Mystery Stomach Bug!

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

So have you heard of the mystery stomach bug that has sickened more than 250 people in 8 states and sent 10 or more people to the hospital?

So of course I wanted to write about this today so you can be afraid and run out to take care of this menacing bug, right?

Flat out wrong!

I wanted to discuss this to bring up the fact that we are so often driven into fear via the partnership of conventional medicine and mass media. Motivating via fear has been around well, likely as long as human beings have been on this earth. 

I would definitely like to address the difference between fear and caution. Fear actually locks you up emotionally and often leads to action being taken out emotion rather than intellect. Always remember that when emotion is up, intellect is down. Caution though, allows you to look at the big picture and all of your options. Do you want to consider that you could have the dreaded “mystery stomach bug?” With caution, the answer is of course. But this is no more of a consideration than any other pathogen that you may pick up somewhere in your life.

The “mystery stomach bug” as mentioned actually is not a mystery at all. The name of this stomach bug is cyclospora. I actually asked another practitioner in my office if he has seen this recently and he replied, “yes, just last week.” What I want you to “get” is that these bugs are not uncommon and generally not a mystery. Once more note to make is that they are not uncommon. If you read my article a couple of weeks ago, I personally picked up a couple of stomach bugs myself that I am currently following a supplement protocol to assist my body in eradicating these bugs. If you missed the article, you can read it here.

Media and the doctor being interviewed in the video makes it seem like this is something new, different and unusual but it definitely is not. Based on years of using comprehensive stool test kits in my office, I would suggest that most people with health challenges are actually living with some type of stomach bug. It could be the cyclospora as mentioned in the video or others listed below.

• Hookworms
• Threadworms
• Tapeworms
• Roundworms
• Ascarids
• Flukes
• Whipworms
• Amoebae
• Giardia
• Blastocyctis
• Cryptosporidium
• Pathogenic bacteria

This is simply a small sampling of different pathogens that you can pick up but I think you get the picture.

You may also not that the video mentioned that you may have diarrhea, cramping, bloating and/or weight loss from the “mystery stomach bug.” Actually these are common symptoms of almost any stomach pathogen that you may pick up. Here is a longer list of potential symptoms you may feel. 

• Chronic diarrhea
• Chronic diarrhea or/alternating with constipation
• Nausea
• Intestinal cramps
• Dizziness
• Changes in appetite
• Vomiting
• Fowl-smelling gas
• Indigestion
• Bloating
• Multiple food allergies
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness and fatigue
• Itching around the anus – especially at night (indicating pinworms)
• Restlessness and difficulty sleeping
• Sore and aching intestines
• Weight loss (although not necessarily)
• Itching on the soles of the feet – sometimes accompanied by a rash
• Bloody sputum in some cases
• Fever followed by loss of appetite
• Palpitations (indicating hookworms)
• Anemia
• Fatigue
• Muscle pain
• Conjunctivitis
• Facial swelling around the eyes (indicating trichinosis).
• Wheezing and coughing, followed by vomiting, stomach pain and bloating (suggesting ascariasis or threadworms)

By the time most people recognize that they have some type of stomach pathogen, they have typically been living with this for some time, maybe years or possibly even decades. This is the reason why I complete a four day comprehensive stool test kit every year or two. Just to make sure…

I always feel that the $297.00 investment every year or two is a much better alternative than living with some type of bug that is inflaming my gut, blowing out my adrenals, weakening my immune system and wreaking havoc on my brain function. Yes, that is definitely worth the investment.

Let’s also talk about the difference of simple food poisoning and these stomach bugs. Typically food poisoning does only last about 2-3 days and these “bad” bacteria can be assisted by taking high amounts of probiotics. If I pick up food poisoning when out, which is generally recognized by bloating and diarrhea, I simply take about 100 billion count of the Depke Wellness Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula. or five capsules. Taking this does not “cure” the food poisoning per say, but the “good” and “bad” bacteria are fighting for survival in your gut and introducing high amounts of the “good” stuff assists your body’s ability to get rid of the “bad” stuff.

To also share, when you are living with a gut pathogen, you may not always recognize this as a gut symptom. Often the symptoms may appear more brain related such as lack of clarity, poor memory or inability to control moods.

So in the end, don’t be afraid of the “mystery stomach bug” but be cautious. Recognize that this is so much more common than the video leads you to believe, this actually occurs with most of us on somewhat of a regular basis. I also want to add that almost every gut pathogen you run across can also be treated naturally and antibiotics are often not necessary. There is a time and a place for antibiotics but this generally is not one of them.