Caution: Do not read this while eating a meal. Doing so may be hazardous to your digestion.
In previous posts, I have discussed the problem of parasites. The key points I have raised relate to the overall imprecision of standardized parasitic testing, where research suggests that under the best of conditions seasoned parasitologists could only accurately identify relatively common parasitic infections about 60% of the time.(R) This “high” rate of accuracy was only obtained following the rarely used “gold standard” of triple stool collection analysis. Most hospitals and clinics reportedly utilize single stool collection sampling, or a swab test, which is estimated to be far less accurate than the triple stool collection.
Such poor analysis does not even take into account parasites such as strongyloides stercoralis, trichinella spiralis, or other parasites which spend very little time within the lower digestive systems of those they infect, thus further decreasing the probability of finding them with a stool test.(R)(R)
Even with this relatively poor rate of testing accuracy, studies using these methodologies have found high rates of parasitic infections within the US.(R)(R) In fact, the CDC estimates that over 60 million Americans are dealing with a parasitic infection.(R) For the reasons I’ve cited, that estimate is probably on the low side.
If you’re wondering why more doctors don’t talk much about parasites, it’s probably because they aren’t finding them in their patients because the tools that they use in parasitic diagnostics are woefully riddled with false negative results. If the tests for known parasites are poor indicators of parasitic infections, imagine what kind of ill health may come from a widespread and large in size parasite not getting diagnosed, because its existence has yet to be officially recognized in the world of parasitic infectious agents. That may be the case with something called “rope worm”.
Rope Worm:
The online lyme and autistic alternative health pioneers believe that there is an infectious agent, which they have termed “rope worm” that appears to be released following various cleansing programs, which many people are claiming to have profound health benefits following their elimination. The scientific analysis of these rope worms has thus far produced inconclusive results.
Dr. Alex Volinsky, Ph.D. , a physics professor, out of the University of South Florida is leading the charge in answering the question, “What is rope worm?”. Dr. Volinsky became interested in the “rope worm” subject after his own personal experience in passing something that somebody suggested to him was rope worm. Since that time, Dr. Volinksy has published a couple papers on the subject (R)(R), however, the scientific world awaits a full genomic sequencing of rope worm samples to determine if these things are truly a newly recognized infectious agent, or if they’re some sort of bodily created mucoid plaque that the body has released from cleansing. Unfortunately, this testing isn’t cheap, and Dr. Volinsky has been struggling to get the funding necessary to complete the analysis.
A couple good interviews with Dr. Volinsky can be heard here and here.
He has also created a Facebook page dedicated to rope worm, which can be found here.
Now, the question naturally comes up, where do they come from and how do we avoid them? Good questions, however, this area of research is just getting started, and again, we still need further scientific analysis to properly identify and classify where they belong in the animal kingdom. Without knowing this, we have no idea how they are spread, or if they’re even truly an infectious agent.
My personal opinion on this subject is that they’re likely a parasite, and I believe that to be the case based on my own experience in passing them and seeing them released from people that I work with upon the use of a known anti-parasitic plant medicine. The images below represent just a few of the rope worms passed by clients of mine.
Regardless, good holistic hygienic practices, including diet, and maintenance of a healthy gut should be the foundation in approaching the issue of parasites and avoiding their infestation.
In a previous post, I explain why I believe the problem of parasites is growing, beyond the issue of pervasive false negative testing, and why Monsanto and the widespread poisoning of RoundUp from genetically modified food consumption is partially to blame here.
In closing, this rope worm issue may turn out to be one of the most significant health findings of our lifetime, because of the size of these things, and the toxins they collect and secrete which likely fuel disease and promote the aging process.
About the author: Dr. Buckley is a 2002 graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic. He entered the health care field largely to understand and resolve his personal struggles with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia which began late in his teens. His ongoing study of functional medicine, nutrition, nutrigenomics, applied kinesiology, and energetic medicine has provided him with keen insight and understanding into the holistic dynamics of the body and how we lose and maintain our health. He has maintained a busy practice in Austin, Texas for the past 13 years and works with people of all ages interested in maximizing their health, and overcoming the modern scourge of all forms of chronic illness.