Overview
Candidiasis refers to unhealthy overgrowth from the yeast, Candida, within the body. Candida albicans is of course-productive yeast that is present in everybody. In healthy people, however, it is kept under control by the immune system and confined to the lower intestine and the pores and skin and, in women, the vagina. To a large degree, this confinement procedure is due to wholesome and important bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, such as acidophilus bacteria and bifidobacteria. When the population of healthy bacteria is disrupted, for example when one takes antibiotics, Candida albicans begins to spread into other areas of the body where it’s allowed to progress unchecked through the intestinal walls to the blood stream. When this happens, Candidiasis begins to mutate into an unhealthy fungus that can infect a system’s tissues as well as organs. Multiplication of Candidiasis into body parts where it does not belong is termed candidiasis.
An estimated 33% of all Americans are affected by candida and the numbers are continually growing; nonetheless, the disease often remains overlooked by most conventional physicians. To make matters worse, its various symptoms can easily be mistaken for other diseases. By contrast, practitioners of natural cures and alternative medicine place great emphasis on helping their patients prevent and recover from candida. Natural cures for candida are far more effective and longer lasting than the antibiotic treatments typically offered by conventional doctors.
It has long been established that Candida albicans, as well as other strains of Candida, are able to spread beyond the GI to the bloodstream, and urine. This was proven in 1969 when researchers had a test subject ingest Candida. Previously, the subject had not been exposed to Candida albicans, nor did he have any detectable illness at the time. Within hours after he had orally consumed the dose of Candida albicans, the test subject came down with a wide range of disease symptoms, including fever and headache. In addition, the scientists who tested him found that colonies of Candida albicans had already spread to his blood and urine, proving that Candida albicans can indeed pass from the gastrointestinal tract to negatively affect other areas of the body. The scientists who conducted this test also warned that the use of antibiotics increased the permeability of the gastrointestinal tract, making it easier to trigger an outbreak of candida in people who use such drugs. Despite their conclusive findings, most conventional physicians disregard the potential severity of candida, and dismiss claims that antibiotics can be a factor in its development.
Most conventional physicians also fail to realize how candida, when it is present with serious immune disorders such as AIDS, can lead to a form of blood poisoning known as septicemia that is caused by Candida spreading quickly throughout the bloodstream, and colonizing in the body’s tissues and organs. In other less drastic cases Candida albicans can cause infection-fighting cells, such as white blood cells, to be destroyed, creating an environment for infections. For these reasons, practitioners of alternative medicine regard candida as a potentially serious health threat and do all they can to ensure it is properly treated.
As Candida spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract and colonizes in other areas of the body, it produces various poisons. These posisons can impair health by reducing the body’s supply of white blood cells, which are needed by the immune system to properly fend off infectious bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens. Candida toxins also inhibit the body’s ability to manufacture antioxidants, including glutathione, an enzyme that is important for liver detoxification and cellular respiration. As a result of these negative effects caused by the unchecked spread of Candida albicans, symptoms of candida can manifest in many different ways, mimicking other disease conditions and negatively impacting many areas of your body.
The signs of Candida
Among the most common signs of candida are airborne and food allergic reactions, anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, confusion and/or memory problems, attention difficulties, earache, fungal infections (athlete’s feet, “jock itchiness,” ringworm) which reoccur often, intestinal problems (for example bloating, cramping, constipation, looseness of the bowels, flatulence, as well as heartburn), headaches and migraines, heart palpitations, hives, hyperactivity, irritability and mood swings, increased susceptibility to the effects of alcohol, loss of libido, oral as well as/or vaginal yeast infection, painful premenstrual syndrome (PMS), respiratory problems (bronchial asthma, coughing, hay fever, lung and/or nasal congestion, sinus problems, wheezing), sexual dysfunctions, pore and skin problems (acne, rashes, scaly skin), sleeping problems, and vaginitis.
