Parasites and Toxicity

Presenter: Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD

The purpose of this presentation is to convey information. It is not intended to diagnose,

treat, or cure your condition.

Donna: Today we’re talking with Ann Louise Gittleman. Visionary health expert, Ann
Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, has always been a trendsetter. Throughout her career,
she’s accurately predicted emerging health issues and concerns years ahead of
mainstream and alternative medicine. Highly respected as the Grande Dame of
integrative health and award-winning author of thirty books, she’s single-handedly
launched the detox diet revolution in New York Times bestseller The Fat Flush Plan,
which spawned a series of five additional fat flush books and was featured in Newsweek.

A Connecticut College and Columbia University graduate, Ann Louise was recognized as
one of the top ten nutritionists in the country by Self magazine. She is also a recipient of
the American Medical Writers Association award for excellence in her book Super
Nutrition for Women.

Ann Louise forged new ways of thinking about obesity early on in her career. Over two
decades ago, she predicted the global diabesity epidemic that currently affects up to one
in two Americans and nearly seventy to eighty percent of some populations worldwide.

She was the first to proclaim that obesity was caused by the lack of the right kind of
dietary fats and the wrong kind of carbohydrates in her bestselling book Beyond Pritikin,
published in 1988. In Beyond Pritikin, she wrote that the fat-free, carb-rich diet model
was creating metabolic syndrome, sugar cravings, and fatigue. She targeted gluten
sensitivity and food intolerances as unsuspected weight gain factors.

In her classic Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health, Ann Louise shed
a spotlight on the hidden hazards of parasites and how their symptoms are typically
misdiagnosed and confused with other common health disorders. Several years later,
she wrote The Gut Flush Plan, which also featured yeast and fungus, pathogenic
bacteria, and food sensitivities as primary GI tract saboteurs. In Your Body Knows Best,
Ann Louise introduced the blood type diet connection and stated that one diet may not
be right for everybody.

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She also led the way in presenting natural alternatives to synthetic hormones for
menopausal women and super nutrition for menopause. She is widely credited as one of
the first to popularize the term, “perimenopause” in her New York Times bestseller,
Before the Change, a book that was prominently featured on Dr. Phil. Ann Louise’s most
current book, the highly acclaimed Zapped, once again illuminates another growing
health risk: the invisible hazards of electro pollution.

She’s been featured on 20/20, Dr. Phil, The View, Good Morning America, Extra, and The
Early Show. In addition, her work’s been featured on CNN, PBS, CBS, NBC, MSNBC,
CBN, Fox News and the BBC. Ann Louise has served as a celebrity spokesperson and
formula developer for many of the largest companies in the health food and network
marketing industry. Her work has been quoted in a myriad of national publications
ranging from TIME and Newsweek to Glamour, In Style, Good Housekeeping, Ebony,
USA Weekend, Parade, and the Oprah magazine.

Today, she’s continuing to forge ahead into her new health frontiers. And we’re very,
very fortunate to have this time with Ann Louise Gittleman. We’re going to dig deeply
into her Gut Flush plan and learn a lot more about parasites.

So welcome, Ann Louise!

Dr. Gittleman: Hi, Donna. How are you?

Donna: Fine! I’m great. And that is an amazing bio. It took me quite a while to read it.
But I wanted everybody to realize that we have a real expert here with us today.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, thank you.

Donna: Well, we’ve talked before, a bunch of times about parasites. And you’re on the
radio show and everything. So this is going to be so easy for us. And I just want you to
run with it. And anything that pops into your mind about parasites, feel free to tell us
about.

But first of all, I’d like for people to know more about you as person. Whatever started
you on this path? Were you a little girl and said, “I want to grow up and be this
spokesperson and out there in front of people and writing many, many books.” What
started you of in this path to knowing all the things you know?

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Dr. Gittleman: I would say, Donna, that it really started when I was a teenager and
had very sensitive skin. So my skin was really the outward manifestation of anything
that was going on internally. And I learned early on that whatever I ate, whatever I
thought, whatever I did had a major impact on my skin. And I was always looking for
dietary regimens, topical regimens that would really clear up my skin.

So interestingly enough, it really wasn’t the weight connection that I have written so
much about in later years. But it was my own skin. So feeling comfortable in my skin
and then learning that I was very unique in that respect, that I very sensitive. I had to
start looking at some of the underlying causes that was making my skin so very
sensitive and so very subject to the foods that I ate, the drinks that I partook in.

And then interestingly enough, about forty years ago to the date, I’d studied with a
woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And actually studied nutrition. And it was scientific
nutrition. She talked about a class that she was giving that, “It would be five days that
would change your life.” And I learned that underlying parasites and worms may, in fact,
be one of the causes for skin that could not clear up. So for me, it was a cosmetic issue.

Donna: That’s true for me, too. I imagine that source for a lot of women. Well, for me I
took a lot of antibiotics so my skin was clear. But I paid a price for that because I got
systemic yeast infections, as millions of women do.

And that’s so interesting. So you really got into parasites very early on. I thought that
came down later on. Did you at that point decide to write a book? Or did you go through
years of learning about parasites?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, this was 1974. And I was very green, very young. It just seems
like yesterday, quite frankly. And I remember my teacher, Dr. Parcells showing
everybody these little bottles of examples of what was coming out of people’s systems
when they went on a special parasite cleanse. And the cleanse that she was prescribing
back then was the eight-day goat milk diet, in which we all partook of goat milk every
two hours, one glass of goat milk with an herbal blend, a special herbal blend. And then
lo and behold, went to the bathroom at night and saw all kinds of critters from the Blue
Lagoon coming out of our systems.

