What is Candida?
Candida often referred to as yeast, is fungus that grows in the gut, on the skin and most commonly found on damp, hot places such as the mouth, nose, throat, intestines, brain, feet and genital areas. The balance of bacteria in our gut is called gut flora. The average person’s gut flora has 15% antagonistic bacteria/fungus (including candida) and 85% beneficial bacteria, when the percentages shift and antagonistic bacteria start to overtake the beneficial bacteria we start to feel the effect in a multitude of symptoms. Below are just a few of the most common symptoms:
| Headaches Vaginal Yeast Infections/Jock Itch/Athletes Foot Muscle Aches Colitis Poor Digestion Eyes tearing or burning Dizziness Reduced Libido Depression Chronic Fatigue Disorientation/Confusion Sleep Disturbances Brain Fog |
Weakness/Trembling Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) Infertility Emotional over-sensitivity Poor Concentration Frequent illness Sensitivity to smells (perfume, smoke) Foul smelling breath or body odor Sinus Congestion Sugar and starch cravings Intestinal Discomfort Hives/Eczema/Psoriasis And many Auto-immune diseases |
Why is Candida so common these days?
The standard American lifestyle promotes “yeast overgrowth”.
- Candida thrives in a low oxygen environment, so by spending more time on the couch and less time exercising we are providing candida the ideal environment to grow.
- The “Standard American Diet” contains more processed sugary foods which happen to be yeast’s favorite food.
- We as a society depend on pharmaceutical medications more than ever when we get sick. Antibiotics kill ALL bacteria (good and bad), but do not affect fungus. So when we go on an antibiotic we kill off our defenses allowing yeast to take over while our bodies slowly rebuild its forces of beneficial bacteria.
How does Candida affect my health?
Candida can produce almost 100 different toxins, the most dangerous being: alcohols, aldehydes, and the powerful neuro-toxin hydrogen sulfide. These chemicals when not cleared by the liver can slow down brain function, depress the immune system, poison the nervous system, and cause havoc throughout the body. In addition, Candida adheres to cells twice as often in individuals suffering from endocrine disease such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hormone imbalances, causing complications and making it much more dangerous than many perceive it to be.
How is our treatment different than a medical treatment?
As with any Naturopathic treatment, we treat the cause of the illness, instead of the symptom. When you are given an anti-fungal medication or cream you may clear the affected area of the symptom, but without treating the cause of the infection it will only return. Given the right circumstances, candida can double in quantity every half hour. Candida then creates an environment that prevents repopulation of good bacteria and causing havoc on your entire body.