The Tiny World Within Your Body
Although this idea may creep some people out, you have billions of tiny bugs within your body. Although most of these can cause harm, some are actually beneficial, such as the 2-5 pounds of bacteria in your digestive tract that help you digest food.
However, many of the bugs aren’t so helpful, and may in fact cause disease. Microbes – the generic name for these bugs, although they can also be called microorganisms or parasites – are considered to be secondary toxic suppressors. They move in and do their dirty work once you have already been weakened by primary suppressors such as chemicals, metals, or other kinds of stress.
How common are they?
Although estimates vary, probably 15-50% of people have some sort of parasite. This includes people who wash their hands and who don’t backpack through Africa or drink from mountain streams. People like you. Among those with health challenges of any kind, the percentage of people with parasites is likely much higher.
Once you have a certain kind of microbe, you will usually have microbes, plural. One infection often sets up other kinds of infection.
What kinds of problems can microbes cause?
There are many symptoms that can be due to these bugs, including some that you probably wouldn’t think of:
- Fatigue
- Allergies and sensitivities to food and chemicals
- Asthma, bronchitis
- Nail biting
- Appendicitis
- Arthritis
- Digestive problems, including pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation
- Recurrent yeast infections
- Light sensitivity
- Headache, neckache, backache
- Visible infection, such as an infected cut
- Flulike symptoms, such as fever, achiness, and a general unwell feeling
- Itchy skin, ears, or anus
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Gallbladder problems
How can you get these microbes?
You can get them from the air, as when someone who is sick sneezes near you and you get a cold or flu. Mostly they come from ingesting them, as from contaminated water or food, from pets, or from poor bathroom hygiene.
What kinds of microbes are there, and what can they do?
There are six kinds of microbes that can affect you:
- Amoebas and protozoa
- Worms
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Mycoplasma
- Fungi
Protozoa
Amoebas and protozoa are slightly larger than bacteria. Giardia is the most common protozoal parasite. Once ingested, the protozoa set up residence in the digestive tract. Early symptoms are those of food poisoning – diarrhea, nausea, low appetite, fever, and flulike feelings. These usually go away within a few weeks, but the infection can linger, causing less obvious but debilitating symptoms, for a lifetime.
Gallbladder problems, usually treated by conventional medicine by gallbladder removal, are often due to giardial infection, treatment of which is far less drastic than surgery.
Entamoeba histolytica is an amoebic infection, usually from contaminated water. Chronic symptoms can include those of IBS, fibromyalgia, chemical and food allergies, and fatigue.
Other protozoal diseases include toxoplasmosis from cats, and trichomonas, a gynecological infection. Blastocystis hominis can cause arthritis symptoms; it has actually been found in affected joints.
Worms
Worms can come from infected food and water and from pet feces. Pinworm is common in young children and is easily diagnosed and eradicated; symptoms are severe nighttime anal itching.
Clusters of roundworms can block the intestine or cause appendicitis. Proper identification and treatment can eliminate the need for surgery.
Trichinosis and tapeworms come from undercooked meat. Flukes are common worldwide, and come from swimming or wading in infested water. Salmonella bacteria often come along with fluke infestation, and salmonella infection can be deadly, causing meningitis, pneumonia, or heart infection.
Bacteria
Bacteria are one-celled animals. Over 99% of bacteria in the body are beneficial, and less than 1% are disease producing. They can enter the body through ingestion, breathing, or skin. One kind of bacteria, helicobacter pylori, is the cause of most ulcers.
Lyme disease, which is quite prevalent throughout the world and not just the northeast US, is caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium. Lyme disease can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including neurological problems, heart disease, pain, severe fatigue and weakness, arthritis, and even dementia.
E. coli are the bacteria found in a number of food poisoning scares and food recalls. They can cause anything from digestive distress to death. Klebsiella are sometimes found in cases of arthritis.
The usual treatment for bacterial infections is antibiotics. Antibiotics will kill off a lot of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines that help with food digestion and yeast control. Probiotics can be taken along with a course of antibiotics to help replenish these good bacteria.
Viruses
Viruses are responsible for colds and flu. Although some can be dangerous and even fatal, most viral infections are self-limiting and confer immunity to later infection by that virus.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most common viruses, possibly infecting most of the adult population, but only those who are otherwise weakened will show symptoms. CMV may trigger diabetes, and can cause the nerve and brain infection encephalitis and blindness.
The various herpes viruses can cause cold sores, genital herpes outbreaks, chickenpox, and shingles. Mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which has been implicated in some cases of chronic fatigue. Hepatitis, a liver inflammation, is a viral infection. HIV is the virus implicated in AIDS.
Mycoplasma
Many people haven’t heard of mycoplasma, which is like a cross between a bacteria and a virus. But mycoplasma are fairly common and can cause pneumonia, bladder infections, endometriosis, and infertility.
Fungi and yeasts
Fungi and yeasts can cause female yeast infections, nail infections, athlete’s foot, and ringworm (which is a fungal infection, not a worm). We all have yeast and fungus in our bodies, but these only become a problem if the immune system is suppressed, or when foods are eaten that cause them to grow out of control. Such foods include sugar, fruit, bread, vinegar, and mushrooms (which are fungi themselves).
How are microbes tested for and treated?
If you or your practitioner suspect that you have some sort of microbial infection, there are many kinds of testing that can be done. Once identified, there are treatments for nearly all such infections. If your symptoms are chronic, a parasitic infection might not be suspected by most doctors. Practitioners at CAM know how to look for and treat such infections, as well as eliminating or reducing the reasons, such as toxic stress or diet, that caused these infections to take hold in the first place.