Mental and Psychological Symptoms: Numerous people who are suffering from candida are afflicted by feelings that they’re “not on their own,” as well as/or even experience other mental or psychological difficulties. All too often, such patients are told by traditional physicians that there is nothing wrong with them, or that they are in need of therapy or antidepressant medications, neither of which will do anything to tackle their candida and antidepressants, can potentially create other serious health problems, including a heightened risk of suicide and other types of violent behavior.
Determining if you have Candida
Because the signs of candida can closely imitate other illnesses, it is often mistaken for a number of other diseases, and can often be difficult to detect. Possible indications that you have Candida are persistent, lingering symptoms, sugar urges, and a variety of health problems that have not been resolved despite repeated attempts at treatment. If you are experiencing irritating health complaints, the following questionnaire can help you determine if candida might be involved:
Do you use or have you ever utilized birth control pills?
Do you depend or have you relied upon antibiotic treatments to deal with contagious conditions, adolescent or adult acne, or any other long-term antibiotic use?
Do you depend or have you relied upon steroids such as cortisone to treat pain and/or skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or breakouts?
Do you suffer from repeated incidents of athletes foot, “jock itch,” vaginal infections and/or ringworm?
Do headaches, bloating, depressive disorders, fatigue, memory problems, erectile dysfunction or insufficient libido, or muscle aches frequently bother you for reasons you can’t identify?
Do you crave sweets and treats, pastries or cookies, alcoholic beverages, and/or simple carbohydrate such as white breads, bagels or pasta?
Do you experience any of the following: Bad breath, dry mouth, drowsiness, heartburn, mood swings, nasal blockage, post-nasal drip, skin breakouts, and/or a regular need to urinate?
Is your mouth coated with whitish film, possibly a yeast infection?
If you are a female, do you encounter severe signs of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and/or do you experience vaginal discharge or even repeated yeast infections?
The more yes answers you have to the queries above, the more likely it is that you have some level of candida. If that’s the case, we recommend testing for Candida; and, if suitable, follow the Candida Detox, a diet and supplement plan that requires a six-week to six-month commitment, depending on the severity of the condition.
Causes of Candida
Candida is basically a “modern-lifestyle” condition, meaning that it was practically nonexistent as recently as 50 years ago. In addition to an over-reliance upon antibiotic drugs, which often starts in childhood, and other modern medicines such as birth control pills and artificial hormone replacement therapy, can significantly predispose people to developing candida. Below is an introduction to the primary causes of and additional factors in the development of Candida.
Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol, since it contains both fermented and refined sugars, acts as a food source which unhealthy bacteria such as Candidiasis thrive upon. In addition, alcohol diminishes immune function and may also produce hormonal imbalances, both of which can further increase the risk of yeast.
Alcohol usage can also indicate whether one is already struggling with candida. Individuals suffering from yeast overgrowth usually are more likely to encounter feelings of intoxication and/or even lightheadedness after as little as one glass of moderate alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine. Even in less serious cases, overall, people who currently have candida tend to be more affected by alcoholic beverages consumption, and become sicker when they consume too much, as compared with people without candida. In addition, a condition known as “drunk disease” can result from candida. In this situation, alcohol is found in the blood stream even when no alcoholic beverages have been consumed due to the ability of Candida albicans to turn acetaldehyde into ethanol. This really is precisely the process used by individuals who brew alcohol at home. People who suffer from “drunk disease” will stay chronically drunk until the health of their bloodstream is returned.
Certainly, all of these problems become a lot more severe in cases of alcohol addiction. Moreover, standard symptoms of alcoholism, such as depressive disorders, gastrointestinal problems, headache, sleeplessness, postnasal get, sexual dysfunction, as well as sinusitis, may also be caused by yeast, making a mix of the two problems twice as systematic. Practitioners of alternative medicine also point out that alcoholism may promote additional unhealthy habits, including cigarette smoking and unlawful drug use. Such routines further diminish immune performance and can cause other health issues such as respiratory infections which are generally treated with antibiotics, therefore increasing multiplication and severity of candida. (For more information, see Addictions.)