It was a very, very inclusive program. And I found that it was very effective. And within
four days, I was thinking more clearly. Within four days, I was no longer bloated. Which

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wasn’t a big issue back then, but certainly it was a concern. And I also found that my
skin began clearing up.

So I thought that I had discovered the Golden Goose, so to speak. I felt that this was
something that if I was harboring in my system, then most of us probably were, too.
And I remembered Dr. Parcells looking at the class and saying, “Eight out of ten of you
are harboring one or more parasites in your system.” She was an energy medicine guru
even way back then.

And sure enough, after the eight days, my skin was clear for at least two to three years.
And then, of course, I started cheating and going backwards and going out to eat. And
maybe a few more sweets came into the diet. And then I consistently did a lot of
research into the better kinds of parasite cleanses because as we began seeing over the
years, many individuals became very allergic to milk. But back then, it was the food of
choice of parasites.

Donna: Well, I’ve heard that before many times that milk works as a parasite cleanse.
Was it raw goat milk that you were able to get?

Dr. Gittleman: At that point in time it was not raw goat’s milk. No. It was regular goat’s
milk. But I think what she had mentioned was that all the parasites would come out of
their little nooks and crannies because of the lactose in the goat milk, number one.

And the number two, what you would did is then zap them with a special blend of herbs
that she made, which she did a lot of research with and actually looked at some of the
Native Americans had put together for their parasite cleanses.

So she was a big believer in cranberry and the use of cranberry, which contains organic
acids very, very helpful in digesting proteinaceous waste materials. And that was one of
her key ingredients. And then as the years went on and we couldn’t get the products
anymore, I then began looking at my own line of products and developed a line of
products that uses that cranberry, as well as some of the other very exclusive and
unique Native American herbs to get rid of whatever maybe harbored in your system.

Donna: And I want to get to that program that you recommend and how people test for
that and obtain the products they need.

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But before we do that, I’d like to ask just a few basic starter questions. For example,
you had the first parasite book in the country then. The very first, right?

Dr. Gittleman: Yes. It was Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health. And
I believe that book first came out in 1991, if I’m not mistaken. And then we updated in
2001.

Donna: And is it still current today?

Dr. Gittleman: It is. And actually it came out in 1993—how quickly we forget—and was
updated in 2001. Well, many of the parasites that I identified back then are highly
identified now with some of the more sophisticated laboratory testing that we’re doing.
So not only do I provide a guide to parasites, but I talk about some of the symptoms. I
talk about the treatment, the diagnosis. I talk about questionnaires and really what
environmental and lifestyle habits would put more at risk for parasite infestation.

Donna: Well, frankly, I think there’s probably not a single person alive that doesn’t have
parasites. And they’re finding them even in babies now that they’re testing, even
preemies.

So what are some of the common symptoms that people can test for? Do you think
people should all know they have parasites? Or do you think that there’s certain
symptoms that say, “Yes, I have parasites.”

Dr. Gittleman: Well, there are very traditional symptoms. They’re classical symptoms.
But they go far beyond the intestinal track. Some of the more recognizable symptoms
that are very GI tract oriented have to do with constipation and diarrhea or intermittent
constipation and diarrhea, unresolved gas and bloating, maybe irritable bowel
syndrome.

And then we get into joint and muscle aches and pains, anemia, undetected food
intolerances, which seems to be so much of the forefront today. I often find once you
get rid of the parasites or the underlying worms, then those undetected food
intolerances disappear. And skin conditions, which, of course, was the reason that I got
involved with this in the very first place.

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So we’ve got a number of those issues, as well as the inability to sleep throughout the
night, depression, an increase in menopausal symptoms, nervousness, granulomas.
Chronic fatigue, which oftentimes can be a giardia problem. Teeth grinding and all
varieties of immune dysfunction. So there’s seemingly unrelated symptoms that can all
be related to parasites, one form of parasites or the damage that the parasites do on
your system.

One thing that Dr. Parcells always said, and that was that parasites and worms are the
most immunosuppressive of the body. So before you get rid of the bacteria, before you
get rid of the mold or the yeast or the heavy metals, one of the first lines of treatment
has to do with getting rid of the parasites. So everybody that she worked with went on
her particular goat milk diet. We took other herbs to get rid of the protozoan, the
microscopic little parasites.

And I think in this day and time—even though we do very extensive testing at this
point—I think it’s very important for people regardless of whether they come up positive
or not to assume that at least eight out of ten of us still have those parasites as we did
back in the seventies, and to do something prophylactically at least once a year, and
then systematically right around the full moon.

Donna: Well, the different types of parasites, large ones and small ones and they live
together and all. But do you think we need different herbs to treat each different type?
Or do you think there’s a blend of herbs that can get all of them?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, you need special herbs and botanicals that can target the
microscopic parasites. We have amoeba. We’ve got giardia. We’ve got Blastocystis, even
Cryposporidium. So we’ve got the parasites that are microscopic. And they definitely
need very specific herbs and botanicals.

Donna: So it’s best to test then to know which ones you have? Then you know which
botanicals to take?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I think it’s best to test. But very oftentimes, you can get some
false negatives. So that depends upon other factors in the system. So besides
those…And it’s expensive for people to test systematically. We certainly offer the test.
But I think that it’s important for people just to do this prophylactically.

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Donna: So where do you think they’re coming from?

Dr. Gittleman: I think they’re coming from our food. I think they’re coming from a
weakened immune system. We’ve all taken antibiotics throughout the years whether it’s
a first course of antibiotics or a second course where you’re getting secondhand
antibiotics in some of our foods, in some of our drinks, in some of our water supply. So I
think it’s a weakened immune system.

