Hookworm and Barefeet

[tcmgpt13]

There is yet another suggestion today in the chatbox that people walk barefoot on the ground outside. However, as I warned once before, this could lead to an unwanted case of hookworm infection, especially if the type of soil is right for this type of parasite to thrive. Hookworms can be found in soil infected by feces, human, pet or otherwise. The last thing anyone with Morgellons needs is to add to the body another parasite infection. Also the pet form of hookworm found in the soil can cause cutaneous symptoms in humans. So unless you want to take another chance to expose yourself to a parasite infection, it might be wise to avoid going barefoot and rubbing the feet in the soil outside.

Prevention

The infective larvae develop and survive in an environment of damp dirt, particularly sandy and loamy soil. They cannot survive in clay or muck. The main lines of precaution are those dictated by sanitary science:

Prevent skin/soil contact: do not walk barefoot Do not defecate outside latrines, toilets etc. Do not use human excrement or raw sewage as manure/fertilizer in agriculture Worm pet dogs — canine and feline hookworms rarely develop to adulthood in humans (Ancylostoma caninum, the common dog hookworm, occasionally develops into an adult to cause eosinophilic enteritis in people), but their invasive larvae can cause an itchy rash called cutaneous larva migrans.

Moxidectin has been released in the United States as part of Advantage Multi™ (imidacloprid + moxidectin) Topical Solution for dogs and cats. It utilizes moxidectin for control and prevention of roundworms, hookworms, heartworms, and whipworms.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Mississippians were plagued by hookworms. They did not have indoor plumbing or proper sanitation facilities. As a result, hookworms, spread by fecal contamination of the environment, were very prevalent (as well as other diseases caused by lack of sanitation).

Most individuals with hookworm infection are asymptomatic (without symptoms). Generally, very high loads of the parasite coupled with poor nutrition (inadequate intake of protein and iron) eventually lead to anemia.

The disease was linked to nematode worms (Ankylostoma duodenalis) from one-third to half an inch long in the intestine chiefly through the labours of Theodor Bilharz and Griesinger in Egypt (1854).

The symptoms can be linked to inflammation in the gut stimulated by feeding hookworms, such as nausea, abdominal pain and intermittent diarrhea, and to progressive anemia in prolonged disease: capricious appetite, pica (or dirt-eating), obstinate constipation followed by diarrhea, palpitations, thready pulse, coldness of the skin, pallor of the mucous membranes, fatigue and weakness, shortness of breath and in cases running a fatal course, dysentery, haemorrhages and oedema.

In contrast to most intestinal helminthiases, where the heaviest parasitic loads tend to occur in children, hookworm prevalence and intensity can be higher among adult males. The explanation for this is that hookworm infection tends to be occupational, so that plantation workers, coalminers and other groups maintain a high prevalence of infection among themselves by contaminating their work environment. However, in most endemic areas, adult women are the most severely affected by anemia, mainly because they have much higher physiological needs for iron (menstruation, repeated pregnancy), but also because customarily they have access to much poorer food than the men. In some communities, it is also these women who are most heavily exposed occupationally to hookworm, e.g. in rubber plantations, where women do the latex-tapping, working barefoot, and without latrines.

An interesting consequence of this in the case of Ancylostoma duodenale infection is translactational transmission of infection: the skin-invasive larvae of this species do not all immediately pass through the lungs and on into the gut, but spread around the body via the circulation, to become dormant inside muscle fibers. In a pregnant woman, after childbirth some or all of these larvae are stimulated to re-enter the circulation (presumably by sudden hormonal changes), then to pass into the mammary glands, so that the newborn baby can receive a large dose of infective larvae through its mother's milk. This accounts for otherwise inexplicable cases of very heavy, even fatal, hookworm infections in children a month or so of age, in places such as China, India and northern Australia. (An identical phenomenon is much more commonly seen with Ancylostoma caninum infections in dogs, where the newborn pups can even die of hemorrhaging from their intestines caused by massive numbers of feeding hookworms. This also reflects the close evolutionary link between the human and canine parasites, which probably have a common ancestor dating back to when humans and dogs first started living closely together.)

www nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Hookworm

Hookworm

There are different species of this parasitic worm, but in the United States the most common of this variety would be Necator americanus. It is estimated that up to a fifth of the world’s population is infected with hookworm. This intestinal worm infestation is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas.

Hookworms can be transmitted through the consumption of contaminated foods and also through direct contact with soil or contaminated objects as hookworm larvae can actually penetrate the skin directly, entering the bloodstream to eventually end up in the small intestine. Children are again at a much higher risk as compared to adults because of their tendency to play in mud and sand and to walk about bare footed.

A hookworm parasite infestation can cause symptoms like irritation at the point of entry and some other symptoms like weight loss and anemia because of the loss of nutrients and also abdominal pain and diarrhea.

www home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Intestinal-Worms.html

[Robin]

Your absolutely right TCM,
They say that when we are infected with parasites they seem to draw other parasites into our systems it the proper breeding grounds for almost all the nematodes. but alas modern western medicine still doesn't nelieve they can poise a problem around our areas i say how can't they.
Almost every infection common nowadays like copd, diabetes,mrsa. lyme disesase bronchitis, asthma, sinus infections another great spot for them to live it just amazes me this has not been found but after all they have but one thing they are tring to do and that is survival they are often extremely complex and can blend so easily without being detected .imagine how long they have been unnoticed this is what makes it so scary.these drs need to look a little deeper and longer and maybe then we will have answeres!
XO Robin

[tcmgpt13]

Hi there Robin,

Good to see you posting again. Yeah, I think that parasites are a big issue for many of us and I know you do too. Hopefully some day we will be taken seriously about this and even tested for some of the parasites which could be part of our infection picture. It would also be good to see some new parasite drugs which target the parasites more effectively than some of the current choices do. For some of the more esoteric parasitic diseases which are now entering the developed nations there are no good drug choices, as they have very serious side effects. Some of them do not have any drug choices at all. Also some of the drugs are expensive so I am pretty sure that's what could be going on in the background too. No wonder governments would want that hushed up as then insurance would have to pay for treatment...can't have that in the nations which have government health care which is on the verge of collapse anyway. No, they remain quiet. That could be the major reason for the lack of discussion about parasites or Morgellons.

Anyway...hope you continue to feel better.

tcmxxx

[Robin]

Hi TCM!
Imagine when they finally do admit alot of these newer problems such as Atopic Eczema which by the way has tripled its prevalance in the last 30 yrs and many of the other diseases plagueing mankind when they finally make the connection their is one main culprit at fault. i would also believe they don't want to discover what it is then they will heal alot of people and start losing alot of money in the medical industry.
They also definitely need to update their thoughts and methods on diagnoising parasitic infections they def don't seem up to date on accurate tests for them as a matter of fact i think theres only a few they know how to test for so if it is one of the other thousands of nematodes infecting us they will just bypass it like they do.its such a shame they don;t take this as seriously as they really need to! How are you doing TCM?
xo
Robin