By:
ION Archives
Issue:
Winter
Year of publication:
1993
CANDIDA ALBICANS IS A FUNGUS. THE ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF A FUNGUS IS TO RECYCLE ORGANIC MATERIAL. TO CANDIDA, THE HUMAN BODY IS A PILE OF ORGANIC MATERIAL AND, GIVEN THE CHANCE, IT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A DEPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEM OR IMPOVERISHED GUT FLORA AND START TO RECYCLE US CAUSING BOWEL PROBLEMS, ALLERGY, HORMONE DISFUNCTION, SKIN COMPLAINTS, JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN, THRUSH, INFECTIONS AND EMOTIONAL DISORDERS. ERICA WHITE EXPLAINS HOW TO FIGHT BACK.
The name Candida albicans means ‘sweet and white’, suggesting something delicate and pure - perhaps a flower. This is an utterly false picture because in reality Candida albicans is a minute microbe, a yeast that can afflict us with innumerable symptoms, both physical and mental, many of which mimic other diseases and are frequently misdiagnosed.
Many who suffer at the hands of this microbe personify Candida as an enemy, a dark invader who threatens to overwhelm them and against whom they must engage in long and determined warfare. The only certain way to victory is to understand the enemy’s tactics and take the offensive with all guns blazing. This enemy will lose no opportunity to regain lost ground, so the battle must be unrelenting until as last it is won - and even then there is the danger of a false treaty.
The imagery is strengthened by the fact that thriving Candida takes on a fungal form, and the ecological function of fungi is to recycle organic material. To Candida, the human body is a pile of organic material and, given half the chance, it will take advantage of a depressed immune system or impoverished gut flora and start to recycle us. Though possibly not a light to the death, the battle is on for quality of life. Candida multiplies migrates and releases toxins, causing bowel problems, allergy, hormone dysfunction, skin complaints, joint and muscle pain, thrush, infections, fatigue and emotional disorders. It is little wonder that Candida sufferers frequently describe themselves as feeling ill all over!
This distressing situation is largely man-made. Yeast-loving sugar proliferates in commercial foods to guarantee longer shelf-life and customer appeal; antibiotics used indiscriminately reduce friendly bacteria, creating more room in the intestines for pathogenic varieties; steroid drugs and hormone treatments depress the immune system so that it cannot fight effectively and the formulae in babies’ bottles ensure an early imbalance in bowel ecology. Candida cannot take all the blame for ruining our lives; we give it every encouragement to do so. The first stage in fighting back is therefore to start taking personal responsibility for our health.
Obviously, it is important to ensure that the enemy is correctly identified. Dr. William Crook, in his book The Yeast Connection, published a questionnaire, which can help to ascertain the presence or severity of an overgrowth of Candida. If it shows a high score and if doctors have failed to make any other diagnosis, it makes sense to embark on an anti-Candida campaign. In my own story of lifelong diminished health due to Candida, I eventually put together a four-point pan which has since been effective in countless other lives besides my own.
THE ANTI-CANDIDA 4-POINT PLAN
(1). THE ANTI-CANDIDA DIET
The aim of the diet is to starve Candida. Since sugar encourages fungal growth, all forms of sugar must be strictly avoided, including lactose, malt and fructose. I have never seen Candida brought fully under control whilst any fruit is allowed. Refined carbohydrates add to the glucose load so it is essential to use only whole grain flour, rice, etc. Other substances to be avoided are yeast (bread, gravy mixes, spreads), fermented products (alcohol, vinegar), mould (cheese, mushrooms), and stimulants (tea, coffee). A positive approach to the diet is essential, and I wrote the Beat Candida Cookbook to show that mealtimes can still be an enjoyable experience
A craving for Candida’s favourite foods is frequently experienced, and at these times steely determination is needed to keep to the diet. Motivation is encouraged by clearly understanding what is happening. Even when Candida-related symptoms have completely disappeared, the diet should be maintained for a further year to consolidate the newly corrected balance of gut flora. Before long, a “sweet tooth” can no longer survive, making it easier to stay on a sugar-free diet and so ensure a healthier future.
(2). PERSONAL SUPPLEMENT PROGRAMME
At ION I learned the concept of biochemical individuality, and the Nutrition Programme Questionnaire is an excellent tool for assessing nutritional needs through an analysis of symptoms. A supplement programme must be devised to help correct imbalances in glucose tolerance, hormonal status and histamine levels, detoxify the body of pollutants, and increase necessary nutrients for improving stress reaction and cardiovascular health. It is important to support the immune system in as many ways as possible in order to fight back at encroaching colonies of Candida. The situation should be monitored and the programme re-assessed at three-monthly intervals.
