Impact of Candida Overgrowth on the Physical Foundation

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1 The invention of antibiotics was, no doubt, one of the most profound of the 20th century. It spelled the end of a host of infectious diseases which had been decimating old and young alike. Antibiotics saved my life on two occasions, and the life of one of my sons. Even with all they do, antibiotics come with a certain price tag for the body. The two main consequences of antibiotic use are Candida overgrowth and resilient strains of microbes. The second consequence is not within the scope of this report but it is important to know that any use of antibiotics stimulates the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our gut. Another fact is that it took approximately 40 years between the creation of the first antibiotic and the existence of antibioticresistant infections. Perhaps even more startling is that it took only six months for resistance to occur to one of the newest antibiotics on the market. Very few new antibiotics are being created these days so we are likely headed for a widespread health disaster. Keeping our terrain in optimal health is soon going to be our main protection towards new epidemics. It has also been shown the effectiveness of antibiotics with resistant strains of bacteria has been greatly enhance if they are taken with high level of Garlic. Controlling Candida Candida is a spore, a microscopic fungus that grows naturally in three areas of the body: the mouth, the large intestine and the vagina. When the physiological terrain is in balance, this fungus stays in check and in controlled amounts. It feeds a population of friendly bacteria that are part of the ecological balance of the body. Candida overgrowth, however, is a main cause of gastro-intestinal, vaginal, and systemic inflammation. This imbalance can result in serious and sometimes Page 1 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

2 debilitating conditions. I have a firm belief that it is irresponsible for a doctor to prescribe antibiotics without also urging the patient to take a probiotic, such as acidophilus or bifidus that will restore the ecology of the large intestine. The best way to prevent the problem in the first place is to start taking a good live culture concurrently with the antibiotic, but not at the same time. For example if you take an antibiotic morning and night, make sure you take the probiotic in the middle of the day. Live cultures of lactobacilus are available in all health food stores in the refrigerated section. A great way to understand how Candida overgrowth plays out is to imagine cows in a meadow. You might wonder what cows have to do with a physical disequilibrium. It is a little analogy that I use with my clients to explain what happens in the gut as a result of antibiotics. Imagine a herd of cows grazing in a lush meadow. The grass is well cropped and contained within the meadow. Now let s say the cows are taken to a different meadow. Automatically, the grass in the first meadow will start growing wild and progressively invade areas beyond its borders, such as adjacent country lanes. The same happens with Candida. When antibiotics kill off friendly bacteria along with unfriendly bacteria, there is nothing there to control the growth of the Candida. This seriously affects the biological terrain. The Candida transforms from friendly spores feeding friendly hosts to becoming an invading fungus. It attaches to the walls of the large intestine and progressively invades the small intestine where, among other things, it produces porosity of the small intestine wall. This is called Leaky Gut Syndrome which trips off a long list of inflammatory conditions, including: Chronic digestive disorders Page 2 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

3 Chronic gas and bloating Chronic body pain Chronic fatigue due to adrenal exhaustion Chronic diarrhea Mental fogginess Mood swings Depression Constant, uncontrollable sugar craving, leading to sugar metabolic disorder MS-like symptoms Attention deficit disorder Hyper kineticity (particularly in children) Autism-like symptoms Depression Obesity Testing for Candida There are a several safe tests that can confirm whether Candida is the source of your physical discomfort and how extensive the problem may be. Start by answering the following questionnaire. It was developed by The Yeast Connection. To learn more about this resource, go to: When you answer yes to any question, circle the number in the right hand column. When you are finished answering all the questions, add up the points in the right column. Your score will help determine the probability or possibility that your health problems are yeast related. Page 3 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

4 Have you taken repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics? yes no 4 Have you been bothered by recurrent vaginal, prostate, or urinary tract infections? yes no 3 Do you feel sick all over, yet the cause has not been found? yes no 2 Are you bothered by hormone disturbances including PMS, menstrual irregularities sexual dysfunction, sugar craving, low body temperature or fatigue? Are you usually sensitive to tobacco smoke, perfumes, colognes, and other chemical odors? Are you bothered by memory or concentration problems? Do you sometimes feel spaced out? Have you taken prolonged courses of prednisone or other steroids, or have you taken the pill for more than three years? yes no 2 yes no 2 yes no 2 yes no 2 Do some foods disagree with you or trigger your symptoms? yes no 1 Do you suffer with constipation, diarrhea, bloating or abdominal pain? yes no 1 Does your skin itch, tingle or burn; or is it unusually dry; or are you bothered by rashes? yes No 1 Women: If your score is 9 or more, your health problems are probably yeast related. If your score is 12 or more, your health problems are almost certainly yeast related. Page 4 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

