Ugh. I shouldn't've read this....

[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.

Comments

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

Yes, it would be. I understand that feeling, as there are days when I don't eat meat. Just remember to properly wash your garden vegetables, as those can carry Toxoplasma gondii...which is a problem only if you're pregnant or immune-compromised.

It only seems as though Mother Nature is out to get us, eh? ;-)

[leora.livejournal.com]

I do try to wash my produce, and I don't grow my own. And well... many things are out to get us. But we more or less manage. I don't know whether or not I am immune compromised. I may be. I may have an autoimmune disorder (I definitely have a predisposition towards them). And I may have neither. So, a bit of care is a good idea.

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

An auto-immune disorder is essentially an over-active immune system, while immune-compromise means a less-than normal immune system. So, if you've got AI-type disorders, you've got a working immune system. ;-)

In fact, allergies are the end result of an active immune system.

[leora.livejournal.com]

Yes, that I know. But what I don't know is what I have.