Name: Parasite cleanses.
Age: The earliest written records of what were probably parasitic infections in humans are from Egyptian medicine, between around 3000 and 400BC.
Hardly news then. True. More recent, though, is what some people think about them (intestinal parasites in particular) and what they’re doing about it.
And by intestinal parasites are we talking … worms? See also ascaris, flukes, Giardia lamblia …
I think I’d rather not see them, if it’s all the same with you. Maybe don’t go to certain corners of social media, then.
Whoa, are you telling me people are posting … human excrement, on the internet? Yes, @coachkatie.rogers, for example, treated followers to what looks like a saucepan lid (!) full of twisted black coils that she believed to be rope worms.
Better out than in, I guess – though I’m still not convinced it needs to be out so publicly. It came out on day one of a parasite and gut cleanse.
Which is what, exactly? A popular wellness trend that can include ingesting ground up papaya seeds, burdock root, oregano oil, black walnut …
Sounds wholesome. And gets rid of the parasites? That’s what many people online say, maybe accompanied by a lovely picture of a toilet bowl full of what looks like vermicelli. They might also suggest that a 10-day detox kit makes the perfect gift.
Parasite cleanses for all the family then, that’s Christmas sorted: flush out those turkey worms. They suggest starting three to five days before a full moon for best results.
Makes sense. How much are they? One 10-day kit is £288.
Oh! Still, when needs must, eh? Actually not everyone thinks so.
Who doesn’t? Er, the medical establishment.
What about coachkatie’s rope worms? If there’s any risk of one of them, I want it OUT! To be fair she does admit that it’s not actually a worm, but a buildup of mucus and undigested food.
Are you saying there’s no such thing as intestinal parasites? Not at all. In fact the WHO estimates that approximately a quarter of the world’s population has an infection related to an intestinal parasite. In tropical and subtropical regions it could be as much as half.
What about the alternative wellness regions of Instagram and TikTok? It is possible that not everyone who thinks they have a parasite does; and even if they did, drinking oregano oil might not be the most effective way of getting rid of it.
Do say: “Wormwood, cloves and garlic? Just what I wanted for Christmas!”
Don’t say: “So, the oregano oil wasn’t for the salad dressing?”
