It is important to remember that you will be probably wasting your time just treating candida in order to get a really good (and permanent) result. With candidiasis you need to get a handle on the primary causes which include antibiotic inducement and/or a poor sugar laden diet high in refined carbs, snack foods and poor food choices generally which keep the yeast thriving.
Most doctors I have known think that yeast can overgrow only in an immune system that is severely suppressed. For example, if a patient has AIDS or cancer than they may prescribe anti fungal medicines (depending generally on the results of a test), and with negative test results will most probably send you home with a diagnosis of “irritable bowel syndrome”. What doctors are looking for here is known as systemic candidiasis and is a serious condition that occurs in persons with suppressed Immune Systems (for example those who have undergone chemotherapy). This form of candidiasis can affect the lungs, liver, kidneys and brain. The candida I am referring to in this series is much more common, and is a candida overgrowth which involves the excessive proliferation of candida albicans in the gastrointestinal system. This overgrowth can take on a more insidious form, as mentioned in an earlier article.
I can tell you with absolute certainty that candida occurs in people that do not have AIDS or cancer or those with normal immune systems. Candida overgrowth, like many chronic complaints which remain unresolved with conventional methods, is best treated with several stages in mind. I will elaborate on these methods in this article but will for the sake of brevity focus on treatment and diet.
Medical treatment: Topical and oral antifungal medications
In extreme cases, your doctor may prescribe oral antifungal medications for a bad case of thrush or internal gut related candida infection if it is extensive or severe and / or a condition resists topical antifungal therapy.
Some doctors I know routinely treat women with thrush with a powerful antifungal drug called Fluconazole, which in some cases sorts the problem but for most women it is far from over. Their sugar, chocolate or alcohol rich diet was never addressed and their thrush returned with avengeance weeks to months later, prompting the doctor to prescribe another round or even stronger “top shelf” antibiotics.
So many patients I have seen have been prescribed a pharmaceutical antifungal for either a skin, vaginal or intestinal yeast problem, and often recurrently. Isn’t it interesting to note the big interest in probiotics lately, when naturopaths have been recommending that patients eat foods which enhance the bowel flora naturally. Natural health practitioners were recommending patients to eat cultured foods containing lactic acid such as sauerkraut and yoghurt long before any “probiotic” supplement was ever developed. Lactic acid today is widely used for reducing the number of pathogenic bacteria like E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and Listeria on beef, pork, and poultry during the slaughtering process. It is known that lactic acid in yoghurt has a most beneficial effect on improving not only the bowel flora by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, but many aspects of immunity. Are you eating yoghurt? Try to avoid those yoghurts in the little plastic tubs with artificial sugars, instead opt for the natural soured yoghurts which have no fruit or any added sugars. Ask your organic shop, they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Commonly prescribed antifungal: the “Zole” drugs:
- Itraconazole (Sporanox)
- Fluconazole (Diflucan)
- Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Itraconazole and fluconazole are claimed to be relatively “safe drugs”. Side effects can range from nausea and vomiting, constipation or diarrhoea, headache, dizziness, abnormal liver function tests, allergic skin rashes such as dermatitis, enlarged breasts (in males) and adrenal suppression. I think I’d rather stick with the candida infection thanks…Besides, some species of candida are resistant to “azoles”, and azole resistance is increasing, especially in immuno-suppressed patients who are prescribed long courses of drugs.
Nystatin (Mycostatin, Nilstat)
Like many other antifungal and antibiotics, Nystatin is of bacterial origin. It was discovered in the 1940s by two brilliant female scientists who were looking for an agent in the soil which may be useful in controlling fungal diseases. It was called “Nystatin” after New York, the state it was first discovered.
Nystatin is an unusually safe drug because very little if any is absorbed from your intestinal tract. I have found that it is extremely well tolerated and have recommended it to my patients for many years after first reading about it in Dr. William Crook’s book “The Yeast Connection” in the 1980s.
The usual starting dose is 500,000 to 1 million units, four times daily. (Each tablet is 500,000 units or 1/8 teaspoon of the powder.) I have recommended patients to talk to their doctors about Nystatin; it is the safest of all drugs your doctor could prescribe for a yeast or fungal condition in your body.
William Vayda, a notable Sydney naturopath 70’s and 80’s stated in his article: “Systemic yeast infection – part two”. Nature & Health. (1986). “Nystatin is one of only a few drugs that can destroy and eliminate Candida albicans from the gut and can kill the toxins generated by Candida albicans throughout the body.
Dr. Orion Truss, who inspired Dr. Crook to write his landmark book about candida used Nystatin extensively in the 1970s to discourage yeast growth in his patients, and was one of the first medical doctors to notice the connection between an antibiotic and candida infections.
The notable Sydney naturopath William Vayda advised readers to discard their usual aversion to pharmaceutical drugs in the case of Nystatin, in view of its superiority over natural treatments for the systemic elimination Candida albicans. Well known Aussie Naturopath Dorothy Hall told me once that William was a true pioneer in Australian natural medicine and had “the guts to say things how they are”.
You may not prefer to use Nystatin and there are more natural ways to clear candida, so let’s explore natural ways to treat this annoying complaint.
