Mental disorders and the Candida connection
September 12, 2012
Mental health is defined as: “A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.” Conditions like chronic depression, bi-polar disorder and loss of memory are therefore generally classified as mental disorders and are generally treated by psychiatrists through the use of drug therapy. However, what if mental disorders like chronic depression, bi-polar disorder and loss of memory were the product of poor brain health, for example, a severe vitamin B3 deficiency? Clearly, in a case like this, treatment with psychotropic drugs would not address the underlying cause of the “mental disorder.” The same can be said of mental disorders that are the result of poor brain health due to Candida overgrowth symptoms.
Candida and brain health
When Candida migrates from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream, it secretes metabolic waste products (phospholipase and acetaldehyde) that can adversely affect the body’s metabolic, neurological, endocrine, and immune systems. Research performed on rats has demonstrated the ability of acetaldehyde to penetrate the blood-brain-barrier. Once inside the brain, acetaldehyde can interact with the brain’s chemistry to produce a number of symptoms that are typically diagnosed as mental health disorders. Many of these symptoms include: depression, forgetfulness, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, bipolar disorder, mood swings and thoughts of suicide, to name a few. If these symptoms exist in a patient suffering with Candida overgrowth, they may be misdiagnosed as a mental health disorder and this poor soul could end in a mental facility on a diet of psychotropic drugs for the rest of their life.
Crazy with Candida
The following is an actual case of a Candida overgrowth sufferer that demonstrates the failure of allopathic medical practitioners to distinguish between a mental health and brain health disorder.
A female patient with suicidal thoughts and depression was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and placed under doctor supervision who prescribed various cocktails of psychotropic drugs for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, including Risperidone, Lithium, Lexapro and Klonopin, respectively, to name a few. The patient endured this regiment for over ten years along with multiple hospital and institutional stays for treatment and observation of behavioral relapses. Many of these relapses occurred during the fall and winter months.
About three years ago, I was introduced to the patient by a close friend. During that period I witnessed various manifestations of the patient’s “mental illness,” along hospital visits while she was undergoing clinical care. During those visits my heart would sink seeing her trudging along in a zombie-like stupor. I was convinced from my own experience with a relative who was treated for similar symptoms that her only hope for recovery was getting off the meds. I suggested to her on numerous occasions to speak to her psychiatrist about tapering her medications while under clinical observation. Each episode was met with resistance and usually ended with an apology from me.
A change of heart
During a phone conversation I had with the patient about two months ago she indicated that she had stopped taking the antidepressant medication and started taking half the prescribed dosage of Lithium for several days with beneficial results, and no side effects. While I was happy to hear that I cautioned her not to modify the medication regimen without first consulting her doctor. She later spoke with her doctor who took her off the antidepressant and agreed to a three-month trial of Lithium at a lower dosage. I encouraged her to limit her sugar intake as she confessed of having strong cravings for sugary fruit drinks as I suspected that her condition was related to a yeast imbalance. In a recent phone conversation that we had she expressed joy over her new found health and was looking forward to coming off all of her meds. The reversal in her mental health that I was privileged to witness over the last few months was nothing short of miraculous. Her concentration, conversational skills and memory were greatly improved as well as her emotional and mental balance. She emerged from chronic depression to new heights of joy and optimism; she was a completely changed individual.
The sad note in this victory celebration is the fact that there are probably tens of thousands of patients diagnosed with symptoms of mental disorders that may be attributed to Candida overgrowth. Many of these people, unlike my friend, will remain wards of a State institution and may never get a chance to experience normalcy again.
Crazy or Candida?
When Candida albicans invades the bloodstream and targets the brain, it can produce a wide range of symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as mental disorders. Elderly patients and those with immunodeficiency disorders, or who have been on a long-term regimen of antibiotics, may suddenly present with symptoms that resemble some type of mental disorder. In his book The Missing Diagnosis, Dr. C. Orian Truss makes the following observation:
“I would like to make a special plea that we speak of manifestations of abnormal brain function, not as ‘mental symptoms,’ but as ‘brain symptoms.’ Inherent in the term ‘mental symptom’ is the connotation that somehow ‘the mind’ is a separate entity from the brain that ‘mental’ symptoms are occurring (at least initially) in a brain that is functioning normally chemically and physiologically. We speak of kidney, liver, or intestinal symptoms when abnormal function manifests itself in these organs, but we use the term ‘mental symptoms’ rather than ‘brain symptoms’ when a similar problem occurs with brain physiology.”
There is clear connection between mental health disorders and Candida overgrowth symptoms. Until the medical industry is able to connect the dots and, like Dr. Truss, adopt a more holistic view in treating illness, they will continue to throw medicine bottles and electric current at patients with mental disorders.
