\n<\/p>\n
Name: <\/strong>Parasite cleanses.<\/p>\n Age: <\/strong>The earliest written records of what were probably parasitic infections in humans are from Egyptian medicine, between around 3000 and 400BC.<\/p>\n Hardly news then. <\/strong>True. More recent, though, is what some people think about them (intestinal parasites in particular) and what they\u2019re doing about it.<\/p>\n And by intestinal parasites are we talking \u2026 worms?<\/strong> See also ascaris, flukes, Giardia lamblia<\/em> \u2026<\/p>\n I think I\u2019d rather not see them, if it\u2019s all the same with you. <\/strong>Maybe don\u2019t go to certain corners of social media, then.<\/p>\n Whoa, are you telling me people are posting \u2026 <\/strong>human excrement, on the internet?<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Better out than in, I guess \u2013 though I\u2019m still not convinced it needs to be out so publicly.<\/strong> It came out on day one of a parasite and gut cleanse.<\/p>\n Which is what, exactly? <\/strong>A popular wellness trend that can include ingesting ground up papaya seeds, burdock root, oregano oil, black walnut \u2026<\/p>\n Sounds wholesome. And gets rid of the parasites?<\/strong> That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Parasite cleanses for all the family then, that\u2019s Christmas sorted<\/strong>: <\/strong>flush out those <\/strong>turkey worms<\/strong>. <\/strong>They suggest starting three to five days before a full moon for best results.<\/p>\n Makes sense. How much are they<\/strong>?<\/strong> One 10-day kit is \u00a3288.<\/p>\n Oh! Still, when needs must, eh?<\/strong> Actually not everyone thinks so.<\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t?<\/strong> Er, the medical establishment.<\/p>\n What about coachkatie\u2019s rope worms<\/strong>? If there\u2019s any risk of one of them, I want it OUT!<\/strong> To be fair she does admit that it\u2019s not actually a worm, but a buildup of mucus and undigested food.<\/p>\n Are you saying there\u2019s no such thing as intestinal parasites? <\/strong>Not at all. In fact the WHO estimates that approximately a quarter of the world\u2019s population has an infection related to an intestinal parasite. In tropical and subtropical regions it could be as much as half.<\/p>\n What about the alternative wellness regions of Instagram and TikTok? <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n Do say:<\/strong> \u201cWormwood, cloves and garlic? Just what I wanted for Christmas!\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t say:<\/strong> \u201cSo, the oregano oil wasn\u2019t for the salad dressing?\u201d<\/p>\n