Hi North

I found some information about diet in the link you provided. Thought I'd paste it here. A reminder:



Diet

Pattern of excretion of D.fragilis following dietary adjustments:-
Researchers placed an infected subject on a diet of mainly carbohydrates. Between day 1 and 30 - increased numbers of D.f. were found. The subject was then placed on a protein diet and retesting began at day 60. Between day 60 to 80 less D.fragilis were excreted.
(D.fragilis. A review with notes.
J.Yang et al. AJTM&H 1977)

"I read on your site that a low or no carbohydrate diet can make you feel a little bit better. That happend to me as well. What is also very strange is when I eat a lot of carbohydrates I lose weight, and now I am on a very strict diet with no carbohydrats and Sugar I am gaining weight."
October 2005


DIET & PARASITES

parasites survive by obtaining nourishment from their host. Dientamoeba fragilis and Blastocystis hominis ingest carbohydrates, bacteria and yeasts (see side bar for references). Here is a photo of Dientamoeba fragilis ingesting rice starch.

The majority of people who contact this site report symptom reduction by limiting, or completely restricting, starchy foods.

K. is an example. Seven years after suffering chronic health problems diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the parasite Dientamoeba fragilis was found by a specialist laboratory. During that time K. found relief by severely restricting her diet of grains and sugars:

"There was a period of two months in 2002 when I was able to exclude all Sugar and grains from my diet, as I figured maybe it was candida. Just like the information on your website said, restricting carbs made me feel better. That's a pretty harsh way to live though and when I lost the willpower to stick to a very restrictive diet, all the symptoms returned, and have since been getting worse."



D. also suffered chronic digestive symptoms for several years and also found that dietary restrictions reduced her symptoms:

"The diet caused immediate improvement in a way nothing else had. I was much less tired than I had been for 2 months. My head was clearer. (I had previously been eating refined sugars in an attempt to boost my energy). But I was still quite unwell.".

Based on the improvement her practitioner suspected Candida overgrowth, but after discovering this site with its emphasis on specialised stool collection and testing methods to diagnose parasites, K. requested testing with a specialist pathology lab. Both D.fragilis and Blasto. hominis were diagnosed.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many of those who contact me, her doctor was not convinced the parasites were causing her symptoms. Nevertheless she was treated with a two day treatment of tinidazole for two, because her doctor suspected an undiagnosed Giardia infection.

K's response to this drug was typical - after days of being symptom free her symptoms returned.

The treatment pages contains many examples of failures with Flagyl and Tinidazole. These two drugs are the most commonly prescribed drug for bowel infections, and in the case of Blastocystis homnis and Dientamoeba fragilis, the least effective.

PROBIOTICS:

parasites also survive by by ingesting bacteria and fungi, and many people - but not all - experience an increase in symptoms whilst taking probiotics. This anomaly could be explained because:

"Axenisation is successful with some cultures but fails in other because some B.hominis strains seem to depend on bacterial support." (B.hominis - Past and Future. Zierdt. 1991)

CARBOHYDRATES & STARCHES:

Because most foods contain varying amounts of either complex or refined carbohydrates, assessing which foods are contributing to the symptoms can be difficult.

SPECIFIC FOODS:

The following foods all contain a low/very low carbohydrate content, and should not aggravate the symptoms:

Pumpkin, artichokes, beetroot, cabbage, green peppers, tomatoes - grilled/fried, parsnips, summer squash, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, string beans, asparagus, onions, egg plant, salsify, okra, kohlrabi, endive, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, chard, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, onions (caramilised onions - ie. heated to a high temp as in frying - contain high levels of starch), salad greens, kale, spaghetti squash, bok choy, collard greens.
Fish

The following foods are high in carbohydrates/starches and should be avoided:

All grains: wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice;
Potato & sweet potato, dry beans and peas, tapioca, sago, peanuts, chestnuts, bananas; green peas.

Many prepared foods contain starches, including:
couscous, breads, cookies, muffins, cakes, biscuits, pastas, and tabouli, breakfast cereals.

You are right! I have used this site for some time now and Jackie is a champion with her exhaustive research into these parasites. She flies in the face of the medical profession who refuse to treat DF & Blasto. with anything stronger than Flagyl.

I got tested with one of the labs. recommended and found I had DF. ( I am the one on the site who had the results sent to the vet) I took the drugs. That was nearly a year ago. Treatment was for a very long three weeks and I had massive fatigue but diarrhoea went within days. I was very thorough and had colonics, before, during and after treatment (with Clarkia in the enema). I did a single follow-up test which signalled I was clear of the parasite (but I could have taken this too soon after the drugs, Jackie says wait for longer than I did).

But my digestive system was now all over the place. I got a white tongue (didn’t have before); constipation; bloating; increased food sensitivities (as before, especially to all carbs. -maybe I still have the parasite??); brain fog and very underweight . The colonist told me I was full of candida. Candida now seemed even harder to treat. I continued with Grapefruit-Seed-Extract (one a day). I ate masses of coconut (for the caprylic acid) for a couple of months with very good results and then became allergic. Eventually I got the courage to take Bio-acidophilus (I reacted to it before when I had the parasite), this encouraged some improvement with BMs. I started to include zinc and Vit B complex and then got bad Depression and stopped all supplements including probiotics. Mood improved.

At the moment the only thing I am taking is a herbal Liver Detox which is improving BMs. I have found out that some of the herbs included are anti-parasitic and surprisingly, I have passed some thread-like things.

I’d like to keep an open mind on the drugs/ herbs issue. Jackie is pretty adamant that herbs do not work. I am not convinced. I took herbs a few years ago (Clear by the Awareness corporation) and diarrhoea did clear up then. What was significant was that I put on weight almost immediately. I didn’t get the white tongue and bloating and wind. But diarrhoea did come back after about a year.

What is also significant is that I have just been contacted by someone from the site who took drugs a couple of years ago and she is getting tested again as her symptoms are returning.

My advice would probably be to try Clarkia (or similar) first before launching down the pharmaceutical route. The herbs are worth a try. Hope my experience helps somebody. There are still so many unanswered questions.

Some research suggests that hominis and fragilis are spread by nematodes (worms). So I guess they could actually reinfect you after being treated with Antibiotics , with the added bonus that you have wiped out your natural flora and set yourself up for a raging yeast infection. Sorry to hear what you have been through and best luck.

r.

The Sydney doctor who cured her is Professor Thomas Borody

His drug protocols:

http://www.cdd.com.au/pdf/paper19.pdf

this has the details for requesting the diagnostic kits and the 20 day drug protocol doxycycline 50mg twice daily and iodoquinol 630mg three times daily and where to get it
for one of the parasites she had (d fragilis)

The other for blastocystosis can be requested from his website by your own doctor - http://www.cdd.com.au/html/expertise/diseaseinfo/parasite.html