If<\/span> you have irritable bowel syndrome, you are familiar with the misery of abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhoea, and\/or constipation. It just so happens that these are also common symptoms of a gut parasite infection. If your symptoms have not responded to standard IBS treatment, taking a simple test may be the first step on the road to recovery.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is well known that the gut is inhabited by trillions of bacteria, some good and some not so good. But parasites?<\/p>\n If you have ever thought that your innards appear to have a life of their own, it\u2019s because they have. Down there in that dark, murky area of your being is a parallel universe of microorganisms: microbes, transients, opportunists and freeloaders all merrily coexisting along the tube that runs from mouth to rectum. There they live, breed, feed, ferment, do battle and eventually die or move on out.<\/p>\n Except that some don\u2019t move out. Instead, they take up permanent residency (they\u2019ve found a great place to put down roots), contribute nothing to your wellbeing and make your life hell.<\/p>\n We tend to think of parasites as hairy, bug-eyed beasts, rather than the invisible microorganisms that they often are. Parasites may be intestinal or blood borne. In the intestines, they are either single-celled microorganisms or helminths \u2014 worms, such as roundworm or tapeworm. Worms are generally visible to the naked eye but not so your single-celled parasites, which include the infamous Blastocystis hominis.<\/em><\/p>\n B. hominis<\/em><\/a> is the parasite most likely to be found in the intestinal tract and is particularly at home in the human colon.<\/p>\n To continue reading this article, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Image: derneuemann\/Pixabay<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2020 Maria Cross All rights reserved.<\/p>\n