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Page 60
| for best results. Agar agar is popular as a mineral-rich vegetarian substitute for Jell-O. All are available through health food stores. |
| Eliminate Parasites |
| Roundworms, threadworms, tapeworms, flukes and flatworms are some of the animals that seek a comfortable home in human beings. They come in all sizes, from large intestinal worms to the tiny Giardia lamblia that infests most of the lakes and ponds of North America and cryptosporidium, which caused 400,000 people to become ill when it contaminated Milwaukee's water supply in Wisconsin. The Environmental Protection Agency considers cryptosporidium the leading cause of waterborne illness in the U.S., with problems reported across the country. Both Giardia and cryptosporidium cause severe flu-like symptoms. |
| Parasites are a special concern in kindergartens and day-care centers, where fecal contamination can spread quickly. They are the bane of travelers (unfamiliar microbes in foreign countries often cause diarrhea) and of hikers or campers who stay closer to home (Giardia again). Refugees and immigrants from parasite-ridden areas sometimes carry micro-organisms without having symptoms themselves; when they work in restaurants, private homes, nursing homes or day-care centers, they may unknowingly spread parasites to others. Raw seafood, undercooked pork and exotic foods prepared raw pose parasite risks. So do household pets. Even antibiotics have been blamed for our parasite problems because they kill beneficial bacteria that help repel parasites from healthy bodies. In the stomach, low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl) allow some parasites to survive. |
| The symptoms of parasite infestation range from dramatic bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, cramping and other flu-like symptoms to conditions so minor they go unnoticed or are mistaken for mild indigestion. Anyone who suffers from digestive problems, and even those who don't, may want to ensure that they aren't playing host to intestinal worms or other parasites. |
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