Health Concern: Candida Overgrowth

Candida is found in everyone's body and is a friendly organism that our bodies need. It's located in all the mucus membranes (eyes, ears, nose, sinuses, mouth, throat, esophogus, intestines, kidney, bladder, etc.) One of its important functions is to recognize and destroy harmful bacteria and toxins.

So when does candida get out of control? It gets out of control when we have a depressed immune system which causes the candida to change. This change is called pleomorphism. Pleopmorphism is basically a mutation. When candida mutates it becomes an overgrowing organism that grows long legs and it produces large families, called colonies.

Five reasons for a depressed immune system are:

1. Lack of proper nutrition.
2. Low oxygen levels.
3. Accumulation of toxins, poisons, and wastes.
4. Lowered vitality due to stress, shock, injury, emotional upsets, and relationship or financial worries and concerns, etc.
5. Poor "nutritional status" inherited from both parents upon conception.

Candida is meant to overgrow when our bodies die, producing 79 different toxins, which are mainly alcohol. These toxins are the toxins that break down the body into dust.

A depressed immune system basically is telling the body that it's dying and therefore the Candida naturally kick in to help the deteriorating process. As you can imagine, this creates havoc throughout the entire body, causing numerous symptoms, diseases, illnesses, malfunctions, and degeneration.

Candida even has the ability to change into cancer!

What symptoms do we have if we have a candida problem?

Foggy thinking.

Re-occuring yeast infections.

Cold hands and feet.- Red blood cells become rigid from the toxins secreted by the Candida colonies. Therefore causing the transport of life-giving oxygen to all the tissues and organs to be impaired. This causes the tissues and organs to lose their ability to function.

Low blood sugar levels.(Hypoglycemia) = low energy, lightheadedness, and sometimes even a coma.Defective cell membranes may interefere with the ability of glucose to penetrate the cells, insulin levels may have to be increased.

Poor digestion."Candida also produces very long root-like structures that penetrate intestinal walls. These root-like structures cause considerable damage to the walls of the intestines resulting in poor digestion and mal-absorption of nutrients."

Hormonal imbalances. "Hormones regulate various body functions by traveling through the bloodstream to vital areas of the body, and Candida toxins interfere with this process. Candida toxins make all of the cells rigid in organs responsible for producing hormones, so they are less capable of producing hormones. Hormones that are produced enter the bloodstream yet they have trouble getting to their intended destination.

Once they arrive, they have difficulty getting into rigid cell membranes. Hormones can not do their intended job if they don't achieve adequate levels in the body's cells! Such hormones include thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and many others, even those that regulate digestion and the release of digestive juices." Bee Wilder

Sinus problems. The overgrowth of bad bacteria in our gut, Candida, can cause fungal sinus infections. Fungal sinus infections do not respond to antibiotics. And need an anti-fungal approach in order to rid the body of such an infection.

A list of potential symptoms associated with Candida overgrowth include depression, anxiety attacks, mood swings, lack of concentration, fluid retention, PMS, electrolyte (mineral) imbalances, drowsiness, poor memory, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, bloating, constipation, bladder infections, vaginal itching, muscle and joint swelling, pain, hypothyroidism, and skin problems.

The good bacteria can be killed off by one or more of these factors:

• frequent or high-dose antibiotics and anti-inflammatories
• chemotherapy for cancer
• auto-immune diseases like AIDS, arthritis and muscular deterioration diseases
• high stress and low cortisol (cortisol is the body’s stress response secretion)

Eating fermented foods is good for our digestive system. It provides us with good bacteria ( probiotics) which attributes to the healthof the intestinal tract. Eat home-made yogurts, or better yet, home made kefir, and sauerkraut (organic refrigerated forms of sauerkraut or home-made raw sauerkraut are best. (Some commercial sauerkraut has been pasteruized and with such treatement of heat will kill the friendly bacteria we are looking for.) Those are all good options to consuming foods that will provide us with the probiotics needed to help keep our intestines healthy. If purchasing foods containing probiotics in a foods store its important to look for the statement that says, "live and active cultures".

The best way to handle candida, so it will "change back" into its normal friendly form, is to build up the immune system by using appropriate supplements, get rid of fungus' through antifungals and restore the good bacteria in the gut through probiotics.

Apparantly, it takes 1 month of natural healing for every year the immune system has been depressed, which for most people nowadays has been since before birth. When the immune system is strong enough Candida will "change back" into a round friendly organism, the way it is supposed to be, which is helpful rather than destructive.

It's sounds like a long tedious process but, I'd rather not have my body be in deterioration mode.

There is a handful of ways to go about ridding our bodies of Candida overgrowth...

It would be good to see a naturopathic doctor. I personally would see Dr. Bergdorf in Bountiful Utah at the Modern Health Clinic.

But, it is possible to treat Candida issues at home.Before beginning the at home method, it would be wise to choose a doctor whom you could turn to during the Candida diet, if need be.

For the at-home method, I would first begin by doing a good colon cleanse. I hear Colonix is a good brand. I personally like the colon cleansing kit from Blessed Herbs.

Next, I would choose a Candida diet. Either Bee Wilder's version or Dr Christopher's version.

And lastly, I would do all I can to keep my immune system vibrant by eating healthy, meditating, thinking positively, socializing, enjoying nature, and spending my time in enlightening and educational ways.

Get well. Live well. Be well.

-Claudia