Parasite Awareness Might Be TikTok’s Most Helpful Wellness Trend Yet

Although parasite research is nothing new, TikTok has shed new awareness on the influence these revolting creatures have on our health. Multiple people posting videos have shown their symptoms and their cleansing process, and of course, the amazing results and better quality of life they’ve achieved post-parasite cleanse. Yes, this is a disturbing and gross topic, which is why it’s not addressed very often, even in the health and wellness sphere.

According to the CDC, a parasite is defined as an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food at the expense of its host. Able to infiltrate any area of the body, parasites weaken your general immunity. They can also affect your energy, mood, hormones and blood sugar, and even your emotional thought patterns. Some TikTokers have shared how they struggled with anxiety, depression, brain fog, and a lack of motivational drive – only to realize they had parasites. 

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What Kinds of Parasites?

The most common parasites that infest humans are roundworms, tapeworms, flatworms, and hookworms. Roundworms, including pinworms, infest the intestine and can cause abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea. Hundreds of millions of people around the world host roundworms, but pinworms are the most common in the U.S. These worms can infest via contaminated soil or fecal matter, and the larvae can often enter the body through the skin or hide in contaminated food. Tapeworms can also invade a host this way, especially by poor hygiene and sanitation. 

Hookworms also invade the human skin and target the intestines; they spread via the feces of an infected person. If an infected person poops outside, or if the infected feces happen to be used for fertilizer, the soil then becomes infected, and a person contracts hookworm by walking barefoot or touching the soil. However, parasites can inhabit other areas of the body too. 

Flatworms usually infect people who are swimming, wading, or bathing in freshwater inhabited by infected snails. They burrow into the skin and grow within blood vessels, then travel to the liver, bladder, and other organs. Children who host flatworms often suffer from anemia and malnutrition disorders. 

Parasitic Side Effects

Parasites cause a variety of problems: skin reactions such as eczema, acne, hives, ringworm fungal infection, as well as nerve and sensory disorders including anxiety, restlessness, brain fog, vertigo, and poor coordination. They also make you more susceptible to yeast infections, colds, and environmental and food allergies. Parasites can mimic and cause gastrointestinal disorders and indigestion. Ever feel like you’re bloated after the slightest bit of sugar or grain? It might not just be low stomach acid. Studies have found that parasite symptoms are similar to those of Crohn’s disease and indeed may be the cause, and there is a strong correlation between parasites and autoimmune disease and inflammatory bowel disorders. Parasites can even cause insomnia as well as weight gain.

Parasites and Food

Parasites hijack your digestion and steal much of your nutrients, affecting your proper digestion and metabolic function, which is why an infected person often is hungry with an inability to get full or feel satisfied and may struggle with restless snacking. 

Following the ensuing diarrhea and malabsorption, nutritional deficiencies become part of the package. Anemia is often a result of parasitic infestation, as some parasites feed on host tissue and cause a loss of protein and iron. 

Parasites and Autoimmunity

Food sensitivities can even be affected by parasites; studies show that some allergies may be maladaptive responses to parasitic invasions. The body’s immunity antibodies recognize an allergen, a foreign invader, and bind to it and cause an inflammatory response (which can include a wide range of symptoms from sneezing to stomach pains to anaphylactic shock). 

Even apart from immune response, parasites feed on sugars, so eating any food that breaks down into sugar can trigger an inflammatory response. Those who struggle with digesting grains or any type of complex carbs or can’t eat the smallest amount of sugar or dairy without suffering skin breakouts, bloating, and smelly gas often are hosting parasites that are causing the reaction.