The GAPS books name several symptom groups in their discussion of parasites and worms. This page helps you record those observations clearly. It is not a score: there is no number of matching symptoms that identifies a parasite, proves an infestation or tells you which treatment to use.
Begin with what changed, when it began and how it affects eating, sleep or ordinary activity. A dated description is more useful than writing “parasite symptoms” at the top of a page and trying to make everything fit beneath it.
Digestive Signs Named in the Sources
The 2020 entry includes upper abdominal pain, particularly at night, diarrhea, excessive gas, nausea, periodic vomiting and sometimes constipation. The common-worm FAQ also describes crampy mid-abdominal pain, often after food in the morning.[1][2]
| What You Notice | What to Record |
|---|---|
| Abdominal pain | Where it is, when it starts, how long it lasts and whether food or passing stool changes it. |
| Diarrhea or constipation | Stool form, frequency, pain, incomplete emptying and any blood or mucus. |
| Nausea or vomiting | Timing, recurrence, what can be kept down and whether symptoms are worsening. |
| Gas or a change in stool appearance | The observation itself, without assigning an organism from appearance. |
The stool FAQs connect nausea or pain before a bowel movement with worm activity as one consideration. They also discuss fat in stool within a separate bile and gallstone account.[2] Those passages do not make either observation a worm diagnosis. The bile and fat-digestion guide holds that separate discussion.
Growth and Nutrition
The book names low body weight and difficulty gaining weight. The FAQ describes persistent anemia in its common-worm account and particularly associates it with hookworms.[1][2]
Record actual measurements or diagnosed anemia separately from a feeling that someone looks thin or pale. A child’s growth concerns deserve assessment. The symptoms do not identify a worm species or establish that food is being consumed by worms.
Cough and Throat Symptoms
The source connects an irritating dry cough and sore pharynx with the larval-migration account it describes. It also describes a bumpy or inflamed-looking back of the throat as something an ENT specialist may see.[1]
A nighttime cough is worth describing, but it does not show what is causing it. Record whether it interrupts sleep, occurs with activity or comes with breathing difficulty. The mechanism guide explains the source’s proposed connection without making the observation a diagnosis.
Skin and Wider Symptoms
The 2020 list includes headaches, periodic fever, joint aches, rash, teeth grinding, recurrent vomiting and mental symptoms. It also discusses food reactions and organ-specific symptoms during an infestation.[1]
Those are broad categories. Replace a vague note such as “mental symptoms” with the actual change you observed, its timing and its effect on the person’s day. Do not assign a cause to a behavior simply because it appears on a long source list.
The book also connects parasites with chronic inflammation and tumors in its broader discussion. A lump, persistent organ symptom or other unexplained change needs its own assessment; this checklist cannot establish what caused it.
Teeth Grinding Has More Than One Source Context
The bruxism FAQ names toxins, nutritional deficiencies and worm activity among its considerations. It also discusses protecting teeth and supporting the jaw muscles.[2]
Teeth grinding alone does not establish worms. Note how often it happens, whether there is morning jaw pain or tooth damage, and any dental assessment already completed. Keep those observations separate from a decision to start an antiparasitic remedy.
The Pinworm Pattern
The bowel chapter describes anal itching, particularly at night, and sometimes tiny white worms seen on underwear. It explains how eggs can be transferred from scratching hands back to the mouth.[3]
CDC likewise identifies stubborn nighttime anal itching as a possible sign and says a healthcare provider should diagnose the infection. Some people with pinworms have no symptoms.[4] If you see something you think is a worm, describe it accurately and ask how it should be assessed rather than selecting treatment from a photograph alone.
The common-worm reading guide keeps the book’s separate enema discussion in context. The treatment guide explains the distinct food, medication and testing passages.
Record Dates Before Drawing a Lunar Conclusion
The book associates some symptoms with the days before and during the full moon.[1] You can record that timing if it is something you have noticed. Record the actual symptom dates and symptom-free days, not just the moon phase.
Include food changes, medicines, sleep and illness on the same short record when relevant. A calendar association does not establish an organism or choose a treatment start date. The source-explanation guide holds the lunar reasoning.
What to Do With the Record
Bring persistent, recurring or worsening symptoms for assessment. Blood in stool, ongoing vomiting, poor intake, weight loss or a child who is unwell should not be left waiting for a moon phase or a chronic-protocol preparation interval.
The food and treatment guide preserves the GAPS timing discussion and its acute exceptions. The overview separates the wider questions of symptoms, tests and the diet.
The Care Team Log in the WFLI Shop keeps dates, observations and questions together. A notebook works, too. Aim for a record you can bring to an appointment and explain without having to reconstruct the whole month.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Parasites and worms,” named symptom groups and source lunar account.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Official GAPS FAQs, Worms and Parasites questions 1 and 6; Stool questions 2 and 16.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Bowel Management,” common worms and pinworm discussion.
- CDC. Diagnosing Pinworms.
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