The parasite:toxin connection - a flooded system

- how parasites impact your horse’s health

So now we’re going to bring toxins into the discussion because we can’t talk about parasites without also talking about toxins - they go hand in hand.

Picture a bathtub overflowing - water spilling onto the floor, seeping under furniture, cascading down the stairs like a waterfall, soaking into every corner of the house. Now, visualise the same scenario inside your horse’s body. Overflowing toxins, seeping into cells, tissues, organs, and major systems, triggering a cascade of symptoms that leave your horse feeling miserable and exhausted.

Meanwhile, the immune system is scrambling to contain the damage - working to get those toxins away from vital organs like the brain, heart, liver, and lungs. If left unchecked, these toxins fuel chronic inflammation and eventually autoimmune disorders.

The parasite’s role: friend or foe?

So what’s the toxin connection with parasites? Here’s the big picture: parasites are like sponges for toxins.

If you take anything away from this blog, let it be this - parasites soak up toxins, helping to keep them away from cells and organs. In a strange way, it could be said that they’re trying to help. Yet at the same time, we’re seeing a rise in parasite infections - and they’re hurting the body as well.

Research suggests that the increase in toxins may be fuelling the increase in parasite infections. Science hasn’t proven causation yet, but when you plot the rise in toxin accumulation alongside the rise in parasite infections, the correlation is undeniable. The body is now dealing with more toxins than ever before.

So are parasites a necessary evil? One researcher likened parasites to speed bumps - annoying, but there for a reason, to keep the neighbourhood safe.

So oddly, the thinking is that parasites may actually be playing a protective role - helping the body buffer the damage from toxins. The immune system seems to allow parasites to stay because, as far as survival is concerned, toxins are a greater threat than parasites. It’s a conundrum - the body tolerates parasites to manage toxins, but in doing so, it also allows parasites to make the body sick.

How to support your horse’s gut & eliminate parasites naturally

So, what’s the solution? How do we clear parasites and toxins to reverse our horse’s mystery health symptoms?

No surprise here - it all starts with the gut microbiome. Why? Because 70-80% of the immune system is produced and housed in the gut. Strengthening the gut biome is the first step in fortifying the body’s defences and shifting the balance.

The gut communicates with every other body system, acting as the control centre for immune responses. When a toxin or pathogen enters the body, the gut signals the immune army to launch an attack. Meanwhile, the gut is operating like a car engine, delivering the energy to make the car drive. But here’s the kicker: the body needs extra energy to heal from toxins and parasites and nutrient deficiencies and stress and trauma.

The gut is more than just digestion - it’s a hormone, vitamin, and neurotransmitter factory, and it needs to be, because because parasites hijack serotonin - the body’s ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter - to use for their own communication and reproduction. All the more evidence that if the body has an adrenal or thyroid or brain health problem, it’s actually got a gut problem, because all these systems rely on hormones produced in the gut.

Testing & strategy - the only way forward

We can't eliminate our horse’s parasites and clear up their inflammation and all their mystery health symptoms unless we know what we’re dealing with. And yes, while some parasites live beyond the gut, we still need to start there - supporting the immune system and improve energy production while we clear out those toxins and parasites.

Parasite cleansing isn’t an overnight fix - it can take anywhere from 30-60 days or longer. And here’s the catch - if we don’t do it properly, we’ll stay stuck in the same cycle.

This is why outdated gut protocols aren’t working - probiotics alone won’t fix this. They're popular, but do they really work? Despite their widespread use, many probiotic products fail to survive stomach acid or provide inconsistent results - only 15-25% of people report benefits, while others experience no change or even worsening symptoms.

The role of diet & prebiotics in equine gut health

In horses, the challenge is even greater, as no probiotic mimics the natural hindgut bacteria colonies. Plus, without addressing root causes like stress or diet imbalances, probiotics alone often fall short. The real solution? Feeding probiotically to get the prebiotics to the hindgut fibre fermenting microbes. This means  a diet rich in grass forage, prebiotic fibres, and gut-supporting phytonutrients -  to naturally stabilise the GI tract, support gut flora, and restore balance. Which means - if you’ve tried a gut-healing protocol before but your horse still has symptoms, it’s time to rethink the approach.

In the last 10 years, our understanding of the gut has evolved dramatically - and updates keep coming. What we knew even five years ago is being refined, reworked, and replaced with new insights - the science is moving fast. But also, we work with thousands of clients year-round, which means we see real-time what works and what doesn’t. We pivot quickly as new research emerges, because staying stagnant isn’t an option. No question - in 2025 we know more now than we did in 2015, and if we stuck to the same protocols and practice, we'd get left behind and we’d be failing our clients today.

