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Candidiasis
By administrator | September 18, 2007
Don C. Ward CT, NT
Candida albicans is a type of parasitic-yeast like fungas that inhabits the large intestine, along with dozens of different kinds of bacteria, which are all essential to a properly balanced digestive system. Unfortunately, due to the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, this delicate balance gets disrupted and candida grows out of control, as it migrates into other organs and systems throughout the body, causing an infection known as systemic candidiasis.
As much as 80% of thepopulation suffers from candida to one degree or another. If you’ve taken antibiotics at anytime in your life and you haven’t taken corrective measures by repopulating the bowels afterwards with probiobics, chances are you too suffer from systemic candiasis. Antibiotics weaken the immune system by killing off the friendly bacteria which normally keep candida under control. As it proliferates, the fungas releases toxins that further weaken the immune system. This can be disasterous when it infects your bloodstream. Using anti-inflammatory & corticosterol drugs or birth control pills also contribute significantly to a candida overgrowth.
Yeasts are parasitic organisms that absorb our nutrients and produce toxic waste. Yeasts are known tto produce over 70 toxins that disrupt our bodies. Over time, candida grows from a yeast form into a fungal form and starts creating waste products known as mycotoxins. One mycotoxin produced is acetaldehyde, which is converted into alcohol by the liver. As the alcohol builds up in the system, symptoms associated with alcohol intoxication develop. This is why one of the most common symptoms of candida is brain fog.
While in its fungal form, candida also grows long roots called rhizoids that puncture the intestinal wall, causing leaky gut syndrome. This creates holes in the digestive system, allowing candida to pass into the bloodstream and throughout the body. Undigested food particles will also pass into the bloodstream, where the body views them as foreign invaders. This can result in food allergies or sensitivities and if not treated, can lead to diseases such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, colitis, lupus, diabetes, and various skin discorders.
Because candida affects various parts of the body, it can be characterized by many different symptoms, often making it difficult to diagnose. Symptoms may include constipation, diarrhea, colitis, abdominal pain, headaches, bad breath, rectal itching, thrush, memory loss, brain fog, mood swings, muscle and joint pains, sore throat, congestion, nagging cough, tingling sensations, acne, night sweats, clogged sinuses, PMS, extreme fatigue, insomnia, vaginitis, kidney and bladder infections, depression, hyperactivity, hypothyroidism, adrenal problems, and even diabetes. Symptoms often worsen in damp or moldy climates, and after eating foods high in sugar or yeast.
In the most severe cases, candida travels through the bloodstream to invade every organ system in the body, causing a type of blood poisoning called candida septicemia. This condition almost always occurs in persons with serious underlying illnesses, such as advanced cancer or AIDS.
Also, many people develop food allergies when candida is present. Oral thrush, athlete’s foot, ringworm, fingernail or toenail fungus can all develop as a result of the combionation of food allergies and candida. To further complicate the issue, many people cannot tolerate contact with rubber, petroleum products, tobacco, exhaust fumes, and chemical odors.
As mycotoxins build up in the body, more serious and chronic conditions develop. Toxins will settle in the constitutionally weakest tissue, which is different in everyone, so individual people develop different disorders.
Controlling Candida:
Treating candida requires time and great effort. It takes a lot of commitment to rid the body of this tenacious parasite. One single grain of sugar will feed a significant amout of candida, so dietary discipline is the firts step in bringing your body back to homeostasis.
- Stop using antibiotics, steroids, immune suppressing drugs, and oral contraceptives.
- Cleanse your body with anti-fungal herbs. Health food stores carry good anti-candida kits that work well.
- Re-establish friendly bacteria with acidophilus and bifidus supplements.
- Increase fiber consumption. Psyllium or flax seeds are both excellent choices. Take on an empty stomach with plenty of water.
- Eliminate all sugars and sweeteners (stevia extract will not feed the yeast!) including fruit and fruit juices, refined carbs, dairy products, all fermented food including soy sauce, mushrooms, and peanuts. Eat plenty of vegetables and lean protein.
- Cleanse internally with colonics. This is the fastest, most effective method of rebalancing the intestional flora.
- Drink at least 2 liters of water daily with chlorophyll added to it. This helps to clean the blood of fungus.
