"In recent medical studies it has been estimated that 85% of the North American adult population has at least one form of parasites living in their bodies. Some authorities feel this figure may be as high as 95%."

     Humans can play "host" to over 100 different kinds of para­sites, ranging from microscopic to several-feet-long tape­worms. Contrary to popular belief, parasites are NOT re­stricted to our colon alone, but can be found in other parts of the body; the lungs, the liver, in the muscles and joints, in the esophagus, the brain, the blood, the skin and even in the eyes!

     The famous Dr. Zoltan Rona, author of many books and newspaper columns writes:

"The incidence of parasitic disease in North America is skyrocketing because of increased in­ternational travel, contamination of the water and food supply (ed.: do you remember a few years ago 400,000 people in Milwaukee, almost half of that city's population, fell sick due to a water-borne parasite which made its way into the city water supply?) and the overuse of chemical, mercury and prescription antibiotics. Tape­ worms, hookworms and a long list of amoebae are far more common in the North American population than con­ventional medical experts have led the population to believe... Parasites are found in highest concentrations in commercial pork products (bacon, ham, hot dogs, cold cuts, pork chops, etc.). Beet chicken, lamb and even fish are contaminated."

     Obviously this is not good news for any society that typically consumes a lot of meat and meat products. In a well-known book on parasites, the author suggests that pork tapeworms infect individuals by eating undercooked and contaminated pork. These can come in the form of fresh ham, fresh sausage, or smoked ham and sausage. The parasite   larva develops in the muscle and spreads through the nervous system into other organs, eventually attaching itself to the upper small intestines. It is suggested that this tapeworm causes extreme conflict to the host, the human being, when the parasite larvae invades muscle, eyes or even the brain.

     Dr. Nova writes, "In terms of numbers, there are more parasitic infections acquired in this country than in Africa." (Dr. Frank Nova, Chief of the Laboratory for Parasitic Diseases of the National Institute of Health)

     As you view the pictures of the various and often ex­tremely long parasites you probably wonder how such beasts could live inside our bodies without us being aware of them? "The answer to this is simple," writes Dr. Anderson. "The purpose of a parasite is not to make it­self known. A smart parasite lives without being detected because if it is detected, of course, something is going to be done to eradicate it. If you think parasites are stupid, think again. They are highly intelligent organisms. Not intelli­gent in the same way humans are, but they are intelligent in their ability to survive and reproduce, which is of course the purpose of any organism on this planet."

     So how can a parasite exist in the body without mak­ing its presence known? In fact, many people are indeed aware of them. If you know how to read your body and how to interpret its signals, then the presence of a parasite can be determined by many people. However, if you accept that it's normal to have low energy levels and health chal­lenges, that it's normal to have skin rashes, pains, frequent colds, flu and constipation (the list of things parasites can cause is very long) then you may never know whether you have parasites.

Dr. Thomas J. Brooks writes in his book The Essen­tials of Medical Parasitology: "Tapeworms are among the oldest parasites of the human race. Indeed, some species have become so well adapted to life in the human intes­tine, that the host (man) may be entirely asymptomatic."

The traditional method for checking for parasites is examining the stool. Unfortunately, this test is frequently unreliable. The only way to detect parasites in a stool is if the eggs are noticed under a microscope. If, however, the parasite living in your body did not lay any eggs during that period, its presence can go undetected. Some doctors rec­ommend 3 stool samples taken at different time periods, but unfortunately this isn't always enough either, since para­sites don't always have regular "egg-laying schedule."

It's also important to note the incredible quantity of eggs which parasites can lay. For example, a female hook­worm can lay 10,000 - 25,000 eggs at a time. The pictured round worm can grow up to 16 inches long (40 cm.) and is capable of laying 200,000 eggs PER DAY. The longest can be caught from eating fish and is appropriately named a fish-tapeworm; a mature adult can reach an incredible 30 feet (9 meters) in length and can lay 1 million eggs.

"We have a tremendous parasite prob­lem right here in the U.S., it is just not being addressed." (Dr. Peter Wina, Chief of the Patho-Biology in the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research)

     What telltale signs might we find that could indi­cate parasites' presence in our bodies? The possible symptoms are almost endless. These "intelligent" creatures are sometimes so clever that they can mask their presence through some of the most common diseases around. That is why so many nutrition experts recommend doing a parasite cleanse to all those suffering from everyday ailments that tradi­tional medicine was not able to address.