The Life of
Candida Albicans - How It Spreads
Candida
albicans is bacterial yeast which usually lives mainly in
the small intestine with other “bad” bacteria,
including E. coli, Staphylococci and additional varieties
of candida. Living alongside these bad bacteria are trillions
of “good” bacteria. Together, these all help
to make up our normal “gut flora”, and they
work within our immune system to keep us healthy.
But
candida albicans is a sneaky little yeast / fungus that
can exist two ways: (1) either as yeast which can’t
penetrate the small intestinal wall, or (2) as fungus which
can get out and go anywhere.
Also
working in our immune system are white blood cells, needed
to kill infection and keep the immune system in balance.
Often, the heat, swelling and redness around a surface infection
site indicates that the white cells have rushed to that
site to fight the infection-causing invaders. They do this
invisibly on the inside as well:
The
white cell travels from the blood vessel to the offender.
Just like “Pac-man”, they eat the organism,
including excess candida albicans. Besides eating it, the
white cell must ensure that the organism doesn’t grow
or divide once inside, so the white cell must kill the organism
by an “oxidative burst”
– producing a combination of oxygen and hydrogen which
helps detect the presence of a pathogen and destroy it.
The entire process is called “phagocytosis”.
In suppressed
immune systems, the white blood cells are either destroyed
by valiant but harsh chemicals (like chemotherapy or antibiotics),
or can’t function properly because, like good nurses
and police officers, they are overworked and there are too
few to go around.
At this
point, the good bacteria may perish and the candida albicans
fungus multiplies and takes over. It begins to grow and
multiply into millions of yeast cells that stay in the body.
The small intestine can no longer contain this yeasty fungus.
Candida
Yeast Fungus Disturbs the Digestive System
It’s
often been said that “a healthy gut makes the whole
body healthy”. Once the candida yeast fungus has “exploded”,
it interrupts gastric and intestinal processes:
- The
digestive process actually starts in the mouth, where
through mastication (chewing) our saliva begins breaking
down the properties of the food, which then travels through
the esophageal tract, into the other processing organs
to separate nutrients from waste, down the intestines,
and to wait in the colon for expulsion.
- If
candida yeast fungus is clogging the esophagus and blocking
the intestines, the mucus which is supposed to help the
waste “slide out” is hindered. The villi
(tiny projections in the small intestine that help digest
nutrients) can’t work. “Peristalsis”,
the pumping motion that moves the food along, is challenged.
So either too much nourishment escapes in diarrhea, or
the food will stay in the colon too long, like garbage
between pickups.
- The
candida yeast fungus has by this time penetrated intestinal
walls, can gravitate to pretty much every organ, and carries
tiny food particles with it out into our bloodstream,
where they have no business being. This often causes “leaky
gut” (sometimes equated with GERDS/acid reflux).
- Then
the yeast fungus creates infections and an especially
lethal toxin – “acetaldehyde” –
a cousin of formaldehyde. This can bring about mental
and emotional symptoms of candidiasis and systemic
candida – the “foggy brain” feeling,
depression, anxiety and more – as it interrupts
signals from the spine (peripheral nervous system) to
the brain.
Be
savvy - stop Candida in its Tracks!
- Read
the rest of our articles on Candida (over on the left
navigation bar)
- Learn
about our unique products to cleanse excess Candida
and protect against its overgrowth with replacement “probiotics”
– good bacteria.
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