What are Tapeworms disease?

Tapeworms (cestoda) are a type of parasitic flatworm that live in the bowels of the bodies of host organisms, such as humans, cows, pigs, dogs, and cats. The most common tapeworms in humans are pork tapeworm, fish tapeworm, beef tapeworm, and dwarf tapeworm.

Dwarf tapeworms are the smallest kind of tapeworm commonly affecting humans, only a few tenths of an inch long. They live in the intestines of rats (and, of course, people).

Pork tapeworms are usually between 1/4 and 1/2 inch long, and inhabit pigs and humans.

Beef tapeworms usually range between 10 to 15 feet, but can grow up to 65 feet long in some cases. They most commonly infect cows and humans, but can only reproduce asexually in human hosts.

Fish tapeworms are the longest tapeworms, averaging about 30 feet long, but growing up to 100 feet. They can affect humans, bears, dogs, cats, seals, and weasels.

Life cycle of pork tapeworm can be seen below.

Life cycle of pork tapeworm

Symptoms of Tapeworms disease

Often, tapeworm contagions present tense no symptoms whatever. When symptoms do bob up, however, it’s important to take care. Keep in mind that not all of these symptoms will inevitably appear together.

If you have been exposed to undercooked meat or infected animals, and have any doubt about whether or not you might have tapeworms, please consult your doctor immediately.

Signs of Intestinal Tapeworm Infection

• Nausea
• Muscle weakness
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Abdominal Pain
• Passing worm sections in stool

Tapeworms can also move out of the intestines and start infesting other tissues. This is a much more serious condition, causing complications that can require treatment in their own right.

Complications of Invasive Tapeworm Infection

• Fever
• Cystic lumps or masses
• Allergic reactions
• Bacterial infections
• Possible seizures (where brain tissue is involved)

Causes & Prevention of Tapeworms

As you can see from the illustrations of tapeworm life cycles above, the cause of growth in humans is eating undercooked, infected meat or other means of ingesting tapeworm eggs or larvae. Therefore, prevention emphasizes personal hygeine and cooking methods.

Tips for Preventing Tapeworms:

• Wash hands after using the toilet
• Wash hands before and after handling meat
• Wash hands before eating
• Freeze meat for 12 hours before cooking
• Freeze fish for 24 hours before cooking
• Cook meat at temperatures of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit
• Avoid undercooked meat and fish
• Promptly treat tapeworm in pets or livestock

Tapeworm disease Treatment

If you are diagnosed with tapeworms by your doctor (usually by stool sample), there is effective treatment.

Since tapeworms prevent the aborption of food, and also medication, the most common course of treatment for tapeworms must attack the worms directly. Your doctor will usually prescribe one of several anthelmintics (parasite-expelling drugs), which are toxic to the worms. These medications kill and dissolve the bodies of adult tapeworms, but do not exterminate larvae, so it is key to avoid reinfection using the prevention tips above.

Doctors often recommend a gentle laxative to ease the passing of the tapeworms, but because tapeworms attach themselves with barbed hooks to the inside of your intestinal walls, laxatives are not usually an effective treatment by themselves, contrary to proponents of colon cleansing.

If you have an invasive infection including cysts, anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids may be used to reduce swelling. In extreme cases, where cysts are life-threatening, surgery may be necessary.

While the word "parasite" is a scary one, there is not usually a need for excessive concern where tapeworms are concerned, unless they have gone undetected for long periods of time. In people who receive appropriate treatment, over 95% are successfully rid of all eggs, larvae, and adult worms.

Colon Cancer Overview—-The colon cancer has 3 main functions:

1. To digest and absorb nutrients from food .
2. To concentrate fecal material by absorbing fluid (and electrolytes) from it .
3. To store and control evacuation of fecal material .

Colon Cancer is a muscular, tube-shaped organ measuring about 4 feet long. It extends from the end of your small bowel to your anus, twisting and turning through your abdomen (belly).

The right side of your colon plays a major role in absorbing water and electrolytes, while the left side is responsible for storage and evacuation of stool.

Cancer is the transformation of normal cells. The transformed cells grow and multiply abnormally.

