Peddling Parasite Panic

A New Marketing Tactic from the Health "Gurus" Requires Quarterly Parasite Cleansing

Photo by Nicola Ripepi on Unsplash

The $4.4 trillion-dollar wellness industry became what it is by convincing us we are surrounded by toxins that are making us sick. They say we must therefore “cleanse” ourselves from these toxins through a variety of means ranging from saunas to supplements to complicated detox protocols.

But there’s a new fear that’s being marketed to the masses as of late—a problem the health gurus tell us we must fix if we ever plan to be healthy.

That problem is parasites.

Are parasites real? Yes. But as gastroenterologist Dr. Peter Mannon says, “It’s unlikely that the average person is walking around with active parasites in their gut.” A person would only need to suspect they may have a parasite if they traveled to a country known for parasites after which they became severely ill and had a large amount of unexplained weight loss. A quick stool test would then show them if a parasite was actually present, and there are many FDA-approved medications that can eliminate parasites in less than three days.

However, there is a lot of money to be made by convincing the public that everyone may have a parasite lurking inside their body, and therefore, everyone should engage in some kind of parasite “cleansing” on a regular basis. The “health gurus” now tell us any of the following symptoms could be reason enough to believe that we are playing host to parasites: depression, anxiety, mood swings, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, rashes, acne, eczema, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, teeth grinding, and waking up at 3 a.m.

One of these self-proclaimed gurus is Kim Rogers, (a.k.a. The Worm Queen). Rogers insists that everyone should perform a parasite cleanse not once, not twice…but at least four times a year and preferably more. Rogers has over half a million followers on TikTok and sells her own parasite cleansing kit (ParaFy) on her website which will help you rid yourself of any unwanted critters for a little over $100.

As per the usual health and wellness world scare tactics, Rogers insists parasites can be picked up by doing almost anything associated with normal, everyday life. She says you probably have a parasite if you: eat unwashed produce, walk barefoot outside, own a pet, eat meat, drink tap water, eat sushi or travel.

Rogers claims that getting rid of parasites involves taking a combination of specific herbs (included in her kit). It also involves taking “binders like activated charcoal” (also included in her kit). She recommends the person doing the cleanse avoids all sugar, wheat and processed food while also addressing any “underlying trauma and emotional blockages.”

The herbs in Rogers’s cleansing kit include wormwood*—which is almost always included in all “parasite cleanse” supplements. Wormwood is one of the main ingredients in absinthe, an alcoholic beverage so damaging that the U.S. and much of Europe previously banned it. Wormwood has been known to cause neurological damage in people, including seizures and convulsions. It has long been known that wormwood also has the ability to induce hallucinations. Yet many of the new health gurus still swear by wormwood as a cure for all sorts of ailments. (Dr. Axe claims it can be used to not only eliminate parasites but also to kill cancer cells, balance blood sugar, treat Crohn’s disease, kill malaria, treat tuberculosis, and much more.)

An article in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop magazine claimed 60 million people presently have a parasite without any knowledge of it. In the article entitled “You Probably Have a Parasite—Here’s What To Do About It,” the author recommended a “goat-milk cleanse” to draw the parasites out of the intestines. Paltrow revealed she completed this cleanse by drinking “nothing but raw goat milk for 8 days.” Model Miranda Kerr did the same. Dr. Kyle Staller of Massachusetts General Hospital noted, “I would argue you’re more likely to get a parasite drinking raw goat milk.”

An excited Heidi Klum told the Wall Street Journal, “I’m going to deworm and de-parasite for the first time. I heard you’re supposed to do this once a year, and I’ve never done it, so I feel like I’m really behind…” This is exactly how the health “experts” hope everyone will feel. One Reddit user put it this way: “They [parasites] are the trendy new scare tactic being used to sell useless products. Convince someone they have parasites, tell them they need your product—then suddenly they have no parasites.” Another Reddit user complained, “I got the Parafy kit for $110, and it did not work…I am writing this because I wrote a review for the product on her [Kim Rogers] website, and she deleted it. I don’t want anyone else to be ripped off or deceived by a false 5-star rating.”

One parasite removal guru says that to rid your body of worms you must stop eating all of the following items: processed meat, dairy, fermented foods, grains (including gluten, corn, rice, oatmeal), seed oils, fish, simple carbs, and sugar (including honey, maple syrup, etc.). There are other “experts” promoting easier ways to get rid the body of parasites, however.

The Rife machine claims it can “cleanse” the body of over 80 different parasites by using specific frequencies. Royal Raymond Rife, the machine’s creator, insisted parasites each release their own specific frequency. A person can use his machine to disrupt those frequencies (to the tune of $1000-$5000).

Rife was on the right track in so far as where the “parasite cleanse” originated. It is rooted in New Age energy medicine. Also sometimes called frequency medicine. Once you drill down far enough into any parasite cleanse website, you will discover an explanation of how parasites “lower your vibration” which is the primary reason you should remove them. Paltrow’s Goop article even goes a step further, explaining that people who already have a “low vibrational field” are the ones more susceptible to parasites. In fact, most parasite cleanse resources are steeped in occult practices dressed up in scientific language.

For instance, the “Worm Queen” Kim Rogers claims that her understanding about parasites only came about because of her “Kundalini Awakening” awakening. She talks constantly about “the mushroom” (presumably the “sacred” psychedelic kind). She is so obsessed with mushrooms that in her videos it appears her entire house is decorated with a mushroom theme.

Rogers makes it clear on her website and in her interviews that you are only supposed to undergo the parasite cleansing process using her kit in conjunction with the lunar cycle. While many people assume there is some science behind this, there is not. Even ChatGPT acknowledges this idea is based on cultural tradition around cleansing during lunar cycles.

So what cultural tradition would that be?

A website teaching witchcraft explains it best, “Moon magic, also known as ‘Moon magick’ is a practice that involves using the energy of the entire Moon cycle to amplify your intentions, spellwork, manifestations…you probably already know the Moon plays a significant role in your craft. Each phase of the Moon has its own unique energy that can enhance your rituals and spells, making them much more effective. By understanding the different Moon phases…you can streamline your magickal workings using lunar energy to amplify your intent…the Moon has been revered by witches and magical practitioners for centuries.”

*Wormwood is mentioned in Revelation 8:10: “…a great star blazing like a torch fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of the water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.”