Candida: A Major Health Problem

by D.M. Murdock

Although it is not widely known, the overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans has become a common problem in the United States. It is estimated that between 30 to 80 percent of the American populace has a mild to severe candida overgrowth, or candidiasis. Mainstream doctors do not usually diagnose candidiasis, unless it is obvious, such as in the conditions of thrush and vaginal infection, or life-threatening, when it pervades major organs such as the brain or appears in immune-compromised individuals.

Normally a harmless or beneficial yeast naturally occurring in the digestive tract, mouth and other mucous membranes, as well as on the skin, Candida albicans can easily become dominate in the absence of a proper balance of intestinal flora. These flora or bacteria, such as the well-known acidophilus, come in many strains and are often very fragile but are crucial for a healthy intestinal environment. As the body's flora become unbalanced candida can take over, causing or exacerbating numerous symptoms, syndromes, diseases and illnesses ("candida related complex" or CRC) suffered by so many people today. Candida overgrowth is infectious and can be passed between individuals, especially those who share households.

When untreated, the candida yeast will transform into a disease-causing fungus, with roots called "rhizoids" that extend through the intestinal wall, creating "leaky gut." Leaky gut in turns allows for the candida to enter into the bloodstream, where it is liable to wreak havoc throughout the entire body, also causing immunity reactions such as allergies and other illnesses. At this point, a disease called candidiasis has been produced. This disease has proved to be difficult to battle. Fortunately, at this time there are certain things one can do and products one can use to arrest and reverse candidiasis.

Causes of Candida Overgrowth

The number one cause of candidiasis is evidently the overuse of antibiotics, although it can take only one course to trigger a candida overgrowth. Antibiotics destroy not only unhealthy bacteria but also good bacteria, such as the many intestinal flora that help us digest our food and produce many beneficial and health-giving chemicals and compounds. Unfortunately, antibiotics do not destroy candida overgrowth. Importantly, even if you aren't taking prescribed antibiotics, if you eat non-organic animal products, such as dairy, meat and poultry, you are getting large doses of many antibiotics in your daily diet.

Other causes of candida overgrowth include: hormones, i.e., testosterone and estrogens, such as in birth-control pills; many other prescription drugs, including and especially steroids and cortisone; cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation; x-rays; junk food and a poor, sugar- and chemical-filled diet; and smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, whether prescription or illicit. Causes not usually listed include pollution, chlorinated water and chemicals in the environment such as pesticides, cleaning materials, gasoline and many more. Practically everyone is subjected to numerous of these factors and is at risk for candidiasis, which strikes young and old.

Effects and Symptoms of a Candida Overgrowth

When candida becomes a fungal infection, it not only damages the body by "mucking up the works," but it also creates a tremendous amount of toxic waste, with dozens of toxic by-products that can seriously compromise the health. For example, what is called "brain fog" associated with candida, a feeling of intoxication, is the toxic yeast by-product acetaldehyde being turned into ethanol, a form of alcohol, in the liver.

Common symptoms of candida overgrowth include those of the intestine: indigestion, gas, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, and so on. Numerous skin problems are attributable to candida overgrowth, including rashes, acne, rosacea, eczema, dry and itchy skin, cysts, etc.

Other systemic problems stemming from candida include vaginal and urinary tract infections, as well as rectal itching. Eye pain may result from candida infection, as may sore, peeling lips, sinusitis and other sinus problems, ear infections and partial deafness. Many of these symptoms are attributable to an overly acidic pH level in the body, a condition on which candida thrives.

It appears that candidiasis is a major cause of nerve degeneration, leading to such conditions as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, weepiness, mood swings, irritability, rage, headaches, migraines, auras and blurry vision, as well as neurosis, anorexia, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and more severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia and psychosis. More severe conditions such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy may also have a link to candidiasis.

All of these illnesses may be traceable to a weak and stressed immune system that no longer has the capacity to fight off the candida to bring the body back into balance. Because invading candida are voracious, consuming much of the food we eat, an overgrowth can and usually does lead to multiple nutrient deficiencies. Also, by destroying the bacteria or flora that create several B vitamins and vitamin K, candida can cause deficiencies in these nutrients. The human body needs hundreds of different nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids (proteins), phytonutrients and others being discovered on a regular basis. Once the candida problem is addressed, nutritional deficiencies should become reduced or disappear. In fact, unrecognized candidiasis may be one reason why so many nutritional health programs and protocols fail to cause improvement.

Testing for Candida

The simplest candida test is to spit saliva first thing in the morning into a small glass of water. Be sure not to put anything into your mouth before doing this test. A candida overgrowth will manifest in strings of mucus slowly dripping to the bottom, a process that may take up to an hour or so but that may begin within minutes. Check every 15 minutes. This test may be done on a regular basis to see if there is progress being made with the anti-candida program. However, the right program may be felt immediately, such that you will know from how you feel if there is progress and whether or not it is working.

The frequently recommended book for information regarding candida overgrowth, The Yeast Connection by William Crook, MD, provides an extensive questionnaire that can approximate the degree of candidiasis an individual may be suffering.

