🦠 Parasites in the U.S.: What You Need to Know

Many people assume that parasites are rare in the United States. However, my experience over the past 25 years shows a very different story.

If you’ve been struggling with digestive issues and are worried about parasites, it’s important to understand what’s happening and how to identify them.

🔹 Why Parasites Are Often Missed

• Most doctors assume parasites are extremely rare in the U.S., so they rarely test for them.
• If you don’t look for them, you won’t find them.
• In my practice, we perform extensive parasite testing for every patient.
• We’ve tested over 10,000 patients, and while parasites aren’t “super common,” we find and treat them regularly.

“Most parasites in U.S. patients are missed by regular doctors and gastroenterologists.”

🔹 How People in the U.S. Get Parasites

• Many assume you need to drink stream or lake water or travel to exotic countries to get parasites. 🌎
• While those activities increase risk, most people with parasites:
  • Haven’t drank untreated water from streams or lakes 💧
  • Haven’t traveled extensively ✈️
• Parasites are now part of our global food system.
• Contact with people returning from countries with higher parasite prevalence also contributes.

“Parasites now come to us; we don’t have to go to them.”

🔹 Parasites You Should Be Concerned About

• Most U.S. doctors only think about Giardia, usually from drinking untreated water.
• Other common microscopic parasites that often go undiagnosed include:
  • 🦠 Blastocystis hominis
  • 🦠 Dientamoeba fragilis
  • 🦠 Entamoeba coli
  • 🦠 Endolimax nana
• Visible worms like Ascaris (roundworm), Necatur (hookworm), and Taenia (tapeworm) are rare in the U.S. 🪱
• The majority of parasitic infections I’ve diagnosed are microscopic and can only be seen under a microscope.

🔹 How Do You Know If You Have Parasites?

• Symptoms aren’t reliable. Many issues cause:
  • 💨 Diarrhea, gas, bloating
  • 🔄 Peristalsis and borborygmi (rumbling in the intestines)
• Most people who suspect parasites do not actually have them.
• Many patients mistake undigested food for parasites. For example:
  • A patient once thought bean sprouts were parasites 🌱
• The only reliable way to know is stool DNA testing for all parasites, which most doctors do not perform.

“If you want to know whether you have parasites, testing is the only way to be certain.”

🔹 Getting Help

If you’re concerned about parasites, we can help:

• ✅ Determine whether parasites are present
• ✅ Treat identified parasites effectively
• ✅ Investigate other causes if no parasites are found

“We’ve literally seen all types of parasites and can help you get answers.”

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