________________________________________________________________
Mr. Collins, a cancer survivor, has first-hand experience fighting Candida overgrowth. A former publisher of the New York edition of Doctor of Dentistry magazine, Henry has completed certificate courses in anatomy, medical terminology, physiology and pathophysiology. He is currently writing a book on prostate cancer and is an advocate of early PSA screening. He can be reached at: info@patientmanual.com
Candida and brain health
When Candida migrates from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream, it secretes metabolic waste products (phospholipase and acetaldehyde) that can adversely affect the body’s metabolic, neurological, endocrine, and immune systems. Research performed on rats has demonstrated the ability of acetaldehyde to penetrate the blood-brain-barrier. Once inside the brain, acetaldehyde can interact with the brain’s chemistry to produce a number of symptoms that are typically diagnosed as mental health disorders. Many of these symptoms include: depression, forgetfulness, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, bipolar disorder, mood swings and thoughts of suicide, to name a few. If these symptoms exist in a patient suffering with Candida overgrowth, they may be misdiagnosed as a mental health disorder and this poor soul could end in a mental facility on a diet of psychotropic drugs for the rest of their life.
Crazy with Candida
The following is an actual case of a Candida overgrowth sufferer that demonstrates the failure of allopathic medical practitioners to distinguish between a mental health and brain health disorder.
A female patient with suicidal thoughts and depression was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and placed under doctor supervision who prescribed various cocktails of psychotropic drugs for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, including Risperidone, Lithium, Lexapro and Klonopin, respectively, to name a few. The patient endured this regiment for over ten years along with multiple hospital and institutional stays for treatment and observation of behavioral relapses. Many of these relapses occurred during the fall and winter months.
About three years ago, I was introduced to the patient by a close friend. During that period I witnessed various manifestations of the patient’s “mental illness,” along hospital visits while she was undergoing clinical care. During those visits my heart would sink seeing her trudging along in a zombie-like stupor. I was convinced from my own experience with a relative who was treated for similar symptoms that her only hope for recovery was getting off the meds. I suggested to her on numerous occasions to speak to her psychiatrist about tapering her medications while under clinical observation. Each episode was met with resistance and usually ended with an apology from me.
A change of heart
During a phone conversation I had with the patient about two months ago she indicated that she had stopped taking the antidepressant medication and started taking half the prescribed dosage of Lithium for several days with beneficial results, and no side effects. While I was happy to hear that I cautioned her not to modify the medication regimen without first consulting her doctor. She later spoke with her doctor who took her off the antidepressant and agreed to a three-month trial of Lithium at a lower dosage. I encouraged her to limit her sugar intake as she confessed of having strong cravings for sugary fruit drinks as I suspected that her condition was related to a yeast imbalance. In a recent phone conversation that we had she expressed joy over her new found health and was looking forward to coming off all of her meds. The reversal in her mental health that I was privileged to witness over the last few months was nothing short of miraculous. Her concentration, conversational skills and memory were greatly improved as well as her emotional and mental balance. She emerged from chronic depression to new heights of joy and optimism; she was a completely changed individual.
The sad note in this victory celebration is the fact that there are probably tens of thousands of patients diagnosed with symptoms of mental disorders that may be attributed to Candida overgrowth. Many of these people, unlike my friend, will remain wards of a State institution and may never get a chance to experience normalcy again.
Crazy or Candida?
When Candida albicans invades the bloodstream and targets the brain, it can produce a wide range of symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as mental disorders. Elderly patients and those with immunodeficiency disorders, or who have been on a long-term regimen of antibiotics, may suddenly present with symptoms that resemble some type of mental disorder. In his book The Missing Diagnosis, Dr. C. Orian Truss makes the following observation:
“I would like to make a special plea that we speak of manifestations of abnormal brain function, not as ‘mental symptoms,’ but as ‘brain symptoms.’ Inherent in the term ‘mental symptom’ is the connotation that somehow ‘the mind’ is a separate entity from the brain that ‘mental’ symptoms are occurring (at least initially) in a brain that is functioning normally chemically and physiologically. We speak of kidney, liver, or intestinal symptoms when abnormal function manifests itself in these organs, but we use the term ‘mental symptoms’ rather than ‘brain symptoms’ when a similar problem occurs with brain physiology.”
There is clear connection between mental health disorders and Candida overgrowth symptoms. Until the medical industry is able to connect the dots and, like Dr. Truss, adopt a more holistic view in treating illness, they will continue to throw medicine bottles and electric current at patients with mental disorders.
________________________________________________________________
Mr. Collins, a cancer survivor, has first-hand experience fighting Candida overgrowth. A former publisher of the New York edition of Doctor of Dentistry magazine, Henry has completed certificate courses in anatomy, medical terminology, physiology and pathophysiology. He is currently writing a book on prostate cancer and is an advocate of early PSA screening. He can be reached at: info@patientmanual.com
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