Home Remedies for Pinworm
Pinworm is also known as threadworm. It is about the size of a pin or thread of cotton and around a ½ inch long. Pinworm infestation can come from poor hygiene such as handling animals and eating or touching your mouth without washing your hands first. In some cases the tiny eggs can simply be breathed in from dusty conditions. They then hatch while in the intestines and pinworms can then live inside the human body until steps are taken to remove them.
Children are the main ones to suffer from pinworm infection, as they are more likely to play with animals, and in dusty places without washing their hands. The main sign of pinworm infection is an itchy anus. To check if your child has a pinworm infection, while the child is sleeping spread the cheeks of the buttocks and look. You will see tiny, threadlike worms around the edges. While it may seem like a good idea to simply remove those pinworms, this will not cure the infection because there are many more in the intestines that cannot be seen.
There are many over-the-counter products that are efficient in clearing up this type of infection, however there are also some home remedies for pinworm that can be tried. While a pinworm infection is irritating, it is not usually considered serious, so several home remedies can be tried.
Home Remedy for Pinworm
The most pleasant home remedy for pinworms would be to eat a small cup of grated carrot for breakfast. No other foods should be consumed at the time of eating the carrot. If you have access to fresh coconut, then eating a tablespoon of freshly grated coconut during the morning meal, followed three hours later by a dose of caster oil is considered to be one of the most effective home remedies for pinworm. This should be repeated until symptoms cease.
Garlic is another standard home remedy for pinworm. It should be crushed and eaten raw in any amounts, but unless your child likes it, it will be hard to administer this remedy.
White willow bark is another home remedy for pinworms. Two capsules taken daily for up to four weeks should cure a pinworm infection, but that is very slow. Another home remedy for pinworms is to ingest 1 tablespoon of food grade Diatomaceous Earth. This substance is formed from the remains of a single cell organism and is said to cure a great many complaints. But be sure to get the food grade form as other types are not suitable for eating.
Simple hygiene will often help to prevent re-infection of pinworm. Teach your child to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating, and after playing with animals and going to the toilet. Keeping their fingernails cut short will prevent eggs from collecting there.
During and after treatment, all bedding and clothing should be washed, as eggs will often remain in these places to cause re-infection. Pinworm eggs can survive for two weeks at room temperature outside the host body.
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