In an otherwise carefully calculated programme of nutrients, Vitamin C may be taken to bowel tolerance levels to rid the body of Candida toxins, in addition, Pantothenic Acid may reduce the adverse effects of these toxins by increasing enzyme activity and may be taken at 500mg x 2 daily.
(3). ANTI-FUNGAL SUPPLEMENTS
One of the most useful anti-fungal agents is caprylic acid, a fatty acid, which occurs naturally in coconuts. It is less toxic than most other anti-fungal agents, and its great advantage is that it does not adversely affect beneficial organisms. It is fat-soluble, so will penetrate cell membranes. As calcium magnesium caprylate, it survives digestive processes and is able to reach the colon. For reasons yet to be discussed, it is essential to start with a low level, and build up slowly; a process facilitated by different strength capsules. Artemisia is a herb with broad-spectrum anti-fungal properties, useful against a wide variety of pathogens without disturbing friendly microbes, making it preferable to indiscriminate garlic. A high score on the Candida questionnaire and a history of illness originating in a hot climate are sufficient reasons to suspect a parasite other than Candida, and to use a broad-spectrum antifungal.
Propolis is another natural substance, which, according to research at the University of Bratislava in 1976, is remarkably effective for all fungal infections of the skin and body. It can be taken as drops and built up gradually. Its anaesthetic effect is soothing for oral thrush, and as cream, for painful muscles.
Aloe Vera is gently anti-fungal and is a refreshing mouthwash or gargle as well as an aid to digestion. It can be used as an overnight denture soak, preferable to products, which are not specifically anti-fungal. Dentures can be an ongoing source of candida re-infection.
Tea tree oil is an anti-fungal and, as a cream, can be used for fungal skin conditions. Candida is frequently associated with eczema, psoriasis and acne.
With gentle experimentation, the most suitable products can soon be discovered.
(4). PROBlOTICS
Supplements are needed to carry beneficial bacteria into the intestines and reestablish a healthy colony. The Americans call it “reflorestation”! The role of these bifidobacteria is to increase acidity by producing lactic acid and acetic acid, and to inhibit undesirable micro-organisms, competing with them for attachment sites. Tissues densely covered with beneficial organisms provide an effective blocking mechanism against invading pathogens.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is the major coloniser of the small intestine and Bifidobacterium bifiduni inhabits the large intestine and vagina. It also produces B vitamins. Other helpful bacteria are the transient Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus, which also produce lactic acid on their passage through the bowel. These friendly bacteria are contained in yoghurt, which is therefore a helpful food provided there is no intolerance to dairy foods. In yoghurt, the lactose content of milk has largely been converted into lactic acid by enzyme-producing bifidobacteria, which accounts for the sharpness of its taste. However, to ensure safe passage of these bacteria through the gastric juices, it is necessary to take them in a capsule supplying large numbers of viable organisms in freeze-dried form. Two capsules should be taken daily, at breakfast and supper, but may be increased to six daily or even more in cases of diarrhoea or of illness necessitating antibiotics, which further deplete the Bifidobacteria. An absorbent cream taking acidophilus into vaginal tissue is a beneficial aid for thrush.
Each of the points in the four-point plan is essential in the fight against Candida. Non-compliance with any one of them will lead to failure. There is also a fifth vital aspect - support.
Anyone entering this war zone will almost certainly find themselves in a minefield of problems. Confusion and depression abound, and someone is needed who can look at the situation objectively, discern what is happening and point the way forward. This is part of the role of an effective nutritionist.
Dealing with “Die-Off”
Thriving Candida releases a minimum of seventy-nine known toxins. Dead Candida releases even more. A general feeling of toxicity includes aching muscles, fuzzy head, depression, anxiety, nausea and diarrhoea. In specific areas where Candida has colonised, there will be an apparent flare-up of old symptoms - sore throat, thrush, painful joints, eczema, etc. This unpleasant situation is known as “die-off” or formally known as Herxheimer’s reaction. It has to be recognised as a last ditch deception by the enemy because the very presence of the symptoms means that Candida is being wiped out and that victory is imminent.
