The issue of
systemic candidiasis (yeast overgrowth all over the body and in the blood), as
opposed to just the local vaginal, mouth (thrush) or skin infection, is a
controversial one.
'Mainline'
medicine and obstetrics does not recognize the systemic condition except in
very rare cases of severe immune deficiency, such as in AIDS; most
'alternative' practitioners do recognize and treat it, with the notable
exception of Andrew Weil, MD.
It seems to me that the problem could be solved
if more mainline and alternative practitioners would order the accurate
blood-tests for the active antibody subclass titers - the tests done by the
ELISA or MONA methods.
They would
find what I have: That the titers showing active systemic infection are very
often raised in cases where one suspects this condition (repeated or persistent
vaginal, mouth, skin or nail infections; or fibromyalgia; unexplained fatigue,
or even chronic fatigue syndrome - another condition slow to be accepted by
mainline medicine).
They would
also find that, after a months-long continued no-sugar, no-white-flour diet,
lactobacillus acidophilus, caprylic acid and colloidal silver program (or
Diflucan, Nizoral, or Nystatin, except during pregnancy), the fatigue symptoms
are eliminated or greatly diminished and the active antibody titers are
returned to normal or near-normal. This is pretty convincing evidence, to me.
After about
18-24 months of accurately diagnosing and effectively treating candida-yeast overgrowth
in the blood in virtually every case (when patients have agreed to do the diet
and treatments), I have found the following diet and natural treatments
(obtainable at healthfood stores) usually to be more effective than
months-long, high-dosage Diflucan, Nizoral or Nystatin medications - and
usually w/o side-effects, except in those 1-in-100 persons who are sensitive to
them:
Diet:
Without strict adherence to the following diet, no anti-candida drug or
treatment will succeed:
(1) Avoid added
sugars (including
fructose, honey, molasses, fruit-juice sweeteners, etc.) and all sugar-sweet
foods and snacks, including cakes, cookies, candies, desserts, sodas,
fruit-juice and ice-cream, unless they are made with sugar-substitutes like
saccharine or aspartame (these substances may cause problems for some
people who are allergic or sensitive to them but, by and large, they are not as
harmful as sugars); or stevia extract, which is a natural sweetener,
available at hlthfd stores. If you can cut out sugars for 3 days, their 'spell'
will be broken and you will be able to resist them quite easily, esp. once any
thyroid, chromium and/ or manganese deficiencies are corrected. 1-2 servings of
whole-fruits per day (except the very sweetest kinds, like grapes, watermelon
and mango) are OK.
(2) Avoid
white-starch foods,
like white bread, cakes, cookies, white pasta, white rice, potatoes w/o their
skins, and all refined flours, etc.. Whole-grain flour, in moderation, is
acceptable to me, unless you are a 'carbohydrate addict'; also potatoes with
their peels, whole-grain brown or wild rice, whole-grain pasta (usually
available in the deli section of supermarkets), etc.. I see no reason to avoid
other yeasts - they could help to contain candida yeast. Nor to avoid
dairy products, unless you are allergic to them. I believe some of the
prohibitions bandied around are "old wives' tales" with no scientific
evidence to support them. Avoiding them puts an unnecessary burden on the
patient, discouraging adherence to any form of anti-candida diet and derailing
the whole treatment-effort.
(3)
Increase your intake of essential oils, esp. omega-3 oils, which are very lacking in
the Western World's diet. These include: Fish oils, and oily fish, like salmon,
mackerel, tuna-in-oil, sardines-in-oil, etc.; Flax-seed, borage and evening
primrose oils. One tablespoon or three capsules of any of these, twice
daily, should do the trick. Some of these oils can be used as salad-dressing,
instead of olive or canola oil, or on whole-grain breads or baked potato,
instead of butter. Avocadoes, nuts, olives and olive-oil, canola and other
vegetable oils are mostly omega-6, which are also good but not as lacking in
our diets.
(4) Avoid
antibiotics and cortisone-type prescriptions if at all possible.
Treatments:
(1)
Acidophilus (or
Primadophilus or Bifidus capsules), 700-1,000mg (or at least 1 million
organisms) after brkfst and after supper daily, either indefinitely or at least
for 6 months. This and the above diet are usually enough to prevent - or
prevent the return of a previous - overgrowth of candida yeast in
the blood and intestines. A homeopathic remedy called AquaFlora, and some
herbs, are also said to be effective. If stronger treatment is required, i.e.
when you have elevated candida antibody titers in your blood, I recommend:
(2)
Caprylic (or Undecanoic) Acid capsules 700-1,000mg (preferably including herbal anti-candida
substances as well), after brkfst and after supper daily, for 3-9 months,
depending on the blood antibody titers. The dose for undecanoic acid is 2x50mg
after brkfst and supper daily.
(3)
Colloidal Silver
(<0.001 micron particle-size, 200-500 ppm), one teaspoonful after
brkfst and supper daily, for 3-9 months (until the antibody titers are normal).
Some say that a few drops held in the mouth can be as effective as a whole
teaspoonful swallowed (and is therefore much cheaper) but, so far, I'm not able
to confirm or refute that. I have not seen any evidence of 'argyria', a
silver-grey discoloration of the skin that is supposed to follow. This
substance was used as an antimicrobial agent before we had antibiotics, and was
quite safe.
1.
Crook
WG: CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and The YEAST CONNECTION. Jackson, TN:
Professional Books, 1992.
2. Jesop C: The short, baffling mystery of chronic fatigue syndrome. Chapter 1 in LEARNING ABOUT CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (Bolles EB, ed.): 7-27. NewYork, NY: The Dell Medical Library, 1990.
3.
Solomkin
JS: Pathogenesis and management of Candida infection syndromes in non-neutropenic
patients. NEW HORIZONS 1 (1993), 2 (May): 202-13.
4. Karwowska W et al. Antibody levels to Candida Albicans carbohydrate and major cytoplasmic antigens isolated from standard and patient strains. ANNALS OF IMMUNOLOGY 1984, 135D: 145-59.
5. Schonheyder H et al. IgA and IgG serum antibodies to Candida Albicans in women of child-bearing age. SABOURAUDIA 1983, 21: 223-31.
6. Kostiala AAI, Kostiala I. ELISA for IgM-, IgG- and IgA-class antibodies against Candida Albicans antigens: Development of, and comparison with other, methods. SABOURAUDIA 1981, 19: 13-34.
7.
Dommisse
JV. Cure of chronic fatigue syndrome by the correction of vitamin-B12
deficiency, mineral imbalances and candida yeast serum antibody elevations.
Tucson (1840 E River Rd, Ste 210): THE NATURAL MEDICINE NEWSLETTER, Vol.1,
No.1, Sept., 1996; and Vol.2, No.1, Sept., 1997.