Sharing is caring!

What are the best supplements for parasites? What are parasites? And more!

Today’s episode centers around a topic that is currently blowing up in the health space. Parasites.

With all this information floating around, we thought it was a good idea to bring in an expert on the topic to talk us through all things parasites and healing.

Today’s guest, Allyssa LaScala, is an integrative practitioner focused on healing parasites through a root cause approach. We are so excited to have her on today. 

All About Parasites — Best Supplements for Parasites (Episode 93 with Allyssa LaScala)

Click HERE to save all about parasites + best supplements for parasites for later.

Subscribe Today:

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | RSS

What Are Parasites?

Parasites are a type of organism that find hosts to feed off of in order to survive and create all sorts of health problems.

They can range from all types, with the most common one talked about being parasitic worms. 

Allyssa mentions that there are three main and different types of parasites that she commonly sees in her practice.

• tape worms- thin worms that are commonly found in fish, beef, and pork
• flukes- parasites that resemble rolled up pepper skins, very easily visible in stool
• round worms- multiple types 

While these three can often be seen by the human eye, up to 70% of all parasites are microscopic, meaning we can not see them. 

What Is the Big Deal With Parasites Anyways?

Parasites wreck HAVOC on the body and I mean HAVOC.

One of the areas they impact the most is actually the immune system, where they disrupt the natural ratios of immune cells. This causes our immune system to shut down and be more exposed to viruses and other pathogens. In particular they affect TH2, TH1, and interleukins.

This impacts how our body is able to react to active pathogens and harmful organisms in our body. 

Parasites are as Allyssa calls them, trojan horses.

They have the ability to harbor different bacteria, fungi, and viruses in order to live. This means that not only is your body affected by the parasite itself, but also all of the other harmful toxins it carries with it. 

Other negative impacts parasites have include:

• depleting essential nutrients- they often drain your body of its appropriate micronutrients, causing imbalances and deficiencies
• messing up the krebs cycle- impact how your body is able to process energy for cells, often results in lower energy

How Do Parasites Get Into the Body?

This may be an answer you don’t like, but parasites can get in your body through your mouth or through your skin. 

It totally just depends on the type of parasite you are dealing with.

The larger parasites are often found in meat products, where you may be able to visibly see them. However, just because you are a vegetarian or avoid meat, does not mean you are at a low risk.

Microscopic parasites can enter the skin when touched and can be found on virtually anything. They can not be seen by the naked eye, which sometimes make them much harder to identify. 

This includes:

• veggies
• surfaces
• outside in the grass
• toilet seat
• door handles

They are a natural part of our ecosystem are are beneficial for the health of our environment. However, it is becoming more and more common for humans to have high exposures.

Since our environment is so full of toxins now, we are constantly exposed to those on a daily basis. This makes us great hosts for any sort of parasitic infection. 

With greater environmental toxin exposure comes better chance of being exposed. 

Who Has Parasites?

If you have a pulse, you probably have a parasite.

Allyssa

The short answer, as Allyssa says, is that the majority of people have parasites. While conventional medicine likes to tout that the United States does not have parasites, they are virtually everywhere. 

Even if you have not been out of the country recently, there is a high high chance you still have some sort of parasitic exposure. 

Our world is SO toxic that you don’t have to go on some sort of international travel to be exposed. Your own weakened immune system makes your body easy for any type of parasite to get into. 

Some areas that have particularly high levels of toxins are even more susceptible to parasitic infections. This includes areas that have high levels of radium, radon, or other chemicals. 

These chemicals put further strain on our immune system and allow us to be even better hosts. 

What is the Relationship Between Parasites and Disease?

Parasites and disease go hand in hand.

Since parasites negatively impact the immune system, they make us more susceptible to disease and long term health issues.

Some issues with a high connection to parasites are:

• histamine intolerance
• food and seasonal allergies
• mast cell activation
• skin issues
• asthma
• lyme infections

Often these infections are co-infections, meaning that they exist in tandem with the parasites. Since parasites hold on to all of these bad organisms, it makes sense that it could cause further issues.

Other signs of a parasitic infection include:

• dysregulated sleep pattern
• chronic issues such as vaginal infections, UTIs, and digestive health issues- parasites hold on to the bacteria and make it hard to fully get rid of
• particular issues around the full moon- parasites are impacted by the changes of melatonin and serotonin during this time period

Are There Any Other Unique Symptoms of Parasites? 

Some other common symptoms of parasitic infections include:

• abdominal pain
• chronic fatigue
• chronic brain fog
• low iron levels
• headaches
• body aches

As you can see the impact of parasites extend far beyond just the digestive tract.

They truly effect every aspect of our body’s system by harboring so many toxins and suppressing the immune system. 

How Are Parasites Diagnosed?

