Chagas Disease (CD) is listed in the notes of some TKM® classes, and the question has come up repeatedly - what is Chagas disease? I hope this provides a more thorough explanation.
Chagas disease is caused by a parasite (usually Trypanosoma cruzi) transmitted by the bite of an insect, and is characterized by a lesion at the site of the bite. Other symptoms include fever, enlarged lymph glands, rapid heart beat, and, in chronic form - abnormalities of the heart muscle, esophagus, or colon. The acute form usually resolves itself without treatment.
According to the worlds leading Entomologists, the insect commonly known as the kissing bug is the culprit for transmitting this disease to human beings. This insect carries the bacterial parasites (Trypanosoma cruzi)that cause CD. They're attracted to sources of carbon dioxide in a dormant environment. What better time than when a person is asleep! This is where most exposures occur. The kissing bug feeds on blood obtained through its mouth area - hence the kissing bug's name. During feeding, it defecates and the feces are lying next to the insect's penetration of the skin. If the insect is infected, the feces will be full of the rapid reproducing parasites. When the person feels the irritation of the bite or puncture, the usual response is to rub or scratch, and therefore the parasite infested feces are transmitted to the wound, then the blood.
In some cases a strong immune system can overcome a small exposure. For others, symptoms can occur soon after the infection or may take several years to develop serious symptoms. It is not easy to determine the presence of CD. The usual means is through clinical exposure to non-diseased kissing bugs, then testing their feces for a concentrated amount of the parasites to confirm diagnoses. Normal parasite treatments do not seem to have a positive effect. The parasites can travel to different areas of the body, but the heart is where they usually attack and eventually choke the organ.
This disease is more common in Central and South America. Medically, there is no treatment for Chagas Disease or CD, and death could result from contracting CD - usually as a cause of heart failure.
Now, outside the textbook there are currently about one million people infected world wide and the only medical treatment known is a heart transplant. How many people on a heart transplant list actually receive one, especially in third world countries? And, the transplant does not stop the disease.
So, what can be done? TKM®, of course! Some important applications include: 23,25 seq. / Diaphragm seq. / 15 seq. / 23 seq. / R & R 4th stratum seq. / Kidney seq. / 10 seq. and Heart seq.