Candida Albicans — How It May Affect Your Health, and How to Address It
If you're not optimally healthy,
could candida be at fault? In this interview, British osteopath and
naturopath, Dr. Leon Chaitow, author of "Candida Albicans: Natural Remedies for Yeast Infection," discusses its dangers — and more importantly, how to address this exceedingly common infection.
Trained in Great Britain, Chaitow had a medical practice in the U.K.
for about 30 years before moving to Greece, where he currently resides.
"In the mid-1980s, I began to notice an increase in the number of
patients who were coming to me with … digestive gut problems …
yeast-related illnesses … skin problems … vaginitis [and] fatigue …
I was really concerned about what was producing this change in my patient population," Chaitow says. "It
was [at] that time that I came across Dr. Crook's book, 'The Yeast
Connection' [and] began to understand what I was dealing with."
As his investigation continued, which ultimately culminated in the
publication of his book in 1985, he began to see links between chronic
fatigue, chronic pain problems and fibromyalgia-type symptoms.
Crook's book was instrumental in my natural health journey as well. I
read his book in 1985 — the same year I finished my family practice
residency and set up my own medical practice.
Sadly, I was brainwashed into the pharmacological model hook, line and
sinker, but I read his book, as like most physicians, I had patients
exhibiting these symptoms.
I tried Crook's approach. But because I was so brainwashed, I thought
the primary focus was to kill the yeast, so I prescribed antifungals
and never addressed the diet. Guess what? No surprise; it never worked.
Fast-forward six or seven years. I now had yet another patient, a young
child, presenting with chronic diarrhea, signs of autistic spectrum
disorder (ASD), along with the classic signs for candida presented in
Crook's book.
This time I had grown wiser and decided to include the dietary
interventions he prescribed, and lo and behold, it worked like a charm.
This really opened my eyes and got me started down the path of
nutritional medicine.
Candida albicans is a very pervasive yeast.
Most everyone watching this has it in their system, and for most, it
poses no problem at all. However, if your immune system becomes
disrupted from exposure to antibiotics, poor diet or lack of sleep, for
example, candida can begin to grow out of control.
"The issue seems to be a mixture between modern lifestyle and diet," Chaitow says.
"It can be a range of features that [suggests] some degree of immune
suppression; not in the extreme sense, but simply not functioning well
enough … The issues seem to initially start in the gut …
It seems the change in the gut flora — which can be the result of
antibiotics; it can also simply be nutritional (high-sugar diet, high
refined carbohydrates) factor — leads to this change in gut behavior
where the yeast can change. The normal flora of the gut produce biotin.
That's in a normal healthy flora. The biotin suppresses the ability of yeast to change into a more
aggressive mycelial form, where it can actually put down little
rootlets [and] penetrate the gut mucus membrane, starting a process
where we start to absorb toxins from the gut, and we start getting
sensitivity allergic-type symptoms bodywide.
It can be pain. It can be fatigue. It can be many other things. The
change in the normal flora seems to be the key to correcting the
problem, because they normally keep yeast under control. Yeast is there,
but it's not aggressive. Once we lose the functionality of the normal
gut flora, the problems accelerate."
One major (and clearly visible) clinical symptom of candida is a white
coating on your tongue. When your microbial balance is normal, your
tongue is typically clean and pink. Other common symptoms suggesting
candida has gotten the upper hand include: Sudden development of food sensitivities Unusual aches and pains that do not appear to have a determinable cause (such as an injury) Gut problems, such as bloating, constipation or diarrhea Unnatural, persistent fatigue Odd skin issues, such as dry patches Vaginitis (inflammation of the genital area in women) Interestingly, Chaitow also discovered that candida symptoms have
many commonalities with symptoms related to improper breathing. He
spent over a decade studying the biochemical effects of breathing
dysfunction, which is also extremely common, and many of them are
identical to yeast problems.
"I began to see how young women with yeast-related problems [also]
had upper chest breathing patterns. It's extremely common in women to
have that," he says.
"These breathing pattern disorders were leading to a range of
symptoms, [including] gut symptoms (because smooth muscle constriction
occurs when you're in a state of respiratory alkalosis or
overbreathing) [and fatigue].
