We often associate parasites with Third World countries and poor sanitation, but parasites are a problem everywhere, even in the western world. In countries where sanitation is a priority people mistakenly assume that no problem exists and they don't need to worry. Parasites are everywhere, waiting for the opportunity to latch onto an unsuspecting host.

There are two general groups of parasites. One consists of worms such as tape worms and roundworms. The second category is the protozoa, one-celled organisms. Giardia and cryptosporidium normally live in the digestive tracts of many mammals. Public water supplies can become infected with these organisms when they are contaminated by sewage or animal waste. Although you may not hear about it, outbreaks occur all the time, usually in smaller cities and occasionally in large metropolitan areas. In 1998 the three million residents of Sydney, Australia were advised by the Health Department to boil all their tap water because high concentrations of giardia and cryptosporidium were detected in the city's water supply. In this instance most people were spared from infection because they were warned in time.

Coconut oil may provide an effective defense against many troublesome parasites including giardia. Like bacteria and fungi, giardia can't stand up against the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil. Research has confirmed the effectiveness of MCFA in destroying giardia and possibly other protozoa. More >>>

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