Parmarion martensi
Do you have “symptoms that are flu-like and usually start with a headache, most often severe, and stiffness in the neck? There may be fever, joint pain, fatigue and nausea. The skin may feel itchy, like something crawling under it, and then become extremely sensitive to touch.”
Aunty has a little garden that is somewhat successful and sometimes not. Currently there are 3 kale “trees”, chili plants, Thai basil, and a crop of manoa lettuce. The other day we harvested 3 heads of lettuce and had a fresh salad with dinner.
Rosie’s boyfriend had a little cute slug on his leaf and we threw it out. Daughter #1 had rinsed the leaves off minimally in a colander and was chided to carefully wash each leaf next time.
Serendipity
The very next day, Aunty’s good friend Bocho sent an email about the invasion of Rat Lungworms in Hawaii. Yeow!! That cute little slug kinda looked like the one in the picture…
The good news for Honolulu folks is that problem seems endemic to the Big Island, the carriers are rats and flatworms. It is not so much the species of slugs and/or worms that are the problem. It is the parasite that they contain, even in their slime trails.
Information shared
Aunty sent off the link to the Rat Lungworm article to the kids, and daughter #3 reported having a headache and swollen gums. Yikes!
Fortunately swollen gums are not listed as a symptom, BUT, better to be safe and treat it as a possibility of disorder.
Parasites, parasites, everywhere
We ALL have parasites. Some scientists that believe that parasites cause all diseases. When our bodies are in balance with a strong immune system, parasites are kept at bay. Sometimes, parasites can become invasive to the point of disease.
When Aunty was a little girl growing up in Palolo Valley, Mother used to make us take a powdered concoction in a paper envelope whenever “worms” were suspected. The telltale signs were skin trails that showed up under our skin. Not sure what kind of worms we had – possibly ring worms from running around barefoot, climbing trees and wading in streams – but we downed the powder, and worms be gone.
Boost and Blast
Aunty has a cabinet full of herbs and supplements waiting for their day of usefulness. Daughter #3 will be de-wormed and de-parasited with a product called “Paratox”. Her immune system will be boosted with echinacea and other immune boosting supplements. She will be detoxified with teas and drink a lot of water.
This protocol will have the effect of blasting, cleansing and boosting, which is good in any situation.
Nature
Our bodies are amazing creations of complex workings. Nature is amazingly marvelous, and simple. Living in Hawaii, Aunty’s only beef with Nature is, why do we have mosquitos and flies?
Humans are both productive and destructive. Wonderful man made discoveries are sometimes re-engineered, warped, or overused. Antibiotics fit this description.
IAO (in Aunty’s opinion), we are straying too far away from nature for our problems. But, that is a post that will fill another page in the future.
To do
For now, Aunty will ask that you make sure you wash each leaf of lettuce thoroughly before eating. If you have any of the above symptoms, please seek treatment.
Update
The link to the rat lungworm article is no longer working. Not sure what happened. It may be that the number of cases is very limited – seems like there was one bad case in 2009 and 9 more in 2011, all of them from the Big Island – so the powers that be decided to pull the article.
Anywho, here’s a link to a health alert article from a Public Health LabLog about Hawaii’s rat lungworm problem.