In fact, many of the patients that come to me with liver complaints are actually dealing with hepatica. There are different kinds of flukes-one that goes to the liver (hepatica) and one that goes to the bloodstream (haematobium). Flukes, or haematobium, are tiny snails that live at the bottom of lakes and in brackish water, and people often contract them from swimming and swallowing the water. However you contract them, amoebas cause diarrhea. Amoebas are very common in the summer I also see them when patients return from traveling to India or Mexico because you can get them from drinking bad water (giardia and entamoeba histolytica are common ones). Amoebas, flukes, and spirochetes are so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye. While I still find patients with those types of worms, the most common parasites are actually microscopic. When most people think of parasites, they think of intestinal worms like tapeworm, roundworm, hookworm, and threadworms-all of which can actually be seen with the naked eye. We’re exposed to parasites constantly they can be contracted in many situations, from eating uncooked meat or fish, to walking barefoot or sleeping in a bed with a pet that’s carrying something. The vast majority of people affected are undiagnosed and don’t even know they’re carrying one. Parasites are very common-about four in six patients I see in my practice are infected with at least one (and often more). What are the most common types of parasites, and how do most people get them?
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