Should You Deworm Your Kids?

My son kept scratching his bottom and had lost his appetite and my first thought was of course he must have worms. It had been a while since I had dewormed the kids.

But I kept thinking that I was so careful about what the kids ate, made sure they washed their hands the moment we came home from the park and obviously they knew the drill about washing their hands when they’ve been to the bathroom. But unfortunately, we had not been as diligent as we thought we were.

What Do Worms Do To The Body?

So doctors explain that worms usually make the intestine their home from where they start causing issues and affecting your child’s well-being. Since children have smaller intestines the risk of blockage is higher. They could have a distended stomach indicating a severe infection.

A worm infestation can cause tummy pain and vomiting. It can also affect normal growth and cause malnutrition in children. That’s why doctors recommend getting your baby dewormed every six months after he/she turns one.

This is one school of thought and that’s why 10 February is celebrated as National Deworming Day every year.

What Is Recommended By Doctors

Doctors recommend that you deworm your child every six months. The follow-up dose is extremely vital in getting rid of the worms. The parasites feed off the host body and lay eggs to multiply. So if you don’t dose your child every six months, the chances of your child being worm-free is difficult. 

There are two schools of thought. Which one did you follow for your kids and will adhere to? Tell us in the comments below.

In case you don’t want to give your child over-the-counter medication to deal with worms, there are a number of home remedies you could try too.

Natural Remedies For Deworming

• Nutmeg or jaiphal is one of the best remedies for stomach/ intestinal worms. Make a paste with grated nutmeg using a little water. Since nutmeg is bitter, you may add a little jaggery to it. Give a little of this paste to your child every week to prevent worm infection of intestinal worms.
• Alternatively, you could also boil half a litre of water with 1 tbsp. ajwain/carom seeds. Strain it and give your child 5-6 times a day for a worm-free tummy. Ajwain contains thymol which prevents the growth of worms.

There is another school of thought that Dr Manjari Rao, a homoeopath practitioner shares with us

The biggest problem we face today is the loss of biodiversity in our own gut microbiome. And deworming is largely responsible for it.

Dr Rao is of the firm opinion that worms are beneficial and not harmful to the human body

Would you do this?

What do you think you should do after reading this?

We strongly believe that you shouldn’t resort to self-medication and you should consult a doctor who would know if your child requires treatment and the dose required for your child’s age and weight.