If you’ve ever seen the television documentary Monsters Inside
Me, then you’re familiar with the dangers and gross-out factors
that can come with parasitic infection. Each episode highlights
illnesses caused by parasites. They’re identified, their life
cycles are examined, and biologist Dan Riskin, Ph.D., tells how
and why each parasite finds its host. And while this is a truly
engaging foray into how parasites work, it’s something to be
taken seriously. Parasites feed off of their host—taking the
host’s nutrients and causing damage in the process. Parasites
come in different forms, and they can thrive all through the
body, although they often live in the human intestines. You may
think this doesn’t apply to you—and only to those living in or
visiting third-world countries—but estimates say that nearly 50
percent of Americans have parasites in their gut—and many, no
doubt, don’t even realize it. Parasites can stealthily enter
your body through the food you eat, the water you drink and the
air you breathe. Tha