- Liquid oxygen also helps to eliminate the fungus from the blood, as oxygen is deadly to the fungus.
- Caprylic acid is a powerful anti-fungal agent that helps control candida.
- Colloidal silver is one of the strongest anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents available and it will also boost the immune system.
- A good green’s drink will help alkalinize the body.
- Candidase by enzymedica to digest the candida cells, to prevent a die-off reaction.
Diet Recommendations:
- Eat vegetables, fish, and gluten-free grains such as brown rice and millet.
- Eat plain yogurt that contains live yogurt cultures.
- Make sure your diet is sugar free, fruit free, and yeast free.
- Avoid aged cheeses, alcohol, baked goods, chocolate, dried fruits, fermented foods, all grains containing gluten (wheat, oats, rye & barley), ham, honey, nut butters, pickles, potatoes, raw muxhrooms, soy sauce, sprouts, and vinegar.
- Eliminate citrus and acidic fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons, tomatoes, pineapples, and limes for one month, then add back only a few twice weekly.
Getting candida under control is vital to optimal health and can take a long time, so be patient with yourself and do what you know is right. Follow these suggestions & you will see positive results in a few short weeks.
Controlling Candida
List of Foods to Avoid Entirely:
- Sugar — It is best to eliminate all forms of refined sugar, as it feeds the yeast and encourages its growth. These foods include: white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, demerrara, amisake, rice syrup, sorghum.
- Read labels carefully. The hidden sugars to watch for include: sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glycogen, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, galactose, monosaccharides, polysaccharides.
- Fruit — Fruit contain natural sugars that support the growth of yeast. The following foods should be eliminated:
- Frozen, canned, and dried fruit
- All canned and frozen fruit juice
- Oranges and orange juice
- Melons, especially cantaloupe. These fruit often contain mold.
- Yeast — Foods that contain yeast should be eliminated. These include: Baker’s yeast, Brewer’s yeast, Engevita, Torula, and any other nutritional yeast. Baked goods raised with yeast such as breads, rolls, crackers, bagels, pastries, and muffins should also be eliminated.
- Foods Containing Gluten — These include wheat, barley, and rye and includes products made with these ingredients such as wheat bread, rye bread, and pasta.
- Vinegar — Vinegar is made with a yeast culture. Foods that contain vinegar include: White vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise, commercial salad dressing, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, shrimp sauce, soy sauce, mustard, pickles, pickled vegetables, green olives, relishes, horseradish, mincemeat, chili sauce.
- Mushrooms — Mushrooms are fungi. Eliminate all mushrooms.
- Peanuts, Peanut Butter, and Pistachios — Peanuts, peanut butter, and pistachios often have high mold contamination and should be eliminated.
- Alcohol — Alcoholic beverages provide sugar that feeds the yeast and stresses other organs such as the liver. Eliminate all forms of alcohol, including red wine, white wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, gin, scotch, any fermented liquor, vodka, rum, and all liqueurs.
Coffee, Black Tea, Cider, Root beer — Coffee and black tea create an extra burden for the body’s stress-coping mechanisms. Regular coffee, instant coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and all types of black tea (including “fruit flavored” black tea) should be eliminated. - Cider, root beer, and other fermented beverages should be eliminated. Healthy alternatives include: water, vegetable broth, fresh vegetable juice, herbal teas
- Aged, Moldy and Processed Cheeses — Roquefort and other aged, moldy or blue cheeses should be eliminated. Also eliminate processed cheese such as cheese slices, Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, cream cheese, cheese snacks, and Kraft dinner.
- Processed, Dried, Smoked, and Pickled Meats — These include products such as smoked salmon, pickled herring, sausages, bacon, hot dogs, pastrami, bologna, sandwich meats, salami, corned beef, pickled tongue, and kolbassa. These products are processed and many contain unhealthy nitrates and nitrites, so they are not recommended for use at any time.
- Packaged, Processed, and Refined Foods — Canned, bottled, packaged, boxed, and other processed foods usually contain yeast, refined sugar, refined flour, chemicals, preservatives, and coloring. They are not recommended at any time.
For more information on recipes go to: http://www.candidadiet.com/recipes/redefault.shtml
www.innerglowellnesscentre.com
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