Having laboratory tests done on blood or stools is not necessarily an efficient way of identifying candidiasis. Mainstream medical practitioners rarely identify candida overgrowth or recommend these tests for candida. Usually, the results will be negative for an overgrowth, because, again, candida resides normally in small but substantial quantities throughout the body. A diagnosis of thrush or vaginal yeast infection is a clear sign of a candida problem. (It should be kept in mind that if one family member has a candida diagnosis, others in the household may also be at risk.) Live blood analysis may be an effective form of testing for candida overgrowth, as well as other problems stemming from otherwise irregular blood.

Treatment for Candidiasis

In the cases in which candida overgrowth has been clinically diagnosed, the main treatment involves the use of antifungal prescription drugs such as Nystatin and Diflucan. These drugs may be effective in the short run but individuals have reported side effects-or at least the return of their candidiasis once treatment has stopped. This rebound starts another round of the antifungals, and so on. Immune system reduction has been attributed to this cycle. It is usually recommended that if your candidiasis is so severe as to warrant a medical diagnosis, you should treat it with these pharmaceutical drugs, as prescribed by your medical doctor. Nystatin, a "low-risk therapy," is an effective short-term treatment for yeast overgrowth only in the digestive tract, as it is not absorbed into the blood and works on contact. Nystatin may be for you, but you may wish to do an internet search for possible side effects, although the Physician's Desk Reference reports that these are rare and mild. It should be kept in mind that once Nystatin treatment is ended, the yeast will return, to be kept in check through rigorous dietary adherences that may be difficult for the average person to accomplish. The antifungal Diflucan is more powerful but also more toxic than Nystatin. Use caution and close monitoring if you decide to use Diflucan.

It is questionable whether or not an infant with thrush should be treated with antifungal drugs. One woman's experience with her infant, who came down with thrush likely traceable to a course of antibiotics shortly after birth, was that the treatment recommended by the pediatrician was unacceptable, because it required putting baking soda into the newborn's mouth. Such a treatment could have damaged the baby's kidneys, as it is high in sodium. Instead, the baby's medically diagnosed thrush was treated with an oxygen product. The mother diluted five drops of the oxygen product in a teaspoon of water and dabbed the solution on the sores. She also gave the baby small amounts of this particular oxygen product, which we recommend, in water to drink. This treatment, which deals with the fact that candida is an anaerobic microbe killed in the presence of oxygen, worked well and quickly. When the mother returned for the child's wellness visit a month later, the doctor and his staff were flabbergasted that she had succeeded in ridding him of the thrush, remarking, "We thought you wouldn't get rid of it." Their impression was that the recommended treatment of baking soda would be ineffective and the child would have to put on antifungal drugs.

Many supplements, including various herbs and enzymes, have been tried with more or less success in keeping candida overgrowth in check. Some of the anti-candida products, programs and protocols are more helpful than others. Unfortunately, a sufferer of illness may spend years and much money before finding an effective program-if he or she ever does succeed at all. Because candida thrives in an acidic environment, alkalizing the body, tissues, fluids and blood is another form of treatment that should be included in an anti-candida regimen. One good, mild and relatively effective alkalizing agent is umeboshi plum, the paste of which can be used for a tea first thing in the morning, when the body is most acidic, or whenever the need is felt. Burning upon urination is a sign that the body is too acidic. Plum tea can bring quick relief from this painful condition. The "friendly bacteria" product we recommend, containing live probiotics, has a very pronounced effect on alkalizing the body.

Following is a list of protocols suggested to reduce or remove a candida overgrowth. This list may be not only impossible but also unnecessary to adhere to and is provided here for educational purposes. Because such recommendations represent a daunting task, it is possible that people will not want to attempt treatment in the first place and that their health will continue to suffer.

• Remove all stress from your life
• Eat nothing with sugars or yeast, which means avoiding fruit, bread, beer and wine
• Eat only protein and fibrous foods, such as vegetables, for at least six months
• Consume large amounts of "good bacteria," such as acidophilus, which will be costly but may not implant into your intestine to do any good
• Don't kiss, eat around or sleep near any family or household member
• Avoid eating at restaurants, delis or other people's homes
• Plan and prepare all meals, mostly from scratch
• Wash clothes frequently, doing separate loads for each member of the household
• Get a new wardrobe
• Constantly clean your environment
• Avoid air conditioning
• Never use antibiotics again, under any circumstance
• Take expensive prescription antifungal drugs for months or years

Despite all these efforts, the candida may linger or return. And just try to hold down a job or take care of children while doing all this! Instead of this difficult regimen, we recommend three simple products--oxygen-producing drops, probiotics and enzymes--that are not only effective but easy to take and good-tasting. These products may simply be the best on the market to address the numerous issues and illnesses associated with candida overgrowth. Oxygen products should be used judiciously, as they may increase the need for vitamin E. Vitamin E itself can be supplemented but it should be kept in mind that it is a blood thinner and many people cannot tolerate large amounts of it, bruising easily while taking it. If the intestinal environment is healthy, the flora will produce blood-clotting vitamin K to offset the bruising; however, most people's intestinal environment is not in the best shape. In cases where money is tight, the probiotics alone will likely be significantly effective in treating candidiasis and helping to establish a healthy intestinal environment. These products, however, are far less costly than standard medical treatment and offer an opportunity to increase income as well.