Severe die-off indicates that Candida is being destroyed faster than the body can eliminate the toxins; it can therefore be avoided. An unnecessary backlog of toxins is the cause of die-off symptoms. The art is to destroy Candida slowly but surely, and initial die-off will probably be triggered by the diet as Candida is starved, and by vitamins and minerals as they boost the immune system to fight back. These first two points of the four- point plan usually cause more than enough die-off for most people to cope with, and anti-fungal agents should not be added to the regime until this phase is over. By the end of a month the majority of people claim that they feel better than they have for years! Then is the time to add caprylic acid and acidophilus supplements to the programme.
Taking ground slowly is still the surest method of attack. Most people on caprylic acid can start by tolerating a medium-strength capsule, 400 mg x I daily, without too much difficulty.
If, after five days, they are not battling with die-off symptoms, the dose can be increased to 400 mg x 2, and so on up to six capsules daily. After this, they can graduate to 680 mg capsules x 3 and increase again if necessary. However, the climb up is seldom straightforward and at some stage there might come a surge of die-off reaction necessitating a drop to a lower level, or even a complete break, whilst the body eliminates the toxins. This should not be regarded as a setback, but simply as a necessary part of the process. Drinking plenty of fluid and taking good levels of Vitamin C and Pantothenic Acid, as already discussed, will speed up detoxification. Eventually, caprylic acid accomplishes its job and no more die-off is experienced. The score on the Candida questionnaire falls as low as it can, allowing for “history” factors, which obviously do not change.
There are those in whom die-off reaction is so severe that they seem unable to tolerate even the lowest level of anti-fungal supplements. This can be due to an already toxic liver, and a supplement containing the herb Silymarin can help to prepare the way before making another attempt with caprylic acid. Another possibility is that the immune system is reacting to the toxins, in which case a programme to reduce histamine will also reduce symptoms, enabling easier ascent of the anti-fungal ladder.
Slow progress might be due to environmental factors (e.g. domestic gas or mould from houseplant soil or food sensitivities overloading the immune system. Avoidance of culprit foods once identified through pulse-testing enables the immune system to work more efficiently. Very often, once Candida is under control, porous intestines can be healed with butyric acid
and the foods re-introduced without problem. Discovering environmental culprits involves detection and possibly expense; for instance, the heating system needs to be changed!
Candidiasis is frequently not acknowledged by medical practitioners and is misunderstood by family and friends. Loneliness and despair add to the physical and mental suffering created by the enemy within.
There is no easy way to win the Candida war. It takes courage, determination and perseverance - but it can be done. For more than fifty years I fought an unidentified foe. The unmasking of the enemy was the initial breakthrough; the four-point plan brought victory!
The name Candida albicans means ‘sweet and white’, suggesting something delicate and pure - perhaps a flower. This is an utterly false picture because in reality Candida albicans is a minute microbe, a yeast that can afflict us with innumerable symptoms, both physical and mental, many of which mimic other diseases and are frequently misdiagnosed.
Many who suffer at the hands of this microbe personify Candida as an enemy, a dark invader who threatens to overwhelm them and against whom they must engage in long and determined warfare. The only certain way to victory is to understand the enemy’s tactics and take the offensive with all guns blazing. This enemy will lose no opportunity to regain lost ground, so the battle must be unrelenting until as last it is won - and even then there is the danger of a false treaty.
The imagery is strengthened by the fact that thriving Candida takes on a fungal form, and the ecological function of fungi is to recycle organic material. To Candida, the human body is a pile of organic material and, given half the chance, it will take advantage of a depressed immune system or impoverished gut flora and start to recycle us. Though possibly not a light to the death, the battle is on for quality of life. Candida multiplies migrates and releases toxins, causing bowel problems, allergy, hormone dysfunction, skin complaints, joint and muscle pain, thrush, infections, fatigue and emotional disorders. It is little wonder that Candida sufferers frequently describe themselves as feeling ill all over!
This distressing situation is largely man-made. Yeast-loving sugar proliferates in commercial foods to guarantee longer shelf-life and customer appeal; antibiotics used indiscriminately reduce friendly bacteria, creating more room in the intestines for pathogenic varieties; steroid drugs and hormone treatments depress the immune system so that it cannot fight effectively and the formulae in babies’ bottles ensure an early imbalance in bowel ecology. Candida cannot take all the blame for ruining our lives; we give it every encouragement to do so. The first stage in fighting back is therefore to start taking personal responsibility for our health.
