'Parasite cleanse': Why experts are warning about this TikTok health trend

(NEXSTAR) – If talk of binders, wormwood and "scrubbing your gut microbiome" sounds familiar, you may have seen one of the many TikTok videos promoting so-called "parasite cleanses."

A common theme in these videos is the claim that parasites are virtually everywhere and you are likely to have one from either walking barefoot, eating produce, eating meat or hanging out with your pets – but experts say such cases are far more rare than TikTok "experts" would have you believe.

"It's unlikely that the average person is walking around with active parasites in their gut," according to Nebraska Medicine gastroenterologist Peter Mannon, MD, MPH. "I would question the usefulness of these parasite cleanses."

In many videos, people claim the cleanses helped eradicate a number of symptoms, such as fatigue, bloating, stomach cramps or other issues that medical experts call "non-specific," meaning that they aren't confirmation of a parasite and could be caused by a number of conditions.

"If you suspect you have a parasitic infection, you really want to verify that before you [put] anything into your body ... hoping to eradicate something that you may or may not even have," Christine Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic told Nexstar. "I would recommend that they seek their healthcare professional to get that verified."

An example is the "binder" that many self-described health professionals on TikTok promote alongside parasite cleanses.

"The binder is the Holy Grail when doing a parasite detox," a TikTok user named earthenchild assured her viewers.

The theory is that the supplement will "bind" any toxins and keep the body from absorbing them. If you look beyond the medical jargon, however, you will find the real possibility of self-harm instead of treatment.

One popular binder ingredient is activated charcoal, which Lee says is such an excellent binder that it is used to save the lives of patients who are overdosing on a drug.

"That being said, if you're taking that too often and you're not doing it, you know, once in a lifetime for a drug overdose in the emergency room, if you're taking that on a regular basis, it's not a smart binder," Lee said. "It binds not just poison, but it binds everything in your tract. So if you keep taking it on a regular basis, you are going to set yourself up for vitamin deficiency, because it's going to bind everything – good and bad. And so it's not one that I would ever advocate for anyone."

How common are parasites?

Despite at least one cleanser's claim that you have "either had a parasite before or have one right now," Dr. Lee says contracting a parasite isn't that common in the U.S.

"I would say most people do not have parasites in their body in the U.S., just because parasitic infections are more common in areas of poor sanitation, poor refrigeration," Dr. Lee said. "In the United States, where we have a good septic and sewer system, it's not very common for any of us living in this country to have a parasitic burden in our body."

Others may mistake something in their stool for a parasite, Lee says, especially if they have a high-fiber diet, which she recommends.

"Sometimes you will see some fibrous material in your stool that can look stringy and may look like a parasite," Lee said. "So again, confirmation is very, very important. If in fact it is confirmed, there's appropriate FDA-approved medication that we know is safe and effective."

Parasites are organisms that live "on or within the blood, tissues or intestines of a host" and can be either external, think ticks, lice or mites, or human intestinal, according to UCLA Health.

There are two types of human intestinal parasites, protozoa – single-celled organisms that can multiply inside the human body – and helminths, organisms such as tapeworms, roundworms and others that do not multiply in the same way, instead, they create eggs that leave the body in the host's feces, UCLA experts say.

The most common way of contracting an intestinal parasite is by eating or drinking something contaminated with feces from someone who has a parasite. Poor sanitation, poor personal hygiene, a lack of clean drinking water and living in a tropical or subtropical area are all factors that can increase the risk of an infection.

What are true parasite symptoms?

Common parasite symptoms include fatigue, bloating, diarrhea after traveling, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss and passing worms in your stool, according to Nebraska Medicine.

Experts at the hospital network emphasize that the same symptoms could stem from many other diseases, and the first step in determining the root cause is a trip to see your primary care provider and a stool or blood test for parasites.

Trying to self-medicate when you likely don't have a parasite to begin with can be dangerous, experts say.

"The risks depend on the type of cleanse," Dr. Mannon stated in a Nebraska Medicine article. "Note that parasite cleanses are not tested to see if they work or if they're safe. They haven't gone through any type of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review or approval process."

Mannon did agree that some aspects of the cleanse, like adhering to a strict diet to "starve one's parasites" can be a potentially healthy lifestyle change, as long as it doesn't strip out any essential vitamins and nutrients.

Taking supplements like wormwood and other herbs, however, can damage the body if taken in dangerous amounts, even causing drug-induced liver disease.

The worst products, Mannon said, are the untested ones that may contain toxic compounds.

"Colon-cleansing regimens being sold, whether pills or enema therapy, can have unexpected consequences. You don't know what's in them," says Dr. Mannon. "They can be contaminated by pathogenic bugs or toxic compounds like lead, mercury or arsenic."

Precautions you should take

While contracting a parasite is less likely than many TikTok cleanse promoters would have you believe, it is still possible, and there are some measures you can take to lower the risk.

Make sure to wash your hands before you eat and use just water – no soap – to thoroughly wash fruits or vegetables.

"I've seen some patient of people that buy organic fruits and vegetables, and they see that word organic, and they think they don't have to wash it because it's organic," Lee said. "That's actually not true. Organic just means no pesticides, and therefore, even if your fruits and vegetables are organic, you need to wash them."

If you're cooking a meat dish, be sure to follow the cooking instructions and bring the internal temperature up at least to the minimum guideline.

Finally, if you're camping or hiking, steer clear of untreated river or lake water as it may have been contaminated by the feces of deer or other animals.