Homeopathy 

Worm infestations

In the medical world, serpent is usually treated as a symbol of magic healing as it is found in the hand of the Goddess of Health - Hygeia (Greek). In truth, worms (even miniature serpents) parasitise man for their survival, and cause a lot of problems related to health and nutrition. To get rid of them, de-worming is now done long with fancy medications/ vaccination even without analysing it. Now, many people clean their stomach and refresh with de-worming tablets at least once in 6 months. Is it effective?

'Katradhu Tamizh' Ram's next Diwali in Suburbs Rajini Still In A Dilemma! அஜீத் பேட்டி? ராம் இயக்கத்தில் சேரன்? கமல் பாராட்டிய டைட்டில்்

One depends on another for food or survival by way of living together or by the obliteration of the other. Worms live as parasites in our digestive tract and injure our intestinal mucosa to take food from us for their survival. They also breed in our digestive tract and pass the eggs in faeces contaminating the environment (water and soil) for their spread. They are is just like mites or ticks, but live inside the body. The worm gets harboured from poor sanitation or environment. They stick to us for their survival. Even though they can go throughout the body with the blood circulation, they live mostly in our small intestines.

Helminth’s or worm’s infestations, refer to worm invasion. Worm invasion is referred to usually as infestation and not as an infection because any infection will cause antigen antibody reaction (preventing future occurrence) or response to fight against the disease and destruction of the tissues in the body. In the case of infestation, there won’t be antigen antibody reaction or destruction of tissues. Bacteria, virus and fungus all cause infection, whereas worms are parasites which infest to keep living with the host/carrier (one or more) with minimal or even without any symptoms or complaints. Sometimes amoeba is also often misunderstood as worm. But it is not so. Amoeba is a uni-cellular protozoan, the simplest organism of the animal kingdom, compared to worms which are multicellular, long, soft, invertebrates with have sex differentiation.

Incidences - The worm infestation mainly comes from contamination of food or water or taking the direct faeco-oral route with improper cleaning or contaminated fingers. Due to the habit of keeping their hand in the mouth/licking fingers/thumb sucking, children under the age of 5 are most commonly affected. Anyway, it can affect any age group irrespective of sex. Poor sanitation, infective environments, warm moist atmosphere, etc., account for the higher spread / incidences. 

Types – Worms are classified mainly into three types according to their shape:

• Trematodes – flukes – schistosomiasis, liver flukes, etc

• Cestodes - Tapeworms – T- solium, T-saginata, T-echinococcus (Hydatid cysts), etc 

• Nematodes – Ascaris lumbricoides, Enterobius vermicularis, Ancylostoma duodenale

Flukes are mostly spread with the intermediate of snails. It lives in small intestines of man, dogs and pigs. It affects the digestive system by affecting the biliary ducts and liver causing jaundice.

Tape worm infestations occur from eating undercooked beef or pork. It is one of the long worms (more than a metre) and long living worms in our body. It holds the intestines tightly with its scolex. Severe infestations can lead to intestinal blockage or malnutrition.

Round worm (Ascaris lumbricoides) is called commonly so for its elongated, unsegmented and cylindrical nature. It spreads mainly through faeco-oral route i.e. by excreta contaminated vegetables or foods. The eggs entering our body get hatched in the small intestine. The larva burrows the intestinal gut to enter the blood stream and reach the lungs, where it is coughed up to enter the digestive tract again. The eggs are passed in faeces which pollute the environment and spread. 

Pin worm or thread worm (Enterobius vermicularis) is more commonly seen in children. They are tiny and white worms which can be easily seen when passed in faeces. They invade through contaminated food or water or with poor hygienic measures. Children usually pick up the eggs from the anus while scratching the anus to infect others or to re-infect themselves. The worms grow in the small intestine and finally live in the large intestines. Female worms usually come out in the night and lays egg around the anus which causes intense night itching. It may also involve the vagina and cause violent vaginal itch.

