By Nana
When I was six years old, I became very ill with flu-like symptoms. I was running a low-grade fever and could not hold down any food. I was “number four” in the birth order, so my mother’s instincts were well-honed by the time I came along, and she knew in her “knower” that something was radically wrong. Since she couldn’t drive, she called my dad and said, “we need to take her to the doctor.” They drove to our pediatrician, and he said, “I think it is an appendicitis attack. I want you to take her right now to see a surgeon!” He put me on the exam table at the surgeon’s office and pressed on my lower right side. I let out a yell, and he said, “Yes, it is an appendicitis attack. I want you to take her immediately to Children’s Orthopedic Hospital, and I will operate!” My dad said, “Wait a minute, what will this cost?” The surgeon looked at him, shocked, and my mother gave him “the look.” Now we are all familiar with “the look.” The one you get from your mother when you wipe your nose on your sleeve, whisper during the sermon at church, or talk with your mouth full. Well, my dad got the message and was appropriately silenced.
If an inflamed appendix is not removed, it can rupture and cause a fatal infection, so off we went to the hospital for the surgeon to remove my inflamed appendix.
Doctors say we don’t need our appendix. They are right; we don’t need it to live, but why would God give us an organ we don’t need? We don’t need it to live, but we definitely need it. The appendix is a cone-shaped, three-inch-long organ off the large intestines right below where the small intestines attach to the large. It produces a germicidal fluid that kills toxins from the small intestines into the large. Unfortunately, this germicidal fluid does not kill worms or their eggs which can congregate in the appendix, causing it to get infected and inflamed. It will burst if it is not treated. An inflamed appendix can have several causes, but it is often infected with an overload of worms.

When I was a little girl, our family went hiking in the Cascade Mountains into a lake area called Wildcat Lake, so my dad and brother could go fishing (we went camping all over the state of Washington). My dad said if a stream was running for 20 feet, it was clean to drink. So, we drank the water. We didn’t boil it or filter it. Lakes and streams have little critters (amoebas, parasites, and worms) that will get into your digestive tract and cause all sorts of health problems. These organisms live in our bodies, eating our nutrients, reproducing, and depositing thousands of eggs inside us. They also excrete their fecal wastes into our bodies, compromising our immune systems. They damage our intestinal walls, get into our bloodstream and go to other organs. Contaminated water is one of the foremost ways we become infected with parasites, worms, or amoebas. Nowadays, if I go into the wilderness to enjoy God’s creation, I carry a water filter and filter all water that I drink or cook with. I also have a water filter under the counter of my kitchen sink. We purchased a water filter with a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) rating for parasite reduction with one micron or smaller pore size. When we go out to a restaurant to eat, I order bottled water, or we take small bottles of filtered water from home.
I call parasites the “hidden health issue” because they hide away in our bodies, causing all sorts of problems that baffle doctors and remain undiagnosed. Parasites are the missing link or the forerunners to many chronic health problems and are one of the primary underlying causes of disease. Everyone that has cancer has a parasite called the liver fluke.
When someone gets a cancerous tumor removed, it is essential to do a parasite cleanse to remove parasites so that the cancer doesn’t come back in a few years. This is also true after an appendix is removed. Some sources say that one in five people is infected with parasites and worms!
I believe I became infected from drinking contaminated water; however, we can also get parasites from animals eating undercooked pork, beef, fish, and poultry. They can also be transmitted from person to person, and some occupations are at higher risk than others.
It’s important to be aware that if you work in a hospital, nursing home, veterinary clinic, mortuary, zoo, sanitation facility, day-care center, or travel overseas regularly, you are at a higher risk of contracting these “little loves.” So have yourself tested as part of your annual physical.
When I went to a clinical nutritionist for the first time, she told me I was infected with giardia and amoeba. I was shocked — I am a very clean person — I didn’t realize that these critters are like Wiley Coyote!
If you have any of the following symptoms: digestive problems, abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, anemia, skin problems, tooth grinding, or rectal itching, you might want to go to a nutritionist, naturopathic doctor or medical doctor who will test you and most likely prescribe tinctures, herbal remedies or pharmaceutical treatments to help rid your body parasites.

It is imperative to get rid of parasites, worms, flukes, and amoebas so they don’t cause worse problems in our bodies, but even better, don’t get them in the first place! Having a water filter and eating a healthy diet of organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, buffalo, venison, wild-caught fish, organic chicken, and organic eggs is helpful to aid in having a healthy colon. Limit dairy products, white flour, and sugar that are mucus-causing foods, building up in the colon and making a more hospitable environment for critters to live. When cooking pork, it is necessary to use a meat thermometer to ensure the temperature is high enough to kill the parasite trichinosis. My naturopathic doctor helped me do a colon cleanse, and I have had colon hydrotherapy treatments to keep my colon healthy.
I have “type A blood,” and I discovered that people with “type A blood” might need to take digestive enzymes. People with “type A blood” tend to make less hydrochloric acid, which helps in digestion but also kills parasites and their eggs before they have a chance to become problematic. So, I take a digestive enzyme, hydrochloric acid, and a vitamin supplement that kills parasites to keep these unwelcome guests at bay.
I understand that this is not a topic that comes up in general conversation, but it is SO important to have this wisdom in keeping ourselves and our families healthy. Having a healthy colon is key to having a healthy body. Having a healthy body is key to having a happy, productive life.
Much love, Nana