5 Men: If your score is 7 or more, your health problems are probably yeast related. If your score is 10 or more, your health problems are almost certainly yeast related. Treating Candida with Natural Remedies If your test scores were high on the questionnaire and you want a more definitive idea of whether or not you have Candida, there is a stool analysis performed by Diagnos-Tech. The cost is reasonable, around $50. It can be ordered by any licensed health-care practitioner. If you decide to treat the Candida on your own, we suggest a number of products that have worked well with our clients. From Mountain States Health Products we suggest AC formula, a broad based herbal anti-fungal. The two main active ingredients are lavender extracts and tea tree oil. The recommended dosage is three tablets, two times daily with food. For more info go to Candistatin is a product from physiologics that we have used with great success. It has a high concentration of caprylic acid derived from coconut. It also contains Pau D Arco and golden thread, both highly anti-fungal and anti-microbial. The recommended dosage is three capsules, two times daily with meals. For more information go to If you are prone to strong reactions, start slowly and build progressively to the recommended dosage and then stay on the protocol for a minimum of three months. Page 5 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

6 There are hundreds of other anti-fungal remedies available on the market and through the internet. The reason we chose these two is because we have direct experience with their effectiveness and because they come from reputed professional lines. Your natural health-care practitioner may have other ideas or strategies to treat Candida and you can also explore it on your own. You will quickly realize whether your symptoms are being alleviated. Possible Side Effects of Treatments Anti-fungal treatment can have strong die-off reactions for the first week after you start taking the product. If the reaction is too strong, stop for a few days and start again on a lower dosage and build up progressively until you can tolerate the full dose. A die-off reaction is the effect that the decomposition of the fungus can have on the body as it is being destroyed by the anti-fungal. Typical effects are headaches, diarrhea, bloating, gas, aches and pain. After the first week the symptoms usually disappear and the treatment is well tolerated. Obviously, an allergic reaction is always a possibility and if the symptoms are not disappearing quickly, stop the treatment at once and consult your health practitioner. Treating Children for Candida We recommend Threelac, which is available on the internet at many different websites. Do a search for Threelac. It comes in a powder form in a little satchel, which is added to water. It is easy to take and does not have a taste. One satchel, two times daily for two months is a good protocol for children. There is also a homeopathic remedy called FNG produced by Deseret Biologicals. This is also a very good product as a starting point for very sensitive Page 6 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

7 adults who are not tolerating the stronger herbals. Deseret also has other homeopathic Candida remedies at various dilution.. All of these treatments should be pursued for a minimum of two months. Another Deseret product that can substantially decrease the die-off effect is Systemic Drainage. By helping your body eliminates toxins it will help in decreasing the side effects. The recommended dosage is 10 drops, three times daily, not less than 20 minutes before or after eating. Deseret Biological products have to be ordered through your health-care provider. For more information, go to their website Oftentimes children with ADD, ADHD and autism are prone to digestive disorders and Candida overgrowth. They also have trouble breaking down certain peptides that inhibit the passage of opiates that are contained in certain food, to the brain. There is a particular form of probiotic produced by Pharmax that inhibit this transfer of opiates. It is called Mindlynx and needs to be ordered by a practitioner. It can have a very dramatic impact on the health of these children. Pro-Biotic Treatment Because so many toxins are moved through the digestive track, many consider the colon our first line of immune defense. In addition to using an anti-fungal, it is very important to restore the bacterial equilibrium of the large intestine. Probiotics do just that. The most common probiotics are lactobacillus, including acidophilus and bifidus but there are many other strands of bacteria which are helpful in creating a balanced environment in the large intestine. Another product that can contribute to the health of the colon is FOS, a type of sugar that feeds the friendly bacteria. It is often incorporated into probiotic formulas. Or try Arabinogalactant, a polysaccharide derived from the bark of the larch tree that s effective in supporting the immune response which originates in Page 7 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