And when there’s a weakened immune system, you can crowd out some of your
beneficial bacteria with parasites. And, in so doing, you’re blocking the absorption of a
lot of nutrients. And so you’re inflaming the membranes that line the digestive tract. And
then that, in fact, will result in the malabsorption of minerals and vitamins and fats. And
then you’ve got a problem with blood sugar problems, as well as hormonal imbalances.

So I think all of these elements, they all play a part in terms of the parasite epidemic.

Donna: Well, I work with a colon therapist here in L.A., and have for about four or five
years now. He has literally thousands and thousands of pictures of parasites that come
out of everybody. And it’s young, beautiful, fit actresses and actors and exercise
instructors and yoga teachers. And they’re beautiful and very healthy. And they’re
young. And they all have parasites. And there’s not been a single person yet that hasn’t
reached the stage where they start releasing them. And they just keep coming.

And one thing that every single person notices is that before they’re about to eliminate
one, there in an absolutely awful mood like they could bite off anybody’s head that
looked at them the wrong way. And as soon as they go in for their colonic and that
worm comes out, oftentimes it’s a massive—more than one. And they are completely
instantaneously a different person. So obviously, they have a huge effect on our
behavior, our thinking.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, if you consider that all of our neurotransmitters are really located
in the gut, then you can understand why that’s the case. And so I think that if you want
to think properly, think clearly, think positively. You really have to look at the gut. That’s
why I think your gut summit is so important because there’s so many ways in which
we’re harboring the parasites, the bacteria, the pathogenic virus. We’re also having
problems in this day and time because none of us are eating enough hydrochloric acid or
taking it in a supplement. Or we’re stopping to promote it the way that we should.

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So we have a deficiency of HCL, a deficiency of digestive enzymes. Now, with all the
emphasis on raw foods, we’re not digesting the way that we should. And we also find
that with all the emphasis on so many fats in the diet, whether they’re good fats or
saturated fats or so on and so forth, many of us are just over indulging in the fats and
aren’t digesting those either. So our systems become very clogged.

And I think that all of that is a disastrous effect on the internal environment that’s
actually giving rise and being a very hospitable place for these parasites to multiply and
be happy for ever after. So they’re everywhere.

And there’s a new kind of parasite that we’re finding when people do our program. And
that is the human rope worm.

Donna: That’s popular. Can you talk more about that because you’re right. It’s all over
the internet. Parents that have children with autism are doing a protocol called the CD
protocol. And they’re getting a lot of the young stage rope worm out of all the children.
They’re just a few years old. So please talk about that.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, it’s something that’s very new. But what we’re seeing—and we’ve
seen it for years—but just couldn’t identify what was coming out of people. And we take
these specimens. And take them and send them to the parasite labs. And, unfortunately,
the parasite labs could never identify what these were. They always came back with
vegetable fibers when, in fact, what we’re seeing if we take a look at pictures these days
is that it’s simply rope worms that look like growth worms because they’re constantly
growing and roping themselves together. And they’re playing havoc in the system.

I think they’re a cause of so much of the allergy that we see and as you say autism.
There’s a problem with anemia, the various kinds of skin conditions, irritable bowel
syndrome. Whatever’s going on in the digestive tract, I think, may have root in this
particular parasite.

But that’s not all that we’re seeing. We also seem to have an epidemic of giardia, which
is a microscopic parasite. And interesting enough, some of the symptoms of giardia
match and mirror many of the symptoms of chronic fatigue, as I mentioned, and are
also very tied to gluten sensitivity, as well as casein sensitivity. And so once you
understand that there’s damage that’s done to the intestinal villi from the giardia and
this persists long after you get rid of the initial infection, this can go on for years and

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years and may not, in fact, be a problem with the malabsorption of gluten or any of the
associated proteins or fermented carbohydrates. But, in fact, are related to a giardia
infestation that was never treated or never eradicated properly.

Donna: Well, that’s something that we’ve noticed, too, is that when people remove
these worms, after a while they’ve got enough of them out of their body—and there’s
definitely way more than one—lots of them. And they change so much. They’re much,
much happier people. And they also are not so sensitive to diet. Actually, they could go
back to eating anything and they don’t react to them.

And gluten is an example. They tend to be very self-disciplined because they’re health
nuts anyway. So they don’t go back to eating badly, but they can. And they’ve all
reported that. If they go out and have a birthday cake or something like that, normally
they would feel it. And then now without all those worms inside of them, they don’t have
any reactions. So I think this is really, really fascinating.

But going back to the giardia, you said it’s really common. How are people getting the
giardia? And wouldn’t they know they have it?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, normally yes. But if you don’t suspect that you have a parasite to
begin with because so many people don’t recognize that they exist, you don’t really look
at the symptoms and say, “This could be a parasite” because so many of the symptoms
are masquerading as other diseases.

So one of the major symptoms in terms giardia infestation is terrible gas, terrible bloat,
problems with diarrhea, foul smelling gas, nauseousness, greasy, greasy stools, and
tremendous amount of cramping. But a lot of this can just be associated with the flu. Or
some people just write it off as the flu or maybe some sort of bout with food poisoning
where they think it’s a bacteria.

So all of this then can go on and on and on. And, again, if you don’t recognize that the
problem exists and you don’t go to the proper lab to have this tested because it can be
much more difficult to test when it’s in its chronic stages, then you never know what is
the root cause of some of your problems. And that’s where I think it’s very important to
understand that parasites are really the great masqueraders. They mimic so many other
diseases, which are much more familiar to healthcare practitioners.

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You’ve got round worm infection, which has been misdiagnosed as peptic ulcer. You’ve
got amoeba colitis, which has been mislabeled as ulcerative colitis. And then, of course,
there’s the chronic giardiasis, which not only has been found to be misdiagnosed as
chronic fatigue syndrome, but also problems with the gallbladder because one of the
favorite places of the giardia to latch on to is the gallbladder ducts, the bile ducts.

