Nutrition News - 25 April 2024

In 1953 Dr Orian Truss discovered the devastating effects of antibiotics in an Alabama (USA) hospital. During a hospital round Truss was intrigued by a gaunt, apparently elderly man who was obviously dying. However, he was only in his forties and in hospital for four months. No specialist had been able to make a diagnosis. Out of curiosity Truss asked the patient when he was last completely well.

The man answered that he was well until six months before when he had cut his finger. He had received antibiotics for this. Shortly afterwards he developed diarrhoea and his health deteriorated. Truss had seen before how antibiotics could cause diarrhoea. It was known that Candida was opportunistic and thrived in debilitated patients, but now Truss wondered if it might not be the other way round, that Candida actually caused the debilitated condition.

He had read that potassium iodide solution could be used to treat Candida infestation of the blood. So he put the patient on six to eight drops of Lugol's solution four times a day and soon the patient was again completely well.

Soon afterwards he had a female patient with a stuffy nose, a throbbing headache, vaginitis and severe depression. To his amazement all her problems immediately cleared with Candida treatment. Some time later he saw a female patient who had been schizophrenic for six years with hundreds of electroshock treatments and massive drug dosages. He started treating the woman for sinus allergies with a Candida vaccine. Soon she had recovered mentally and physically, and remained well.

From then on he treated his patients against Candida at the slightest indication of its presence. Many of his patients made remarkable recoveries from most unusual conditions including menstrual problems, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, autism, multiple sclerosis and auto-immune diseases such as Crohn's disease and lupus erythematosus.

Every experienced naturopath can relate similar success stories. Ironically, antibiotics are usually not necessary in the first place. In a few per cent of the cases in which they are necessary their serious after effects could easily be avoided using fungicides and lactobacilli.

Many people doubt the effectiveness of natural therapies against apparently serious infections, but my experience leads me to believe that frequently natural therapies are more effective, without causing the repeated and chronic infections seen after antibiotics. I have seen patients who have been unsuccessful on long-term antibiotic treatment recover within days or weeks with natural therapies.

How Do We Eliminate Candida Albicans Overgrowth?

The Spit Test for Candida Albicans

Immediately after rising before you eat or drink anything fill a clear glass with water at room temperature. Spit some saliva into the glass of water. Then check from time to time for up to an hour to see what happens. If Candida is present, you will see one of three things, or a combination of these.

1. There may be strings like legs extending down into the water from the saliva floating on top

2. Cloudy saliva will accumulate at the bottom of the glass

3. Cloudy bits will remain suspended in the water.

The quicker and stronger the strings grow and the sooner the saliva sinks, the more Candida is in the sample. If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after one hour, you probably do not have systemic Candida but may still have a localized problem in the intestines, the skin or the vagina, and you may still have dysbiosis and infestations of other pathogenic microbes.

Even after systemic Candidiasis has been eliminated the spit test may still remain positive because of fungi living within the mucous membranes of the mouth which may then regrow in the night. This may be eliminated by repeatedly swishing diluted Lugol's Iodine Solution before swallowing.

What is Candida Albicans?

Candida Albicans is a friendly yeast that lives in the large bowel, it feeds the good bacteria that help our bodies to stay healthy. If these good bacteria are compromised (for example, killed off through the use of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, steroids or following prolonged illness or stressful life events) then the digestive system becomes unbalanced. As the Candida Albicans are not being consumed in the gut, one can experience an overgrowth causing chronic Candidiasis. Adrenal insufficiency and diabetes have also been cited as factors which encourage Candidiasis. Such an overgrowth leads to Candida Albicans mutating into a parasitic fungus that can have numerous adverse effects on overall health.

Studies of autoimmune patients have shown that a key factor in all of these serious diseases is an overgrowth of Candida Albicans. In order to grow, Candida Albicans generally trigger a craving for certain foods that feed it such as sugar and pasteurised cows milk products. Given time, the mutated fungal stage of Candida can even penetrate through the bowel wall (Gut Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut), passing into the bloodstream and throughout the body, also allowing proteins into the bloodstream, contributing to autoimmune responses. Once this happens, it can cause depression, listlessness, extreme fatigue during the day, and a 'hung over' feeling in the morning. In some cases other infections are the dominant factor, but more often than not other infections are co-existant with Candida albicans overgrowth/mutation as part of an overall state of microbial derangement.

Primarily, we refer people to the Infection elimination protocol, which is an effective Protocol Suitable for: Viral, Bacterial, Protozoan, Mycoplasmal, Parasitical and Fungal infections.

Please click here to read this article. This is essential information and is the back bone of eliminating Candida Albicans overgrowth and includes the use of Lugol's Iodine 7% Solution for the permanent systemic elimination of Candida.

In addition to the supplements recommended in the article, as specific anti-infection remedies; we strongly recommend the addition of Wormwood to the regime. Wormwood has a strong fast acting anti-candida action especially on the gut, but has not such a systemic action.

Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium),is an anti-parasitic herb that has been used for many years as a digestive tonic. This fights Candida in the bowels. To read the full Wormwood article, please follow the link here.

In addition to the supplements recommended in the article for boosting the immune system we strongly recommend the addition of Primebiotic which contains the highest quality, nutrient dense, green superfoods, pre-digested with 13 synergistic live beneficial bacteria.

Primebiotic is a potent mixture of superfoods, cereal grasses, micro-algae and kelp. Cereal grasses are high in chlorophyll, vitamins, protein, minerals, and unique digestive enzymes. Micro-algae contain significant amounts of lipid, protein, chlorophyll, carotenoid, vitamins, minerals and unique pigments. Kelp provides all the nutrients from the ocean - nature's most complete nutrient 'store'. Exposing these wonderful ingredients to the pro-biotic process enhances their inherent ability to promote the growth and reproduction of friendly bacteria in the gut which feed on Candida Albicans. To read the full Primebiotic article, please follow the link here.

Gut Dysbiosis – The Follow Up Plan

If the Candida overgrowth has not been treated for a long time, then after elimination you may be left with Gut Dysbiosis (Leaky Gut) where the fungal stage of Candida Albicans have bored through the gut wall.

We refer you to the Gut Dysbiosis protocol here.

In brief, this article suggests the use of a good diet, see dietary guidelines here, and the following remedies/supplements:-

Click on each of the above remedies to read the full detailed article.

Anti - Candida Diets – Are they necessary?

A wide variety of anti-Candida diets are available. However, we believe that provided one is taking the remedies described in this article then a strict anti-Candida diet is not necessary in all cases to overcome a Candida Albicans overgrowth.

What is essential is the avoidance of all refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products such as cakes & biscuits and sugar. Avoid all alcohol. Wholemeal bread should be kept to an absolute minimum. Full fat, unsweetened live yogurt is recommended, as is coconut milk.

Organic Raw Eggs (or at least from a known source of healthy free range chickens) are an excellent health tonic and an exceptionally easy to digest form of protein. They are best taken by breaking them into a cup and swallowing whole, but if you have an issue with this, blend with a little goats or sheep’s milk. Raw eggs provide a wonderful boost to the immune system and a completely balanced nutritional package. Please see our full article about the health benefits of raw eggs here

Further dietary advice is contained in our dietary guidelines here