Dr. Taz MD’s Weekly Q&A, January 13th, 2014

Q: Three years ago I was a very healthy, active 58 yr. old when I noticed I was out of breath climbing one flight of stairs. I have since been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease-pulmonary fibrosis. One doctor I saw said parasites can cause fibrosis and/or inflammation in the lungs. The stool test she ran showed moderate crypto sporidia. Have any of your parasite patients presented with lung disease? If yes, was damage to lung tissue reduced with parasite treatments? I have lived in the Philippines, Mexico, Africa, and Europe and traveled for eight years in Latin America, so have had plenty of exposure. Thank you for raising public awareness about parasites on Dr. Oz!

A: Parasites affect digestion triggering inflammation. We have had lung patients with parasite infection, but once the lungs are damaged, reversal of this is variable and not consistent. It does not mean you cannot heal. Treat parasites, maximize your nutrition and work as hard as you can on increasing your oxygenation through juicing, exercise and lung friendly supplements like N-acetyl cysteine.