Candida? What it is and how to overcome it.

Our digestive tract is lined with intestinal microorganisms, these are indispensable to proper nutrient absorption as they are what break down our food and make it possible for us to turn it into blood. We have over 500 different species.

We need a different proportion of each specimen and there are some we need a little of and some we need a lot of. Our gut flora changes based on our diet, i.e. people who eat a lot of meet will have a very different intestinal flora than people who are vegetarians

Depending on the food we eat we grow or kill off specific specimen.

Candida is one of those microorganisms we need only a tiny bit of, when there is too much it does the opposite of what microorganisms should do, it inhibits proper assimilation of essential amino acids and other nutrients, weakens the immune system and the entire body.

It doesn’t only stay confined to the digestive tract, it slips through weakened areas in the gut lining and into the blood and other body tissue, when candida moves through the entire system it is called systemic candidates and is the cause of many degenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases.

Toxic by-products caused by the metabolic process of systemic candida in the body, cause the immune system to produce antibodies so much and so constantly that eventually the immune system gets to a point where it can’t do its job properly anymore leading to immunity breakdown which ultimately causes autoimmune disease such as MS and rheumatoid arthritis and lupus as well as immune devastating diseases such as cancer and aids or hyper allergic.

Candida is the same as what eastern traditional medicine call dampness or what we may call yeast like fungi in the body.

Studies have shown that if you implant a live cold virus into someone’s nose only 12 out of every 100 people actually developed a cold. There are many pathogens in the air and many viruses around us, they need an environment that will support them to grow, a damp (high in candida) body is an ideal environment for all this stuff to grow.

Candida overgrowth symptoms:

Chronic tiredness
mental sluggishness
chronic vaginitis, prostatitis, or anal itching

Bloating
other digestive problems
bad breath
mucus in stools
frequent colds
cravings for sweet things/ yeast bread
recurrent fungal infections such as athletes foot
low immunity
scattered and unfocused mind
memory loss
in severe cases, mental derangement, manic/depression, delusion
also common are allergies to many foods and environmental substances

Causes of candida overgrowth:

Sugar and flour
Too much salt, especially processed salt
Stale or rancid foods
Mucus producing foods
Too much raw food, as it weakens the system (stomach is a big cooking pot and digests through heat, raw foods are cold and cleansing for the body and the stomach has to work extra hard to digest)
Processed and refined foods, any chemical or additive, anything that is taken out of is natural form.
Refined oils
Too much food.
Too many different foods at one meal.
Yeasted bread
Alcohol
Antibiotics as a big cause for candida over growth – these drugs kill off the microorganism in the digestive tracts including the good ones, and this creates a great opportunity and a good environment for yeast and fungus to grow
hormonal birth control
Eating animal products that have low level antibiotics in there feed

How to kill candida and bring your body back into balance:

Refrain from all the things that cause candida in the list above
Adding in: Acidophilus culture, raw sauerkraut, chlorophyll rich foods, deep green vegetables, quality vinegar or tamari sauce, sourdough bread, small daily amounts of miso soup and other natural ferments.
chew your food very well
Grains- eat them sparingly because they are mildly mucus and acid forming, this can be good for people who do not have excess damp already as it’s a very mild balanced and gentle form of dampness which lubricates the system rather than swamp it – if you chew well it makes the grains and other complex carbs become more alkaline and less mucus forming. However a small amount of grains can be recommended (different options) because they contain other factors that inhibit yeast and other growths the grains that are best for drying dampness are: millet, buckwheat, rye, oats, barley, amaranth and quinoa, short grain brown rice. Sprouting these grains make them even better, and in cases of severe candida the grains should not make up more than 20% of the diet.
Aduki Beans and mung beans and especially good, for drying dampness
Radish, mushrooms, pickled vegetables, garlic, greens and seaweeds

Miso: amino acids, trace vitamin B12, live food containing lactobacillus, aids digestion and assimilation, alkalising for the body, promoting resistance to disease, best assimilated when combine with food, don’t overcook, add just before you remove from flame – don’t use too much, there is a lot of salt and having too much will cause issues that are caused by too much salt (week heart and nervous system) See: Miso soup Recipe

Pickles: aid digestion, restore intestinal flora by promoting growth of lactobacillus acidophilus. See: Pickles Recipe

Sourdough:
contains live airborne yeast, totally digestible.

Whenever a flour and water mixture remains in a warm place, some natural leverning occurs

Yeast for bread is relatively new, discovered in a chemist’s lab in France about 100 years ago.

Yeast exasperates candida over growth symptoms.

Commercial bread, even the wholegrain varieties have other problems such as: beached flour, which forms alloxan, a compound known to cause diabetes in animals by destroying the beta cells in the pancreas

The long rising faze allows fermenting agents to break down the cellulose structure and release nutrients into the dough, improving its nutritional value

Contains lactobacillus which helps generate the intestinal flora essential for proper digestion and elimination

Naturalises nearly all of the phytic acid which occurs in most grains (phytic acid reduces mineral metabolism- this is one of the reasons for soaking grains before cooking) about 90% of phytic acid remains in yeasted bread

The ferment is alive and therefor reflects its environment; it is an art to work with it.

Your emotions have an effect on how the ferment works

Scientific experiment which shows how this works: lOur digestive tract is lined with intestinal microorganisms, these are indispensable to proper nutrient absorption as they are what break down our food and make it possible for us to turn it into blood. We have over 500 different species.