AN OVERVIEW OF CANDIDA

Candida is a fungal organism known by many names thrush, Albicans or simply yeast infection. It is always present to some degree in our intestinal tract, but it can appear anywhere in your body, i.e.; vagina, prostate, lungs, bone marrow, blood. Candida albicans are yeast cells living among bacterial flora present in the gastrointestinal tract, mucosa, esophagus, small intestine, and on the body surface. Under normal balanced conditions, Candida is controlled by beneficial bacteria and our immune system; it requires a high sugar diet, a weakened immunity and low levels of beneficial bacteria to become problematic in the colon and mutate into an organism capable of spreading throughout the body. Women are more susceptible to yeast overgrowth, but everyone has the potential to develop a yeast condition. Candida is a dimorphic organism, meaning it can exist in two shapes and forms simultaneously. One form is a yeast-like state that is a non-invasive, sugar-fermenting organism. The other is a fungal form that produces very long root-like structures, called rhizoids, that can penetrate the mucosa and is invasive, in this form it assumes a thread-like shape and penetrates through the gut wall by releasing powerful toxins. This damages the lining of the colon and allows for invasion of the fungal form of Candida as well as the leakage of fecal material into the body. This sets up an immune response which is often misdiagnosed as auto immune disorders.

Causes of Candida Overgrowth

 Actually, in its yeast form and with the proper amounts of beneficial bacteria it is beneficial. We all have this form of Candida in our bodies in some amounts. The Candida population should be low and indiscernible. “Friendly” bacteria and a healthy immune system prevent this yeast from over colonizing the GI tract and becoming an infectious fungus. Taking a antibiotic could only make the yeast growth worsen. Antibiotics are meant to kill of harmful bacteria, but they also kill off our beneficial bacteria as well. The average adult has three pounds of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract and we have formed a symbiotic relationship with them. They are given everything they need to flourish and in turn they help us digest food and provide the B vitamins necessary for life. They also keep harmful microbes from killing us. Unfortunately, when we take an antibiotic, drink chlorinated water or eat a diet with lots of sugar and acid, the beneficial bacteria are killed off and yeast is quick to take advantage by over colonizing. Some of the Candida can then change from the yeast form to the fungal form. According to a research pioneer, C. Orian Truss, MD, in a paper published in a 1978 issue of The Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, Candida albicans proliferates in the intestines because of several factors, including stress, lowered immune system, antibiotic overuse, oral contraceptives, and use of cortisone or prednisone.

Symptoms of a Candida Overgrowth

Signs of overgrowth and the progression of spreading yeast are very similar in most cases: Candida has been implicated in both prostatitis and prostate cancer in men and vaginal yeast infections in women. Typical Candida symptoms may include jock itch, depression, dry, itchy, flaky skin, anxiety, recurring irritability or mood swings, heartburn, indigestion, lethargy, food and environmental allergies, joint soreness, chest pain, acne or other skin problems, migraine headaches, recurring cystitis/vaginal infections, premenstrual tension, menstrual problems and fungal infections of the nails. Candida seems to move through the tract shared by the reproductive and urinary systems. Males who have Candida infection could have contracted it after oral sex with an infected female. For this reason it is common that males end up with the spores in their lungs! Thus bypassing the normal route taken by Candida to invade the body.

Toxins released by Candida

 Yeasts in the body produce a by-product called acetaldehyde, a toxic substance resulting in several health consequences. In fact, acetaldehyde is the compound that produces the symptoms in an alcohol “hang-over.” Molybdenum plays a role as a cofactor in helping break down acetaldehyde to a form that actually provides the body with energy.* Molybdenum plays a large role in the detoxification pathway for acetaldehyde in the human body. There are dozens of known toxins released be yeast in the body. This damages and overworks both the liver and the immune system as the body tries to detoxify these poisons. To drive home the point of how dangerous they are, just think of eating a wild mushroom. If you get the right one, it will kill you.

Candida test

You can try this simple test to see if you have Candida: First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, get a clear glass. Fill with water and work up a bit of saliva, then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so for up to one hour. If you have Candida, you will see strings (like legs) traveling down into the water from the saliva floating on the top, or “cloudy” saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass, or cloudy specks will seem to be suspended in the water. If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, you probably don't have an issue with Candida . There are medical test you can do to determine your levels of Candida, ask your doctor to do the Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis and the Candisphere blood test. This test does not merely test for Candida. It measures and reports those factors that can be wrong with the digestive system that allow the Candida to grow. In this way these factors can be found and corrected. Keep in mind that it is estimated that over three quarters of the people who eat a standard diet and have been on at least one round of antibiotics in their life time has Candida and the cost of treatment is often less than the cost of the test so it makes sense to treat rather than test, especially if you are symptomatic

Medical treatments

The most well known medicine for Candida might be Nystatin. According to the PDR, no detectable blood levels are found following oral administration of the drug at recommended doses. It is, therefore, effective at reducing localized vaginal or intestinal yeast growth, but cannot travel through the blood stream to handle the infections in other areas. Another drug Nizoral impairs the productions of ergosterol, a vitamin D like substance, which is vital to the integrity of the yeast cell membranes. This drug is difficult for Candidiasis patients to absorb because proper stomach acid is required to absorb it. Most patients are deficient in stomach acid. Yeast infections sometimes produce symptoms that make people believe they have excess acid. Recent evidence shows this drug may cause serious liver damage or even fatal reactions. The PDR states that these drugs can only be taken for a short period of time due to toxicity. This may not give ample time to eliminate the infection that is systemic in nature.

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