Donna: Wow! Are you saying then that when people have gallbladder attacks, it could
be actually caused by a parasite?

Dr. Gittleman: Very oftentimes, yes, because it can sometimes attach itself, as I said,
to the bile ducts of the liver. And that can create symptoms mimicking gallbladder
disease. So once the giardia has worked it’s way into the bile ducts and you have done a
proper flush or you’ve gotten rid of it using the proper products, then it can be more
easily eliminated.

Donna: So you mentioned peptic ulcer and chronic fatigue. Let’s say somebody knows
they have chronic fatigue. Let’s say they read a book. They go to the doctor. They say,
“Doctor, I have all these symptoms.” The doctor agrees, “You do have chronic fatigue.”
They start on a program for that. Doctors are probably not likely to think of parasites.
Wouldn’t you agree? I don’t hear doctors talking about parasites.

Dr. Gittleman: No. And they’ve never asked you, “Where have you traveled? Where
have you eaten?” And so on and so forth. That should be one of the major questions
that they ask. You really have to go to a tropical disease specialist or tropical medicine
specialist to get any of the answers to your questions. Which is one of the reasons that I
think it’s important for those that want to go the next step is to do the proper testing.

And I have looked for years into the most inclusive, most comprehensive labs. You want
one that’s accurate and one that’s quick because people get very, very impatient not
knowing what’s going on after they take their initial stool samples. And you want
somebody that’s very comprehensive and has the ability with all the latest equipment to
accurately diagnose and define what kind of pathogenic organisms you can be harboring
in your system.

Sometimes these bacteria also mirror or they match some of the symptoms of parasites.
So we’re finding an enormous amount of bacteria when we do the stool samples
themselves that people are harboring. There’s a great deal of H. pylori. I think it’s the

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most predominant infection in the world. So we’re seeing a lot of H. pylori. We’re seeing
C-difficile. And we’re seeing quite a bit of some of the elements that were never fully
diagnosed or fully labeled as being parasitic, which is a particular fungus yeast that used
to be called a fungus and yeast. It’s now considered a pathogen. And that is
blastocystis, which is also creating a lot of problems.

So there is so much more to be said beyond the human rope worm that we’re finding
that is also at the bottom of some of our disease and ill-functioning systems.

Donna: Now, that’s so interesting what you said about the blastocystis because I have
had many parents of autistic children tell me that their child has the blastocystis
problem. I didn’t know it was a fungus and yeast. For some reason, I thought it was a
bacteria. So it’s actually a fungus?

Dr. Gittleman: It used to be classified as a yeast. And it’s now recognized as a

protozoa. And interestingly enough, it has been considered to be one of the most
predominant protozoa in the country. When they look at the most predominantly
detected pathogens, they find a blastocystis is the most predominant.

Donna: Do you think mothers are passing it on in the womb? It looks like it. When you
read a study of preemies and every single one of them has yeast in their gut. They
haven’t even been out in the world very long, obviously. And they come out too early.
So they have parasites already. And so, obviously, they’re in the womb.

Dr. Gittleman: Yes! A resounding yes! Especially, I think some of the microscopic
parasites. Just like yeast and fungus and candida in various forms of the above can be
passed on in the womb, I think that amoeba, giardia, blastocystis, and even to some
degree cryptosporidium can be probably be passed on in the womb, as well.

Donna: So part of a pre-conception protocol, a man and a woman, should definitely go

through sort of a de-worming treatment. Wouldn’t you agree?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, yes.

Donna: We deworm our animals and our dogs. So we need to think about deworming
ourselves, particularly, before we have children, it sounds, obviously.

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Dr. Gittleman: Well, we need to be deworming our children. And when anybody goes
on these kinds of parasite cleansing protocols, you really need to do the entire family.
The entire family is suspect, so to speak. So it’s a very important procedure to do.
Probably in the spring time as the farmers used to do. They deworm their animals and
deworm the kids. And I think it’s important to do this in the spring. And probably again
in the fall after you’ve been traveling all over the world.

Donna: Well, also I’ve heard for years that they’re very disturbed during the full moon.
And I’ve actually seen research studies showing that people don’t sleep well during the
full moon. So there’s got to be a connection there.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, what we have seen and for years when we do the parasite stool
samples, I was telling people to do this around the middle of the month-ish, which was,
theoretically, I was trying to target the full moon. But what I have seen for years, and
this has been passed down through folklores, they become much more active the four
days before the full moon, during the full moon, and after.

So to me that’s a very important time to either do your initial parasite cleansing or to do

your testing because we get a much higher positive result when we do it around that
period of time. I think most of these animals really are affected by the geomagnetic pull
of the earth’s oceans. They’re waterborne animals, so on and so forth. And I think that
there’s a lot to be said for the timing of when you do any of the testing and even taking
the herbs on a prophylactic basis.

Donna: So during the full moon, those four days before, during, and after the full moon
would it be smart to just put some parasite herbs into your protocol? Just swallow them
in the morning or something?

Dr. Gittleman: Yes, I think that once you do the full test and once you do the full
protocol for us, it’s a combination of two products that you take for two weeks. And you
do a five-day resting period. And you do two weeks again. It’s about a two- to three-
month period to really get all the different phases of the parasites, to get the eggs, to
get the larvae, the full-blown parasite. But then to do this prophylactically, I would
suggest right around the full moon, at least two to three days, that you take just a
course of these prophylactically to prevent them from re-emerging.

