October 2014

Eat pumpkin seeds ~ they not only taste good, are good for you, but also kill parasites!

As my book, Intestinal Health mentions, parasites may enter the body through many different avenues:

• Ingesting contaminated water or food OR improperly cleaned raw foods
• Poor hygiene
• Fecal to oral contact – always wash hands after changing diapers or picking up pet feces
• Mosquitoes bites and in some cases, other insect, reptile, or animal bites
• Intimate contact (exchanging bodily fluids)
• Through the nose, mouth, or eyes (be sure to wash your hands before touching these parts of your body)
• Handling an infected animal or letting the animal lick you in the mouth
• Touching contaminated surfaces
• Breathing dust filled air
• Walking barefoot in dirt or sand
• Swimming in contaminated water or swimming with open wounds
• Cleaning dishes or clothing in contaminated waters

Staying in homeostasis (balance) is our best defense. In fact, the intestinal tract is our best immune defense. When our immunity is low (digestive system is functioning poorly), fungus, bacteria’s, and parasites may attack our bodies. Or, perhaps something is lurking in low profile and, due to a weakened immune system (stress, illness, surgery, etc.), an existing “bad” bacteria, fungus, or parasite, is allowed to grow and proliferate in our systems.

Annual preventative cleanses are the best measure for intestinal upkeep and balance plus implementing a re-balancing program immediately after a potentially depleting event. Some of the daily and annual “tools” you might want to use for intestinal support and/or cleansing include:

• Garlic – more specifically Allicin
• Papaya seeds –have anti-helminthic and anti-amoebic properties (more on papaya seeds in another blog…)
• Pumpkin seeds – ground up
• Probiotics – high doses such as 100 billion or more per day for corrective dose
• Chlorella or other algae based foods and powder drinks
• Daily fiber rich foods such as fruits and vegetables – be sure to clean them properly
• Omega Oils are essential for cellular and nerve functions
• Diet rich in “Super Foods” (lists available online – or in my soon-to-be published book)
• Cheyanne pepper, turmeric, etc.

Since symptoms may be caused by any number of internal or external sources, seeing a medical practitioner to narrow the potential issue is always advised. But, in the case of many parasites, bacteria, or fungi, it may be dismissed as “nothing is wrong” yet, you feel like “something is not right” inside your system. Once all potential problems have been dismissed, you may consider a parasite cleanse ~ this is where pumpkin seeds and many other ingredients may be used.

Pumpkin Seeds act as a substance to “kill or expel intestinal parasitic worms” due to the “toxic, tetracyclic triterpenes” contained within the seeds that are released upon chewing or grinding them up. This substance is known to “dumb-out, paralyze, or intoxicate” the worms causing them to release their grip from the intestinal walls (ceasing the blood sucking activity). While this is good news, the second part is that you will need to be active in moving them “out” of your body with the use of fiber, natural laxatives, enemas, or colonics to reduce the reabsorption of their toxic waste (i.e. urination, defecation, decay, and reproduction – yuck!) or worse yet, “waking up” and re-attaching to the intestinal wall.

Since this blog is specific to Pumpkin Seeds, below are some of the ways to consume them successfully:

• Due to fungi that grows on the moist pumpkin seeds, it is always a good idea to toast them on the stove or in the oven prior to eating.
• Chew them into small bits in your mouth prior to swallowing.
• Blend or grind them and add to cereal, sauces, smoothies, coconut, rice, or almond milk, or “live” yogurt.
• Puree them with olive oil, garlic, salt, cilantro, and lemon to make a pesto
• Chop them up and add to a salad
• Add the ground seeds to your morning porridge with apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and a sweetener of your choice for the most powerful start to your day!

It’s always good to ease into a cleansing item like pumpkin seeds or similar stimulating fibrous cleansing substances, so start with a small daily amount like 1 Tbs. and work up to as much as 4-7oz a day during your cleanse.

As always, drink plenty of water, but in this case, be sure to drink 10-12oz an hour afterwards and abstain from eating anything else for two hours after eating the pumpkin seeds.

During this “cleanse” be sure to eat a high water-content diet rich in fruits, vegetables, squashes, potatoes, yams, greens, etc. and add a natural laxative to ensure bowel movements (ask at your local health food store for a recommendation).

Wa-La! Feeling better was never any easier than in your own kitchen… And, when in doubt, consult with your medical practitioner prior, during, or afterwards, should you have any concerns.