While some practitioners still depend on things such as blood and stool tests to find active parasites, these tests have their limitations and can not be the final call. 

• Stool tests- Genova 3 Day and GI Map- great at showing a “snap shot” of your GI tract and gut health, but often miss parasites due to only one sample being taken
• Blood tests- often miss DNA sequences that could imply a parasitic infection

While this are great tools, they truly are not the end all be all. 

Allyssa personally goes off of a symptomatic view of the patient, rather than doing tests that often miss key pieces.

If she does run tests, she prefers to do some sort of toxin testing, so that she can view how toxic of a host the patient is.

By lowering toxin exposure inside the body, she can help to make individuals less ideal hosts for parasites. 

How To Change Your Diet

While diet can be a key aspect of healing from parasites, Allyssa tries to focus on getting the fundamentals down. 

She emphasized whole foods and a diet rich in naturally occurring nutrients. She also suggests staying away from sugar as much as possible, as this feeds parasites and bacteria.

For patients who want to go a bit more in depth she suggests adding in some of the following foods with anti-parasitic effects:

• garlic
• onion
• shredded carrots
• papaya seeds
• pumpkin seeds

All of these foods naturally fight parasites and can help reduce the infection. 

Herbal Supplements for Parasites

Allyssa recommends some of these as the best supplements for parasites; the following natural herbs for treating parasites:

• thyme
• holy basil
• black walnut hull
• sage

She also highly recommends products from Cellcore as a part of treatment for the best supplements for parasites. Her favorite products from them include:

• fulvic acid
• binders
• para kits

While the diet is important, Allyssa places much more of her emphasis on the actual treatment itself and making sure the parasites are addressed.

These herbal remedies are extremely effective at killing parasites and very user-friendly as well.

She also concentrates highly on opening the drainage pathways before treatment starts. This includes focusing on organ systems such as the kidneys, liver, and intestines. 

What Type of Parasite Cleanse Should I Do?

Parasite cleanses can be a hit or miss, but they also can be harmful if not done by a scientifically backed company.

I personally have tried and loved Cellcore’s products and they are the ones I would go with if you are considering this route.

Other options such as a water cleanse, can potentially be helpful, but are rather unsafe. Focus your energy on finding a reputable brand that explains their science, rather than “cleanses” that are perpetuated by unreliable sources.

Just like every supplement brand, some parasite detox products are extremely helpful and some are not at all. 

The best supplements for parasites are the ones you work out with your health care provider.

Question: What have you found to be the best supplements for parasites? I’d love to know. Leave thoughts in the comments below.

Parasitic Prevention

Since our world is so toxic, the best prevention is actually focusing on two things- water and air.

Investing in quality air filters

This can significantly decrease parasitic exposure by cleaning the air you are breathing in on a regular basis. I personally like AirDoctor but any HEPA filter should do the trick.

Ensuring your water is clean

This one may take a bit more research, but Allyssa suggests distilled water or a good quality reverse osmosis purification system.

Just by adjusting these two huge components, you can cut down your toxic exposure by a fair amount.

Other potential prevention methods include:

• cutting down on EMF exposure
• opting for clean skincare and personal products
• investing in clean cleaning supplies

Lifestyle changes can take a long period of time to fully address, so start with the basics and work upwards from there. The most important thing is to lower toxin exposure as much as you can. 

Source

More from A Gutsy Girl

Want to learn even more about the gut and ways to heal it?

The best way to learn all the secrets is via my signature course based off my book, A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut.

1. Welcome to A Gutsy Girl Podcast
2. Hang out on Instagram
3. BFF’s on YouTube
4. Free resource: The Master Gutsy Spreadsheet
5. Rated-G Email Club

Wrap-Up

As always, a huge goal for this show is to connect with even more people. Feel free to send an email to our team at podcast@agutsygirl.com. We want to hear questions, comments, show ideas, etc.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Bio: Allyssa LaScala

Allyssa LaScala is an Integrative Health Practitioner and Chronic Illness advocate with a passion for Root Cause medicine.

Although she values her degree in the Exercise and Sports Science field, it was actually her own battle with health challenges with Lyme Disease, IBS, mold toxicity, parasites, Breast Implant Illness, and more that ignited her deep passion for learning how to identify and address the TRUE root causes to chronic health issues.

She officially established Biohacking Bombshell Virtual Clinic in 2016 and has offered everything from customized programming and one-on-one coaching, to group coaching, masterclasses, and e-books, helping over 8,000 people learn how to identify and address their own root causes.

If you liked this post on the best supplements for parasites, you might also enjoy:

1. Best Supplements
2. Best Supplements for SIBO {based off experience + research}
3. Best Supplements for Beginners {on your gut healing journey}

Xox,
SKH