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Donna: Well, now I’m sure everybody’s wanting to know step-by-step exactly what they
do. Say somebody comes to you. They say, “I know I have worms. Where do I begin?
What do I do?” What would you say to that person?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, we first tell them to go to GutFlush.com. And if you go to

GutFlush.com, you’re going to see the entire protocol on that page. You can do some
clicks where you can get the entire protocols. You can get some of our information that
is dietarily available. And we have the ingredients of the Para-Key formula which has
been targeted for the protozoan so that we do have a formula that is specifically
designed for those invisible parasites that you cannot see with the human eye.

And then for the larger parasites…And I think to some degree this probably works with
the human rope worm, as well as all the tapeworms that we’re finding. And hook worms,
which seem to be very prevalent, particularly, because people like to go barefoot in the
summer. And so what you would do is use both of these at different times of the day.

So you’ve got the Para-Key, which consists of some cranberry concentrate because of
those organic acids that aid digestion and can actually digest parasites or the
proteinaceous substances of parasites. You’ve got some grapefruit seed extract, some
wormwood, some slippery elm, some bromelain, pomegranate, peppermint. And
quassia, which we found was a very important aspect to all of this because it’s
traditionally known to eradicate giardia and amoeba. And there’s not a lot of herbs and
botanicals out there that can do that very easily.

So you’d be taking about two capsules three times daily right before meals. It’s about
twenty to thirty minutes before meals. You want these to go into the intestinal tract and
help immobilize all of these little protozoan. And then once you do that three times a
day, you’re ready to integrate the all-natural Vermifuge, which is for the larger
organisms in the GI tract and the organs and the bloodstream. And this will help to
restore overall digestion. And that’s where the little tincture comes into play. And you’d
be taking about a quarter teaspoon in four ounces of water three times daily. We always
suggest on an empty stomach when you get up in the morning, once at bedtime, and
then probably midafternoon.

And this would consist of your black walnut hulls, your wormwood, your male fern, your
orange peel, your cloves, your butternut. And one particular herb that we add to this
formula—which has been the pioneering formula throughout the emergence of parasites

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onto the American scene—we add a Native American herb called centuary, which is very
helpful in terms of releasing the hook worm and the tape worm from intestinal walls.
And it’s very hard to get these out unless you can do something that could actually relax
the worm. And this is what centuary does.

If you take a look at any other product that’s on the market, you will not see centuary.
We spend a lot of time locating this particular Native American herb and are very proud
it’s in our Vermi-Plus. So that’s what I would do.

And for the first two weeks of the program, I would not use any kind of probiotic. I have
found that probiotics—and I was told this by some of my parasitic expert friends that are
no longer with us—but I was told that many times the parasites, they’re very prone to
being attracted to some of these beneficial flora in the system and probiotics.

And you’re also going to be limiting your intake of certain vitamins and minerals,
particularly, your antioxidants. The antioxidants will feed the parasites. So you don’t
want to have your antioxidants or B vitamins or a lot of sweets during this period of
time. And you’re going to want to eat a lot of pumpkin seeds, a little bit of pomegranate
juice. And many anti-parasitic herbs should be used in cooking. So that’s where you’ve
got your thyme and your oregano and your sage. So all of those things should be used
in cooking in conjunction with the Para-Key and the Vermi-Plus.

Donna, it really takes about two months to three months to get all the different stages
of the parasites out of your system, to get the trophozoite stages, the cystic stages, to
get the larvae out of your system. And if you do this very consistently, we have found
people have an enormous amount of success. Also, the protocol also can help target
yeast and different kinds of fungi. It’s also very important to increase energy, nutrient
absorption, overall intestinal health. So they’re really terrific products that have been on
the market longer than anything else that we have seen.

Donna: Two to three months isn’t long at all to change your life. I’m sure most people
would love to know, “What would my life be like? What would my body feel like if it
didn’t have all these parasites controlling things?”

Dr. Gittleman: Well, yes. And it’s the first step. I always go back to my mentor’s very
important information that she gave out in 1974, forty years ago. And that was that the
first step in eradicating any kind of health problem is making sure that you get rid of

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 14

your parasites and your worms. And after that, you can go after the heavy metals. You
go after the molds. You go after the yeast, the fungus, the radiation residues, the
bacteria, the biofilm, etcetera.

But this precedes everything because this is so toxic. You’re actually housing another
organism in your system that’s doing damage, that’s reproducing, that’s pooping, that’s
peeing. You name it. It’s all in there. And your body then has to recycle your own waste
and that of this other particular organism. It all goes through your liver. It goes through
your kidneys. It can be excreted through your lungs, as well as your skin. So it’s very
important that we get rid of this because it’s an underlying root cause of ill health and
many of the maladies that we’re finding in this day and age.

And I think it’s also one of the key factors when people are so overweight. There are a
few studies that you’ll see when you go to GutFlush.com—and then you can download
that free report—there are a few studies that suggests that many of the times when we
see parasites in animals, it can mirror metabolic syndrome in adults. And so I find that
many of these undetected food intolerances, which are causing inflammation and
bloating and then compromising your ability to burn fat as fuel, may be related to some
other kind of organism that you’re housing. And it’s about time we started looking there
because it’s not just about calories in and calories out and clean eating. It’s about really
cleaning out your system.

Donna: Well, what about heavy metals. Is there any connection between parasites and
heavy metals?

Dr. Gittleman: There seems to be a connection between yeast, fungi, and mercury. But
I haven’t seen that in terms of parasites. I do know that when you get rid of parasites,
they can unleash a number of different bacteria and virus into your system, however. So
it’s very important that you have immune-enhancing herbs so that there’s no immuno
suppression.

Donna: And would you recommend colonics and enemas and using a colema board
during this time to speed up getting them out of the system?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I don’t think anybody should go on any of these programs if
they’re not doing home enemas or coffee enemas or some kind of colonic hydrotherapy.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 15

Donna: Yeah. I would say so, too. That’s been my experience. Great.

