Blastocystis hominis is one of the most common parasites to cause symptoms in humans. But chances are you’ve never heard of it before, and most doctors aren’t familiar with it either and don’t even test for it or treat it. So you need to be as informed as possible when it comes to Blastocystis hominis. And in this video I’ll teach you everything that your doctor isn’t telling you about this parasite.

I’ve been diagnosing and treating B. hominis for over 25 years. B. hominis stands for Blastocystis hominis. It is a very small, microscopic parasite that can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, gas, and bloating in humans.

And of course, if you have those symptoms, then you might also have fatigue and even weight loss, as well as a loss of appetite. Because you may not want to eat, and even when you do eat you aren’t digesting well, so you aren’t absorbing nutrients well. Which can lead to fatigue and weight loss.

When you contract Blastocystis hominis it lives in the digestive system, and it’s passed from human to human or animal to human via the oral fecal route. This means that it’s acquired due to poor hygiene (not washing hands) and/or the ingestion of contaminated food or water.

That all sounds fairly straightforward, but this parasite is anything but straightforward. You may have any one or more of those symptoms that I just mentioned, or you may have no symptoms at all.

How is it possible to not have any symptoms?

Unlike most parasites, Blastocystis hominis comes in at least 7 different subtypes, or strains. Some strains cause symptoms, and others don’t. And there is no testing available to the public yet that can differentiate between these strains. That kind of testing is only done in research studies.

How Common Is B. Hominis?

Millions of people around the world carry this parasite. And it seems that the majority of  people infected with B. hominis don’t have any symptoms at all. So it’s not even considered an infection much of the time. Therefore most doctors don’t test for it, and if someone does test positive for B. hominis, doctors often assume that it is irrelevant and isn’t causing symptoms. Therefore, they often don’t treat it.

Unfortunately, this leaves many people to suffer without treatment. However, even if you do try to treat it, B. hominis is often resistant to medications. For example, Metronidazole, often the drug of choice, may or may not help.

And many antiparasitic drugs that are used in other parts of the world are not available in the U.S., possibly because of the low demand for them and the fact the doctors generally don’t consider this parasite to be pathogenic.

This can leave people struggling to deal with Blastocystis hominis on their own. If that’s you, feel free to give us a call at 206-264-1111. Treating B hominis may be the key to getting better. Or it may be the thing that is distracting you from the real cause of your symptoms. Either way, we can help you figure it out what needs to be done and get it treated.

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