The Beast Within

[Mitsuki]

So I was discussing some things with my husband, and we got to the topic of parasites. I suppose I just want to be informative toward everyone about parasites. It did give me quite a scare. I mean, I knew about parasites, but never really the detailed effects of what they are actually capable of doing to our bodies.

For instance, there is the common one, which can actually have the biggest effects - the tapeworms, which can live for up to 10 years inside the body, and grow up to 35 feet long. Then there's hookworms, which hooks on to intestinal walls and sucks blood - (more than 800 million people are infected). I saw pictures of those and boy oh boy, they are mean-looking buggers.

Now, an interesting one are the hairworms. Basically, they are water-borne parasites that reproduce and live their matured lives in the water. When it's inside a grasshopper, it has a mind-control over it and makes the grasshopper have the craving to go into the water. So the grasshopper then commits suicide by drowning itself...

Then there's the whole "eggs/worms in porks" issues. I posted it earlier in another thread, but I shall post it again. xD

Porks have eggs/worms (Trichinae parasites) and that is the reason why people always tell us to cook pork really thoroughly - to kill those worms since they cause trichinosis, were they actually consume the pre-digested food before the body absorbs the nutrients through the intestinal tract. Basically they cause rapid weight loss, fatigue, constant hunger, intestinal blockage, malnutrition...which can lead to many other health problems, even death.

I'll quote what I found in a website:


"From the stomach the worm gradually invades the muscular system, but the side effects are often attributed to other causes. Eventually the lava mature into worms, die and calcify, forming cysts. At this stage the disease is called “Cysticercosis”. However when the encysted worms are found on any of: the brain, spinal cord, the membranes enclosing the brain and spinal cord (meninges) or the eyes, then the disease is called “Neurocysticercosis”.

In an article “Pig Facts” the process of development of the Trichinae Worm is explained.

“The Trichinae is enclosed in a little cyst or sac, which, when taken into the stomach, is dissolved by the gastric juice …and … gradually works its way throughout the whole muscular system. In five to seven days the larvae mature in the muscles of the human body. When they finish their life cycle they become encysted into the internal organs of the host.
The pork worm is unable to be detected with the human eye and most pathologists have reported that there is a possibility for nearly half a million of trichinae to be found in each pound of muscle tissue of the host.”

“Cysticercosis is probably the most common parasitic infestation of the human nervous system. Humans acquire the infestation by eating infected undercooked pork (measly pork). Cysticercosis is acquired by ingestion of eggs … of the pork tapeworm … either by ingestion of contaminated salads or water, or by auto infection due to ano-oral contamination or reverse peristalsis. Tapeworm infestation can occur only in nonvegetarians, but Cysticercosis may occur in vegetarians also.”

People are also saying that if you pour coke on a raw pork, worms will come out. Not sure if that's true or simply a hoax.

Well, true or not, we still can't change the fact that there are indeed eggs/worms in porks. Thing is, these eggs/worms/larva remain dormant inside the animal's muscular tissues until they reach the secondary hosts (which are humans), then they return from their dormant state and begin thriving in the digestive tracts. Some can actually burrow out of the intestinal walls and inside the other parts of the body.


Point is, we should all be concerned with the health status of our body, be aware of what lurks in the body and the things that we can do to contribute to health problems. I don't think that many people take parasites seriously or even think twice when the mere subject is mentioned. I know I used to just shrug it off.

But there's a lot of interesting information I found out recently. For instance, there have been recent incidents where supposed cancer tumors were in someone's body, but when given a closer look, they were found to be colonies of parasites lumped together.

This tells me that parasites plays a major role in our everyday lives and there could be so many health-related issues we have that can be a direct result to parasitic infestation.

So, discuss?

 

[Donald Trump]

to be honest i think you are slightly over reacting, as there are many things more dangerous to people than parasites, and people are more likely to come into contact with them.

