Up to One-Third Are Infected With This Parasite

Parasites are everywhere. These tiny invaders can cause symptoms that may even fool the most well-informed health practitioners. They can trigger neurological symptoms by invading the brain and central nervous system, gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, or even hide deep within tissues, lying dormant, awaiting an opportunity to cause debilitating illness.

How You Can Get Parasites

• Eating raw or undercooked meat or fish
• Contact with pets
• Contaminated water or food
• Unwashed hands after using the bathroom or handling food
• Eating unwashed vegetables and fruits
• Traveling to regions known for parasites (especially rural or developing areas)
• Having a weakened immune system

Body Systems Affected by Parasites

• Brain and Spinal Cord: The pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) causes neurocysticercosis—the most common parasitic brain infection from consuming infected pork. Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis, forming cysts in brain tissue that can lead to neurological symptoms, particularly in people with weakened immune systems. It is common, with 10–30% of the U.S. population chronically infected, often without symptoms (1,2).
• Digestive Tract: Nematodes and protozoans, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium, infect the gastrointestinal system, leading to diarrhea, malabsorption, and abdominal discomfort (3).
• Lungs and Other Organs: Parasites such as Ascaris migrate through the lungs before settling in the intestines. Others, like schistosomes and tapeworms, may invade the liver or central nervous system (4).
• Skin and Blood: Some parasites enter through the skin or via vectors like mosquitoes, spreading through the blood and lymphatic system to affect major organs, sometimes causing neurological or respiratory problems (5).

Parasite Evasion and Tissue Hiding

Parasites possess sophisticated mechanisms that help them evade immune detection. They can migrate to tissues such as muscle, brain, or bone marrow and remain dormant for years, even after apparent recovery.

• Protozoans such as Leishmania can hide in bone marrow stem cells, making eradication especially challenging (6).
• Helminths can form cysts or enter a dormant state within tissues, reemerging when conditions favor their survival or transmission (7).

Ivermectin and Mebendazole: Proven Antiparasitic Allies

Ivermectin and mebendazole are well-established antiparasitic medications effective against a wide range of infections, including nematodes, worms, and protozoans like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Both play key roles in cleansing parasites from the body and addressing infections that can hide deep within tissues and later reemerge.

How They Work

Ivermectin

Ivermectin binds to glutamate-gated chloride channels in parasites, disrupting neural and muscular function, leading to paralysis and death. It is particularly effective against tissue, brain, and intestinal nematodes such as pork tapeworm. Studies also suggest activity against protozoa like Leishmania, providing rapid parasite clearance with minimal side effects (8,9).

Mebendazole

Mebendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic used for several intestinal worm infections, including roundworm, pinworm, whipworm, and hookworm. It kills parasites by blocking microtubule formation, which disrupts nutrient uptake and depletes energy, leading to parasite death. It is particularly effective against roundworms and other nematodes (10).

Preventing Reemergence of Parasites

Periodic cleanses may help reduce parasite load and prevent reinfection. Some parasites may become dormant or resist initial treatment, requiring repeat therapy for complete eradication.

References

1. University of California, Riverside (2025). How a common brain parasite disrupts neural communication.
2. Merck Manual. Parasitic Brain Infections.
3. Prabakaran, M., & Monira, S. (2023). The gut-wrenching effects of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis on children’s gut health. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, 1202173. PMC10538111
4. Man E, Price HP, Hoskins C. (2022). Current and future strategies against cutaneous parasites. Pharm Res, 39(4):631-651. PMC9090711
5. Dirkx, L., Kloehn, J., Luo, J. et al. (2022). Long-term hematopoietic stem cells as a parasite niche in murine visceral leishmaniasis. Communications Biology, 5, 712. Nature
6. Masocha, W. (2012). Passage of parasites across the blood–brain barrier. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2, 106. PMC3396699
7. Wolstenholme, A. J., & Rogers, A. T. (2005). Glutamate-gated chloride channels and the mode of action of avermectins. Parasitology, 131(S1), S85–S95.
8. Martin, R. J. (2020). Ivermectin: An Anthelmintic, an Insecticide, and Much More. Trends in Parasitology, 36(1), 48–60. PMC7853155
9. Thakur, R. K., & Patel, S. P. (2023). Mebendazole. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.