'Diet Risks of "Chonchung Pills"... Possible Personality Changes and Cognitive Decline'
A woman in her 20s who struggled with weight loss experienced horrific side effects, including memory loss, after attempting the 'parasite diet.' A medical specialist warned that losing consciousness and collapsing could potentially be life-threatening.
Recently, foreign media such as the New York Post and Daily Mail have warned about the dangers of the 'parasite pill' diet. Dr. Bernard Shi, an American oncologist and host of the medical YouTube channel 'Chubbyemu,' shared the story of Ms. A (21) to caution against the secretly spreading dangers of the 'parasite pill' diet on the internet.
The larvae of the hookworm called "dwaejigogi chonchung" (pig tapeworm) invade the brain through the bloodstream, causing headaches and seizures. [Photo by YouTube Chubbyemu]
TE (a pseudonym), a 21-year-old woman, discovered a post about the tapeworm diet on social media while struggling to lose weight through diet control and exercise. Despite warning phrases like 'controversial' and 'banned,' she was drawn to the astonishing success stories and before-and-after photos. Eventually, she purchased capsules containing tapeworms using cryptocurrency on the dark web.
At first, her weight decreased. However, after a few days, she noticed a strange sight in her eyes. After using the bathroom and flushing, yellowish-brown rectangular pieces were floating in the water. Although concerned, she thought it was evidence of fat leaving her body.
But symptoms suspected to be side effects worsened. A few weeks later, a large, unexplained lump appeared under her jaw. She even fainted while pressing the lump. After regaining consciousness hours later, she reportedly experienced severe headaches as if something was pushing her eyes out of her skull.
Eventually sensing something was wrong, she visited the hospital emergency room. Tests revealed abnormally high cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Medical staff conducted various tests to find the cause but found nothing remarkable. They presumed a viral infection and prescribed medication.
The woman’s symptoms did not improve. Dr. Shi said, “There were times during the day when she suddenly woke up with no memory of the past few hours.” Medical staff closely monitored her brain condition. MRI scans revealed unusual spots on her neck, face, and tongue. Similar lesions were observed throughout her body, including the liver and spine.
When asked about her diet and lifestyle, the woman initially evaded by saying she ate 'potato chips,' but eventually confessed to taking tapeworms. The capsule container she brought was labeled 'Saginata.'
Medical staff confirmed that the woman had ingested Taenia saginata and Taenia solium. Taenia saginata is mainly found in beef and matched the rectangular brown eggs Ms. A had seen in the bathroom. According to Dr. Shi, the yellowish-brown objects she saw in the toilet were actually gravid proglottids. These segments of the adult tapeworm contain tens of thousands of eggs and are expelled from the body during defecation.
The woman’s body was not only hosting beef tapeworms. The severe headaches were caused by the pork tapeworm, commonly found in pork. The eggs of this tapeworm leave the intestines and form cysts that feel like hard lumps under the skin. While larvae are generally harmless, if they invade the brain, they can cause serious symptoms such as headaches and seizures.
Ultimately, the woman took medication to paralyze and remove the tapeworms and received steroid treatment to reduce brain inflammation. After a three-week hospitalization, no eggs were found in her brain, and she was discharged. Six months later, TE reported losing weight healthily without additional symptoms.
Dr. Shi advised, “People with cysticercosis have experienced personality changes and cognitive impairments for years before the problem is detected. Healthy individuals can lose weight through diet and exercise. It is much less risky than deliberately cultivating microorganisms inside the body.”
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