Healthy Aging: Body, Mind & Spirit

Is Candida overgrowth destroying your health?

December 6, 2009 on 4:30 pm | In Andropause, Boomer Health Issues, Candida overgrowth, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diet and Aging, Menopause, obesity research, Weight gain | 2 Comments

You may not have heard of Candida fungal overgrowth or the many different types of illnesses and infections it can cause.  It is, however, the most common fungal pathogen in humans, and manifests in thousands of different ways.

Why do I know so much about it?  Because I’ve been dealing with it for almost a year now.  It started out for me as an apparently incurable case of itchy bubbles of infection on my toes and feet, which eventually spread to my hands.

After visits to seven different doctors over four months, with diagnoses like eczema, and a prognosis of incurable, I turned to a naturopathic doctor who immediately identified my infection as a Candida overgrowth. He provided me with homeopathic medicines, various nutriceuticals, and a strict no sugar diet plan, to kill off my overgrowth while also building up healthy flora within my intestines. My foot and hand problems cleared up quickly after I used his recommended meds, changed my diet and started a strict probiotic regimen.

I learned that Candida albicans occurs naturally in everyone’s gut, and only grows out of control when we take antibiotics, birth control pills, estrogen replacement therapy, anti-ulcer drugs and antacids, make poor dietary choices, have nutritional deficiencies, or experience impaired immunity. Candida is a fungal infection which can affect the skin, blood stream, vagina, mouth or intestines — anywhere there is a warm, moist environment.

Remember, estrogen will literally feed Candida growth, which is why birth control pills and estrogen replacement therapy put women at a greater risk of developing Candida.

If we have Candida overgrowth and do not attend to it, it can lead to intestinal lining damage which can then lead to leaky gut syndrome, insufficient intestinal secretions, liver dysfunction, and even death.

Candida overgrowth can lead to so many serious health problems like: diabetes, adrenal burnout, hormonal imbalances (e.g. estrogen dominance), allergies, fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), eczema, hives, psoriasis, poor memory, numbness, burning, tingling, insomnia, muscle aches, swelling joints, muscle weakness, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, vaginal itching or burning, impotence, loss of sexual desire, menstrual irregularities, infertility, anxiety, cold hands or chills, shaking or irritability when hungry, mood swings, headaches, dizziness or loss of balance, chronic rashes or hives, food sensitivity, nasal congestion or post nasal drip, chronic bronchitis, overwhelming cravings for carbohydrates-rich foods or yeast-based products, and thrush, a disease characterized by small whitish eruptions on the mouth, throat, and tongue.

The Candida fungus grows happily in our gut until some combination of events causes it to begin to grow out of control.  When that happens, we can no longer derive proper nutrition from the foods we eat.  The fungus can then hitch a ride to others parts of our body through our bloodstream to cause ancillary rashes and infections like eczema or reoccurring cases of sinus infection or bronchitis, in my case.

These infections will not go away completely until the underlying overgrowth is addressed, usually by starving it of its favorite food source: sugars of all types. In addition, we must build up our good flora by consuming non-chlorinated water, acidophilus, unsweetened live culture yogurt, coconut oil and green tea.

To starve the Candida fungal overgrowth of its sugars you must eliminate the obvious sweets in your diet as well as all caffeine, alcohol, white flour and rice, white and sweet potatoes, all yeast and wheat-based breads, all fruits and fruit juices, and most dairy products.  Stevia is the only artificial sweeteners allowed on an anti-Candida diet.  Bread, fruit and dairy may be added back in later after the overgrowth has subsided.

There are also a number of homeopathic medicines and nutriceuticals available through your naturopathic practitioner which can help to fight this type of fungal infection.  Generally you will need help in killing off the offending fungal overgrowth followed by major changes in diet to make certain you are not feeding a future overgrowth.

Some interesting facts about fighting Candida overgrowth:

• Stevia and xylitol (natural sweeteners available at health food stores) are the only effective sugar substitutes in an anti-Candida diet.  These substances fool the bacteria into thinking they are sugars, and then destroys them.

• Certain fats keep blood sugar stable by keeping carbohydrates from being absorbed too quickly, thus creating a feeling of fullness which makes you stop eating sooner. Healthy sources of fat are: extra virgin olive oil, coconut and sesame oils, butter, certain lean meats, avocados, nuts and seeds.

• Coconut contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that provide powerful anti-microbial properties. Once eaten, the body transforms the MCFAs into anti-microbial agents capable of defending the body against bad microorganisms. The most abundant and potent MCFA is lauric acid which comprises nearly 50% of the content of coconut fat. Lab tests have shown that the MCFAs found in coconut oil are effective in destroying a wide range of infectious agents including yeast overgrowth such as Candida and thrush.

• Green tea inoculates the bowel with helpful flora because it inhibits the growth of harmful organisms and promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria.

• Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) provides immune support by regulating the production of inflammatory compounds secreted by white blood cells.

I have also found some success with the product Candex after the worst of my overgrowth was under control.   Be careful to take small amounts in water at first without food! It is available at most health food stores. I can also personally recommend a ten day course of Diflucan if symptoms persist.

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