If you are struggling with mold illness you may also have parasites that need to be flushed out. That’s because in a water-damaged building, the mold turns “active” trying to clean up by getting rid of that damaged building. The mold brings other pathogens alongside to help “clean up”. You are then becoming exposed to all of the activated pathogens.

3 Parasites You Can Be Exposed to in Water-Damaged Buildings

1. Giardia

Giardia is a microscopic parasite that gives you diarrhea.

Giardia can be found:

• on surfaces in your home,
• in your soil,
• in running water like streams,
• on your food,
• or in your water that has been contaminated with poop from infected humans or animals.

Even more challenging, Giardia has a protective outer shell that allows it to survive outside a host body for long periods of time. This shell also can protect it from your attempts to get rid of it using chlorine bleach.

In addition to diarrhea, Giardia infection can cause a variety of other intestinal symptoms, which include:

• Gas
• Greasy stool that can float
• Stomach or abdominal cramps
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Dehydration

2. Cryptosporidium

Similar to Giardia, Cryptosporidium is a shelled microscopic parasite that causes diarrheal disease and can infect animals and humans. It also can survive chlorine bleach and long periods of time outside of a host. Both the parasite and the disease are commonly known as “Crypto.”

Cryptosporidium most often spreads through water and is a leading cause of waterborne disease among humans in the United States. After Cryptosporidia enter your body, they travel to your small intestine and burrow into your intestinal walls. Later, you excrete the Cryptosporidia when you poop.

It can take between 3 to 12 days after contact with Cryptosporidium before you develop symptoms, and some infected people remain symptom free. But they can still pass the infection on to others.

Usually, infection occurs within your bowels, resulting in a week or two of diarrhea that eventually goes away. However, if your immune system is already compromised, as with mold illness, Cryptosporidiosis left unaddressed could be a life-threatening situation. So be especially careful about the water you drink in public places.

Symptoms of Cryptosporidia include:

• Diarrhea.
• Stomach cramps or pain
• Dehydration
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Weight loss

3. Cyclospora

You can become infected with Cyclospora by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. While in many countries, Cyclosporiasis is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. However, water-damaged buildings often mimic a tropical climate.

In the United States, foodborne outbreaks of Cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce including:

• Raspberries
• Snow peas
• Young salad greens
• Cilantro 
• Basil

So far frozen and canned foods seem to be free of Cyclospora.

Symptoms of Cyclosporiasis may include the following:

• Diarrhea (most common)
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Cramping
• Bloating
• Increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue

General Parasite Symptoms and Health Implications

1. Digestive complaints: bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS (irritated bowel syndrome)
2. Skin conditions: rashes, hives, psoriasis, eczema, itching
3. Sleep disturbance
4. Mood problems: brain fog, anxiety, depression
5. Muscle & joint pain
6. Anemia & nutrient deficiencies
7. Feeling hungry all the time
8. Food sensitivities & allergies
9. Lowered immune system (getting sick all the time)

As you can see these also include the symptoms that you get from mold illness alone. If you find that you are not healing from mold illness, this may be one reason why. This is why I will usually recommend a GI Mapp test for my clients at some point in the healing journey.

How You Can Prevent and Eliminate Parasites

When you are healing from mold illness, the first step is to make sure your drainage system is working properly – that is eliminating the mycotoxins through your bowel movements. But a secondary benefit to your healthy elimination is that it gets rid of other unwanted mold ‘buddies’ such as these parasites, too. You can get rid of parasites through natural methods, but it takes time and work.

Ideally, you avoid getting parasites by making sure you are eliminating them and not letting them take residence inside your body! Like mold mycotoxins and other pathogens, it’s not uncommon to be exposed to parasites, but reduce your risk for a parasitic infection by:

• Wearing gloves when handling foods such as raspberries, snow peas, young salad greens, cilantro or basil
• Adequately cleaning these foods before you consume them, and wash your hands after handling them if you aren’t wearing gloves.
• Taking parasite-killing herbs and/or essential oils.
• Using herbs that get your bowels moving so the parasites don’t have as much of a chance to take up residence. 
• Using a biofilm eliminator such.

Now that you understand that mold mycotoxins often invite these 3 parasites along for the ride, you can take the precautions listed here to prevent them. If you show symptoms of these parasites and are struggling to overcome your mold illness, consider taking the GI Mapp test to get clearer direction for your own healing journey. And ask me about my mold illness recovery roadmap to make your journey easier! Click here to set up a complimentary Breakthrough call to see if we could work together.