Porks have eggs/worms (Trichinae parasites) and that is the reason why people always tell us to cook pork really thoroughly

its common sense to cook all meat thoroughly, or else you will get samonella, which is from bacteria.

most of the people infected with parasites are likely to be from third world countries, so therefore some of the parasitic infections could be attributed to lack of good healthcare?

malaria, which is caused by parasites kills between 1-3 million each year, yet it can be treated/prevented with the right drugs ie quinine.

im not saying that parasites arent dangerous, just that they arent a threat to most people

 

[Bambi]

Id just rather not know.....it makes my skin crawl >.<

And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger....as long as I dont know iv just eaten some worm thing il be ok or I'd just be throwing up forever

You get those horrible littlke wormy cyst things on beef aswel I think..... I just charcoal all my meat anyway so I guess Im pretty safe. I hope o_o

Oh that and I don't really like beef anyways

 

[Fusilli]

I guess I just take for granted that my mum cooks for me and I have never gotten ill of a parasite before. But it *is* something to pay attention to though, I make sure that I wash my hands before eating or after being outdoors, I keep forgetting about my cat though and don't often wash my hands after cuddling him even though I'm probably more likely to catch something off him. Suppose it's something I should get into the habit of...


Apart from that I can't think of much else that I can do without being OTT.

 

[Laro]

You can usually get parasites if you don't wash your greens. You can also get them in nature, usually in water. The good thing about parasites is that you don't get fat, only thinner.

 

[Donald Trump]

And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Nietzsche meant emotionally, not physically.

make sure that I wash my hands before eating

thats just common sense, and that would protect you from bacterial illness, not parasitic infection.

The good thing about parasites is that you don't get fat, only thinner.

thats definetly not a ggod thing, its dangerous. you would suffer from malnutrition and become anaemic. and possibly die

 

[Mitsuki]

to be honest i think you are slightly over reacting, as there are many things more dangerous to people than parasites, and people are more likely to come into contact with them.


its common sense to cook all meat thoroughly, or else you will get samonella, which is from bacteria.

I'm also not saying that there aren't any other dangerous things here on earth other than parasites. I stated that I wanted people to be aware of it. Currently, research is going underway due to recent discoveries of physical ailments attributed to parasitic infections.

Also, not everyone has common sense, unfortunately. Many don't cook their meats thoroughly enough, and quite frankly, this isn't about common sense either. It's about the fact that people are not aware of the dangers that parasitic infection could bring.

most of the people infected with parasites are likely to be from third world countries, so therefore some of the parasitic infections could be attributed to lack of good healthcare?

Not necessarily. Think of the origins of it. It comes from poor hygiene, walking around barefoot, infected food, water, etc. Hence, parasitic infections are also common in developed countries. Look at the majority of people's diets. If you look at the North American diet, they consume more meat than any other countries. There's more obesity here due to high cholesterol and fats we intake and that slows the metabolism and the food digestion at a slower rate - therefore, it creates an environment in our bodies that's more inviting to parasites.

But yes, you're right...it is much more common in third world countries because more people there cannot always afford shoes and there are lower sanitation standards.

im not saying that parasites arent dangerous, just that they arent a threat to most people

Right. Like I stated, I'm not saying it's the most dangerous thing that could happen to someone, but they can be a threat should you have severe infestation.

thats just common sense, and that would protect you from bacterial illness, not parasitic infection.

Again, not necessarily so. Washing your hands do protect you from parasitic infection as well because parasites could be absorb through the skin. So if you're keeping your skin clean, you can be washing it off of your skin.

And remember, not all people have the common sense to wash their hands before eating. But really, like I stated previously, it's not really about common sense. People do forget to wash their hands, and possibly because it's become more of a habit to just dig in before washing their hands. It's not like they have a mind-set everyday of, "I should wash my hands otherwise I'll get infected by parasites." Sometimes washing hands do become a habit to many people as well - just because.

 

[Fusilli]

thats just common sense, and that would protect you from bacterial illness, not parasitic infection.

I know that it's common sense, that's why I do it. And like Mitsuki said, not everybody has this common sense, or they don't bother washing their hands because they either don't know about the risks, or don't think that it will affect them. And it can protect against parasites, with things like worm eggs if you have touched an animal or something outdoors.

It's not like they have a mind-set everyday of, "I should wash my hands otherwise I'll get infected by parasites."

That's a really good point, as it applies to most people really. I have just gotten into the habit of it so that I don't have to think about it.

 

[Donald Trump]

And like Mitsuki said, not everybody has this common sense

then these people deserve to be infected, survival of the fitest.

parasites could be absorb through the skin

are you sure about that? because it seems unlikely

 

[Mitsuki]

then these people deserve to be infected, survival of the fitest.

...No comment.

are you sure about that? because it seems unlikely

Positive. Schistosomiasis is a good example. It is a water-borne infection transmitted by snails, and the only known route for entry to humans is through the skin. Another is the hookworm, which I already mentioned. They live in the soil, so therefore, they can be absorbed through the skin.