Hookworm (is of two types i.e. Ancylostoma duodenale or Nector americanus) – These remain silent in many individuals but it is also one of the worms that has a disastrous effect on health by causing anaemia. It lives in the top layer of the soil of humid warm areas. When any person walks barefoot in that soil, the larva enters the human body thro the skin. Then it enters the blood circulation to reach the lungs where it is coughed up and takes the digestive route to reach the small intestine to live upon. It harasses children with abdomen pain and anaemia.

Causes – the common causes are

• Poor hygiene 

• Lack of cleanliness – while handling food, washing hands especially after using toilet

• Bare foot walking (hookworm)

• Undercooked non-veg foods(tapeworm)

• Contact with infective environments – moist shady lands contaminated with animal or human excreta. 

Symptoms and effects of worms - Symptoms may vary according to the type of worms, its load of infection and its affecting site. Commonly 

• Abdominal pain/discomfort with constipation or diarrhoea

• Loose stools with occasional bleeding 

• Iron-deficiency anemia and weight loss with tiredness due to chronic blood loss

• Poor appetite with gas trouble and bloated abdomen

• Eosinophilia, sneezing, cough and asthma

• Headaches and epilepsy in case of egg lodged in brain

• Grinding the teeth, rolling in bed and bedwetting is often noted in children while asleep

• Sleeplessness or restlessness at night

• Lack of concentration and growth retardation or stunted growth

• Bottom (anal) itch and vaginal itch -- more at night

• Skin rashes

Diagnosis and investigations – Worms can be identified when they are passed in the faeces. Or otherwise, their presence can be diagnosed in the laboratory under a microscope by examining the collected faeces/vomited samples for worms, larvae or eggs. Pinworms can be identified even by just examining the anus at night since it is more than 5 mm

Preventive measures – Proper hygiene will usually preserve health. To prevent worm infestations, cleanliness should be followed as a first principle. To prevent or to avoid re-infestation:

• Children should be trained in good habit development.

• Nails should be cut short to avoid pockets of infection.

• Improve hygienic measures and environment with community services

• Wash hands with soap - before food, before handling foods and especially after using toilet and handling pets

• Avoid indulging more with pets

Treatments for worms – Remember the story where the students misunderstood that it was better to take alcohol to kill worms when the professor tried to teach them the bad effects of alcohol by dropping the worm in whiskey? Likewise, everyone has his own concept and idea to follow. In case of worms, many take bitter juices (of neem, bitter guard, etc.) to expel worms and some take purgatives to expel worms. But ultimately nothing is long-lasting.

Nowadays, with medical advancement, people are treated for worms with a single dose of medicines. But people seem to suffer constantly or recurrently in spite of using de-worming tablets (Anti-helminthic drugs) every 3-6 months to kill worms. This means that de-worming is not much effective, since it recurs from persistent eggs, even after treatment, i.e. it kills only the worms and not its eggs. Even though regular de-worming helps children avoid suffering at that time, it has a few side-effects. Skin rashes and allergies are very common among those. Also, the worm occurs repeatedly. At present there is no drug to kill/clean eggs, larva and adult worm altogether.

Homeopathic approach
All testimonials reveal that

• Worm infestation is very common in children 

• Drugging the children repeatedly is dangerous

• Dead worms in the intestine can cause allergic reactions

Recent allopathic medicines attack and kill the worm in the intestines itself just like pesticides. The dead worms are expelled then with the stool. Since only a single dose is used for killing worms, the side-effects are more due to the dead worms than the drugs.

The curative approach for expelling worms by Homeopathy is somewhat miraculous. Even though Homeopathy is the wonder of scientific application and not magic, in case of worms its magical expelling is mysterious. It won’t kill the worms as such, but it just expels them by making the circumstances unfavourable for worms. So, there won’t be any abdominal discomfort or allergic reactions. Homeopathy ensures relief, without any persistent usage of drugs or dependency.

The Homeopathic medicines commonly used in case of worms are Abrotanum, Anantherum, Chenopodium, Cina, Filix M, Ipecac, Lycopodium, Nat phos, Nux vom, Pulsatilla, Sanicula, Santonine, Silicea, Sinapis Nigra, Stannum, Sulphur, Teucrium, etc. These medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified Homeopath.

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Published on March 20^th, 2006