So, let's talk about what an updated gut healing system looks like. We now know that parasites and toxins are inseparable - parasites live alongside toxins, soaking them up like sponges, but, as we’ve seen, it comes at a cost to our horse’s health.

The right way to detox & remove parasites

So what’s the updated strategy?

1. Supercharge the mitochondria – The body’s cells produce 90% of the body’s invisible and physical energy through the mitochondria. Think of it like weightlifting - you can’t lift a 10kg dumbbell without building muscle first. Healing inflammation requires strong mitochondria to flush out toxins and parasites.
   
   
2. Open the body’s internal drainage pathways – Before we can shift the toxins out, we need to open the exits. But what do we mean by internal drainage pathways? We mean fascia, we mean the lymphatics, we mean the kidneys, liver, bowels, skin - like unclogging the pipes of a clogged sink. But if there's overflow, where does it go? It goes into the brain, the skin, the organs, the soft tissue. It makes the body achy and foggy and tired and itchy and stinky when you try to clear this stuff out, if you haven't opened up the drainage pathways first.
   
   
3. Use the right binders – Not all detox methods are created equal. Beyond opening drainage pathways, the gut restoring protocol has to have support from gentle toxin removal while you simultaneously kill the parasites. We want to be mopping up the toxins at the same time as we kill off the parasites. And not all binders are created equal either - certain binders will achieve this easily, while others will actually bind up the beneficial bacteria and nutrients along with the bad stuff. So, here's our Public Service Announcement for everyone.
   
   

• Avoid outdated binders like activated charcoal and clay - they’re old-school and don't discriminate what they bind to, taking away the beneficial microbes and nutrients along with toxins.
• Instead, use humic and fulvic acids with activated carbons - they’re the gold standard for mopping up toxins while preserving nutrients.
• Equally, spirulina helps promote a balanced intestinal biome by binding to harmful mycotoxins in the digestive system, helping to protect gut health and performance. This in itself enhances immune resilience and metabolism.

And here’s the thing - when we get this right, parasites simply let go. And when that happens?

• Our horse’s bloat disappears.
• Their energy skyrockets.
• Their focus improves.
• Nutrients are absorbed properly again.

And the best part? Our horse gets their life back.

Final thoughts - the iceberg below the surface

Let’s circle back to where we started, and bring it back to that list of symptoms and diseases that we started with. They aren’t random. They’re rooted beneath the surface, like an iceberg hiding parasites, bacteria, and fungal infections below the waterline. But here’s the good news: it's all fixable.

Parasites and toxins are two sides of the same coin - where you find one, you’ll almost always find the other. And while parasites may seem like the enemy, they’re also a sign of a deeper imbalance - one that can be addressed and resolved.

The key? Work with the body, not against it.

• Support the gut microbiome - because this is where immune strength begins. For a gut cleanse, see our SiboCARE; for ongoing intestinal maintenance see our BiomeTonic.
• Open the body’s drainage pathways - so toxins and parasites can actually leave. See our LKLCARE.
• Use the right binders - to mop up the mess without stripping vital nutrients. See our organic Spirulina.
• Support parasite clearance naturally - feed phytonutrient anthelmintics to naturally expel intestinal parasites. See our VermClear for strongyles, roundworms, pinworms and botfly larvae, & Pumpkin Seeds for tapeworms.
• Nourish/strengthen the mitochondria - because healing takes energy. See our Mineral Balancers & EnergyCARE.

When you get this right, you don’t have to fight parasites - they simply let go.

And when that happens? Your horse feels better, looks brighter, and thrives once again. Because at the end of the day, good health isn’t about eliminating symptoms - it’s about restoring balance. And balance starts in the gut, with a smarter approach to healing.

And if you do chemically worm? Protect the gut and liver with our BiomeTonic & LiverCARE.

Conclusion

Healing from chronic symptoms means addressing parasites and toxins in the right way. By focusing on gut health and supporting the body’s natural detoxification processes, you can restore balance and eliminate mystery symptoms - without the endless cycle of trial and error.

It’s about working smarter, not harder - parasites can hide anywhere in the body, and their impact on our horse’s health should never be underestimated. But more than anything, this is my love letter to the horse community, because every horse deserves to thrive, not just survive. When we get it right, the results come quickly.