8 the gut. Arabinogalactant is available from our distributor Mountain Health Products ( www,mhpvitamins.com It exists in powder or in capsule form and the recommended dosage is one teaspoon of powder in water or two capsules. Arabimogalactant does not have a taste distinguishable from water. There are many effective probiotic formulas on the market. You can use a live culture and keep it refrigerated, or a freeze dried culture. In addition, the Threelac that we mentioned above is an easy formula to use for children and adults alike. Your natural health care practitioner will, no doubt, have his favorite brands. Mountain health Products our main professional products distributor carry their own comprehensive probiotic. It is called Probiotic you can take 3 to 6 capsules daily depending on wheter you use it for maintenance or in conjuction with an antibiotic treatment. Candida and Diet Many practitioners focus their treatment of Candida on a restrictive diet. Adding dietary changes to the Candida eradication program is a very good idea and will speed up the process and decrease the length of the side effect. In my experience, however, trying to rebalance Candida through diet alone is not enough. Compliance is often low and the person involved may feel guilty and discouraged. What we do recommend is to combine the Candida protocol with a solid foundational treatment to support all the major drainage pathways. This will increase the effectiveness of the treatment and make sure we are addressing simultaneously liver detoxification. Heavy metals and particularly copper are a frequent cause of candida overgrowth. Elevated copper is often linked to zinc deficiency. So supporting the four pillars of health; absorption, processing, detoxification and immunity is critical for optimal results. Our Unique formula the Page 8 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

9 Prime Formula has been specifically designed to support the four pillars. For more information about the Four Pillars or the Prime Formula visit our website The main reason a modified diet alone isn t very effective is that Candida is dependent on glucose for its survival. As you may know glucose is always in circulation in our body and exists in some amount in all the food we eat. Candida is neurotoxic (meaning it can affect the nervous system and create uncontrollable craving for sweets). Like an addiction, it will tend to take control of the consciousness and control behavior to obtain what it wants. And what it wants is any kind of sugar or carbohydrate. While some people can tolerate relatively high levels of Candida in their body with little reaction, other people have major reactions to even minimal levels of Candida. This sensitivity can produce substantial pain and discomfort. When people don t feel good, they want comfort food, namely all the foods that feed the Candida. This increases the allergic sensitivity and the amount of Candida in their body, creating a vicious cycle. Even so, the main focus of the Candida diet is to eliminate all starch, sugar, fruit, alcohol, and fermented products. To be effective, compliance is critical. And full compliance can be difficult. Dietary Changes for Candida Supplementing dietary changes with natural products is the best combination to treat this condition. To learn more about the diet, I would highly recommend the Life Force Plan. For more information about this method, check Dr. Jeff McComb, the developer of this approach, has his own set of recommended supplements. Page 9 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

10 In my practice, I have found that If Candida has penetrated deeply into the body, as soon as people re-introduce starch, sugar, and alcohol, the Candida will come right back. Because of this I do not make diet a cornerstone of my approach to Candida eradication. It does, however, help and if you feel up to it, reduce or eliminate all the foods that contribute to the growth of the Candida. This will greatly enhance the process of rebalancing. It will also help you lose weight and start regulating your sugar metabolism. If it is too much for you, however, start by eliminating the Candida first and then address the other issues later. Even though you may have many symptoms that point to a Candida imbalance, be aware that the symptoms of wheat reactivity and Candida are very similar. It s fairly common for an individual to have both Candida and a reaction to wheat or gluten, simultaneously. In this case, it is absolutely critical to eliminate all gluten food from the diet, including wheat, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and bulgur. Keep away from these grains for at least three months while you treat the Candida. A simple test can determine if you are sensitive to wheat or 3 other major food sensitivities. It is available through Diagnos-Tech and we can order it for you. Check our web-clinic for more info After three months of eliminating gluten from your diet, try to re-introduce grains a little at a time. Sometimes when inflammation has stopped and the adrenals are regulated, the body becomes able to accept foods that it previously reacted to. Re-test for food sensitivity a little later to make sure you are not re-starting the inflammatory process. This is particularly true if the other sources of inflammation have been eliminated and if the health of the adrenals has been restored. There is a good product from Apex Energetics design to decrease the inflammatory effect of accidental exposure to Gluten for those who are hyper-sensitive. It is called Page 10 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010

11 Gluten-Flam. It is available through our office check our website for contact information. Page 11 Copyright Bertrand Babinet, 2010