Antibiotics: Many holistic health specialists consider antibiotics to be the most significant cause of yeast, because of how antibiotic drugs indiscriminately kill off both “good” as well as “bad” germs. When this happens, it makes it much simpler for bad bacteria such as Candida albicans to flourish and eventually spread past the gastrointestinal tract. This is also true when antibiotic treatments ruin beneficial strains of the healthy acidophilus bacteria and Bifidobacteria, which help to manage yeast overgrowth by producing organic antibacterial and antifungal ingredients, as well as biotin, which is a B-complex vitamin.
Without an adequate supply of biotin in the lower intestine, the yeast which normally resides there begins to mutate from a harmless state into the harmful fungal yeast that is a characteristic of candida. From its growing place within the intestines, Candidiasis extends its roots to the intestinal walls and eventually breaks or cracks through, permitting entry to the bloodstream. Frequently its waste elements, partially broken down food particles and other poisons, enter the blood stream along with it, further compounding the symptoms candida can cause. Repeated courses of antibiotic treatments just serve to exacerbate the problem.
Note: In addition to the antibiotics that may be prescribed for treating infectious illness, antibiotics may also be found in acne medications and in commercially produced meats and related animal food products, because commercially-raised chicken and livestock are typically laced with antibiotics, as well as steroids.
Birth Control Pills: Nearly four out of every ten women who use birth control pills develop vaginal candida. In addition, the synthetic hormones each pill contains may gradually weaken the defense mechanisms if used regularly, and in turn, may increase the chance of opportunistic yeast infections and over growth. Also, the synthetic estrogen contained in contraception pills, and in conventional hormone replacement therapy treatments, contributes to an environment where Candida albicans grows fastest.
Dietary Elements: The standard American diet is yet another significant reason for candida. In addition to foods high in simple sugars and refined carbohydrates, foods that contain molds such as breads, parmesan cheese and peanuts, can just about all feed Candidiasis and help it spread. Inorganic, pasteurized and homogenized milk and other milk products can bring about the problem of yeast overgrowth due to both the lactose they contain as well as the tendency towards food allergies dairy processed in this manner invites. Lactose is yet another simple sugar that Candida albicans thrives upon. Non-organic dairy products additionally commonly include traces of antibiotics. Natural dairy products discovered increasingly at conventional supermarkets, or raw dairy products which are available in numerous parts of the country through local independent farmers, offer a more healthy, easier to absorb option, that is generally free of antibiotics.
In general, the primary dietary factors adding to candida are a high sugar diet, and a diet that consists mainly of foods that cause higher acidity in your body. Like most additional harmful microorganisms, Candida albicans can’t live for long in an environment that is rich in oxygen. By contrast, an acidic environment in the body cuts down on oxygen, making it easier for yeasts and other bad bacteria to invade cells, tissue, and internal organs.
Environmental Factors: Home or work environments that contain mold may contribute to yeast and other forms of yeast overgrowth, can encourage the spread of candida.
Additional environmental factors that can contribute to candida include environmental toxins, pesticide sprays, and chemical toxins, all of which can compromise proper immune function, making it easier for candida to spread. Mercury amalgam dental fillings can also encourage a candida condition. If you have this type of fillings inside your mouth, talk to a holistic, natural dentist to have them safely removed as well as replaced.
Other Illnesses: Other illnesses for example AIDS, cancer, and diabetic issues, can significantly increase the risk of candida.
Unwanted organisms: Internal parasites, such as amoebas, cestodes, Giardia lamblia, or nematodes, may all trigger candida, and make treating it much more difficult. For this reason, alternative practitioners will often test for parasites in the event that their patients fail to show improvement after continuing treatment. If parasites are found, they must be eliminated before candida can be reversed. In addition to blood, urine, and fecal testing, holistic physicians often use electronica dermal screening (EDS) to test for parasites. EDS can also be used to determine which treatment is going to be most effective for a particular patient.
Pregnancy: During and after pregnancy, hormonal changes occur in a woman’s entire body such as estrogen imbalances, which can increase the chance of candida occurring. Candida albicans has the capacity to more easily flourish as well as spread in the presence of incorrectly balanced estrogen levels.
