Candida Overgrowth

Candida Albicans is a single celled, fungal yeast that is impossible to keep out of the body. Normally, it does no harm, because probiotics (good gut bacteria) like acidophilus keep it in check. When probiotics are destroyed, however (by birth control pills, HRT, antibiotics, steroids, extreme stress, sugar based diet etc…), Candida can grow out of control in the gut, or even become systemic and travel throughout the body. Candida presents problems because it produces chemicals that are toxic to the body. Try not to view candida overgrowth as the primary problem. I has occurred because the body, and in particular the digestive tract is out of balance. Any effective treatment is going to be based around re-establishing that balance. This is where traditional medicine gets it wrong, because anti fungal agents such as Nystatin or Fluconazole will just treat the fungus, but will not re-establish the balance in the gut and body that will prevent candida from returning. Many of you will have had experience of this after visiting your doctor and being prescribed an anti fungal drug. Your symptoms are relieved for a short time, and then return with a vengeance.

When it grows out of control, candida changes shape from a round single celled organism into an elongated shape called a mycelium, and often initiates the proliferation of long root-like structures (mycelia and rhizoids) that penetrate the mucosal membranes in the gut, creating microscopic breaks in the normal mucosal boundary of the gastrointestinal tract. The resulting perforations permit antigens — foreign substances such as candida and its toxic acetaldehyde byproducts, other toxins, and incompletely digested dietary proteins — to leak into the bloodstream, which in turn creates antibody release and inflammation. These can flood the body, and cause wide varieties of discomfort and candida overgrowth symptoms.

Candida can also grow out of control in the intestinal tract, causing continuous inflammation and giving off toxins. The inflammation and toxins put a strain on the immune system, weakening the body’s defences to other problems. So the body is burdened by the antigens and toxins produced by the Candida, and the wide variety of symptoms that make up Candidiasis become apparent.

Testing for Candida overgrowth is problematic. Your doctor will state categorically that it does not exist as a health problem unless your are HIV positive or undergoing chemotherapy. Laboratory tests can be undertaken privately, and include a stool test; saliva antibody test; and blood antibody test. None of theses tests are 100% conclusive. A test that is doing the rounds on the internet is the ‘spit test’ This has no basis in science, and is completely useless as a diagnostic tool.

Typical symptoms may include cravings for sugary foods, brain fog,lack of concentration, mood swings, skin rashes, irritable bowel syndrome, fungal infections and, in women, thrush. If you are unsure whether or not you have Candida overgrowth, we can email you a questionnaire which can indicate if you do suffer from it. Taking your answers to this questionnaire, we then cross reference seven of your answers with a separate medical questionnaire to give a 95% reliable answer.

Most conventional doctors do not recognise that there is a problem caused by Candida overgrowth unless in the severely immuno-compromised such as HIV AIDS patients.

Mainstream treatments include:
Nystatin – This is a prescription drug that inhibits the fungal cell wall. The die off effects can make one feel quite ill; it does have an effect on the liver, and candida is now quite resistant to it.
Diflucan (fluconazole) – is useful but pricey.
Nizoral (ketoconazole) – is useful, but has accompanying liver toxicity. Best to get liver function tested whilst using it.

Complementary treatments include:
Garlic and garlic oil and extracts; Grapefruit seed extract; olive leaf extract; berberine; pau d’arco; tea tree oil; caprylic acid. These will give die-off effects, and should be rotated on a regular basis so that the Candida does not become resistant to them.

Here at gutdoctor we have helped thousands of people, many of whom have previously struggled with the effects of candida overgrowth for many years. We have developed a highly successful seven point strategy that succeeds quickly in the vast majority of cases of systemic candida.

Seven Point Plan for success

Remove the cause
Heal the leaky gut (with Immunecare Colostrum)
Kill the candida (with Candigest Plus)
Re-populate the gut with beneficial bacteria
Boost the immune system
Help the digestive system
Adopt an anti-candida diet