They were getting all the symptoms that I thought were yeast
related. Many of the yeast-type problems are compounded [or] aggravated
by common breathing pattern disorders. Not pathology, simply
dysfunction …
They're not related [but] very similar symptoms can emerge from
both directions. Sometimes they're both happening and you're only
dealing with one. The ideal is to deal with lifestyle, which would
include enhanced breathing patterns and the dietary side.
The problem is if you only focus on the diet and the obvious yeast
overgrowth, and you don't deal with what might be treading into it from
what is an extremely common problem, you miss a part of the story."
One of the best ways to address any breathing dysfunction you may have is to familiarize yourself with the Buteyko Breathing Technique. Breathing is typically ignored when it comes to health, yet
breathing properly can improve oxygenation through your body, including
your brain, and is a powerful strategy for relieving stress and anxiety — mental factors that can have an adverse effect on your physical health if left unaddressed.
In order to control the candida yeast — which is typically part of your
normal flora; not necessarily a pathogen but rather an opportunistic
"parasitic" infection — you want to starve it, thereby suppressing it
naturally rather than killing it outright.
Candida can be viewed as a free-loader that takes advantage of your
mistakes when you fail to implement a proper lifestyle, or are exposed
and buy into the medical paradigm that uses drugs as the go-to
solution. Very frequently, these drugs —antibiotics, steroid hormones
and oral contraceptives, for example — will change your internal
environment, predisposing candida to grow into an invasive form of
infection that can cause serious problems.
"The formula I try to have as an overarching approach to all these
chronic problems is to try and simplify it to enhance immune function,
whichever way you can; reduce the adoptive load that you're imposing to
the system. It can be just better lifestyle, better sleep, more
exercise and improved, enhanced diet.
Stop feeding the yeast, stop damaging your immune function, and replenish the gut flora as best possible," Chaitow says.
"The yeast, controlled, takes care of itself. You don't have to kill
it … We have this natural wonderful symbiosis with our gut flora. It
keeps us alive. It keeps us healthy. But if we damage it, we pay the
price."
Avoiding antibiotics is one important prevention strategy. Only take
them if your life depends on it. Also avoid antibiotics in your food.
This means avoiding foods from animals raised in concentrated animal
feeding operations (CAFOs), as most are routinely fed low-dose
antibiotics to counteract poor sanitation and crowded living
conditions, and to boost growth.
As much as 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the United States are
used in agriculture, so it's a significant source of exposure. Also
avoid unnecessary hormones, such as contraceptives, and sugar. Ideally,
your diet should be low in net carbs, high in high-quality fats and
moderate in protein. As noted by Chaitow:
"The diet is the key. The diet needs to be as unprocessed as
possible … The Mediterranean Diet is the ideal one. It's fish (not
farmed fish if possible) [and] lean meat … The agricultural industry is
the main user of antibiotics [so] that's where we're most at risk …
Vegetables, fruits — not too much of the very sweet fruits at the
beginning of the anti-Candida program, but certainly fruits like papaya
are wonderful.
The avoidance of anything that is going to provoke fermentation.
Sugar is key to avoid. At the beginning, that even covers things like
honey in the first month or two of an anti-Candida program. I think
it's quite a simple process. It's healthy lifestyle, healthy diet. The
program has to be coupled initially by trying to encourage more normal
gut flora. We go straight into the prebiotics and probiotics. That
needs to be accompanied by change in diet and avoiding antibiotics
wherever possible."
In his book, Crook recommends Nystatin, an antifungal drug that is
available as a powder or tablets. It's a relatively benign drug with
few side effects. Still, while it may be necessary in extreme cases,
Chaitow avoids antifungals unless the condition is not improving at a
reasonable rate. Diflucan is a type of antibiotic that may also be
prescribed if all else fails.
"Use [drugs] only as a fallback position," Chaitow recommends.
"Over the years, that has proved adequate if people have the patience.
There are issues about cost here, because sometimes, a comprehensive
antifungal program becomes somewhat expensive. You've got a number of
nutrients, probiotics and so on to buy. Some of the food is more
expensive if you're buying organic meat rather than the normal
processed meat and so on. I think people have to compromise at times.
I think using antifungals, unless there's an extreme fungal
infection that demands a rapid resolution, and as an economic
imperative, I would try to think of it as, not last resort, but
certainly second resort. Primary is diet, lifestyle and the associated
probiotics. There are many botanical, herbal-type products, which can
assist in that process. I'm not sold on always or even 50 percent of
the time using medication."