Obviously, it is important to ensure that the enemy is correctly identified. Dr. William Crook, in his book The Yeast Connection, published a questionnaire, which can help to ascertain the presence or severity of an overgrowth of Candida. If it shows a high score and if doctors have failed to make any other diagnosis, it makes sense to embark on an anti-Candida campaign. In my own story of lifelong diminished health due to Candida, I eventually put together a four-point pan which has since been effective in countless other lives besides my own.
THE ANTI-CANDIDA 4-POINT PLAN
(1). THE ANTI-CANDIDA DIET
The aim of the diet is to starve Candida. Since sugar encourages fungal growth, all forms of sugar must be strictly avoided, including lactose, malt and fructose. I have never seen Candida brought fully under control whilst any fruit is allowed. Refined carbohydrates add to the glucose load so it is essential to use only whole grain flour, rice, etc. Other substances to be avoided are yeast (bread, gravy mixes, spreads), fermented products (alcohol, vinegar), mould (cheese, mushrooms), and stimulants (tea, coffee). A positive approach to the diet is essential, and I wrote the Beat Candida Cookbook to show that mealtimes can still be an enjoyable experience
A craving for Candida’s favourite foods is frequently experienced, and at these times steely determination is needed to keep to the diet. Motivation is encouraged by clearly understanding what is happening. Even when Candida-related symptoms have completely disappeared, the diet should be maintained for a further year to consolidate the newly corrected balance of gut flora. Before long, a “sweet tooth” can no longer survive, making it easier to stay on a sugar-free diet and so ensure a healthier future.
(2). PERSONAL SUPPLEMENT PROGRAMME
At ION I learned the concept of biochemical individuality, and the Nutrition Programme Questionnaire is an excellent tool for assessing nutritional needs through an analysis of symptoms. A supplement programme must be devised to help correct imbalances in glucose tolerance, hormonal status and histamine levels, detoxify the body of pollutants, and increase necessary nutrients for improving stress reaction and cardiovascular health. It is important to support the immune system in as many ways as possible in order to fight back at encroaching colonies of Candida. The situation should be monitored and the programme re-assessed at three-monthly intervals.
In an otherwise carefully calculated programme of nutrients, Vitamin C may be taken to bowel tolerance levels to rid the body of Candida toxins, in addition, Pantothenic Acid may reduce the adverse effects of these toxins by increasing enzyme activity and may be taken at 500mg x 2 daily.
(3). ANTI-FUNGAL SUPPLEMENTS
One of the most useful anti-fungal agents is caprylic acid, a fatty acid, which occurs naturally in coconuts. It is less toxic than most other anti-fungal agents, and its great advantage is that it does not adversely affect beneficial organisms. It is fat-soluble, so will penetrate cell membranes. As calcium magnesium caprylate, it survives digestive processes and is able to reach the colon. For reasons yet to be discussed, it is essential to start with a low level, and build up slowly; a process facilitated by different strength capsules. Artemisia is a herb with broad-spectrum anti-fungal properties, useful against a wide variety of pathogens without disturbing friendly microbes, making it preferable to indiscriminate garlic. A high score on the Candida questionnaire and a history of illness originating in a hot climate are sufficient reasons to suspect a parasite other than Candida, and to use a broad-spectrum antifungal.
Propolis is another natural substance, which, according to research at the University of Bratislava in 1976, is remarkably effective for all fungal infections of the skin and body. It can be taken as drops and built up gradually. Its anaesthetic effect is soothing for oral thrush, and as cream, for painful muscles.
Aloe Vera is gently anti-fungal and is a refreshing mouthwash or gargle as well as an aid to digestion. It can be used as an overnight denture soak, preferable to products, which are not specifically anti-fungal. Dentures can be an ongoing source of candida re-infection.
Tea tree oil is an anti-fungal and, as a cream, can be used for fungal skin conditions. Candida is frequently associated with eczema, psoriasis and acne.
With gentle experimentation, the most suitable products can soon be discovered.
