A person cannot starve a tapeworm, but they may try to eat foods that tapeworms dislike such as garlic and onions. It may be unpleasant, though, to feel and then see, several feet of squirming tapeworms pass from the body. Doctors can also treat tapeworms with drugs. However, if the scolex (head) and neck of the worm are not destroyed, the parasite will regrow itself.