Ugh. I shouldn't've read this....
Apr. 1st, 2006 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
More than I needed to know about tapeworms
And then, of course, this sets off a set of dying important questions - what's a tapeworm's lifespan? If you get infected (is that the word?) by a tapeworm, does it ever go away sans treatment? Why do people get so squicked out by parasites? We don't believe that getting a cold is a sign that our deity hates us or that we're unclean, so why do we think that people'll judge us if our kid gets lice or (apparently) worms?
Most patients don't experience any of these symptoms. You probably wouldn't know you had an infection unless you found stray worm segments—called "proglottids"—swimming in your stool.
What?
So does this mean that if you're not showing symptoms, it's probably harmless because it's not harming you? Does this mean that I could be infected (and uninsured) right now?
Oh dear.
And all the time, I'm remembering an article I read a while back about how a lack of benign parasites seems to be correlated with an increase in autoimmune disorders. So I have that to think about at the dentist. Joy.
And then, of course, this sets off a set of dying important questions - what's a tapeworm's lifespan? If you get infected (is that the word?) by a tapeworm, does it ever go away sans treatment? Why do people get so squicked out by parasites? We don't believe that getting a cold is a sign that our deity hates us or that we're unclean, so why do we think that people'll judge us if our kid gets lice or (apparently) worms?
Most patients don't experience any of these symptoms. You probably wouldn't know you had an infection unless you found stray worm segments—called "proglottids"—swimming in your stool.
What?
So does this mean that if you're not showing symptoms, it's probably harmless because it's not harming you? Does this mean that I could be infected (and uninsured) right now?
Oh dear.
And all the time, I'm remembering an article I read a while back about how a lack of benign parasites seems to be correlated with an increase in autoimmune disorders. So I have that to think about at the dentist. Joy.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-01 06:54 pm (UTC)Because it's sure freaking me out over here.
And I told my dentist (hey, he's a doctor, isn't he? What sort of person decides to become a dentist, anyway? Besides, I had nothing else to talk about other than gum disease. He gave me a nifty picture of my teeth. And my massive gum disease. I'm gonna frame it and hang it on my wall) and he says "Well, you'd feel lethargic, that's a symptom". Well, great, what if you're so used to feeling lethargic that you don't even realize you feel lethargic, hmmm?
He's just a dentist. What does he know?
no subject
Date: 2006-04-02 01:50 am (UTC)