Candida: a modern-day plague
By Dr. A.W. Martin, D.C, PhD, RNCP, DNM
Do you have chronic fatigue? Do you suffer from digestive issues (heart burn, bloating, diarrhea, constipation)? Do you have acne or dry or itchy skin? Do you get intense sugar or carb cravings? Do you have chronic sinusitis? Do you get regular headaches or migraines? How about recurring urinary tract infections? Do you have toe fungus?
All these symptoms or conditions can have a root cause. The culprit is often candida albicans or the layman’s term yeast or fungus.
Candida albicans is a pathogen that can accumulate in the body due to:
- the overuse of antibiotics
- consumption of sugars
- the use of NSAID’s (Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, Motrin, etc.)
- chronic stress and high levels of circulatory hormone called cortisol.
- drinking fluoridated water, exposure to environment toxins – herbicides/pesticides
- aspartame – We always suspected that this artificial sweetener was toxic, but now we know why; it kills friendly bacteria just like an antibiotic.
- Leaky gut
If you have systematic candida infection you also have leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut is caused by not having enough friendly bacteria in the gut. The number one cause of leaky gut is the over use of antibiotics. One five-day antibiotic treatment will destroy all your friendly bacteria. I always tell my patients when they get on a scale to subtract six pounds because that is how much friendly bacteria you should have in your body.
Side effects of candida overgrowth
Candida or yeast triggers intense cravings for sugar, pastries or chocolate. I always tell my patients if they have candida “Don’t feed the bears.” Candida loves sugar and white flour.
Candida hinders the thyroid and therefore can really make you sluggish.
Candida causes the body to release inflammatory cytokines causing joint pain, aches, etc.
Candida suppresses the adrenal glands.
Candida cause bloating.
Candida causes malabsorption syndrome, which often gets misdiagnosed as food intolerances or allergies.
Candida often causes the skin to develop unexplained rashes or sometimes even hives. I have never seen a case of eczema or psoriasis where the patient didn’t have a major candida infection.
Long term effects of candida overgrowth
Candida albicans often gets passed through the placenta from mother to child. For example, I often see babies who are colicky or who have eczema and psoriasis or thrush. More often than not, mommy was on antibiotics even up to a year before pregnancy. Mommy gets candida and then passes it on to their babies.
Italian Oncologist, Dr. Simoncini, believes that all cancers start with candida infection. He has examined thousands of biopsies and without exceptions has seen candida every time. Completely eradicating candida albicans takes several months; even up to one year in severe cases.
Candida treatment recommendations
Use broad-spectrum probiotics for several months. Broad spectrum means that the probiotics complex has at least 10 different strains. If you read the label, you notice all probiotics start with L or B. Two strains are very important for treating candida. These are lactobacillus rhamosus and lactobcillus reuteri.
Use oil of oregano on a regular basis. Oil of oregano is a powerful anti fungal. A good way to use oil of oregano is to put it on your toothbrush, then put toothpaste on top of it. Brush teeth and gums vigorously twice daily.
Consume coconut oil. Three tablespoons daily will help to kill fungus. Coconut oil contains a medium chain fatty acid (lauric, caprylic and caprice acids) that work together to split open the outer wall of the fungus cells.
Spices like turmeric, curry and thyme help to kill candida.
Extracts like black walnut, olive leaf, goldenseal also kill candida.
Avoid sugar. You may even need to limit fruits.
Conventional treatments for candida are effective in the short term, but cause long-term side effects like decreased immune function and possible serious liver issues. These prescription meds should rarely be used.
Dr. A. W. Martin D.C, PhD, RNCP, DNM, is the author of several books including “Eat Fat, Get Lean.
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