Could parasites be the hidden cause of MS lesions? Doctors focus on MS MRI scans, but few ask why these lesions form.
Parasites cause lesions in the brain and spinal cord. Multiple sclerosis is diagnosed in part by the presence of lesions in the central nervous system (CNS). In this post, I discuss the top parasites that cause lesions on MRI scans of the brain and spinal cord, how these parasites cause MS and how to treat them and recover.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a technology that uses magnets to take detailed pictures inside the brain and spinal cord. This allows practitioners to detect lesions and other abnormalities in the central nervous system (CNS). These images are used to diagnose disease, monitor disease progression and assess the effectiveness of treatments.
How MS is Diagnosed
In the standard medical model, it is theorized that in multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks and damages the myelin sheath of nerve cells, leading to demyelination. This damage appears as lesions on MRI images. MRI scans are a primary tool for diagnosing MS and tracking a patient’s response to MS disease-modifying drugs.
What Are Lesions?
In disease, lesions in the CNS are areas of tissue damage caused by inflammation. This inflammation occurs when white blood cells and fluid build up around blood vessels.
The immune system’s primary job is to protect the body from infection, and in disease, it is responding to something it perceives as a threat. The inflammation damages both the myelin and axons of nerve cells. A lesion forms where tissue is damaged, and over time, scar tissue may develop in that area. MS lesions are most often located around a small blood vessel.
Lesions slow down or block nerve impulses, leading to various neurological symptoms. These symptoms can be temporary if the inflammation resolves or permanent if inflammation continues or scar tissue forms. Lesions can appear and disappear and occur anywhere in the CNS, which is why MS symptoms vary greatly from one person to another and even within the same person over time.
Many Diseases are associated with Lesions in the CNS
Lesions in the CNS are not unique to MS. Many conditions, including migraines, radiologically isolated syndrome, spondylopathy, transverse myelitis, lupus, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, Huntington’s disease, brain tumors, epilepsy, stroke, myasthenia gravis, fibromyalgia, small vessel disease, Bell’s palsy and infectious encephalomyelitis, are all associated with CNS lesions. Even inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and colitis can be linked to lesions in the CNS. People over the age of 50 commonly develop CNS lesions, making it clear that lesions are not exclusive to MS.
What Do Lesions Look Like?
Lesions usually appear as white spots on MRI images and can be round, oblong, crescent-shaped, linear, angular or have finger-like projections. A person may have one or many lesions, and their size can range from a few millimeters to large enough that they merge together.
Common MS Lesions
The location of lesions in MS can influence the type and severity of symptoms.
Characteristic MS lesions are found in the periventricular and juxtacortical regions, brainstem, cerebellum, spinal cord and optic nerve.[i]
Lesions can change in size, disappear, or remain stable over time. Partial or incomplete remyelination may occur, while others remain permanent. Some new lesions are clinically silent, meaning they do not produce symptoms, but they can still be seen on MRI scans.[ii]
MS treatments rely on disease-modifying pharmaceuticals that suppress the immune system. If an MRI reveals new inflammation while a patient is on an MS drug, the doctor may consider switching to a different treatment.
Parasites Cause Lesions
Lesions in the CNS may be due to direct damage from parasites, the toxins they produce, or the immune system’s response to these infections. Research shows that various parasites can invade the optic nerve, brain and spinal cord, leading to lesions.
Parasites in the Central Nervous System
A study examining lesions in the back of the eye found that tapeworm larval cysts, roundworms and various protists (including Toxoplasmosis, malaria, Leishmaniasis and Giardia) can infect this area, which includes the optic nerve.[iii]
The central nervous system is not a sterile environment. Worms, protists, bacteria and fungi can and do infect the CNS and our immune system protects us from these parasites. If we suffer from a parasitic infestation and take drugs that suppress the immune system, the parasites can advance more quickly.
Scientific studies show that virtually any small parasite can invade the central nervous system and be associated with lesions, but tapeworm larval cysts are the most common.