Detoxification, "Die off" and Cleansing Reaction

As the yeast/fungus is killed, it will leave behind its remains, which are mostly composed of cellulose. These remains will be removed through natural elimination processes; however, a seriously infected system may experience what is known as "die off," which can manifest itself in various unpleasant symptoms, called a "cleansing" or "Herxheimer reaction." For a period, hopefully short, your symptoms may worsen because of this yeast and fungal detoxification. Following this period when you may feel worse, with achiness, headache, intestinal problems, skin eruptions or other illness, the elimination of the dead candida will allow you to feel better than before you began the program. At the beginning, your healing process may be "two steps forward, one step back."

It is therefore good to make sure that you are eliminating on a regular basis. Many suggestions can be made, such as psyllium husk, a mild magnesium laxative, various herbs and eating certain fruits like the old standby prune, etc. The suggested enzyme products contain the enzyme cellulase, which breaks down the cell wall of the candida and allows for it to be removed from the system. Be sure to drink sufficient water, although the amount of water needed may be less than the standard "8 glasses a day," as this amount seems to be based on hastily concluded research. As your health increases, you should be aware of when you need more water, just as you are when you need to eat.

It is further suggested that you build up to a comfortable and effective level, rather than jumping in for a heavy "bug bomb" that may cause distress.

The Healthy Diet

In order to keep candida in check, it is typically recommended that one go on an extreme and fairly impossible diet that excludes some of the best-loved foods, a number of which are in fact highly nutritious, such as grains and dairy, or even fruit, because it contains sugar. This severe dietary regimen often prescribed for candida-related complex is exemplified in the following advice from one healthcare practitioner:

While it will likely be unnecessary to go to such extremes, it is advisable that in order for you to become healthy you be somewhat vigilant about what you eat and drink. In other words, do watch your diet to a sensible and maintainable degree. If the candida treatment is effective, dietary restrictions do not have to be draconian and you can enjoy life, to the extent of practicing "everything in moderation." That being said, it would be wise to focus on whole and organic foods. Diet can always be improved, although it need not be vegan, vegetarian or overly restrictive. The wholesale disparagement of meat, eggs, grains and dairy does not factor in traditional consumption of these foods and is in fact faddish. Also, strong evidence has shown that many soy products, especially the milks, flours, protein and nuts, contain large quantities of estrogens and "anti-nutrients," and should be avoided. One bottle of infant soy formula, for example, contains the equivalent in estrogens of five birth control pills. What is advocated here is the "caveman diet," modified with healthful grains and, where possible, organic, certified raw dairy products, including butter, which contains large amounts of the valuable nutrient conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. Organic, free-range grass-fed meats and poultry are preferable to the products of large farm factories, which have been shown to be unhealthful, containing chemicals such as steroids and antibiotics. The price of organic food has steadily decreased over the years as consumption and demand have increased.

What should be avoided as much as possible is refined, white sugar and white flour. White "table sugar" is a poison that is not only useless but extremely harmful to the health. Popular naturopath Dr. David Williams has stated that feeding children sugar-found in candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, sodas and many processed foods-stimulates the growth in the brain of the receptors that crave cocaine, thus setting the stage for possible future drug problems and addiction. Alcoholism is also traceable to an overconsumption of white sugar. In decades past, it was widely known that over-consumption of sugar caused or contributed to diabetes as well. Again, overuse of alcohol and drugs will also cause candidiasis, so these should be kept in check.

Length of Treatment

For mild overgrowths, expect two to six months for significant improvement. With the recommended products you may feel immediate relief; however, with the die-off/Herxheimer's, you may also feel as if you are regressing temporarily. Sometimes it appears that the weakest areas-in which we are feeling the most dis-ease-will improve immediately but then will relapse because they are in fact the most affected. If candida has manifested itself as a skin problem, the problem may immediately improve and then worsen for a time before clearing up. If you are suffering from long-term insomnia, you may find immediate relief, followed by a period of the same or reduced sleeplessness, until you have a reached an improved "maintenance" level.

Severe illness and diseases that are either a direct or an indirect result of candidiasis may take as much as two years or more to clear up. However, it may be that with the suggested program, which appears to be unusual in its effectiveness, this length of time may be reduced. After a certain level of health has been attained, a maintenance program is advised to prevent a recurrence of candidiasis.

The basic antifungal regimen recommended here is not a panacea, but it may be helpful in improving health in sufferers of a wide variety of symptoms and illnesses. People with serious, life-threatening illness should work with qualified, licensed healthcare practitioners.

Symptoms and Illnesses Possibly Caused or Worsened by Candida Overgrowth