Article Surfing Archive

Parasites infect the intestines of both humans and animals and can cause a great deal of intestinal distress. Even when the parasites are diagnosed and treated, they can damage the intestinal lining, causing chronic health problems that persist for years. We often associate parasites with Third World countries and poor sanitation, but parasites are a problem everywhere, even in modern countries.

In countries where sanitation is provided, people mistakenly assume that they are safe from parasites. But parasites are everywhere, always waiting for the opportunity to latch onto an unsuspecting host.

There are two general groups of parasites. One consists of worms such as tape worms and roundworms. The second category is the protozoa, one-celled organisms.

Protozoa like giardia and cryptosporidium normally live in the digestive tracts of many mammals. Public water supplies can become infected with these organisms when they are contaminated by sewage or animal waste. Although you may not hear about it, outbreaks occur all the time, usually in smaller cities and occasionally in large metropolitan areas.

In 1998, the three million residents of Sydney, Australia were advised by the Health Department to boil all their tap water because high concentrations of giardia and cryptosporidium were detected in the city's water supply. In this instance most people were spared from infection because they were warned in time.

Coconut oil may provide an effective defense against many troublesome parasites including giardia. Like bacteria and fungi, giardia can't stand up against the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) found in coconut oil. By taking coconut oil, coconut meat or coconut milk in your diet every day, you will have an ample supply of MCFAs. The MCFAs kill giardia before they establish a foothold in your body.

Research has confirmed the effectiveness of MCFA in destroying giardia and possibly other protozoa. Besides defending against protozoa, coconut oil has also been used for the removal of intestinal worms. It is used to get rid of tapeworms in India. The Indians also rub coconut oil onto the scalp to remove head lice.

Parasites like tapeworms, lice and giardia can be eliminated, or at least held in check by coconut oil. It is one natural remedy you can use to defend against digestive parasites.