About Us
Hi, I’m Evan — founder of Parasites.org!
I earned a Bachelor of Science in physics at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), at the College of Creative Studies.
After graduating, I worked briefly in Nobel Prize-winning Dr. Allen Heeger’s lab where I helped with research related to organic electronics encapsulation. My supervisor generously included me as an author on this research paper for my contributions to the experiment during my six months in the lab.
My interest in gut health goes back to 2009 when I founded Probiotics.org. While probiotics do have their uses, and there are likely to be future breakthroughs, I was ultimately disappointed that the commercial products didn’t always live up to the hype…and, even with promised future breakthroughs, I came to understand that these supplements rarely addressed the root causes of poor health.
I eventually learned that the most effective approach is to address the root causes to maximize our health. Typically, though not always, the most effective path is a whole-food diet with enough protein and veggies, good sleep, strong relationships, clear purpose, and sufficient movement…along with blood/stool tests as needed.
Each of those topics is massively complex, but by experimenting in reasonable ways, you can better discover what works best for you right now!
My passion is sharing what works for me, and communicating those successes along with some suggestions on how others may implement similar changes safely, with their doctor’s help.
One of the chief influences on my views on health is Janet Alexander. Much of what I do well is a pale reflection of the mastery that Janet Alexander demonstrates.
Janet always gently but firmly points me towards the most effective path…not the ideological path…always moving towards what works…it may be Western medicine or Eastern medicine…sometimes highly complex, sometimes extremely simple approaches…working hand in hand with doctors…Janet is always finding what is appropriate for clients, what works for where they are at…and always adapting and never opting for a narrow ideological approach.
Through Janet, I heard about and then attended a series of 2016 courses on Parasites and fungi by Emma Lane. These classes awoke an intense interest in gut parasites and other gut invaders. These courses also gave me contact with the work of parasitologist Dr. Omar Amin, and eventually led to the partnership that turned into Parasites.org.
If all I have learned about health could be summed up into one exchange, it would be: “Is what you’re doing working? No? Then you’re doing something wrong, or missing something. Find the way that works best for you at this time and don’t give up until you do.”
Why Does Parasites.org Exist?
Parasites.org exists for 3 purposes:
- Educate people on the hidden dangers of intestinal parasites and pathogens.
- Educate people on how to navigate effective parasite testing.
- Help infected people find doctors to help them fight the infection.
Parasites.org Expert Contributors
Dr. Christine Traxler MD
Dr. Traxler has lived most of her life dedicated to the practice of medicine and teaching healthy ways of living for all stages of life.
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She studied biochemistry and medicine at the University of Minnesota and worked in rural Minnesota as a family practice physician and emergency medicine doctor in underserved medical areas of the state.
For the past 20 years, she has expanded on her education and training doing medical research in rare conditions and studying heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring.
She writes textbooks for doctors and medical students on all areas of medicine and has written many books and articles on scientific topics.
More recently, she has researched ways people can improve their health proactively through exercise, nutrition, stress reduction, and other common sense practical life strategies everyone can use to avoid chronic diseases of all kinds.
Dr. Savannah Muncy, PharmD
Dr. Savannah Muncy is a Doctor of Pharmacy, having served her community as a pharmacist in many areas including retail, hospital, oncology, compounding, and home infusion.
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She also uses her medical and healthcare expertise to write medical content for clients all around the world. Her hobbies include reading, gaming, fishing, riding ATVs, and spending time with her friends and family.
She resides in Virginia with her husband and her sweet cat, Ella.
Education on Parasites and Other Pathogens
Dr. Christine Traxler (Family Medicine MD) and Savannah Muncy (Doctor of Pharmacy) write scientific, evidence-based articles educating people about intestinal parasite infections, fungal overgrowth, and bacterial infections.
Both Dr. Traxler and Dr. Muncy work hard to translate complex medical concepts into language that anyone can understand with a bit of work.
This website’s primary source of information is based on the CDC website about parasites. But beyond the CDC, Dr. Traxler and Dr. Muncy reference high-quality research studies from journals like Nature.
Just as importantly, Dr. Traxler and Muncy will rely on their experience and education to give much-needed context to, often, narrow and abstract articles.
Navigation of Effective Parasite Testing
Intestinal infections can sometimes be overlooked and difficult to test for effectively with so many testing options available.
Our goal is to provide information for anyone who wants to fully understand the many intestinal pathogen testing options available.
Parasites.org offers best-in-class intestinal pathogen testing.
Our parasite and ova tests are analyzed by the Arizona or Mexico labs we use to specifically look for 31 different human-infecting parasites. The labs are also experts at detecting intestinal fungal overgrowth infections, as well as detecting bacterial infections.