I was asked for suggestions to help someone who has continued to suffer from itchiness on her rectum even while following a customized anti-inflammatory diet based on her MRT results and after completing a candida cleanse. She wondered if perhaps the itchiness could be due to parasites.

In my opinion, it never hurts to do an herbal parasite cleanse as long as you do not have an anaphylactic allergic reaction to walnuts (a sensitivity doesn’t matter). I myself have done the herbal protocol at least 3 times, my son has done it twice, my husband at least 5 times, and my daughter did it for the first time at nine years old after the whole family became infected after eating an an upscale Mexican restaurant in Escondido, California.

Certainly there are parasites that hang out around the anus and cause itching. Pin worms are an example of these. An herbal parasite cleanse like the one I have used with hundreds of patients in my clinic is simply a protocol of taking four different herbs over the course of about a month. It comes with an included follow-up counseling session with me as well, so we can assess your progress and determine if there is more needed.

She might also benefit from a 24-hour enzyme urinalysis that would show if the candida problem is fully cleared and if specific enzymes to cut through the candida biofilm might help.

Additionally, anal itching can be due to external factors, so it’s good to check your environment and personal care products as well as potential problems like a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

To this list of potential irritants to the genital area, I would add the following suggestions:

• Stop using dryer sheets (these things are seriously toxic!) and clean the inside of the dryer drum from dryer sheet residue.
• Use an organic, unscented laundry detergent.
• Re-wash all underwear that was washed and dried with a non-organic laundry detergent or dryer sheets.
• Use only organic, natural, and unscented shampoo, conditioner, and soap/body wash.
• If using coconut oil instead of soap down there doesn’t seem like it’s helping after a week, or if you’re sensitive to coconut, try a glycerin-based vitamin E soap instead.
• Put Florosone, a remarkably effective homeopathic cream, on an organic cotton pad and apply liberally to the anal area. An initial stinging or mild burning may occur, but should disappear shortly. The Florosone will decrease the swelling and calm the itching like magic.
• Apply Green Earth Farms’ Calendula Creme to offer healing and soothing to the irritated areas of the anus and rectum. I prefer the one that uses a vegetable jelly base to the lanolin base.

If she hadn’t already taken the MRT food sensitivities test and been following the customized LEAP diet from the MRT results, then I would have advised this as a next step if the itching continues.