Testing for Candida: Traditional physicians typically screen for candida using traditional lab tests such as blood assessments which look for antibodies to Candida albicans. While such tests can sometimes be useful, they can also give fake positive results, since all of us have some degree of Candida albicans in our bodies, and therefore also have antibodies for it. In the event that a large amount of antibodies are found to be present in the blood, nevertheless, that is a powerful indication that candida exists.
Although holistic practitioners may employ traditional lab tests, they don’t rely on them solely. In addition to asking for a patient’s complete medical history and asking questions such as the ones above, other tests used by alternative physicians consist of:
Darkfield Microscopy- Darkfield microscopy, our favorite option for testing for Candida, involves the use of a darkfield microscope. In contrast to traditional microscopes, a darkfield microscope is specially modified to be able to look at live blood cells which are then amplified onto a video screen. This allows physicians trained in this diagnostic technique to detect evidence of disease via disturbances in the walls of the blood cells, and to spot harmful microorganisms, including candida, parasites, heavy metals, nutritional deficiencies, and other types of bacteria and fungi in the bloodstream. Also known as Live Blood Cell Evaluation, it is an excellent view into one’s internal body. Darkfield, along with Electrodermal screening, is the quickest, clearest, easiest method with which to find out if you have candida overgrowth.
Electrodermal Screening: Electrodermal screening (EDS) is a noninvasive diagnostic technique which measures the electrical current of particular points on the hands, face, or feet which correlate to acupuncture meridian points at the beginning or end of energy meridians. The electric signals given off at these points provide information about the health status of the body’s organs and can also be used in order to detect the presence of toxins, energy and hormone imbalances, and harmful microorganisms such as candida. In the hands of a highly skilled EDS practitioner, EDS can often detect candida in addition to many other health conditions, even when other sophisticated testing methods fail to do so, due to the fact that both health and disease are first and foremost the results of balanced or imbalanced energy.
Stool Evaluation- A stool analysis can be helpful in discovering candida, and can also assist to evaluate the health of the individual’s digestive system. Stool analysis can help determine the amount of good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as other digestive triggers that can be indicative of candida.
Organic Cures: The conventional medical treatment of candida is restricted to anti-fungal medications, such as nystatin, ketoconazol, and Diflucan. Although these drugs can be handy in severe cases associated with candida that resist additional forms of treatment, natural health practitioners caution against using them as the first choice due to the dangerous unwanted effects they can cause, including reducing immune performance. In addition, the price of the drugs can be very costly. Moreover, nystatin, one of the most well-liked drugs for treating candida, can actually cause candida to mutate into other species of yeast that are resistant to nystatin treatment. Also, nystatin can remain in the intestines after it has been used, continuing to destroy healthy germs, which is one of the causes of candida in the first place. Due to these side-effects along with other shortfalls associated with conventional drug treatment, organic health practitioners prefer to use a thorough treatment strategy that handles all possible causes of yeast while simultaneously strengthening overall immune performance. The primary treatments that make up such an approach are listed below:
Be aware: Although personal-treatment can be useful for less severe instances of yeast, it is recommended that you work with a natural health care specialist who is experienced in treating the disease. Total recovery from candida usually requires a minimum of three months of treatment, and may often require six or more months prior to positive results being achieved. This lengthy recovery is due to the systemic character of the disease, which demands time to be fully tackled.
Candida Cleansing: A program geared specifically towards candida cleansing is strongly suggested. We suggest you read through this section and then read the Candida Cleanse within the Cleanse and Detoxification section for a full understanding of the process. The screening procedures above, coupled with a few of the following treatments done with the Candida Detox, gives you the maximum advantage of cleaning candida out of your system. If the full candida cleanse becomes too much of a dedication at this time, a combination of some of the subsequent therapies can be highly supportive.
