Gastrointestinal distress — could it be intestinal parasites?

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http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/parasites.asp

 

 

Gastrointestinal distress — could it be intestinal parasites?

 

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, RNC

 

 

When I started Women to Women over 21 years ago, I saw patients almost

every day who were suffering from digestive problems like bloating,

constipation, diarrhea, gas and fatigue.

 

Back then I often referred patients to gastroenterologists. Frequently

they came back to me with the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome

(IBS), and with the recommendation that they should make dietary

changes, increase fiber in their diet and use Metamucil. But too often

these changes brought them no relief. I was aware at that time that

stress could play a part in their discomfort, and made suggestions

accordingly. But this also did not seem to be very effective. Their

symptoms remained mysterious and frustrating.

 

An unwelcome souvenir

 

I didn't sort the puzzle out until I went to Mexico and got what is

known as " Montezuma's Revenge. " I returned to the US and realized I

had all the symptoms that many of my patients had been complaining

about. So I did a stool test, which was sent to the hospital. I was

shocked when the test indicated nothing abnormal.

 

Being the person that I am, I did not stop there but began to explore

the options available within the alternative medical community. I

found a chiropractor who recommended a lab in Arizona. Sure enough,

this stool test came back indicating parasites. She then effectively

treated me and also recommended staying away from particular foods to

which I had become sensitive. My symptoms disappeared. So began my

real awakening to the alternatives for women who suffer from digestive

problems that cannot be explained as irritable bowel syndrome or

symptoms of anxiety.

IBS or intestinal parasites?

 

It is now my belief that IBS is just the beginning of the story, not

the conclusion. I think IBS is being used by doctors as a catch-all

diagnosis for a complicated host of symptoms that need to be explored

in depth before the root cause (such as yeast, intestinal parasites or

food sensitivities) can be identified and treated. Because of my own

experience with GI distress, I now test for parasites in every woman

who comes into the clinic with a diagnosis or symptoms of IBS. You may

be surprised to learn that 40% of these women prove to have intestinal

parasites — even though many have never left the United States.

 

The intestinal environment

 

How do so many people get parasites?

 

When I first began working with women with issues of bloating and gas,

I never anticipated seeing the number of women with intestinal

parasites that we do. My expectation was that parasites really only

occurred in third world countries. We know from a number of studies

that in such countries parasites affect up to 99% of the population.

The problem in the United States is obviously much less, but it is

growing.

 

In the US, because we have grown up with modern sanitation, we assume

that parasites are only encountered in other parts of the world. But

as one expert has written " …the United States citizen can acquire

amoebas, Giardia, pinworms and other parasites, for example, without

so much as a passport application. "