Candida
Albicans: Mysterious Destroyer of Good Health
“I feel so awful, but
all my tests keep coming back normal”…
“The doctor told me I’m a hypochondriac…that it’s
just stress”…
“It’s like I’ve got the flu or something all the
time and nothing’s helping”…
These are just a few frequent
comments from within the 30 million plus people
who suffer from overgrowth of candida albicans
– and that’s only the number in North America. Roughly
half the world’s population will suffer from a candida-related
condition in their lifetime.
Candida albicans is a type of
yeast fungus normally found among the balance of “good”
and “bad” bacteria in a healthy person’s digestive
system. It is part of everyday life and doesn’t make itself
known until our immune system has been compromised in some way.
Then, watch out.
Sometimes called a parasite, sometimes
an opportunistic “vegetable fungus” for lack of a better
term, this little yeast flourishes, grows and multiplies when our
“good” bacteria – or “gut flora” –
is depleted.
But the range of symptoms is so
varied and the candida so stealthy that the sick person is usually
trapped in one or more of these three scenarios:
- It simply flies under the radar in the normal
range of testing.
- Their illness is discredited as “in
their head”.
- They are misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated,
which complicates their health challenges.
Meanwhile, the candida albicans yeast is
growing, blocking proper digestion and elimination. It robs the
body of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from both food and
supplements. It spreads from the gut to genitals, oral cavities
and mucous membranes, pouring toxins into the blood and eventually
affecting various organs in the body. In short, candida eats
what you eat, and when there is no nutrition left, it nourishes
itself on your muscles and bones. Where it can’t eat,
it causes deterioration.
Therefore, candida albicans is
tied into many of our chronic ailments today and can create a miserable
situation for its host if not caught and treated.
What sets our bodies up
for candida albicans to “explode”?
The usual culprits causing “candidiasis” (candida yeast
overgrowth) or “systemic candida” (body wide candida
infestation) are these:
- Frequent or high-dose antibiotics - antibiotics
kill good bacteria along with the bad, thus inviting yeast infection.
Vaginal yeast infections, oral thrush and sinus infections following
antibiotics (link to “Candida and Antibiotics”
page in this section) are quite common and often
involve candida albicans.
- Chemotherapy kills white cells which fight
infection, destroying good bacteria along with the disease,
and further suppresses the immune system.
- Autoimmune diseases like HIV/AIDS, severe
forms of arthritis, diabetes or deterioration diseases like
MS, where the immune system is either overactive (attacking
itself), or under-active (not responsive).
- Longtime use of steroids or NSAIDS (non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs) can cause gastrointestinal upsets and
malfunctions, negatively affecting normal gut flora and pH balance.
- Working or living in highly chemical or mold-invaded
environments.
- A diet heavy in yeast, wheat, sugar and dairy
with a poor digestive system.
- High stress and low cortisol (cortisol is
the body’s stress response secretion).
Acknowledging Candida overgrowth
in America
Physicians in other countries
are more apt to recognize candida overgrowth than are most traditionally
trained doctors in the U.S. This is due to a more open attitude
about preventive rather than reactive medicine, and acceptance of
nature-found and alternative remedies.
Modern American medicine has been
a forerunner in many emergency and disease solutions, but falls
behind in addressing ailments which become “chronic”
– things people must go on living with. In our conventionalism,
American doctors are often educated strictly in how to read one-fits-all
tests, to diagnose ailments by their obvious symptoms, and then
to treat those symptoms with only FDA approved pharmaceuticals that
may not solve the original cause of sickness. Plus, our managed
health care system doesn’t pay for alternative tests or remedies,
and emphasizes illness treatment rather than preventive care. Without
studying homeopathic and holistic information, the condition often
goes undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed, and unsolved.
Hopefully the tide is turning;
as of 2003, approximately 80 percent of medical schools in the U.S.
had started courses exploring alternative methods.
In this VÄXA section on Candida,
navigate the left bar to discover:
- Symptoms
of candidiasis and how it spreads, and common misdiagnoses
- How to self-test or get professionally tested
for candida albicans infection
- Diminished good bacteria can be replaced
with “probiotics” – supplemental
good bacteria. See our all-natural remedies, Candid-Free
for candida maintenance and ReFlora
probiotics.
- Candida Diet - Food Do’s and Don’t’s
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