It’s Probably Not A Parasite
Parasites get a lot of the credit when it comes to chronic gut issues, and a whole host of other issues in the body, but as a clinical nutritionist with a focus on gut health, I can tell you that it’s not that often we find parasites on client’s gut microbiome test results. This doesn’t mean their symptoms aren’t real, but that we need to look at the overall environment within the gut microbiome and get honest about what we really need for a healthy gut.
The gut microbiome refers to the vast ecosystem of microbes living within the large intestine. These microbes (or bacteria) have many, many different jobs within the gastrointestinal system, and for supporting whole body health. These jobs can range from helping to move food / stool through the digestive system, helping to increase absorption of nutrients, producing nutrients (particularly vitamin K and B12), producing immune cells, breaking down “anti-nutrients” like oxalates and phytates, impacting our metabolism, and producing short chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation not only in the gut, but throughout the rest of the body.
When bloating, pain, loose stools and other uncomfortable gut symptoms become chronic, the internet is quick to diagnose and prescribe a parasite cleanse - but I’ve seen the consequences of these unnecessary “cleanses” in my clients in clinic, often experiencing worse symptoms than they were before. These parasite cleanses or detox protocols typically involve taking strong herbal antimicrobials at high doses and for long periods of time. These protocols are a bad idea for two reasons:
The people recommending them online usually have no qualifications in herbal medicines, which can do harm if not prescribed appropriately.
The gut microbiome is an ecosystem, and to go in with the sole purpose of killing something off results in reducing your levels of beneficial bacteria - the very thing that is going to keep your microbiome healthy and resilient so that you don’t pick up other nasty bacteria or parasite in the future.
Without testing first to make sure you even have a parasite (or if the parasite is even the cause of your symptoms) and without having anything in place to support your beneficial bacteria and repairing any damage to the gut lining, you are being set up to fail.
So this is where I come in. I see so many people with chronic gut issues, ranging from chronic constipation to uncontrollable diarrhoea, bloating and pain, reflux and indigestion, food intolerances with no rhyme or reason, and complete lack of appetite and constant nausea. When these chronic and complex gut issues are present, I work with my clients by testing the gut microbiome to determine what is actually going on in their gut instead of guessing (because the same set of symptoms can have a completely different cause), and then building a plan based on their results. As health practitioners, one of our codes of practice is to first, do no harm (primum non nocere). We need to protect and nurture the microbiome, thinking of it as a garden to tend rather than going in with poison at the first sign of weeds.
We work together by laying the groundwork of building diversity (the number 1 key factor for a healthy and resilient microbiome), repairing damage to the gut lining, reducing inflammation, supporting the immune system within the gut, feeding up beneficial bacteria, and reducing harmful bacterial overgrowths in the least damaging way possible which is so dependent on what your overall gut health looks like. Long gone are the days of “weed, seed and feed”, when we can feed, feed, feed your gut microbiome and utilise herbs, food as medicine, and prebiotics that selectively kill harmful bacteria whilst also feeding up the good guys.
We utilise Microba gut microbiome testing in clinic, for the most comprehensive analysis of the bacteria in your gut, along with functional gastrointestinal health markers that allow us to make informed decisions about how to go about supporting your gut health and getting on top of chronic symptoms for good. To order your own gut microbiome test and get the 1:1 support to uncover what’s really going on with your gut, find more information here.