Brain Worm Symptoms: Many people believe that eating cabbage causes worms to enter the brain, which can cause a person to go mad, have a stroke, or even die. In such a situation, the question arises in people’s mind whether this is true? The doctor said that while growing in the field, cabbage easily becomes a home for worms due to the soil and moisture. Its leaves are layered, inside which small worms and their eggs can remain hidden. But this does not mean that eating cabbage directly causes worms to crawl into the brain.
AIIMS neurologist Dr. Priyanka Shehrawat explained the brain worm, medically known as neurocysticercosis. “Neuro” means brain, “cysti” means cyst, and sarcosis refers to the worm, Taenia Solium. The doctor explained that this worm doesn’t just crawl and move around in the brain. Its eggs are found in soil, dirty vegetables, and undercooked meat and pork. If eaten, stomach acids can’t dissolve the eggs, allowing them to travel through the bloodstream and reach various parts of the body. They typically lodge in the brain, eyes, liver, lungs, and muscles. When these eggs reach the brain, the brain reacts to them, causing inflammation.
Symptoms of brain worms
Swelling in the brain causes headaches and seizures, vomiting, and dizziness. Neurocysticercosis is the leading cause of seizures in children in the country. These seizures can affect people of any age. Treatment suggests that 98 percent of patients recover with medication, while only 2 percent require surgery.
How to avoid brain worms
- You should completely avoid eating raw or undercooked meat and pork.
- Wash the vegetables thoroughly with water. Wash the vegetables under running water.
- Now let the vegetables dry completely because insects start breeding in wet vegetables also.
- These eggs do not survive if the vegetables are cooked for a long time on medium flame.
- Therefore, raw vegetables, salads and dirty things should not be consumed even by mistake.
