Natural Cures for Parasites by Kevin Trudeau

Kevin Trudeau is a New York Times best-selling author. His book, "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About" was a top-selling book of 2007. In his books, he frequently claims that the Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration are part of a vast government conspiracy designed to fool people into thinking that certain processed foods are healthy and that some drugs are vital for good health, when, according to Trudeau, the opposite is true. One of his most popular theories is that many illnesses are caused by parasites. Trudeau is considered a scam artist by some people and a genius by others.

Intestinal Parasites

• The most common type of parasites are intestinal parasites. In fact, all parasites in the human body originate in the intestine, and there they remain, most of the time. There are two major types: protozoa and helminths (tapeworms and roundworms). Protozoa can multiply inside the human body, but helminths cannot, which means they can be eliminated with treatment.

Symptoms

• Some of the symptoms of intestinal parasites mimic those of other illnesses or conditions, so it is important to get a firm diagnosis from a doctor if you suspect you may have an intestinal parasite. The symptoms usually include diarrhea, gas, nausea, bloating, pain in the region, unexplained weight loss, or even passing a worm.

Cleansing

• Trudeau recommends using a cleanse to rid the intestine of parasites. The cleanse should be a combination of a high-fiber diet and a drink or supplement containing psyllium husks, papaya extract, bentonite clay, pumpkin seeds, charcoal, citrus pectin and flax seeds. Such supplements can be purchased on Trudeau's website and on other alternative medicine websites. Note that there have been no clinical trials proving the effectiveness of such cleansing on ridding the body of parasites.

Diet

• Trudeau also recommends including the certain foods in your diet or increasing the amount you eat. These foods include garlic, which has been proven by studies to work against some roundworms, black walnut, which is often used to treat ringworm and athlete's foot, and goldenseal, which is an herb that has been shown to be active against parasites in preliminary lab studies.

Warning

• While heath experts agree that some of Trudeau's advice is sound, including his advice on how to rid the body of parasites, there is controversy regarding his other works, including a book on dieting that many doctors say is dangerously unhealthy to follow. In addition, Trudeau has served more two years in prison for swindling money (over $100,000) from American Express and five banks. He has also been arrested for writing more than $80,000 worth of bad checks. He is considered to be an expert in marketing, however, and all of his books have been best-sellers.