Acupuncture: Traditional Chinese medicine alone cannot accomplish the task of clearing candida, though in conjunction with cleansing, acupuncture is highly useful for helping to prevent as well as reverse candida because of its ability to stimulate immune function, and also to improve the wellness of the digestive system, genitals, spleen, and belly, all of which can be compromised through systemic yeast overgrowth. Acupuncture can also help to stabilize cellular metabolism, further improving the body’s ability to resist multiplication of yeast.
Aromatherapy: Tea tree oil can be applied topically in order to heal surface yeast and fungal infections. It can also be watered down in fresh filtered water and used as a gargle to reverse oral thrush.
Ayurveda Medicine: Ayurveda physicians view yeast as a condition that is brought on by ama, or the incomplete digestion of foods, especially carbs. Improving digestive function, boosting immune function, and minimizing tension, which can impact both digestion and immunity, is the focus of Ayurveda candida remedies. To this end, Ayurveda physicians use the organic anti-fungal remedies grapefruit seedling oil or even tannic acids, along with taking a combination of cayenne, ginger, pepper, and also the Ayurveda herbs neem and trikatu 30 minutes before each meal. Start with ¼ tsp. of the herbal treatments and gradually increase the dosage to 8-10 teaspoons every day.
A detoxification and refinement program known as panchakarma may also be helpful, both as a way of eliminating yeast and other toxins, and for improving your body’s all around health. Note: Panchakarma programs, that entail nutritional modification in conjunction with detoxifying measures, should only be carried out under the supervision of a qualified Ayurveda practitioner.
To get rid of foods which support yeast overgrowth, avoid just about all sources of sugar, including all sugar products such as honey, molasses, maple, agave, brown, and all of the refined syrups such as corn syrup. Read food labels, carefully staying away from foods that contain sweeteners of any kind, including individuals listed above, together with dextrose, fructose, fruit juices, or concentrated fruit juice sweeteners, lactose, and sucrose. Eliminate just about all forms of alcoholic beverages, and simple or refined carbohydrates such as breads, pasta, baked goods, and all sorts of foods made from white or refined flour. Abstain from the majority of fruits except for berries, grapefruit and green apples. Avoid eating potatoes including yams and sweet potatoes, and other sweet or starchy vegetables such as parsnips, beets, peas and corn. More diet details can be found in the Yeast Cleanse.
Many people with yeast also suffer from food allergies. Therefore, you should be tested for food allergies as well as sensitivities, and also avoid allergenic foods for a minimum of 3 months, so that your body has the opportunity to recover from eating them. If the foods that you are allergic or sensitive to are healthy food, you can reintroduce them into your diet one at a time after your health has enhanced, and then eat them no more frequently than once every four to seven days. If they still trigger an allergic reaction, however, you need to eliminate them from your diet plan.
Mold-containing foods should be avoided such as parmesan cheese, grapes, and all pasteurized fermented foods. Raw cultured vegetables which have not been pasteurized such as sauerkraut are an excellent option. Read more about the benefits of cultured and fermented foods in the Candida Diet plan section of the Candida Cleanse. Every effort should be made to eliminate pasteurized milk and dairy products, including yogurt, due to the lactose sugars. Small amounts of raw yogurt or kefir tend to be acceptable, and especially good if made from raw goat, rather than cow’s milk. Reduce your intake of commercially harvested meats and chicken because of the antibiotics, hormones, and steroids they contain. Whenever you can, choose natural, free-range meats and poultry instead.
These dietary recommendations should be adopted for 4-6 weeks as you begin your overall candida treatment:
Eliminate: Just about all foods that contain yeast, such as bread, cookies, and desserts; all pasteurized heat treated fermented meals, including vinegar, soy marinade, and pickled foods; all forms of sugars and meals that contain sugar, including desserts and candies, honey, maple syrup, soda, sweetened drinks, and sweetened foods; just about all pasteurized whole milk and dairy products, including yogurt; all foods that contain sugar substitutes, colorings, chemical preservatives, and other chemicals, as well as trans-essential fatty acids and partially hydrogenated natural oils; all processed white flour products; all fruits except grapefruit, berries and green apples; all alcohol items; all dark teas, as well as coffee.
