse flies, leeches, lice).
- Internal parasites(helminth disease):
- nematodes (nematodes - roundworms, threadworms, whipworms, pinworms, strongyloides, hookworms, trichinella);
- Flatworms:
- trematodes (trematodes - opisthorchid, clonorchid, fasciola, schistosomiasis);
- cestodes (tapeworms - beef and pork tapeworms, dwarf tapeworms, broad tapeworms, echinococcus).
- Bacterial infection(leptospira, staphylococcus, streptococcus, shigella).
- Protozoa or protozoa(amoeba, lamblia, trichomonas, often hosts of chlamydia and AIDS virus).
- fungal disease(fungal diseases) - candida, cryptococcus, penicillium.
How parasites enter the human body
You can get infected with parasites not only from dirty hands.Animal hair is a carrier of worm eggs (ascaris and toxocara), Giardia.
Pinworm eggs shed from wool remain viable for up to 6 months and enter the foodstream through dust, toys, carpets, underwear, bed linens and hands.
dogthrough moist breath, it spreads eggs at a distance of up to 5 meters (in cats - up to 3 meters).
FleasDogs also carry worm eggs.Ascaris eggs enter the human body through poorly washed vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, dirty hands, and are also spread by flies.
And improperly prepared kebabs or homemade lard are routes of infection with trichinosis;poorly salted fish, caviar or “stroganina” - opisthorchiasis and tapeworms.
So, there are several ways parasites enter the human body:
- nutrition(through food, drinking water, dirty hands);
- household contact(through household items, infected family members, pets);
- transmission(via blood-sucking insects);
- through the skin,or active (in which the larvae penetrate the skin or mucous membranes into the human body when exposed to contaminated soil, when swimming in open water).
Adaptive characteristics of parasites:
- long lifespan (helminths live in the human body for many years, and sometimes as long as the host of the parasite lives);
- the ability to suppress or modify the host's immune response (a state of immunodeficiency arises, conditions are created for the penetration of pathogens from the outside, as well as for the “inhibition” of internal foci of infection);
- Many types of helminths, when entering the digestive tract, will secrete anti-enzymes to help them escape death;The digestive process is disrupted, toxic allergic reactions of varying severity appear: hives, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis;
- developmental stages (eggs, larvae, host change);
- the ability of eggs to survive for many years in the external environment;
- sexual reproduction, during which the exchange of genetic information occurs and this is the highest stage of development, leads to a heterogeneous population growth, that is, the parasite becomes less vulnerable;
- lack of immunoprophylactic treatments, due to weak and unstable immune response;
- Helminths are widely distributed in many habitats (water, soil, air, plants and animals).
Parasitic epidemiology
Due to increasing migration, the diversity of parasitic helminths in the human body is increasing significantly.Currently, there are 70 common parasite species out of more than 260 existing species.There is a tendency for increased infections with intestinal worms, giardiasis, toxocariasis, opisthorchiasis, diphtheria, tenidosis and echinococcosis.In Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, schistosomiasis and filariasis are very common.
"Healthy" people...Many people who lead a healthy lifestyle experience health problems due to the presence of parasites in the body.Improving the health of the body (proper nutrition, exercise, hardening procedures) without eliminating the body of parasites does not give a noticeable positive effect.
They are everywhere...According to the World Health Organization (WHO), helminths and other parasites are not only localized in the digestive tract but also in important organs: brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys.
Causes many diseases
During their life, helminths secrete special substances - toxins, which are strong poisons and allergens.Parasites (protozoa, fungi and helminths) are the causative agents of many chronic diseases:
- cholecystitis;
- gallstones;
- pancreatitis;
- colitis;
- diabetes;
- bronchial asthma;
- allergic dermatitis.
Chronic fatigue, irritability and anxiety, hyperactivity in children, anemia, brittle nails and hair, skin problems, headaches, appetite disorders, reduced immunity - these can be signs of current parasitic diseases.
If not treated...When parasites exist in the human body for a long time, the immune system will be greatly affected.In the process of constant struggle with foreign antibodies, it becomes exhausted, that is, it leads to the development of secondary immunodeficiency.
Parasites lead to:
- to vitamin deficiency and depletion of trace elements: potassium, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc, magnesium, silicon;
- to hematopoietic disorders;
- hormonal imbalance;
- vascular permeability is impaired;
- The body's ability to defend against cancer is affected.
How were you saved before?For thousands of years, people have mainly eaten plant foods that have received natural active substances with antibacterial, antiparasitic and antiviral effects.Reducing the consumption of wild plants, fruits, berries, replacing them with cultivated vegetables and fruits, thermal and industrial processing has led to a decrease in the consumption of natural phytoncides and antibiotics.As a result, humans become easy prey for many types of microorganisms.The strong development of the antibiotic production industry has led to a decline in anti-parasitic immunity.
Traditional medicine to eliminate parasites in the human body
Synthetic anthelmintics have advantages and disadvantages.There are three main negative factors:
- Usually they only affect gastrointestinal forms of parasites;
- very toxic to the human body;
- causes many adverse reactions.
Science does not stand still!Intensive scientific research into the antibiotic properties of plants is being conducted worldwide.In terms of effectiveness, they are not inferior to synthetic antibiotics but do not cause side effects typical of synthetic drugs.The healing components of plants are complex natural phytocidal complexes that can rid the human body of many types of parasites at different stages of their development.
Nature!This is what will help us!Preparations of plant origin are much less toxic;if necessary, they can be prescribed in long-term courses;They activate anti-parasitic immunity and effectively block the vital activity and reproduction of parasites in the human body.
Parasites are common diseases with toxic and damaging effects on the human body.Since treatment with chemical drugs has a negative effect on the body, the optimal solution to the problem of fighting parasites is herbal products.