Eric’s 7 step Candida Eradication Program
Step 1 – Starve the beast
Change your diet: Don’t feed candida on foods they love. This means avoid like the plague any refined carbohydrate foods like white flour, refined sugars such as corn syrup and glucose, fruit juices and honey.
There are so many books and articles I have read relating to candida eradication, I have tried many diets with patients but have achieved much success with the following diet which I have found works. The thing is to use common sense, not diet books! Mark Twain once said: “be careful reading books on health, you may die of a misprint”.
If you crave it – then stop eating it. If it is very sweet in your mouth and you know it is wrong – stop eating it. Just like the beer bellied couch potato sports enthusiast, or the “sugar plum bum fairy” who likes her wine and nibbles, candida prefers chips, alcohol and chocolates & lollies.
Yeast hates a healthy diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits and high quality proteins devoid of refined carbs. I have never been convinced that patients need to strictly avoid all fruits with candida issues, but do request that those with major problems be quite strict for the first three weeks and then ease up a little.
If you suspect candidiasis, it is useful to take note of my dietary advice since it does not contradict the general guidelines for good healthy eating and has made an enormous difference in the lives of so many patients I have seen who, unbeknown to them, were being made miserable by this condition.
Just do the diet strictly for three weeks, then include more fresh fruits. Stay on this diet for as long as it takes which could be 3 – 6 months. You will feel great and will have probably made some long term changes as your health has improved in many different ways. And who wants to be a sugar plum bum fairy who complains of bloating, farting, itching, mental fogginess, fatigue anyway?
Step 2 – Suppress and kill the yeast – but be careful of “die-off”
I used to like to use the word “kill” when it came to candida treatment, but killing is not necessary. Wars never solve problems, they just create more wars. Today I rather suppress yeast and build good bowel flora and have found it more satisfactory and just as effective without aggravating the patient.
Some therapies that successfully treat candida by causing the rapid death of large numbers of yeasts can cause a “die-off” reaction (known as the Herxheimer reaction) during which great amounts of toxins are released from the dead candida micro-organisms. These toxins can cause allergies in many people. Some patients (prematurely) abandon their candida treatment under the mistaken belief that this “die-off” reaction and its associated allergic reactions are an indication that their candida over-proliferation is worsening rather than diminishing.
Below is a list of some of the most effective things to take, in no particular order. I have not mentioned dosages because I tend to work “one on one” with a patient and what works for one may aggravate another quite badly.
Get help: If these things do not make a significant difference, then seek out a good naturopath or nutritionally orientated doctor who is genuinely knowledgeable about the treatment of candida. Whilst you can self-prescribe, I think it is best if you work in with your health-care professional rather than follow the advice from your local health food shop. Candida treatment has its ups and downs, and a program tailored to suit your specific needs will be much more effective than just adopting a yeast free diet and taking a bunch of supplements and hoping for the best.
- Undecylenic acid: Undecylenic acid is a very effective, broad-spectrum anti-fungal monounsaturated fatty acid in a capsule. It works well and I have used it for years. It is more potent against detrimental fungi than a commonly used supplement called acrylic acid. I give it three times daily for about 6 weeks then reduce to twice daily. It works better if you have a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil daily as well.
- Digestive enzymes: These are essential to break down the foods you eat into usable nutrients, especially where there is a candida overgrowth which depletes hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes in the stomach.Supplemental pancreatic enzymes and supplemental proteolytic enzymes (such as pancreatic amylase, Bromelain, chymotrypsin, lipases, papain and trypsin) will reduce the discomfort caused by any Herxheimer reactions.
- Colloidal silver: Although I not a big fan of colloidal silver, it does work in suppressing and even killing candida. Here is a letter reproduced from the School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which states: “Preliminary studies on your colloidal silver preparation (1500 ppm) show it to be effective in inhibiting and killing strains of Candida albicans. Three strains of C. Albicans were tested and they were killed by the preparation at between 46 and 93 ppm. Growth was inhibited at between 0.7 and 1.4 ppm.”
- Pau d’arco Tea: This tea from the South American tree has a long folk use in the treatment of infections. Several compounds from Pau d’arco have demonstrated anti-Candida effects. Drink a cup twice daily.
- Good probiotic supplement: A most effective candida probiotic should contain Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus rhamnosus species. I recommend taking probiotics twice daily, one capsule on rising and one on retiring – away from foods and supplements which could inhibit them.
- Garlic: This is one of my favourite and most effective anti-candida measures. Garlic suppresses and kills most forms of detrimental fungi, bacteria, protozoan and viruses. I have for many years had a large bowl of garlic cloves on my kitchen bench and use fresh cloves in most of my cooking along with plenty of fresh herbs such as oregano, sage, basil, thyme, and parsley. These herbs were introduced into cooking many thousands of years ago to inhibit bacteria and eliminate parasites, not to flavour foods! Do you eat garlic daily? It will help your digestive and immune system in so many ways. Whilst you can supplement with capsules of aged or odourless garlic, fresh is again the best. The best leafy herb to counter candida? Eat fresh oregano; use it in salads, egg dishes, etc. Can’t tolerate garlic? Then get the odourless capsules.
- Vitamins and mineral & Omega3 supplement. This is important since candida taxes the bodies own reserves of vitamins and minerals. Take a quality multi-vitamin every day, along with a quality Omega3 supplement.
See our next article- Beating Candida for further steps to beating candida.Â