Left untreated, these cancers grow and eventually spread through the colon wall to involve the adjacent lymph nodes and organs. Ultimately, they spread to distant organs such as the liver, lungs, brain, and bones.

Cancers are dangerous because of their unbridled growth. They overwhelm healthy cells, tissues, and organs by taking their oxygen, nutrients, and space.

Most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas-tumors that develop from the glands lining the colon’s inner wall.

These tumors are sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer, reflecting the fact that the rectum, the end portion of the colon, can also be affected.

Colon Cancer Causes—-Most colorectal cancers arise from adenomatous polyps-clusters of abnormal cells in the glands covering the inner wall of the colon. Over time, these abnormal growths enlarge and ultimately degenerate to become adenocarcinomas.

People with any of several conditions known as adenomatous polyposis syndromes have a greater-than-normal risk of colorectal cancer.

• In these conditions, numerous adenomatous polyps develop in the colon, ultimately leading to colon cancer.
• The cancer usually occurs before age 40 years.
• Adenomatous polyposis syndromes tend to run in families. Such cases are referred to as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Celecoxib (Celebrex) has been FDA approved for FAP. After 6 months, celecoxib reduced the mean number of rectal and colon polyps by 28% compared to placebo (sugar pill) 5%.

For more information visit: Bowtrol Colon Health

The nervous system that  controls the gastrointestinal organs, as with most other organs, contains both  sensory and motor nerves. The sensory nerves continuously sense what is  happening within the organ and relay this information to nerves in the organ’s  wall. From there, information can be relayed to the spinal cord and brain. The  information is received and processed in the organ’s wall, the spinal cord, or  the brain. Then, based on this sensory input and the way the input is processed,  commands (responses) are sent to the organ over the motor nerves. Two of the  most common motor responses in the intestine are contraction or relaxation of  the muscle of the organ and secretion of fluid and/or mucus into the organ.

As already mentioned, abnormal function of the nerves of the  gastrointestinal organs, at least theoretically, might occur in the organ,  spinal cord, or brain. Moreover, the abnormalities might occur in the sensory  nerves, the motor nerves, or at processing centers in the intestine, spinal  cord, or brain. Some researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is  abnormalities in the function of the sensory nerves. For example, normal  activities, such as stretching of the small intestine by food, may give rise to  abnormal sensory signals that are sent to the spinal cord and brain, where they  are perceived as pain.

Other researchers argue that the cause of  functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the motor nerves. For  example, abnormal commands through the motor nerves might produce a painful  spasm (contraction) of the muscles. Still others argue that abnormally  functioning processing centers are responsible for functional diseases because  they misinterpret normal sensations or send abnormal commands to the organ. In  fact, some functional diseases may be due to sensory dysfunction, motor  dysfunction, or both sensory and motor dysfunction. Still others may be due to  abnormalities within the processing centers One area that is receiving a great  deal of scientific attention is the potential role of gas produced by intestinal  bacteria in patients with IBS. Studies have demonstrated that patients with IBS  produce larger amounts of gas than individuals without IBS, and the gas may be  retained longer in the small intestine. Among patients with IBS, abdominal size  increases over the day, reaching a maximum in the evening and returning to  baseline by the following morning. In individuals without IBS, there is no  increase in abdominal size during the day.

There has been a great deal  of controversy over the role that poor digestion and/or absorption of dietary  sugars may play in aggravating the symptoms of IBS. Poor digestion of lactose,  the sugar in milk, is very common as is poor absorption of fructose, a sweetener  found in many processed foods. Poor digestion or absorption of these sugars  could aggravate the symptoms of IBS since unabsorbed sugars often cause  increased formation of gas.

Although these abnormalities in production  and transport of gas could give rise to some of the symptoms of IBS, much more  work will need to be done before the role of intestinal gas in IBS is  clear.

Dietary fat in healthy individuals causes food as well as gas to  move more slowly through the stomach and small intestine. Some patients with IBS  may even respond to dietary fat in an exaggerated fashion with greater slowing.  Thus, dietary fat could–and probably does–aggravate the symptoms of IBS.