Much to my regret, I have chosen a catchy but scientifically inaccurate title for this article. I want to quickly dispel the idea that you are reading this to find out ‘whether or not you have parasites’. Let’s start with the high probability that the answer is “Yes, you definitely have parasites!” I remember reading years ago about a functional medicine doctor in the US who claimed that if you blink, you have parasites.

The important thing is to ensure that they are “under control”. By this I mean that they are in sufficiently low numbers and in an environment that is not prone to parasitism:

with a strong immune system
a wide variety of beneficial microorganisms
free from toxins and electromagnetic pollution
receiving a nutritious diet

I’ll rephrase the title right away. I’m going to share a list of 9 signs that could help you know if your parasites are growing beyond what is healthy for you and causing you health problems.

I want to make a biological note so that you can imagine, visualise, or at least understand a little more about what types of microorganisms we are talking about when we use the term parasite. There are two large groups – helminths, which can be seen with the naked eye and are commonly referred to as worms, and protozoa, which are single-celled organisms – and both are characterised by taking advantage of their host for their own well-being. They are capable of harming their host in order to obtain what they need to grow and reproduce.

I’m going to refrain from including real-life photos of parasites for obvious reasons, but I think you get the idea!

With that clarified, let’s get to the list!

Digestive issues – most parasites are found in the digestive system, so they could be the cause of your constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal bloating, food intolerances, cramps, etc. That said, they sometimes feel more comfortable in other warm, moist areas of our bodies, such as the eyes, gallbladder, or navel.
Brain fog – Many of the by-products of parasites (i.e., their “faeces”) are toxic to us. When they accumulate in our bodies, they can cause us to feel drunk or unable to concentrate, especially first thing in the morning after the night-time liver detox process. If you wake up with a foggy head, a “dirty” tongue and very bad breath, I would advise you to take a close look at your microbiota and take good care of your poor liver!
Aggression and other emotional imbalances – In my opinion, parasites are the microorganisms that most affect emotions. Well, you could argue that Candida shares the podium with them. When I see children with aggression problems, living in constant anger with the world, I suspect a need for intestinal cleansing.
Bruxism – I am sure there are many reasons why you suffer from jaw tension, and my fellow dentists could give you a whole list, but when it cannot be resolved by their interventions, it is possible that these little uninvited creatures in your gut are responsible for this symptom.
Tendency towards allergies and/or autoimmune diseases – I often observe an overreaction of the immune system resulting from the presence of excessive parasites. In fact, there is a specific marker that some stool tests include to determine whether this is happening to you. It is not enough to look for antibodies or external ‘culprits’ (what you are allergic to) when the solution lies in modulating the immune system by restoring healthy microbiota.
Extreme tiredness/chronic fatigue – Remember that they are taking your nutrients. All that effort you are putting into taking care of your diet is being taken advantage of by that invader in your gut. Add to this the malabsorption of nutrients that it can cause and the possible activation of the immune system, and you will have little energy left to live life to the fullest!
Joint pain – Along with any other symptom of chronic inflammation, this is one of the most common and most difficult to identify as parasitosis. When one of the body’s mucous membranes becomes inflamed, the entire mucous membrane system can become inflamed and the symptom can manifest itself in a place far away from the parasite’s home. Any chronic pain (with or without injury) is the result of inflammation, so the solution would be to eliminate the cause of that inflammation.
Itching – These “little bugs” are responsible for many skin conditions, both because of the hyper-reaction of the immune system (allergic or autoimmune type) they cause and because of the toxins they emit, which irritate the skin. They are behind many cases of pruritus, atopic dermatitis, eczema… Remember that lice (responsible for itchy scalps) are also parasites! It is not unusual to find parasites inside these little ones who are always dealing with these annoying bugs in their hair.
Insomnia – parasites wake up at night, and any symptom that worsens cyclically at night (or during a full moon) makes me suspect these microorganisms. Children who wake up with their heads upside down in bed go back to sleep peacefully without moving so much once we reduce the number of parasites.

I hope this list helps you identify or rule out a possible parasite problem. You can always share this article with anyone you think it might help.

If in doubt, you can have a detailed stool analysis, and I will be happy to help you interpret the results and find a remedy! Please contact me beforehand to get a discount on the cost of the analysis.

I believe I have managed to convey practical and useful information without sounding alarmist or going into too much gruesome detail. The subject of parasites is quite ‘taboo’ in the society in which I grew up, but there are entire countries that are very aware of the issue and talk about family deworming seasons quite naturally and openly.

I have seen time and time again how people regain their health by restoring the balance of their microbiota, so I hope we can become more open to the existence of this problem, which is much more common than we would like to think.