PARASITES EDUCATION
Updated: 2 days ago
Parasites come up often in our Lyme groups, and they can be confusing. Babesia, one of the most common Lyme co-infections, is a parasite itself, and some Lyme-literate doctors feel other parasites can keep us from getting better. Others aren't so sure. This post explains what parasites are, how they may tie in with Lyme, the symptoms to watch for and how testing works, so you can talk it through with your doctor. Comment with your approach.
Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post.
PARASITES - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
WHAT ILADS AND ILADEF SAY
- ILADEF describes Babesia microti as a protozoan parasite, similar to malaria, that lives inside red blood cells. Because it often shows up alongside Lyme, it's called a co-infection (2024).
- When Babesia joins Lyme, ILADEF notes Lyme may be more severe and tougher to treat (2024).
- At the 2020 ILADS conference, Dr. Nancy O'Hara, an ILADS board member, listed parasites among the possible infection triggers for PANS in children, along with yeast, viruses and other bacteria (2020).
PANS / PANDAS
BABESIA EDUCATION
WHAT PARASITES ARE
- Parasites are living things that live on or inside another living thing, like your body, and feed off it. They range from tiny one-celled protozoa to worms you can see with the naked eye (MedlinePlus, 2025).
- People can catch them through a bug bite, sexual contact, or food or water that's been contaminated (MedlinePlus, 2025).
- Dr. Bill Rawls explains that technically every microbe living off a host is a parasite, but when most people say parasites, they mean worms, also called helminths (2022).
- Worms usually don't multiply inside the body. Their eggs pass out in the stool, though some worms can survive inside us for about two years (Dr. Rawls, 2022).
- Protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium can multiply inside the body (Dr. Rawls, 2022).
- In a 2021 video talk, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt walks through the types of parasites and how they may affect our health.
COMMON ONES IN THE US
- The most common intestinal parasites in the US include Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba histolytica. They often live in water such as lakes, rivers, streams, pools and hot tubs, and some aren't easily killed by chlorine (MedlinePlus, 2023).
- Worms such as pinworms are less common in the US. Hookworms can get in through the skin when you go barefoot on soil that's contaminated (MedlinePlus, 2023).
- Toxoplasmosis comes from a parasite that also lives in cats. People can get it from handling cat litter, eating raw or undercooked meat, or contaminated soil, and it can pass from a mother to her baby during pregnancy (MedlinePlus, 2025).
- The good news: healthy people often get over intestinal parasites without treatment, and if treatment is needed, it's usually successful (MedlinePlus, 2023).
HOW PARASITES MAY TIE IN WITH LYME
- Dr. Richard Horowitz includes intestinal parasites, like Giardia, amoeba, hookworm, pinworm, Strongyloides and schistosomiasis, on his MSIDS map of the many things that can keep people with chronic Lyme sick (2020).
- He explains that Babesia lowers the body's ability to clear other parasites, and that parasites besides Babesia can be a big part of why some people with chronic Lyme stay sick (2020).
- Dr. Marty Ross shares that intestinal parasites can lead the immune system to make too many cytokines, which can cause fatigue, poor thinking, body pain and other symptoms we see in Lyme (2026).
- Dr. Tania Dempsey explains that mast cells release histamine when they react to things like viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungus and toxins (2017, updated 2023).
- Dr. Rawls has a different view. He feels a weaker immune system may make it harder for Lyme patients to handle parasites, but he points out the research doesn't show that people with Lyme carry heavy parasite loads, and he doubts parasites do much harm to people's health in the US (2022).
- Every Lyme doctor has their own approach, and that's okay.
SYMPTOMS TO WATCH FOR
- Diarrhea
- Belly pain or cramping
- Gas and bloating
- Blood or mucus in the stool
- Foul-smelling, greasy stools that float
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Rashes
- Itching around the bottom
- Seeing a worm in your stool
These come from MedlinePlus (2023) and Dr. Rawls (2022). Dr. Ross adds that ongoing gas, bloating, cramping and loose stools, even after working on yeast, can be a reason to consider parasites (2026).
WHO MAY BE MORE AT RISK
- People who have traveled to countries where parasites are more common. Dr. Rawls suggests telling your doctor about any trips in the past two years, since symptoms can take time to show (2022).
- People who drink untreated water from lakes, rivers or streams. Some Lyme doctors also consider well water, even when the well has tested clean.
- People who eat undercooked meat or fish (Dr. Rawls, 2022).
- People with pets, especially puppies, kittens and outdoor cats (Dr. Rawls, 2022).
- People with weakened immune systems, plus babies and older adults, who can get more severe, longer-lasting illness (MedlinePlus, 2023).
HOW TESTING WORKS
- The most common test is an ova and parasite test (O&P), which checks a stool sample under a microscope for parasites and their eggs (MedlinePlus, 2023).
- Parasites don't show up in the stool every day, so your doctor may ask for more than one sample, collected over a few days (MedlinePlus, 2023).
- A negative result can't fully rule parasites out, because a sample may hold too few of them to be seen (MedlinePlus, 2023).
- Dr. Ross shares that the microscope test finds parasites anywhere from 20 to 90 percent of the time, depending on the type, and that an EIA test picks up common parasites at least 90 percent of the time, though it doesn't exist for every type (2026).
- Dr. Horowitz finds parasites with both blood antibody tests and stool tests (2020).
- Babesia is tested with blood tests instead.
THE FULL MOON QUESTION
- Many in our community feel worse around the full moon, and some doctors time parasite treatment around it. I haven't found research proving parasites are more active at the full moon yet but even my own doctor guided me to treat before and after.
DIE-OFF (HERX)
- Treating parasites can stir up a die-off (herx) reaction, so it helps to know the difference between a herx and a flare.
BEFORE YOU START
- Talk with your doctor before trying any parasite cleanse, and tell them about any travel, untreated water or undercooked meat.
- If you are pregnant or planning to be, ask your doctor about toxoplasmosis and avoid handling cat litter.
MY EXPERIENCE
- My doctor had me address parasites around the full moon, 3 to 5 days before and after, but that may be where I was in my healing.
- I used a parasite formula and mimosa pudica. More on what I used is in the solutions post above.
MORE RESEARCH WITH MIXED RESULTS
- Worms in ticks: Dr. Horowitz shares that researchers have found filarial worms (a type of roundworm) in deer ticks and lone star ticks, so it may be possible for a tick to pass them on (2020).
- A 2020 Columbia University and NIH study found the worm in deer ticks is a new species. It didn't change how much Lyme bacteria the ticks carried, and 127 of 128 blood samples from people with Lyme or Babesia showed no antibodies to it. The researchers found no evidence that it plays a part in the tick-borne infections people get.
RELATED POSTS
GUT ISSUES DIRECTORY
MIMOSA PUDICA
SOURCES
ILADEF, Tick-Borne Diseases Other Than Lyme (2024)
MedlinePlus, Parasitic Diseases (2025)
MedlinePlus, Ova and Parasite Test (2023)
MedlinePlus, Toxoplasmosis (2025)
Dr. Richard Horowitz, Parasites, Viruses, Yeast and Fungal Infections, LymeDisease.org (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Dr. Bill Rawls, Are Parasites Making You Sick? (2022)
Dr. Marty Ross, Parasites in Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases (updated 2026)
Dr. Tania Dempsey, Top Triggers for Migraines (2017, updated 2023)
Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, Parasites and How They Affect Our Health, video (2021, older source, still worth watching)
ILADS 2020 Annual Conference abstracts, Dr. Nancy O'Hara on PANS and PANDAS (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Columbia University and NIH, worm found in deer ticks study (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
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