High-quality probiotic supplements can indeed be pricey, but you can
easily slash your bill by using homemade fermented vegetables instead. I
personally don't take any probiotics. I use high-quality fermented
vegetables, which contain FAR more viable beneficial organisms than
commercial probiotics do. Chaitow also recommends using prebiotic
fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), which help enhance the functionality of
normal gut flora and can be taken as a powder.
"I absolutely agree that fermented foods are the ideal," he says.
"[But] it's sometimes a shift too far for people in the early stages.
That's completely outside of their culture. It's something that I try
to introduce when I can … The more complicated it is, the more
expensive it is, the more difficult it is, the less likely you're going
to have compliance.
If you lose your patient because they just find that it's too much,
either too expensive, too complicated or too unpleasant, you've not
gained anything. It's about simplicity for me. I use the prebiotics
[and] probiotics that come in a simple, easy form to take."
A drawback of FOS is that it could potentially lead to bacterial
overgrowth in your small intestine. It's extremely rare, but it has
been known to occur. A more natural approach to get more prebiotics is
simply to eat more high-fiber foods. There are nutritional trackers — chronometer.com/mercola is my favorite — that will tell you how many grams of fiber you're getting. Try to get above 40-70 grams of fiber a day.
You may not be able to do that unless you use a fiber supplement like
chia seeds, which is a whole food, or organic psyllium husk. (Make sure
it's organic, as psyllium is frequently grown and contaminated with
large amounts of pesticides.) I take about 3 tablespoons of each per
day, which is how I can get my daily fiber intake up to 80 grams. The
fiber acts as a magnificent substrate to nourish healthy bacteria,
which can actually double every 20 minutes or so when they get the
nutrients they need.
I'm currently finishing up my next book, which details how to optimize
your mitochondrial health through the use of mitochondrial metabolic
therapy. Interestingly, the list of supplements Chaitow recommends
against candida is almost identical to the ones known to improve
mitochondrial health, which is a clear win-win! These include: • Caprylic acid,
a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) with eight carbons (which is why
it's also known as C8). While it's found in coconut oil, you can also
buy MCT oil,
either straight C8 or in combination with capric acid (C10). No other
food source converts to ketones more readily than C8, and ketones are a
magnificent, efficient fuel for your body. Caprylic acid is also a
potent antifungal, and Chaitow recommends it in lieu of antifungal
drugs. • Berberine,
the main active ingredient in goldenseal, has antibacterial,
anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing properties. It is also very
effective in assisting mitochondrial functions. • Echinacea, which helps support a healthy immune system, also has antibacterial and antibiotic properties. • Pau d'Arco is
another potent antifungal agent shown to inhibit candida albicans.
Interestingly, the primary ingredient in this tree bark is
beta-lapachone, which is also a very potent catalyst for a molecule
called NAD+. This molecule is a receptor for electrons in the electron
transport chain in the mitochondria. It also acts as a signaling
molecule. It's a sensor for stress and disease.
NAD+ declines with age, and anti-aging researchers have identified this
molecule as one of the primary control mechanisms for slowing down the
aging process. It may actually be the most critical one. Pau d'Arco has
the added advantage of being inexpensive, as far as supplements go. • Aloe
contains a mucopolysaccharide with powerful immune benefits. It also
benefits your mitochondria. I grow about 300 aloe plants in my front
yard, and I add two large aloe leaves to my smoothie each day.
If you're not leading a particularly healthy lifestyle and recognize
your symptoms in the list above, there's a good chance that candida,
which is present in all of us, may have taken up too much real estate.
Chaitow's book, "Candida Albicans: Natural Remedies for Yeast Infection" lays out a comprehensive lifestyle approach to address the problem. You can also find more information on his website, LeonChaitow.com.
At the end of the day, candida need not affect you. You always have
it, but as long as you care for your gut with a low-net-carb,
high-fiber diet, this opportunistic fungus won't cause you any grief.What Is Candida, and How Does It Become a Problem?
Signs and Symptoms of Candida
How to Control Candida
Avoiding Antibiotics and Optimizing Your Diet Are Key Treatment Strategies
When Might You Need Drug Therapy?
Fermented Foods Are a Great Source of Probiotics
Useful Supplements
More Information
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