Re:here's some diet info from same site

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.



Tweet