The nightmare of Candida

Conquering Candidiasis Naturally
Stephen C. Byrnes, N.D., R.N.C.P.

The Nightmare of Candida Overgrowth

Candida albicans and candida tropicalis are the names given to common yeasts that live within our intestines and certain mucous membranes, the throat, for example. Everyone has candida within them: we are born with it.

Candida usually lives at peace with our other intestinal fauna, the acidophilus and bifido bacteria, and it is these bacterial residents that keep candida under control, preventing a "population burst." Candida's function in the body is mainly to gobble up any putrefied food matter in our digestive system (mostly caused by improper digestion due to low stomach acid) before any potentially harmful bacteria can have a feast, multiply, and become threatening to our health. After we die, candida acts to decompose the body, feeding off our corpse, much like a fungal mold on a dead tree.

Candida is usually kept in check by the gastrointestinal "good" bacteria and the immune system, but trouble can arise when certain conditions are present. It is in the presence of these conditions that candida can begin growing out of control in the intestines, branching out and colonizing the gut. In this process, candida can eat away at the intestinal walls, spread into the bloodstream, and infiltrate other tissues. The normally benign yeast has literally transformed itself into an aggressive, destructive, fungal pathogen that can cause a variety of seemingly unrelated health problems. This condition/disease is known as systemic candidiasis.

Symptoms and Causes

Systemic candidiasis, as a separate disease, was not recognized or defined until the 1980's, mostly because its symptoms were so varied and duplicated those of other illnesses, leading doctors to conclude that the patient was suffering from, for example, sinusitis instead of yeast infiltration of the nasal passages. Additionally, since one of the main causes of systemic candidiasis are doctor prescribed antibiotics, which kill the intestinal bacteria that control candida, the medical profession was probably not too eager to admit the existence of this disease. Diagnoses of candidiasis were limited to its visible manifestations, e.g., a vaginal or oral yeast infection. Treatment was directed towards eradicating these conditions alone without addressing the reality of a more serious, but hidden, infection.

The symptoms of candidiasis, and their severity, vary from person to person but the main ones are: chronic fatigue, especially after eating, depression, craving for breads and sugars (yeast eats sugar), extreme mood swings, feelings of rage, especially after eating sugary foods, feeling "drunk" after eating a meal high in carbohydrates (candida's waste is alcohol), hypoglycemia, excessive mucous of the throat, nose, and lungs, chronic fungal infections of the skin (jock itch, athlete's foot) or vaginal/oral thrush, diarrhea, anal itching, short-term memory loss, feeling "spacy," and bloating or gassiness after eating.

In addition to these, lymphatic swelling, difficult PMS, night sweats, chest and joint pain, memory loss, incoordination, blurred vision, intense, random headaches, intermittent vertigo, insomnia, sneezing fits, and increased food allergies are also fairly common. A person tends to get extremely sensitive to damp, mildewy environments and, sometimes, to extreme humidity as well as perfumes, colognes, and smoke. Since candida can infiltrate the urinary tract, acute kidney infections, cystitis, and prostatitis are possible.

While these symptoms can indicate other illnesses, if certain factors are present in one's personal history the symptoms are likely to indicate candida overgrowth. These factors are:

• Prolonged, or repeated, use of antibiotics, corticosteroid drugs, and/or birth control pills, at any time in the past
• A diet high in processed sugars which encourages candida growth, and
• Preexisting immunosuppression caused by drug or alcohol abuse, multiple blood transfusions, debilitating illness, organ transplants, or chemotherapy. All three are NOT required to bring on a case of candidiasis: excessive "sugar binging" can cause it just as surely as antibiotics can. Pregnancy also predisposes women to the condition since pregnancy alters the body's delicate hormonal and pH balance: candida thrives in an alkaline environment.

Contributing factors are

• Low stomach acidity leading to poorly digested food and
• Improper bowel movements leading to prolonged retention of fecal matter in the colon: these conditions promote yeast overgrowth.

A 20th Century Disease

Candidiasis is truly a modern disease, brought on by medical "innovations" like antibiotics and the Pill and a more "civilized" diet of refined, sugary foods and candy. In some naturopathic circles, the illness is derisively known as "Candy Disease."

In all seriousness, however, candidiasis is a serious condition for two main reasons:

• It often goes undiagnosed, allowing the yeast to spread unhampered, and
• The numerous symptoms it produces severely tax the immune system, forcing it to deal with, not only the yeast infection, but the other conditions the yeast causes. A truly vicious cycle can ensue: a person is weakened by a candida caused problem, say cystitis, and goes to a doctor who then prescribes antibiotics for it. The drugs kill off more of the intestinal bacteria which control candida, making the candida overgrowth worse, leading to more infections and more antibiotics, etc. At its most destructive, candida can exhaust the adrenal glands, leading to Addison's disease, can interfere with digestion so much that virtually no nutrients are absorbed from food, and can cause life threatening infestations of the vital organs and the brain