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http://www.candidahouse.com/page/1416197

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THE CANDIDA CONNECTION TO AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE SUCH AS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND LUPUS

Why should the body attack itself?

Research has been unable to come up with any real answer to autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid athritis and lupus maybe the body is not attacking itself primarily, possibly the primary target is not the body but Candida Albicans.
Candida overgrowth and the immune system.
Intestinal mucous membrane changes and defective intestinal flora are known as Dysbiosis.

The intestinal flora, comprising some billions of bacteria, forms a fine film on the inside of the intestines.

Most nutrients must pass through this flora, which alters and filters food. This bacterial colonization has grown up along with evolution and has, adapted itself to the interests of the body as a whole.

When the intestinal flora are not intact, e.g. due to treatment with antibiotics, or ingestion of food which has itself been treated with antibiotics, or a diet high in cane sugar , then the intestinal mucous membrane's absorptive abilities become impaired Leaky Gut Syndrome can develop.

Candida overgrowth leads to leaky gut and the escape through the gut of partially digested proteins, toxins, and candida fungus, which may cause autoimmune problems such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis .

If candida escapes outside the gut it can put out receptors on its cell surface which are similar to human receptors for connective tissue affected in rheumatoid arthritis and the immune system in general affected in lupus.

As the body attacks the Candida it may also attack anything which looks like the Candida.

Because of the connective tissue receptors on Candida, the body's immune system may attack other cells in the body which have these receptors.

Many tissues such as the joints have connective tissue receptors and as the body attacks the Candida, the body may also attack these cells.

The result may be painful joints as in rheumatoid athritis or other inflamed tissues as in lupus.

SO – CANDIDA OVERGROWTH > DISBYOSIS > LEAKYGUT > AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Candida can produce factors which suppress the bodys immune response to it, so the body cannot attack it effectively allowing it to overgrow further and weaken the immune system.

Candida can suppress the offensive weapons of the body's immune system but not inflammation which will still be generated because the immune system has detected a foreign invader, so candida overgrowth may perpetuate inflammation and the pain and discomfort that goes along with it in both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Candida has a capsule on the outside which prevents the white blood cells of the body from engulfing the yeast and killing it.

So the body must rely on the other parts of the immune system to try and fight candida.
Candida can change its outside receptors making it difficult for the body's immune cells to react appropriately so it can play hide and seek with the immune system.
Candida overgrowth may leech nutrients straight out of the gut, candida feeds on the nutrients from the food before we even have a chance to absorb the nutrients into our bodies, and malnourishment can further aggravate symptoms of RA and Lupus and stop the body from repairing itself.
The conventional treatments for these diseases such as anti inflammatory drugs and imuno suppressants may also lead to the candida overgrowth circle where the medication lead to increased overgrowth and worsening of symptoms.
So the relationship between candida overgrowth and autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus is clear when ever candida overgrowth is evident it cannot be ignored especially where there is no genetic link to autoimmune disease.
Controlling candida overgrowth by starving the fungus and repairing the gut can only lead to a healthier immune system and better overall health .
REMEMBER ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CAN WORK IN WITH WESTERN MEDICINE
Note see Psoriasis under skin conditions.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatism involves fever, weakness, swollen and 'warm' joints, deformities of the joints in hands and feet. Rheumatoid arthritis has long been termed an 'auto-immune disease', wherein the immune system appears selectively to destroy connective tissue, tendons, joint muscles and bone. Traditional medicine points to a specific genetic marker, HLA-DRw4, which allegedly predisposes the subject to RA. In reality, RA cannot thrive without key environmental factors being present.
Other related conditions include:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): A chronic, inflammatory disease involving connective tissue and other organs of the body. Symptoms include a red, scaly rash on the face, affecting the nose and cheeks. Mouth sores, arthritis, progressive damage to the kidneys and heart, low white cell count and anemia. The condition is diagnosed by the presence of abnormal antibody activity. Lupus is described as an 'auto-immune' condition. Fungal involvement producing these antibodies is suspected and should be verified.
Ankylosing spondylitis: An inflammatory disorder of the joint capsules which affects young men, mostly damaging connective tissue around the spine and large joints.