Here are just a few studies that show the types of parasites that can be associated with lesions in the CNS:
- “Toxoplasma encephalitis (toxoplasmosis) is often characterized by multiple ring enhancing lesions in the cortex and or basal ganglia.”[iv]
- “One of the commonest causes of a single enhancing lesion in the brain is human neurocysticercosis, the infection by the larvae of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium.”[v]
- “Lesions in the brain associated with malaria.”[vi] [vii]
- Imaging in Lyme neuroborreliosis. “These and six other studies published between 1990 and 2007 included 10-27 subjects, and white matter lesions were found in 15-63% of the patients.”[viii]
- Cerebral lesions are caused primarily by Schistosoma japonicum, and spinal cord lesions are due primarily to Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium.[ix]
- “Here, we describe a case of spontaneous E. coli meningitis with multiple enhancing brain lesions and liver abscess in an immunocompetent adult that presented as generalized weakness.”[ix]
- Free living amoeba cause lesions and necrosis of the brain.[x]
These parasites can cause devastating neurological symptoms if not diagnosed and treated early.
How People Become Infected with Parasites
There is a widespread misconception that parasites are only found in developing countries, but the reality is that parasites exist everywhere, including developed nations. People can become infected in many ways, including:
- Contaminated food & water – Eating undercooked meat, unwashed produce or drinking contaminated water can introduce parasites like Toxoplasma gondii, Taenia solium and Giardia.
- Insect bites – Mosquitoes, tsetse flies and other biting insects transmit parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum (malaria) and Trypanosoma brucei (African sleeping sickness).
- Contact with infected animals – Cats, dogs and livestock can carry parasites like Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus (hydatid disease), which can infect humans through direct contact or exposure to feces.
- Soil & environmental exposure – Walking barefoot or handling contaminated soil can expose individuals to parasites like Schistosoma and Strongyloides.
- Swimming in contaminated water – Freshwater sources may harbor blood flukes and other parasites that invade the body through the skin or nasal passages.
The Best Way to Recover from Parasites that Cause Lesions
If parasites are not treated regularly, they become chronic, deep rooted infections in the body and move their way into the brain and spinal cord where they are more challenging to treat. They usually first take hold in the G.I. tract but then move into the blood stream and infect organs, tissues and eventually the central nervous system.
The Live Disease Free Plan has been developed from over 20 years of research in supporting hundreds of people in many counties recover from parasitic infestations and chronic disease.
The Live Disease Free plan to recover from parasites and disease
Before parasites are treated, it’s important to follow the prep phase of the Live Disease Free plan to decrease inflammation, promote immune modulation and greatly improve tolerance to the parasite treatments and increase the speed of recovery. Preparing to treat includes Step 1 and 2.
Step 1. Follow the Live Disease Free diet
This diet provides lots of nutrition for the body but greatly reduces food to the parasites. Most parasites thrive on carbohydrates so by decreasing carbs enough, parasites are less active and produce less toxins, which results in less inflammation and significant symptom improvement. If a person suffers from inflammatory bowel disease, it’s important to avoid raw vegetables and those that are not easily tolerated until their G.I. tract heals. Visit the Live Disease Free Diet Guidelines to learn more.
Step 2. Support the Body
Daily bowel movements, optimal sleep, supporting physiology and removing toxins from the environment must all be addressed before treatments are started so that the treatments will be more easily tolerated and will work more effectively.
Following steps 1 and 2 of the Live Disease Free plan results in improved bladder function, sleep, energy, mental clarity and mood and less pain, stiffness and muscle spasms.
Step 3. Treat the parasites and rebuild the health-promoting microbes
The treatment plan is determined through a person’s health history, disease diagnoses, symptoms and by energy testing common treatments to determine which therapies will be most effective for the parasites that are infecting a person. The most successful treatment plan includes a layering of therapies: parasite medications, antimicrobial herbs and oxygen therapies. As parasites are treated, it is also vital to rebuild our natural defense: the health promoting microbes.
When parasites are treated effectively:
– Mood improves – people feel happy and peaceful again
– Mental clarity and memory come back
– Stiffness and spasticity subside
– Balance returns
– Drop foot resolves
– Tremors diminish
– Pain ends
– Writing, vision and speech improve
– Strength returns in legs and arms
– Mobility improves – Canes, walkers, wheelchairs or scooters may no longer be needed.