(4). PROBlOTICS
Supplements are needed to carry beneficial bacteria into the intestines and reestablish a healthy colony. The Americans call it “reflorestation”! The role of these bifidobacteria is to increase acidity by producing lactic acid and acetic acid, and to inhibit undesirable micro-organisms, competing with them for attachment sites. Tissues densely covered with beneficial organisms provide an effective blocking mechanism against invading pathogens.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is the major coloniser of the small intestine and Bifidobacterium bifiduni inhabits the large intestine and vagina. It also produces B vitamins. Other helpful bacteria are the transient Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus, which also produce lactic acid on their passage through the bowel. These friendly bacteria are contained in yoghurt, which is therefore a helpful food provided there is no intolerance to dairy foods. In yoghurt, the lactose content of milk has largely been converted into lactic acid by enzyme-producing bifidobacteria, which accounts for the sharpness of its taste. However, to ensure safe passage of these bacteria through the gastric juices, it is necessary to take them in a capsule supplying large numbers of viable organisms in freeze-dried form. Two capsules should be taken daily, at breakfast and supper, but may be increased to six daily or even more in cases of diarrhoea or of illness necessitating antibiotics, which further deplete the Bifidobacteria. An absorbent cream taking acidophilus into vaginal tissue is a beneficial aid for thrush.
Each of the points in the four-point plan is essential in the fight against Candida. Non-compliance with any one of them will lead to failure. There is also a fifth vital aspect - support.
Anyone entering this war zone will almost certainly find themselves in a minefield of problems. Confusion and depression abound, and someone is needed who can look at the situation objectively, discern what is happening and point the way forward. This is part of the role of an effective nutritionist.
Dealing with “Die-Off”
Thriving Candida releases a minimum of seventy-nine known toxins. Dead Candida releases even more. A general feeling of toxicity includes aching muscles, fuzzy head, depression, anxiety, nausea and diarrhoea. In specific areas where Candida has colonised, there will be an apparent flare-up of old symptoms - sore throat, thrush, painful joints, eczema, etc. This unpleasant situation is known as “die-off” or formally known as Herxheimer’s reaction. It has to be recognised as a last ditch deception by the enemy because the very presence of the symptoms means that Candida is being wiped out and that victory is imminent.
Severe die-off indicates that Candida is being destroyed faster than the body can eliminate the toxins; it can therefore be avoided. An unnecessary backlog of toxins is the cause of die-off symptoms. The art is to destroy Candida slowly but surely, and initial die-off will probably be triggered by the diet as Candida is starved, and by vitamins and minerals as they boost the immune system to fight back. These first two points of the four- point plan usually cause more than enough die-off for most people to cope with, and anti-fungal agents should not be added to the regime until this phase is over. By the end of a month the majority of people claim that they feel better than they have for years! Then is the time to add caprylic acid and acidophilus supplements to the programme.
Taking ground slowly is still the surest method of attack. Most people on caprylic acid can start by tolerating a medium-strength capsule, 400 mg x I daily, without too much difficulty.
If, after five days, they are not battling with die-off symptoms, the dose can be increased to 400 mg x 2, and so on up to six capsules daily. After this, they can graduate to 680 mg capsules x 3 and increase again if necessary. However, the climb up is seldom straightforward and at some stage there might come a surge of die-off reaction necessitating a drop to a lower level, or even a complete break, whilst the body eliminates the toxins. This should not be regarded as a setback, but simply as a necessary part of the process. Drinking plenty of fluid and taking good levels of Vitamin C and Pantothenic Acid, as already discussed, will speed up detoxification. Eventually, caprylic acid accomplishes its job and no more die-off is experienced. The score on the Candida questionnaire falls as low as it can, allowing for “history” factors, which obviously do not change.
There are those in whom die-off reaction is so severe that they seem unable to tolerate even the lowest level of anti-fungal supplements. This can be due to an already toxic liver, and a supplement containing the herb Silymarin can help to prepare the way before making another attempt with caprylic acid. Another possibility is that the immune system is reacting to the toxins, in which case a programme to reduce histamine will also reduce symptoms, enabling easier ascent of the anti-fungal ladder.
Slow progress might be due to environmental factors (e.g. domestic gas or mould from houseplant soil or food sensitivities overloading the immune system. Avoidance of culprit foods once identified through pulse-testing enables the immune system to work more efficiently. Very often, once Candida is under control, porous intestines can be healed with butyric acid
and the foods re-introduced without problem. Discovering environmental culprits involves detection and possibly expense; for instance, the heating system needs to be changed!
Candidiasis is frequently not acknowledged by medical practitioners and is misunderstood by family and friends. Loneliness and despair add to the physical and mental suffering created by the enemy within.
There is no easy way to win the Candida war. It takes courage, determination and perseverance - but it can be done. For more than fifty years I fought an unidentified foe. The unmasking of the enemy was the initial breakthrough; the four-point plan brought victory!
No comments:
Post a Comment