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What is Candida?
Causes of Candida
Symptoms of Candida
Candida Treatment
What is Candida?
The term Candida (also known as systemic candidiasis or Candida overgrowth) refers to an excess amount of fungus or yeast in the body - more than the normal small amount in the intestines, and also the presence of yeast in organs where it should not be at all.
Candida is poorly understood by most doctors as well as by the public. It is estimated that it actually affects the majority of the population in industrialized countries. Most have minor symptoms from it, but many arrive at the stage of disabling symptoms. Some important features of Candida are:
- It starts with things that kill normal bacteria in the body and allow fungus to expand beyond its normal environment.
- It grows very slowly, but surely.
- It may take 20-30 years after a person does things to allow Candida to overgrow for obvious symptoms to show up.
- In children with early exposure to certain Candida-producing things, it can show up much more quickly.
- Symptoms appear gradually and seem unrelated one to another.
- Because yeast is very resistant, most treatments and diets are not able to get it under control.
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Here are the exposures which have been found in clinical experience to bring about Candida. The earlier in life one is exposed to these things and the more frequently, the worse the Candida will tend to be.
- Antibiotics. Used to kill disease-causing bacteria, antibiotics also kill normal, protective bacterial flora throughout the body. Most antibiotics are derived from fungal chemicals, chemicals the fungi make to protect themselves from bacteria. This is why antibiotics work so well. However, their function in nature is to allow fungi to grow, and this is the unavoidable secondary effect of antibiotic use that fungi will grow.
- Swimming in chlorinated pools. Chlorine is a chemical in the halogen class that is used in swimming pools, hot tubs, and Jacuzzis to kill bacteria and algae. Just as chlorine kills bacteria in the water, it also kills the body's normal bacterial flora. However, it appears chlorine is not strong enough to kill yeast at pool water concentrations, so yeast growth in and on the body is encouraged when the competing bacteria are cleared out of the way. While chloride is a very abundant and necessary ion in the body, chlorine exposure is not at all natural for us.
- Alcohol use (most often beer, wine and vodka). Alcohol is a fermented product, and therefore it encourages the growth of yeast in the body. A person with some yeast excess often is drawn to alcohol, and then finds that he or she rather quickly develops a steady habit or craving for it. The regular use of alcohol cultivates a fungal liver and changes brain neurotransmission, both of which can lead to addiction to alcohol the fungal liver calling for alcohol for nourishment, and the brain calling for alcohol to artificially stimulate damaged neurotransmitter receptors.
- Regular use of Candida-promoting foods. In the same way as alcohol fosters Candida growth, fermented, aged and sugary foods can first be craved, and then become the regular food source for a growing and deepening Candida infection. Typical culprits are bread, chocolate, sugar, alcohol, cheese, milk, vinegar, pickles, nuts and peanuts, apples, grapes, bananas and coffee. Antibiotics and hormones used in the production of meat and dairy also contribute.
- Alcoholism in either parent. Alcoholic parents of young children will have abnormally fungal flora on their bodies to share through contact with their children. They will also probably have more sugar and other fungal feeders in their families diets than other people. Either or both of these may explain why we observe more Candida problems in children of alcoholic parents.
- Birth control hormones. During the years of menstruation and fertility, a woman's body produces a carefully orchestrated pattern of ups and downs of the female sex steroids (hormones) estrogen and progesterone. This balanced cyclic pattern happens monthly, and produces fertility and menstruation. Birth control hormones, given by pills, injections or otherwise, alter this pulsing hormone secretion pattern completely by providing a steady level of hormone, which prevents eggs from being released by the ovaries. Fungal growth appears to be favored by this unnaturally even level of hormone, whereas the naturally oscillating pattern would not sustain fungal growth.
- Mother was always ill. When a person's mother was chronically ill since the person's childhood, mother's longstanding immune suppression (evidenced by her inability to regain health) appears to have fungal overgrowth either as a cause or consequence of the illness. Due to the intimate physical contact with mother from birth through early childhood, it appears that mother confers some of this excess fungus to the child. (Note: Don't blame your mother! The true culprit is cultural and professional ignorance of this disease.)
- Mercury and mercury fillings (silver amalgam fillings). Mercury has antibacterial, fungal-promoting effects. Dental silver fillings are about 50% mercury by weight. Both mercury particles (from the grinding action of chewing) and mercury vapor are consistently produced from fillings, and this mercury enters the digestive system and other tissues of the body. Mercury appears to continue its antibacterial effect in these areas, effectively promoting the growth of yeast. As used in vaccines, mercury works as an antibacterial preservative. Mercury from vaccinations also appears to contribute to this problem.
- Use of corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are agents such as prednisone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, fluticasone, and many other forms with names usually ending in -lone, -sone, -cort or -ase. They are used as pills, inhalers, injections or creams to stop the inflammation of asthma, allergies, skin rashes, painful joints, psoriasis, poison oak and ivy, autoimmune diseases and many other conditions. It is well-known, however, that because they turn off normal immune reactions they leave a person without their natural defenses against fungi and other microbes. Fungal infections are a common side effect of their use.
