Candida Albicans
I have suffered from candida infection in my digestive tract, as a vaginal yeast infection and systemically. In my case the major cause for this was the overuse of antibiotics. Doctors prescribe antibiotics but don't tell you that it will destroy all the good flora in your intestines causing an environment where candida and other pathogens and parasites can take over. The last time I was given antibiotics I had severe diarrhea after just two doses. It took me over a month to get rid of the severe diarrhea and several years to get rid of diarrhea completely. I was not told about probiotics (acidophilus, etc.) and was just given drugs to stop the diarrhea and, of course, that never worked.
After that I went through 14 years of figuring out what was wrong with me and how to get well. I suffered from many other health issues brought on by the candida overgrowth such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, insomnia, adrenal fatigue, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, extreme food allergies and allergies or sensitivities to chemicals and molds, etc.
Other causes of candida besides antibiotics include the use of steroid drugs and other drugs that suppress the immune system, eating high levels of sugar and refined carbohydrates such as white bread and pastas, birth control pills, heavy metal poisoning, stress and depleted adrenal glands, prolonged exposure to environmental molds and a poor functioning immune system. Heavy metal poisoning and poor diet with high levels of sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates were also among the causes of my own candida overgrowth.
Candida Symptoms
- Chronic fatigue
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Sore throat
- White coated tongue
- Chronic sinusitis
- Frequent urination
- Inability to concentrate
- Short term memory loss
- Painful joints and muscle aches
- Tightness in the neck and shoulders
- Headaches
- Visual blurring and sensitivity to light
- Depression, anxiety and panic attacks
- Can't tolerate the cold or feel cold all the time
- Anemia
- Low sex drive
- Canker sores
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Alcohol intolerance
- Irregular heartbeat
- Irritable bowel
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Painful gas and abdominal bloating
- Low grade fever or low body temperature
- Brain fog
- Muscle weakness
- Restless leg syndrome
- Difficulty swallowing
- Recurrent yeast infections
- Ringing in the ears
- Multiple food and other allergies
- Sensitivity to noise
- Chemical sensitivities
Here is a simple test you can do at home to see if you have candida overgrowth:
First thing in the morning before you put anything in your mouth fill a clear glass with water. Get some saliva built up in your mouth and then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water in two to three minutes and then every 15 minutes. First notice whether or not your saliva is cloudy or clear. If you have a candida yeast infection, you will see your saliva developing strings that go down into the water or your cloudy saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass. If there are no strings, the water is clear and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, you are probably candida free. The more strings and cloudiness there is and the faster it develops, the greater the overgrowth.
How To Treat Candida Albicans
First of all you need to know that parasites almost always exist along with candida. The same things that destroy the flora of your gut so that candida can takeover also creates a perfect environment for parasite infestation. Go to my Parasites Web page to find out how to get rid of parasites. It is important to rid yourself of both candida and parasites. Luckily some of the remedies for parasites also work well in killing candida.
It might be helpful to begin with a colon cleanse. See my Colon Cleansing Web page.
There are four steps you need to follow:
1. Starve candida through diet
2. Kill candida using antifungals
3. Rebuild intestinal flora and restore intestinal health
4. Boost your immune system
Starve candida albicans through diet
This diet may seem unusual to you but it will help you significantly. The diet is basically a high fat and protein diet with only small amounts of carbs, and then, only complex carbs.
First, eat plenty of meats (beef, chicken, pork, fish -- pretty much all animal meats) as well as organ meats and eggs as your best source of protein. Protein drinks and soy products are poor substitutes. Soy is especially not beneficial and should be avoided.
Eat plenty of healthy fats -- extra virgin coconut oil, organic butter, extra virgin olive oil, lard, cod liver oil, fish oil.
As for carbs your main source should be vegetables. Eat all your vegetables steamed or raw whenever possible. Don't juice using beets or carrots as they are high in sugar. Eat very little fruit and avoid high sugar fruits such as bananas and grapes. The best fruits are apples, berries and grapefruits.
Avoid grains as much as possible. Good grain choices would be sprouted grain products such as Ezekiel Bread, millet, quinoa, brown rice (rice cakes) and oatmeal (no sugar). Also you can eat seeds and nuts but you should soak them first to make them more easily digestible. Soak nuts and seeds overnight then pat them dry in the morning with a paper towel to be eaten throughout the day.
What to drink -- Drink plenty of filtered/purified water or herbal teas. Green drinks can be good as your body can easily absorb the nutrients. I would suggest barley grass to start with. I was very sick with candida when I first tried barley grass. It helped a lot in making me feel better almost immediately. If you don't like green drinks you can take a chlorophyl supplement that is also excellent. (By the way I like to throw in a raw egg with my green drink. Raw eggs are very healthy and the chance of getting salmonella is very low.)
You can also drink broths, mineral water, lemonade or ice teas with stevia to sweeten them and decaffeinated coffee that uses the Swiss water process and not chemical processes.