And so on the program, while somebody’s on the two- to three-month herbal program
would they be changing their diet in any way? You said no probiotics, but what about
fermented foods?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, no probiotics right in the beginning of the program. I think
fermented foods little by little, they should be added to the program. I think they’re very
important in terms of getting a real healthy acid base, a pH based to the intestinal track.
And I think that you just should be eliminating all those foods that we know are
traditional triggers in terms of allergy. So there’s no GMO foods. Irradiated foods would
go out the window. No corn. No soy. No dairy. No wheat. And even no grains for a little
bit. And even though that information is not totally included in some of our material that
we’re giving you, I think it’s important that we also eliminate fruits for at least the first
two weeks of the program.

Parasites love sugar. They love milk sugar and anything that’s easily digestible, as well
as processed foods. What they don’t do well with are foods that are high in zinc or foods
that are high in vitamin A. So increasing your zinc and your vitamin A—and those would
be the only exceptions in terms of the major vitamins and minerals—would be very
important in providing the parasites with the type of nutrients that are not going to
assist their growth.

Donna: So you wouldn’t follow Dr. Parcells’ program today and do the raw goat milk?
No lactose?

Dr. Gittleman: No because people seem to be much more sensitive to what’s going on.
And we can’t get those herbs anymore the way that we used to.

Donna: But what about testing? Let’s say somebody’s listening. And they can’t afford
the test. Do they just do the program? Or can you tell us just about testing? What’s
involved? How expensive is that? Do you need to do it all the time? Before, during and
after the three months or so that you’re on this protocol?

Dr. Gittleman: I quite frankly thing everybody needs to do the parasite cleansing. We
don’t always find everything in testing. For example, we’re not finding any parasite
testing, whether it’s an antigen or an antibody just yet for the human rope worm. So

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 16

we’re finding quite a few parasites that are simply not being identified. I don’t see
anything for strongyloides, which we see a big influx with, as well as hook worm.

So what I’m going to say here is that we do offer a test for those that want it because
some people will not believe anything until they see it as black and white. And that test
is about $280.00. But, of course, for anybody that’s listening to your gut summit, we
would take a percentage off of that if they give the company a call, my distributor a call.

So there’s a special parasite flexi test that’s available will identify Giardia,
cryptosporidium, all kinds of bacteria. We’ve got an entamoeba test, toxoplasmosis,
which is also very profound. We see a lot of that, as well as blastocystis. And we’re
going to find a little bit of C-difficile if it’s in your stool because we’ll be testing for that,
as well. So much of the very predominate bacteria we’ll look at.

There’s even a more expanded GI panel that’s also available for about $385.00. And
that just tests for everything: immune factors, inflammation factors, allergy factors,
food intolerance factors. We see factors such as your pH, whether there’s any occult
blood in the stool, problems in terms of your pH, as I mentioned before, and food
sensitivities. So all of that can be tested for and we would be giving a twenty percent
discount to anybody that called in from The [Healthy Gut] Summit.

Donna: And so how would they do that? Is there a certain number to call?

Dr. Gittleman: Yes. Let me give you the number. It’s 1-800-888-4353.

Donna: And how about people that live out of the US? Can they still be tested?

Dr. Gittleman: They can still be tested. And so I would just do

customerservice@UniKeyHealth.com.

Donna: This is an interview people are going to want to listen to a number of times for
all the information, obviously, but also because I think it’s motivating. We need to listen
to these often because they are what keeps us on track and give us the willpower to
keep doing the things that are going to change our life, really.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, especially if you have unresolved health problems. I think that this
is something that was very popular back in the eighties and the nineties. I know we

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 17

were all talking about it when my book became an underground classic. But I think right
now we’ve kind of forgotten. It’s taken a second seat. We’re second class citizens when
it comes to the parasite issue.

I think it’s important to understand is that they have a major role in allergies and
chronic fatigue and bowel disorders, immune dysfunctions, everything that we’re so
concerned about in this day and age. I don’t think you can have beautiful skin, shining
hair, and lustrous nails if, in fact, you don’t clean yourself out of parasites.

And because we eat out so frequently, because there are parasites in the water because
we know that chlorine doesn’t kill most parasites and neither does iodine in the water if
you were to use that after you boiled water if you’re on a camping trip, for example. We
also find that many of us go to many endemic areas where the people who are living in
the areas may be immune to the parasites, but we’re not. So I think all that’s important.
And, certainly, a cultured fermented diet once we get all of this out of the system and
you’re strong enough to be able to assimilate the foods.

Donna: And it sounds like when people travel to these countries, they should take some
herbs like this with them as protection, would you say?

Dr. Gittleman: Yeah. We do that all the time, as well as some of the herbs that we use
to digest the eggs, which is the Zymex II product that’s part of our protocol.

Donna: You’re so right, though. I remember very well because I’ve also been doing this
work for quite a while. And parasites were hot for a while. And then the big thing that
slowly started, people started talking about yeast and fungus. And they dropped the
whole parasite conversation. So I’m so glad we’re bringing it back. And also I’m sure
many people don’t even know, Guess What Came to Dinner is available and that it’s still
very timely. And that your website GutFlush.com is a place to go to to get up-to-date
information.

Could we talk just a little bit about yeast and fungus because that is one of my favorite
topics?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I think that something that’s important to remember is that yeast
is a fermenting organism. So it’s going to create a lot of bloat, a lot of gas. And that
parasites, themselves, the presence of parasites will hinder the growth of beneficial

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 18

probiotics in the system, thereby allowing an environment to proliferate that allows the
yeast to be healthy. And so if there’s too much that’s crowding the system there like
parasites, then you’re going to find that there’s also an environment that allows yeast to
proliferate and be healthy.

