A parasite is crawling across 34 states, with thousands of confirmed cases across America. Cyclospora is causing that explosive diarrhea, aka the parasite flu, you’ve no doubt heard about in the news. In this episode, Dr. Chris Motley lays out the facts about what we know, his best advice for avoiding contamination and your full treatment options from both modern and ancient science.
Where the outbreak stands
Current as of publication, July 21, 2026. This story is moving quickly, so check the CDC and FDA pages below for the latest.
FDA and CDC are investigating a five-state outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
FDA reports 1,644 illnesses and 94 hospitalizations in that outbreak, with no deaths. Illness onset dates run from May 13 to July 13, 2026.
FDA's traceback converged on a single supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico. On July 17 the company voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market and began a recall. A lettuce sample initially tested positive on July 18. FDA re-reviewed the result and declared it a false positive on July 19. FDA has stated this does not change its conclusion about the outbreak's link to that lettuce, and the recall stands.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Cyclospora is a protozoan parasite that can go dormant or activate depending on how strong your immune system is.
The gross part: People infected with Cyclospora shed oocysts in their feces which can contaminate food or water.
Symptoms to look out for: watery diarrhea that won't go away (this is the big indicator), bone-deep fatigue you can't shake off, explosive bowel movements and loss of appetite.
Soak your produce thoroughly with an apple cider vinegar and baking soda wash, but most importantly...Cook your produce! Heat kills this parasite.
Keep an eye on restaurant reports as much as possible. It's not always possible to know where your favorite restaurant sources its food, but be on the lookout for information about where they get their food and how careful they are with their ingredients.
Steps to take if you are potentially infected:
Ask to be tested for cyclospora specifically, by name, because it won't be included in routine tests.
1) The antibiotic - it's called TMP - SMX (Trimethoprim - sulfamethoxazole). Brand names are Bactrim or Septra. Standard treatment is a 7 to 10 day course, with longer courses for folks with weakened immune systems.
2) Anti-parasitics - Ivermectin, Fenbendazole
3) Ancient Medicine - Huang Lian is an ancient Chinese herb that cools the gut. Check out the brand Golden Flower.
Wormwood or Black Walnut: https://shorturl.at/0i5c8
Mimosa Pudica: https://shorturl.at/EPIO0
Morinda: https://shorturl.at/aCP7n
You can also try a parasite cleanse. Head to Rogershood’s ParaFy cleanse here: https://rogershood.com/ref/1966/, and use code DRMOTLEY for 10% off.
00:00 The parasite you can't wash off
01:17 Cold open ends, show intro 01:30 Human waste, and why every case has a return address
01:45 What Cyclospora actually is: a single-celled protozoan
02:38 Why you'll never see it in the toilet 02:56 How it embeds in your small intestine and waits
03:36 The symptoms: watery diarrhea, crushing fatigue, no appetite
04:14 Why it comes back after you think it's gone
06:43 The family it belongs to: Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma
07:41 Chlorine doesn't kill it, washing doesn't remove it
08:03 Soaking: baking soda and apple cider vinegar
09:38 Iodine, commercial washing, and why the hose fails
09:51 The nook-and-cranny problem in a lettuce leaf
12:20 The signal and the trap: how to know if it's Cyclospora
13:00 Why a routine workup misses it entirely
13:29 Treatment: what to ask your doctor about
15:18 The one thing that reliably kills it is on your stove
16:45 Great for stir fry, horrible for salads
16:54 Why this is a system story, not a restaurant story
19:07 Traceability: knowing where your food comes from
20:16 Two patient stories: street meat and roadside pickles
21:24 One supplier, many states, one structural problem
21:29 What Chinese medicine called this 2,000 years ago
21:47 Damp heat, explained with a shower curtain
22:15 Huang lian and the goal of healing the terrain
23:00 When to reach for Western medicine anyway
24:22 Herbs he actually uses: wormwood, black walnut, vidanga
25:04 Mimosa pudica and how it traps spores
26:10 Where he lands: you can't wash your way out of this
27:21 Don't stop eating vegetables
27:44 Outro and disclaimer
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