Candida Albicans, Yeast Infections? How to Cure yourself!
Delving into the topic of Candida with details into my personal experience and testimony (that are only in the video) that I have not shared before.
Enjoy the Video 🙂
What is Candida?
Candida is a yeast that is present in and on our bodies at all times, generally on the skin and in the intestines. It functions as a back up mechanism to help control blood sugar. Normally candida blooms when there is excess blood sugar and quickly dies off, we are talking in a matter of minutes. The trouble starts when we start to have elevated levels of candida that bloom chronically and start to permeate the intestinal wall and from there go into other systems they are not meant to be in. Candida, while in and of itself is quite helpful, life saving even, when chronic causes a laundry list of symptoms and problems due to the acidic nature of its waste product and the resultant leaky gut.
Some Common Symptoms of a Candida Overgrowth include but are not limited to:
Fungal skin infections like Jock Itch, ring worm or athletes foot
White coated tongue / Oral thrush
Food and chemical sensitivities
Feelings of anxiety, panic attacks, feeling “blue”
Hyperactivity, attention problems (Candida is not the cause of ADHD – but it can certainly make things worse. )
Brain fog, poor concentration, feeling ‘spacey’
Poor memory
Irregular bowels; diarrhea or constipation
Chronic flatulence
Abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements
Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( Note: some have had amazing results with IBS after dealing with Candida / Yeast Issues )
Heart burn / Indigestion
Dry mouth, bad breath
Extreme lethargy, fatigue
Eye fatigue, spots in front of eyes, burning or tearing eyes
Frequent ear infections, pressure, swelling or tingling or ears
Irritability, mood swings
Headaches
Dandruff, dry, itchy skin
Acne or other skin problems
Frequent urination
Frequent vaginal yeast infections, persistent vaginal itching
Irregular menstruation, endometriosis, PMS
Poor libido
Rectal itching
Symptoms worse after high sugar foods
Numb, burning or tingling sensations
Fungal Sinusitis
Inflammation of the hair follicles (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms)
Muscle weakness and pain
Joint swelling and aches
Obsessive behavior
Sinus problems, post nasal drip
Swollen lips/face
Symptoms worse after waking
Allergy symptoms
So now that we know a bit more about candida and its symptoms lets get to some common reasons why people may develop overgrowths of this symbiotic yeast.
Stress, high levels of stress in any form (physical, mental) lowers our bodies vitality and thus hinders our immune response. Lowered levels of immune function have been shown to increase unchecked proliferation of candida.
Widespread use of antibiotics, both natural and unnatural. Antibiotics of all kinds, including garlic, but especially prescription antibiotics, damage and can wipe out our bacterial colonies which can lead to chronic imbalances and digestive issues.
Mercury from mercury amalgam fillings. These mercury /silver fillings have been show to disrupt intestinal flora and may cause imbalances that favour the overgrowths of certain acid forming organisms such as candida.
Chlorine and fluoride from swimming and drinking water. Both of these chemicals disrupt and cause damage to the delicate balance of flora in our intestinal tract.
Consistent elevated levels of fat in the diet as well as eating high sugar and high fat foods at the same meal.
Of all 5 of these common causes of candida albicans the one most misunderstood and talked the least about is the role fat plays in candida overgrowths.
The mainstream approach treats candida as if it is a threat that must be killed at all costs, that sugar is the enemy. This approach often employs powerful substances like grapefruit seed extract and oil of oregano among other herbs to attempt to “wipe out” candida. What this approach is missing out on is the fact that every cell in our body runs off of sugar, no exception, and that candida is a normal microbe in the body and is needed. It is the way that fat impacts blood sugar and provides the opportunity for candida to bloom that is not taken into account.
So often sugar is named the culprit with candida, in fact most anti candida diets are sugar free diets that recommend staying away from all fruit, except granny smith apples and especially all processed sugars. The recommendation on staying away from processed sugar is a great one but the fear around fruit and fruit sugar is unfounded. Sports science clearly shows that as the total fat in the diet goes up above 10-15% of total calories insulin function and sugar metabolism reliably goes down. As our insulin function goes down the proliferation of candida goes up. Most people are eating high sugar, high fat, high salt diets, in fact most people eat all three of these components at every meal and this is a large factor resulting in many chronic conditions including candida.
The Solution?
First I feel it is important to come from a holistic background, we must look to all causative factors and consider everything cumulative if we wish to reach for optimal levels of health. Considering all 5 points above, letting go of stress, letting the the past be the past and from there coming into what we can do now makes the greatest impact. Getting adequate sleep, sunshine, enough exercise, forming loving relationships and stress reduction methods are but a few holistic factors of vast importance to come into balance in health happiness and also candida.
In terms of diet and lifestyle what I have found to be the most effective way to bring even the most chronic levels of candida into check is a simple Low Fat Raw Vegan diet based in fruits and vegetables. A diet abundant in fruit, eating right between all you can and all you enjoy at each meal while including as much leafy greens as you desire. I find the more severe the candida the more important it is to eliminate all overtly fatty foods (avocados, nuts, seeds, especially oils) for at least 1-4 weeks. When we eat such a self satiating diet we find it hard to over eat and thus come into balance with our actual needs while also healing our digestive tract.
This of course isn’t a easy journey, yeast die offs as well as the detoxification of the accumulated waste products from such a chronic condition can bring a array of symptoms similar to symptoms of the condition itself. With consistence, sleep, exercises and stress reduction in balance, day by day the symptoms get lighter and disappear all together. If one has underlying issues such as chronic fatigue and or adrenal fatigue more a personalized and fine tuned approach may be needed including options such as water fasting and herbal support.
Within the video I go more into depth in some aspects of the dietary approach as well as into my personal testimony and journey in healing my own chronic systemic candida, I do hope you enjoyed this post and the video itself.
If you wish to dive into this lifestyle and experience a true Holistic Getaway be sure to reserve your spot at my
March 2018 Raw Food n Yoga Surf Adventure Retreat
Its Sure to Be a Blast! Learn more and reserve your spot at http://therawadvantage.com/retreats/raw-food-n-yoga-surf-adventure-retreat/
Wishing you all Much
PeaceLovenSeasonalFruit ck