Dear Raw Girl: How to Take On Parasites?

Hey lovely readers: I’m continuing on with my Dear Raw Girl category. Feel free to comment and ask any raw food/health related questions  relevant to topics covered in my blog and I will do my best to give you any information I think may help you along your path. Thank you to all of you who have left comments with questions, will do my best to address all of them. -XoXo Raw Girl

Dear Raw Girl,

Hi ! You rock with all this valuable info. Thanks for sharing. Meanwhile, would a 3 week water fast help? I am also considering taking some strong medications if I am not ready for the long water fast? Herbs are good but do they do the whole job…from adult to hatchlings to eggs…lots of the symptoms resurface after a few months due to the eggs getting fed again…And lastly, when you eat the greens, do you wash them thoroughly and/or steam/cook them? I have come to the conclusion that raw doesn’t help and just adds to the risk of prolonged infection…steaming or cooking (Not frying) has a better value…we got to decide parasite v/s nutrition…I would take no parasite over low nutrition (through cooking)…saves a lot more time and headaches…wat you say? -P

Dear P:

Thanks so much for checking out the blog, and especially for taking the time to educate yourself about parasites. It is a serious epidemic that more Americans need to get hip to in order to enjoy optimal health.

As far as water fasting…Water fasting is definitely tricky and should in my opinion be done under supervision of a health professional if done for weeks at a time. It has definitely been known to cure a host of issues, and flush out the body. I am not completely certain about this, but I don’t believe that water fasting alone can rectify a serious parasite problem. Parasites need to be flooded with herbs/substances that weaken them and the body needs to have the right amount of good bacteria to create a parasite hostile environment. Rather than fasting on water, you could do a green juice fast and avoid sugars, and also take a parasite cleanser with the herbs necessary to kill them. In tandem with this, just taking apple cider vinegar everyday diluted in water can kill parasites living in the digestive tract. I personally would NEVER take heavy medications, as they usually kill both the good and bad bacteria. The parasite problem will just come back full force if you are not taking probiotics to replenish your good bacteria. If you choose to go this route, make sure you thoroughly understand the side effects of the medication.

As far as dealing with greens, you are very correct. Eating raw veggies does put us all at great risk for contracting more parasitic infections, but so does a host of other things from kissing, to shaking hands, or dealing with pets. Because it is so easy to contract parasites, it’s recommended that you undertake a parasite cleanse twice a year for regular maintenance. The key to killing parasite eggs is CLOVES. I realized that when doing a cleanse that I needed to take clove capsules in addition to the cloves in the herbal cleanse to ensure I was killing the parasite eggs.

I find that after about six months, some of the symptoms come back, probably due to exposure of various kinds. However, this does not mean you cannot eat your raw greens. I wash all my veggies very thoroughly with a Veggie Wash that removes pesticides and dirt; there is also the option to buy food grade hydrogen peroxide and wash your veggies in that solution. I am totally not opposed to eating steamed veggies from time to time, but I believe its worth the extra step of thoroughly cleaning your veggies to get live nutrition on a regular basis! -XoXo Raw Girl