Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.)

[Tri Girl]

oh for goodness sakes- I had no idea there were worms living in my gut and eating my nutrients.
I'm glad I read this before the Super Bowl party- I think I just lost my appetite for all the junk food that will certainly be there... egads!

[Catrin]

oh for goodness sakes- I had no idea there were worms living in my gut and eating my nutrients.
I'm glad I read this before the Super Bowl party- I think I just lost my appetite for all the junk food that will certainly be there... egads!

I had no idea either...ewwwwww ... Not that it will stop me from eating - and I guess that I did know that already but try really, really hard not to think about it

TSPoet, why don't we want to "de-worm"? Is it simply because that is the way of things and it would interfere with the "balance" of the "flora and fauna" of our gut? I can't believe I just said that

[KnottedYet]

You can't really "de-worm."

Nematodes, in particular, are everywhere.

If we took away everything that was you, and left only the nematodes that infest you, there would be a 3-D shadow of you left... made entirely of nematode worms.

For the most part, your worms are benign. Sometimes you can get an over-growth, which will sap your energy and nutrients. Sometimes you can get some mean critters which will actually consume more than their fair share (pinworms, tapeworms, those evil worms that cause elephantiasis, etc.)

If you are pretty healthy, you have nothing to worry about from your worms.

Next lets talk about the mites that live in your eyelashes!

[badger]

ugh, I was disgusted at those "rid your worms" sort of herbal supplements you can get and the description of some of the stuff that was coming out of the people attesting to those products. I didn't think I had them, too.

I used diatomaceous earth once when I had fleas. Was told that the sharp edges would slice them open and kill them, but considering you need to squeeze them between your nails to kill them, the DE hardly did anything to them.

[KnottedYet]

Best thing I ever found for fleas is the vacuum cleaner with disposable bag.

Looooooove my vacuum cleaner.

We had a massive flea invasion from the carpet when we moved into our new apartment. I vacuumed every day, bathed the dog a couple times in regular shampoo, sprayed him with cedar oil doggie fur conditioner, and problem was solved within a couple months.

Carpet is just yucky. So many yucky things lurk in carpet.

[makbike]

I absolutely love to teach symbiotic relationships to my students. My middle schoolers eat it up, squirm, tell me how disgusting it all is but they love it - the more disgusting it is the more they "eat it up." I am looking forward to pulling my tapeworm and roundworm collections out in a couple of weeks - will be the talk of the school - my short moment in fame m Long live our parasitic buddies.

[malkin]

One of my (few) favorite things about living here: NO FLEAS!

Not sure if it is the altitude or the lack or humidity or something else (like the politics, maybe?) I've heard that fleas burst at high altitude but I don't know if that's true. Once driving over Donner Pass a bag of chips exploded and scared the $%^& out of me; if fleas explode, they do so much more quietly.

[badger]

my place is all wood floor, and in the 10 years I've been here, I've had the occasional flea bite, but I've never had to treat the animals or "get rid" of the fleas. I hate carpet, it's so disgusting, I'll never have it in my home.

[emily_in_nc]

I hate carpet too. We moved into an apt. with brand-new carpeting in June, and it already has worn traffic spots, making it a PITA to vacuum in those areas, places where our dog has thrown up (we've cleaned, of course, but it's never quite the same), and who knows what other nastiness lurking within.

Looking forward to our condo in Belize which will have all tiled floors. At least then when it's grubby, you know it!

Carpet = nasty