We see a lot of yeast when we do our parasite testing. There’s a lot of different kinds of
yeasts out there, a lot of bacteria, a lot of yeast. And I think also that there’s a problem
in this day and age because many of us have biounavailable copper that is feeding the
yeast. So it’s not just what you think it is in terms of the antibiotics that are out there
whether it’s first or secondhand. It’s also because many of us do not have enough of the
proper kind of bioavailable copper that’s necessary as a natural antifungal. And that’s
coming through in some of the major super foods that so many of us are eating whether
it’s a lot of black tea. We’re drinking a lot of black tea, a lot of soy products, or even a
lot of nuts and seeds.

Donna: Well, now can you explain that? It’s a little bit confusing because copper, again,
I’ll use autism as an example. The moms take their kids to be tested. They have very,
very high copper levels. But my theory has always been the copper’s not actually getting
in the cell. And copper is an antifungal. So the body could be using the copper to fight
yeast.

I know you wrote a whole entire book on copper. You had an experience yourself where
you had too much copper. So can we start there? And just explain the whole copper
issue and what happened to you personally that even put you on the track to know as
much as you do about copper.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, the point is it needs to be taken in the proper amounts. And when
you stockpile it and don’t have the ability of the adrenals to utilize copper properly by
triggering the liver to make a particular copper binding protein, then you’re in trouble.
So it all stems back from very weakened adrenal glands that are not triggering the liver
to make the ceruloplasmin, which is a copper binding protein.

And so if you’re under a great deal of stress and you’re taking a lot of copper-rich foods
in your system or taking prenatal vitamins that are high in copper or you’ve got a
copper IUD, for example, or you’ve had a copper IUD, you’ve got copper alloys in your
mouth, you’re getting too much of a good thing. The body is not absorbing it properly.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 19

And it weakens the system, particularly, if there is a zinc deficiency that goes hand-in-
hand with that, which is what we’re also saying.

So it’s not absorbed properly. It becomes unbound. When it becomes unbound, you’re
actually suffering from a deficiency of copper. And you’ve got to just utilize up all your
sources and then strengthen the adrenal so you can then bind it up again and then take
the proper amounts.

Donna: So is the copper feeding the yeast or actually trying to attack the yeast and
help you get rid of it?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, it’s allowing it to proliferate because it’s not biologically active. It’s
unbound. So it means it’s not biologically available.

Donna: Okay. So you’d recommend more zinc in that case?

Dr. Gittleman: I recommend getting tested and seeing if, in fact, you’ve got all this
copper, which is through a blood test or even through a tissue mineral analysis. And
then I would definitely insist on more zinc. I would get rid of some of these very high
copper foods in the diet. Make sure that you have no copper water pipes, no copper
IUDs. See what’s going on in the teeth. And I think that’s very important. And then
we’ve got individuals that have the MTHFR genetic defect that are not metabolizing
copper or any heavy metals properly. So you’ve got that also playing into effect, as well.
That plays a role.

Donna: Wow, I’m glad you brought that up.

Now, just run through that list of high copper foods again. Nuts and seeds are so
popular. People are putting almond milk in their smoothies every single morning and
eating nuts and seeds all day long. I see people getting on some diets. Like the GAPS
diet recommends almond flour. So the kids are out there, very popular in the autistic
community because parents don’t want to let go of there cakes and cookies. So they’re
making them with almond flour. But the kids are getting a lot of high oxalate and
copper-rich with the almond flours prevalent in their diets. And they’re not doing well
with that.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 20

Dr. Gittleman: That’s true because almonds are a high source of copper as are
sunflower seeds. Many of the seeds and nuts—many of the foods that we’ve gone back
to that are cleaner foods, that are vegan type foods—are also high in copper. So it’s
your nuts, your seeds, your legumes. Thank God, most of us are not eating peanuts
because of the aspergillus situation. It’s a very high copper food. But your cashews are
also high in copper. You’ve got your sesame seeds. You’ve got your sunflower seeds.
You’ve got your pecans. All of those are very high copper foods.

And without the right kind of copper in your system or the biologically available copper
in your system, you’re not going to be able to use this as an antifungal. It’s one of the
most toxic elements in the twenty-first century in America as far as I’m concerned. And
if we started testing for it, we would see that it’s also a precursor to much of the
dysfunction that we see mentally, emotionally, and physiologically.

Donna: Well, when I was reading the bio out for everybody, I didn’t mention that book.
Is it still available, the one on copper?

Dr. Gittleman: Oh, it is. It is Why Am I Always So Tired? Yes, because you can have a
very active mind, an overactive mind, as mine still is, a very overactive mind, and
sometimes with a tired body because it’s so overactive.

Donna: Lots and lots of people would say that’s them.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I can resonate to them because I’ve experienced what they’ve
experienced.

And then if you’re super sensitive, you need to be tested for all these things. So, yes. So
I think that the fungal yeast situation, I think one of those elements is the
biounavailable copper, having that tested, and then making sure you can chelate,
particularly, the extra copper out of your system so that you have the right amounts
that your body is able to use so that it has its natural fungicide abilities intact.

Donna: Well, another thing that we have always shared in common was a respect for
the Blood Type Diet. And could you just say a few words about that because years and
years ago you started telling people about the Blood Type Diet because we had both met
Peter D’Adamo’s father years ago.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 21

And I’ve asked people their blood types for years and years when I started working with
the kids with autism. Most of them that came to me were blood type A and their parents
were, too. So I still think it’s an important thing to know your blood type and to make
adjustments to your diet based on that. Do you still agree with that?