Finally, a mineral drink that I think you will find very beneficial. Take a glass of filtered water, squeeze in half a lemon and then 1/4 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt. The lemons have essential minerals and sea salt has 84 minerals making this an excellent electrolyte drink. Drink throughout the day up to six times. Make sure you drink three of them with your meals. If you need to, sweeten the drink with stevia.
Stay away from all refined, processed and canned foods. Eat only natural foods. I call it shopping around the outside of the store -- meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, etc. Also, avoid all artificial sugars such as aspartame and sucralose
The number one rule in this diet is absolutely no sugar. You can't even drink fruit juices because of their high sugar content. One exception to drinking juice is in case of a panic attack or sudden drop in blood sugar then it is advisable to take some fruit juice diluted with water to get your blood sugar back to normal. Also avoid all starchy foods such as white bread, pastas and potato chips.
This diet may seem strange, but it works. Candida loves sugar, starches and refined foods. This diet should make you start to feel better in a short time. If you need to, you can change to this diet in stages to make it easier for you. But the sooner you are on this diet the sooner you can get better. You will have withdrawal symptoms and you will have cravings. Do your best to stick with the diet and you will be rewarded in the long run.
Kill candida albicans using antifungals
Once you get your diet under control then you can begin to kill off the candida.
Candida has the ability to adapt to antifungals if used too long -- about seven days or more. So it is recommended that you rotate antifungals every four days to keep their effectiveness. You should only use one or two antifungals at a time as more can be too much a burden on your body. If die off occurs too rapidly, it can overwhelm your body's ability to deal with it.
Below is a list of all the antifungals that I'm familiar with. I have put an asterisk after the ones I consider so be the best, however, they are all effective.
- GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)*
- Oil of Oregano*
- Olive Leaf Extract
- Pau D'Arco*
- Garlic
- Caprylic Acid*
- Coconut Oil Extra Virgin*
- Black Walnut/Wormwood*
- Liquid Chloroph
Rebuild intestinal flora and restore intestinal health
You can rebuild your intestinal flora using probiotics such as acidophilus and by using cabbage rejuvelac.
It is difficult to find quality probiotics. I have payed for many probiotics that were of little or no value and so have listed below brands I find to be effective. These are the only ones I can recommend. It's always good to research or find out from others what is working.
- Enzymatic Therapy
- Jarrow
- New Chapter
- Solaray
It is best to buy probiotics in your local health food store as they should be kept cold.
Cabbage rejuvelac is another good way to repopulate your gut with probiotics. Here's how to make cabbage rejuvelac:
Cabbage is a vegetable that is teeming with lactobacteria. No starter is needed for making this rejuvelac.
Start one morning by blending together 1-3/4 cups distilled or purified water plus 3 cups of coarsely chopped, loosely packed fresh cabbage. Start the blender at low speed and then advance the blender to high speed and blend for 30 more seconds. Pour into a jar (a quart jar is excellent to use), cover tightly (ensure there is at least 1 inch of space above the mixture), and let it stand at room temperature for 3 days. After 3 days strain off the liquid rejuvelac and discard the cabbage.
The initial batch of cabbage rejuvelac takes 3 days to mature, but succeeding batches take 24 hours each. Each morning after straining off the fresh rejuvelac, blend together 1-1/2 cups of distilled or purified water plus 3 cups of coarsely ground, loosely packed fresh cabbage, for 30 seconds at high speed. Pour it into a jar and add 1/4 cup of the fresh rejuvelac just strained off, cover, shake, and let it stand at room temperature until the next morning.
If you are not lactose intolerant or allergic to milk and would like to eat yogurt or kefir as well, I would recommend the Stonyfield Farm's and Nancy's brands.
If you are lactose intolerant, you can make your own yoghurt and process it for 24 hours instead of 4 to 10 like the commercial yogurt companies do. When fermenting the yoghurt for 24 hours all lactose is destroyed. If you want to find out more about this go to: SCD Yoghurt
Now that you know how to rebuild the intestinal flora, here is how to rebuild intestinal health. The walls of your intestines may have become permeable and and enflamed due to the candida. Here are some supplements that will help you heal and rebuild your intestinal health.
MSM (Methyl-sulfonylmethane)
DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice)
NAG (N-Acetyl Glucosamine)
L-Glutamine
Boost Your Immune System
Go to my Web page Boosting Your Immune System for information on this subject.
Additional Resources and Information:
Candida Forum -- Bee Wilder is the creator of this amazing forum that is full of excellent information on how to heal candida. You have to become a member at Yahoo to join this group but it is well worth it.
Candida Albicans Support Group
Helpful Book about candida --
Chronic Candidiasis: Your Natural Guide to Healing with Diet, Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, Exercise, and Other Natural Methods
Products --
Paratrex helps promote the cleansing, detoxification, and flushing of your entire intestinal tract.
Latero-Flora can help maintain a healthy colon by populating the intestines with beneficial bacteria.
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