Heidi Klum Undergoes Detox Of Parasiteworms That Are Again Viral, Experts Remember Risks

Heidi Klum (Photo: Instagram/@heidiklum)

JAKARTA - Heidi Klum's supermodel plan to conduct wormhole cleansing aka body cleansing of parasitic worms through an herbal program inspired by social media has received warnings from infectious disease experts. They emphasize that this kind of detox method has not been proven medically and has the potential to endanger health.

Klum revealed to the Wall Street Journal that she and her husband started the detox program after seeing a lot of uploads on Instagram about the same thing.

She and her husband took pills containing ingredients such as cloves and papaya seeds, as well as supplements that are claimed to be able to remove metal from the body. However, he did not mention that the program was recommended or supervised by professional medical personnel.

Experts assert that parasitic infection is real and causes serious illness, but requires proper medical tests and diagnosis, and is generally treated with an antiparasitic drug prescription for doctors, not just herbs or free supplements.

"Hearing someone recommends 'detox of worms and parasites' is very worrying because this is a medically unfounded and potentially dangerous practice," said Choukri Ben Mamoun, PhD, infectious disease expert from Yale School of Medicine, quoted from the MedPage Today page.

Anthony K. Leung, DO, an infectious disease specialist from Cleveland Clinic, explains that parasitic infections (helminth) are usually divided into three categories, namely nematodes (cing bracelets), cestodes (cing bands), and tramatoda (cating rath).

These infections can affect various organs, including digestive tract, eyes, central nervous system, lungs, and lymphatic system.

Trying to diagnose and treat yourself with detoxes like Klum does can pose a health risk, including lack of vitamins and nutrients, decreased energy, dehydration due to diarrhea, and other digestive problems.

"To properly diagnose parasitic infection, medical personnel need to take a complete medical history," said Leung.

This includes diet, possible exposure, travel history, and other risk factors. Without definite diagnosis and proper medical care, detoxes that have not been proven can be dangerous without solving real health problems.

Klum says "we all have parasites and worms", but Choukri Ben Mamoun insists there is no medical evidence for credible medical evidence that healthy people have hidden parasites that must be cleaned. Many organisms in the intestines are actually important and beneficial for human health.

"Yes, our intestines are full of living organisms, which are called microbiomes, but most of them are harmless or actually good for the body," explained Shelli Farhadian, MD, PhD, infectious disease expert from Yale.

"Deleting it for no reason is the same as spraying pesticides into healthy gardens," he continued.

If it is suspected that there is a parasitic infection, the patient should consult a doctor and undergo the appropriate test, usually an examination.

"This test will show whether there is an infection or not. If there is, eggs or parts of the parasite will usually be found in glass. No need for expensive tools." explained Abhay Satoskar, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and microbiology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Doctors are also likely to receive questions from patients about herbal detoxes after exposure to online content. According to David Purow, MD, a gastroenterologist atUR Hospital, New York, it is important to have an honest discussion with patients about the lack of scientific evidence from these herbal products. However, patients should also feel heard to keep the relationship between doctors and patients constructive.