A patient informed her doctor that she had purchased and swallowed a tapeworm in an attempt to lose weight, a source told USA Today.

The patient's physician immediately contacted the Iowa Department of Public Health and asked Dr. Patricia Quinlisk for the best solution. She was advised to undergo an anti-worm medication, USA Today found out.

Quinlisk told USA Today that there have been several websites selling tapeworms as a weight loss tool and in a weekly e-mail to public health workers around the state, she warned everyone against the practice.

According to a report on the USA Today, Dr. Quinlisk e-mail confirmed that ingesting tapeworms is extremely risky and may cause undesirable side effects - sometimes even including rare deaths.

She also advised everyone to just stick to proven weight loss methods like lowering calorie intake and exercising if they really wish to lose weight.

Tapeworms are considered as parasites that can thrive in the intestines of both animals and humans, USA Today finds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed USA Today that there are two tapeworm species that usually result to mild symptoms like abdominal pain, loss of appetite, upset stomach and diarrhea. However, infections from a pork tapeworm may result to seizures.