- Exposure to pesticides. Exposure to significant levels of pesticides and other agents sprayed in farm fields has brought on Candida symptoms for many people. These agents appear to have an antibiotic-type effect on normal flora. This is quite possible, as their purpose is to inhibit growth of certain organisms. People who live near or work in farm fields, people whose homes are built on soil that was farmed with heavy chemical use, and people who had wanton exposure to pesticides in their youth in the era before the dangers of pesticides were publicized all may trace Candida symptoms to this exposure.
While people with Candida symptoms usually can identify one or more of the above exposures in their past, some cannot clearly identify which things brought on the Candida overgrowth symptoms.
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Symptoms of Candida excess include the following. A person may only have two or three of these symptoms, or may have many.
- Cravings for sugar, chocolate, milk, cheese, vinegar, pickles, alcohol, bread, nuts or fruit
- Headaches and migraine headaches
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Asthma and allergies
- Irritability and confusion
- Sleep problems and difficulty falling asleep, or waking up in the middle of the night with a mind that won't calm down (typically between 1 and 3 am)
- "Metabolic syndrome" which includes the following: large abdomen ("beer belly"), adult-onset diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, high blood pressure
- Poor memory
- Muscle or joint pain, fibromyalgia
- Cold feet, cold hands, sometimes cold nose
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Endometriosis (chronic pelvic pain)
- Pupils always dilated
- Unusually green eyes, or eye color has turned greenish
- Infertility (female), some miscarriages, toxemia of pregnancy (preeclampsia)
- Acid reflux/GERD (heartburn)
- Anxiety attacks, panic attacks
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Recurring infections - colds, ears, bladder, sinus, vaginal yeast
- Sexual problems - impotence or lack of desire, or excessive sexuality
- Bloating, flatulence or abdominal pain
- Rectal itching
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- "Beer belly," also called truncal obesity and excess weight centered around the abdomen
- Excessively thin or anorexic/bulimic
- Attention deficit, hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD)
- Skin problems - eczema, rashes, psoriasis
- Autoimmune disease (lupus, hypothyroidism, arthritis, others)
- Penicillin allergy
- Prematurely graying hair
- Heart beating too fast or irregularly
- Uncomfortable at any temperature
- Dizziness
- Numbness
- Feeling of floating or not quite being in your body
- Indecisiveness, difficulty organizing and cleaning messy areas
- Sweating, especially at night
Symptoms seen particularly in children up to about 8 years old:
- Early allergy to foods like milk
- Infections as a baby
- Child had or has frequent ear infections, tonsillitis, strep throat or bladder infections, especially if these infections were treated with antibiotics
- Cravings for milk, cheese, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, or peanut butter
- Asthma
- "Drama king" or "drama queen" - complains quite vocally and often
- Poor sleep patterns - difficulty going to sleep, sleeps too lightly or has frequent nightmares, and wakes up too early (or sometimes too late)
- Too thin or overweight
- Attention deficit with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD)
- Aggressive, poor social interactions, can't stop moving, frequent fights or arguments, frequent crying
- Autism
- Pale complexion, dark circles under the eyes
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To effectively kill Candida, there must be understanding of the life cycle of yeast, its nutritional requirements, and the true relationship between foods in the diet and yeast growth. The best Candida treatment approach uses the following elements:
- Antifungal compounds derived from plants. Candida will never go away without the use of medication to kill it. Prescription medications are very limited in how they try to kill yeast and they are not very effective, even when taken at high doses for extended periods. Most natural medications and supplements yield similar disappointing results. However, nature endows plants with the ability to produce antifungal compounds to keep fungus, or rot, from invading them. These compounds work for plants and they work for us, also. The combination of plant-derived antifungals must be properly prepared in order to be effective.
- A scientifically-based antifungal diet. Antifungal medication is the keystone of Candida treatment; diet alone can never get Candida fully under control. However, following a proper diet is necessary to support the action of the antifungals. Many Candida diets fail to identify certain foods that feed Candida, while others are overly restrictive. The diet we use was researched by a physician who has a doctorate in clinical nutrition, and it has proven itself very accurate in clinical practice. It is important to mention that the antifungal medication rapidly takes cravings away, so that following the diet is made much easier.
- Live probiotic bacterial supplements. Part of treating Candida is replacing the dying yeast with competitive bacteria. The important issues with probiotics are that the bacterial strains chosen are beneficial in the restoration of normal flora, that the bacteria in the supplement are actually alive, and that the food source used in the supplement to keep them alive is proper (milk is a poor choice and maltodextrin, which is commonly used, is worse).
Clinical experience with this treatment approach over several years and with over a thousand patients has shown over 90% of patients report significant, noticeable improvement in their symptoms. Mood and energy, sleep, digestion, memory, blood sugar and cholesterol levels and various other measures improve. Using a simple maintenance program, patients are able avoid recurrences and keep their good health indefinitely.
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