Dr. Gittleman: Oh, I definitely agree with that! And that’s why we’re finding that
coconut oil is not on anybody’s blood type diet. So I wonder what all that is doing to
people’s systems. We’re not following our ancestral diets, which a blood type diet would
naturally lead us back to. Yeah, I think that’s very important.

And what we’ve also learned based upon the blood type theory is that individuals with a
type A blood are usually lacking in hydrochloric acids. So they don’t have a prevalence
for eating foods that need a lot of acid for digestion. So they’re mostly vegetarians. And
I think that’s because of this predisposal to being achlorhydric. And apparently this used
to be taught in medical schools years ago. But it no longer is.

Donna: About blood type?

Dr. Gittleman: Oh, yeah. Well, the lack of hydrochloric acid for people that are blood
type A. So it means that they’re more predisposed to eating proteins that are
vegetarian-based proteins. And it means that they’re more predisposed to yeast and to
fungus, by the way.

Donna: Well, the other thing that Peter D’Adamo came out with in his second book Live
Right for Your Type, he brought out the whole concept of the secretor, non-secretor. And
I think that has become something important to test for.

Dr. Gittleman: To revisit…

Donna: Yeah. Can you tell people about that?

Dr. Gittleman: Well, just like the parasites. And sometimes you become allergic to
some of your own secretions at some point or another. Not many of us are non-
secretors. But those of us that are are also intolerant to a whole other element of foods.
So I think it’s important to know that. All of these things are important. And you can
know so much that you won’t know what to eat anymore.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 22

Donna: That’s true.

Dr. Gittleman: I think too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing.

Donna: Yeah, I hope people aren’t feeling that way right now. “Oh, goodness, what do I
eat?! You’re taking away my nuts and my seeds.”

Dr. Gittleman: And your almond flour!

Donna: Right. But just to explain to people what that means about the secretor and
non-secretor. Our blood type is actually secreted into certain [fluids] of our body, into
like saliva, sweat, tears and into the gut. It’s actually secreted into the gut and has an
important effect on the gut lining. So it is a small number of people.

And interestingly enough people that are non-secretors—so they don’t secrete their
blood type into the sweat and the tears and the saliva and so on—they’re actually
protected more from flu and from H. pylori. But they’re going to have many other
problems with teeth problems because they’re not secreting their blood type into their
mouth, which is protecting them against pathogens and gut problems and all, too.

So I just gave a talk at AutismOne. And that’s one of the things I encourage the parents
to test for actually to see. All these children are born healthy. And their parents they see
them slowly slipping away most of the time. Occasionally, there are some that are born
with autism. But most of the time they appear very healthy. And trying to identify
what’s really going on with the kids to, obviously, recover them, but why were they at
risk? Why were those particular kids at risk? I think knowing their blood type and
knowing their secretor status is an important thing.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I think that what we’re seeing, Donna, is that we have a whole
new group of individuals that are very sensitive. And they’re just manifesting all of the
toxic overloads that can possibly affect the human body. And so testing for all these
things is absolutely crucial for an autistic child. But it’s also important for those of us
that have autoimmune situations, those that can’t get to the bottom of what’s going on
in our systems. And one of the important tests, again, to be able to do that with is not
only these secretors and non-secretors tests, but the expanded GI panel, which
interestingly enough has shown us that there’s so much to be said about the gut
immunity and if that isn’t up to par, then none of this is going to work.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 23

Donna: That’s why I’m a big believer in fermented vegetables. The more I learn, the
more I realize not having them in our diet…And here in America forever. They’re all over
the world, but we haven’t had them here. That was a big loss for us. They definitely
would have protected us from parasites if we’d had them from the very beginning of our
life. We probably wouldn’t’ have the number and maybe such viral pathogens in our gut
like we have today.

Dr. Gittleman: I agree. And yet I find people that have been infested with both
parasites or protozoa can’t really assimilate certain of our most healthiest foods. So you
have to be very, very slow because they’re very potent antibacterial, antiparasitic in
their own right. And they act almost like medicine so you have to take them in very
measured amounts.

Donna: So it is time to bring back parasites to the forefront. And you’re basically saying
treat them first and then build from there.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I think everybody needs to do a parasite cleanse. And luckily the
products that we’ve been using have been on the market for about twenty years.
They’re the prototype that everybody else used when they came out with their own
products. And we’ve perfected them. The herbs as much as we can are wild crafted and
organic. And we have individuals at the office that can also help to find, analyze, and
interpret some of your test results for those that are interested in getting a Parasite
Flexi Test or an Expanded GI Panel.

Donna: Great. And once again then would you give us where to go. Here at the end of
the interview. It would be nice to have the information where to go, the telephone
number. And thank you, Ann Louise, for the twenty percent discount. We very much
appreciate that.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, it’s my pleasure. It is GutFlush.com where you’ll find a little
parasite quiz. You’ll also see something that you can download, which is based on a
lecture that I did in 2010 for IAAC. And you’ll also be able to see some of the links to the
products and to the testing.

So once you take a look at that and determine what you like, if you call the 1-800
number, which is 1-800-888-4353 and you mention The Healthy Gut Summit, then the

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 24

healthcare consultant will give you a twenty percent discount. And we’ll keep that
available for as long as people are listening and listening to The Healthy Gut Summit.

Donna: Thank you so much for that. But also more than even that thank you for
spending this time with us. I know how busy you are. And I know how committed you
are to the work that you do. So, of course, you would be on The Gut Summit. It wouldn’t
be a gut summit without you and without this information. So we just can’t thank you
enough.

Dr. Gittleman: Well, I thank you. And thank you for doing all the wonderful work that
you’ve done and for organizing such a star-studded group of people.

© 2014 Body Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. 25