The sooner parasites are treated, the easier they are to treat and the quicker recovery will be.
Step 4. Maintain health and prevention
It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes being active, optimizing nutrition, managing stress, nurturing our soul, getting sunshine and staying hydrated. When health is restored, it is wise to treat parasites once or twice per year to prevent disease in the future.
The Live Disease Free plan has allowed me to live an active life free from disease for over 30 years and is allowing many Wellness Champions to recover from disease and get their health and life back.
To live a long, healthy and happy life, we must take responsibility for our health and learn these simple, safe and effective principles. We can’t afford to leave our health solely in the hands of any one expert. Our health is our greatest asset!
To learn more about parasites and the Live Disease Free plan visit LiveDiseaseFree.com or contact us at [email protected]
Conclusion
The evidence is undeniable—numerous parasites have been identified in the central nervous systems of MS patients. Scientific research has linked filarial worms, tapeworm larvae and developing tapeworms, Borrelia (the Lyme disease bacteria), the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria, and Candida to brain and spinal cord lesions. We also know that MS is an inflammatory disease, and these lesions are pockets of inflammation—clear signs that the immune system is responding to something.
So why is the expert panel who is responsible for diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis not investigating the role of parasites in MS?
If lesions in MS are the result of chronic inflammation, and if inflammation is the immune system’s natural response to infections and parasites, then why is this connection ignored? Why is the research focus placed on suppressing the immune system rather than identifying and eliminating the root infections?
The failure to ask these critical questions is costing people their health, their mobility and even their lives. Patients are told that their immune system is attacking their own nervous system without reason, yet the science clearly shows that parasites can and do cause lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
If we are serious about ending the suffering caused by multiple sclerosis, we must demand research into the infections that trigger MS. We must challenge the status quo, ask hard questions and refuse to accept treatments that merely suppress symptoms while leaving the root cause unchecked. Curing MS depends on the truth being acknowledged and acted upon.
There are real solutions to recover from parasites today!
To restore health, we must focus on treating the cause of inflammation, which are parasites. First, identify the enemy (parasites), then support the body and treat the parasites while following a holistic approach. When parasitic infections are treated effectively, we can overcome inflammation or disease.
If you’re frustrated with the fact that our standard of care STILL doesn’t offer a real solution for treating MS and other diseases, then click on the link below to watch Pam Bartha’s free masterclass training and discover REAL solutions that have allowed Pam and many others to live free from MS and other diseases.
CLICK Here to watch Pam’s masterclass training
Or take the Health Blocker Quiz to see if you could have parasite infections
References
[i] https://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/neurology/multiple_sclerosis/#:~:text=Of%20all%20the%20lesions%20in,fewest%20symptoms%20early%20in%20MS.
[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222386/
[iii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4784073/#:~:text=Parasite%2Dinduced%20lesions%20may%20be,posterior%20segment%20of%20the%20eye.
[iv] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cerebral-toxoplasmosis#:~:text=Toxoplasma%20encephalitis%20is%20often%20characterized,found%20both%20supra%2D%20and%20infratentorially.
[v] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931772/
[vi] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/archneurpsyc/article-abstract/650043
[vii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16600245/#:~:text=Brain%20lesions%20of%20cerebral%20malaria,%2Dbrain%20barrier%20(BBB).
[viii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6206375/#:~:text=in%201988%20and%201989%2C%20focused,patients%20%5B23–28%5D.
[ix] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8011815/#:~:text=The%20CNS%20is%20an%20unusual,Schistosoma%20mansoni%20and%20Schistosoma%20haematobium.
[x] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8133936/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8805156/
Clinically diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, Pam chose an alternative approach to recovery. Now decades later and still symptom free, she coaches others on how to treat the root cause of chronic disease, using a holistic approach. She can teach you how, too.
Pam is the author of Become a Wellness Champion and founder of Live Disease Free. She is a wellness expert, coach and speaker.
The Live Disease Free Academy has helped hundreds of Wellness Champions in over 15 countries take charge of their health and experience profound improvements in their life.
