Many people like to blame all chronic illnesses on just one thing – parasites being one of the most common. This is great for marketing parasite cleanses, but do you really have parasites?
An easy and cheap screen is to evaluate your \*eosinophil levels\* on a standard blood test (CBC, or “complete blood count”).
Eosinophils are white blood cells that increase in response to parasitic infestations. They coordinate with other immune cells, including Secretory IgA (SIgA), to help protect mucosal surfaces from parasitic damage.
On a lab test, they are shown as a % of the total white blood cell (WBC) count. In our clinics, we consider 6% or higher elevated. Eosinophils typically rise in response to helminthic infections, including roundworms, tapeworms, and flukes.
So, while this can serve as a cheap initial screening tool, it’s NOT definitive.
Here are some other things you need to know about eosinophil levels and parasites:
- They can signal parasitic infections in the gut but may miss infections outside the gut.
- Levels may be normal during certain stages of the helminthic parasitic life cycle.
- Levels may be normal in malaria, toxoplasmosis, or giardiasis infections.
- Depleted immune function can produce a false negative.
- Sometimes parasites learn how to evade immune detection, creating a false negative.
- Elevated eosinophils can also indicate allergic responses such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis.
The takeaway is that not every health symptom is necessarily explained by parasites. That claim reflects a great deal of ignorance and, quite often, a desire to sell you a parasite cleanse.
if your eosinophils are elevated and you have parasite-like symptoms (abdominal pain or discomfort, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, loss of appetite or weight loss, and visible worms or segments of worms in stool), you should follow up with a comprehensive parasitology stool analysis. If symptoms suggest parasitic infection and your eosinophils are normal, it is still best to rule out infection with a stool panel, especially if you have recently traveled to a less developed part of the world.
To learn more about our services and to schedule a free consultation, please visit redriverhealthandwellness.com. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.
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About Josh Redd
Josh Redd, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, is a chiropractic physician and author of the Amazon bestselling book “The Truth About Low Thyroid.” Redd owns seven functional medicine clinics in the western U.S. and sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders.
He studied immunology, virology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins where he is a MaPHB candidate. He also teaches thousands of health care practitioners about functional medicine and immunology, thyroid health, neurology, lab testing and more.
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