Eat frequently: Select from a wide range of fresh vegetables and salads, focusing on natural, leafy-green vegetables; complex whole grains particularly quinoa, buckwheat and millet. Cook with raw coconut and extra virgin olive oil.
Also include, however less frequently, lean organic meat and chicken, wild caught fish, eggs, almonds, seeds, and legumes.
Eating in this way will not only help you recover from candida, it will also help shift the internal environment into a slightly alkaline, oxygen-enriched state that will make it impossible for candida to thrive.
For additional in-depth food and health supplement guidelines, see the Candida Cleanse.
Homeopathic Treatments:
Garlic is well known because of its natural antifungal properties. Garlic’s effectiveness in helping to stop yeast overgrowth is due to its main active ingredient, allicin, which is now available in deodorized capsule form, or you can use one clove of fresh garlic. To prevent the unique body odor raw garlic can cause, lightly roast the clove before you decide to eat it. Garlic may be used in a suppository or douche to help treat genital candida.
The Brazilian plant, pau d’arco bark, is also useful for candida. Be sure to use a pau d’arco product that consists of lapachol, however, for it is this active ingredient that gives pau d’arco its antifungal and antiviral properties.
Additional homeopathic remedies with regard to candida include alfalfa, aloe vera, anise, cinnamon, fennel, grapefruit seed extract, lavender, ginger, ginseng, licorice, essential oil of oregano, red clover, rosemary, licorice, tea sapling oil, and thyme.
Hydrotherapy: Constitutional hydrotherapy (contrasting hot and cold water remedies) applied 2-5 times each week can help to improve your immune function, making your body much more resistant to and better able to cope with systemic candidiasis.
Nutritional Supplements: Nutritional supplements can play a very important role in your recovery from candida, due to their ability to improve immune function while also enhancing digestion and aiding in your body’s detoxification process. They are especially useful for people who tend to be severely depressed due to suffering from candida for months or years.
Suggested nutritional supplements with regard to candida include vitamin A, beta carotene, just about all B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, chromium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. A good probiotic formula containing acidophilus as well as bifidobacteria is essential, as is fructooligosaccharide (FOS), a proper sugar which stimulates the development of good bacteria in the digestive tract. Essential fatty acids, especially those rich in omega-3 oils, as well as adrenal extract are also recommended. The amino acid taurine can help, as can supplementing with hydrochloric acid (HCl), which can considerably improve digestive function and therefore the compression of other nutrients. Colloidal silver is helpful as well.
To further aid digestive function and improve immune performance, you should also supplement with digestive enzymes. Particularly useful in this regard are the nutrients amylase and cellulose, each of which can also help to digest and eliminate unhealthy yeasts, including Candida albicans.
Oxygen Therapy: Air therapy will help quickly produce an oxygen-enriched environment inside of your body in which harmful yeasts, as well as a number of other types of pathogens, cannot be found. A particular type of oxygen treatment -peroxide therapy- is especially useful for treating as well as preventing yeast. According to the late Charles Farr, M.D., Ph.D., who spent most of his expert life researching the recovery benefits of peroxide, it is not just effective in destroying candida and other yeasts, but also many forms of germs, viruses, and parasites. Additionally, hydrogen peroxide improves cellular breathing, overall immune function, and restores tissues.
Note: Hydrogen peroxide therapy should only be administered by a qualified physician. Hydrogen peroxide should not be taken orally, because doing this can cause nausea or vomiting.
Parasite Treatments: To get rid of unwanted organisms, consider a high-dose probiotic remedy using Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria, and L. bulgaricus, along with the use of anti-parasite herbs such as artemisia annua, aloe vera, citrus fruit seed extract, garlic, goldenseal, and wormwood. Continue treatment for 8-12 weeks before beginning to treat candida directly.
Alternative Professional Care The following therapies can assist in treating candida: Natural (Holistic) Dental care, Detoxification Therapy, Magnetic Area Therapy, Orthomolecular Medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. (See Glossary for more information.)