The Role Yeast (Candida) Overgrowth Plays in Chronic Illness
When we hear "yeast infection," we usually think "vaginal condition," which is an extremely annoying ailment, but ultimately, not a huge deal. However, research has shown that the overgrowth of yeast in the body can cause more major problems in any chronic illness case than one would think (1). The keyword here: overgrowth. Candida is actually a normal part of your body’s microflora, so you never want to eliminate it completely, but rather, keep in balance. It is also interesting to note that candidiasis is a fungus, not a bacterium (2). With these things in mind, it makes sense that throwing antibiotics at the overgrowth often does more harm than good. In fact, antibiotics are notorious for triggering yeast infections. So many people suffering from Lyme have been on massive amounts of antibiotics and consequently often end up with yeast infection (4).
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation:
"When antibiotics are used, there is a flip-flop in the balance of the natural occurring flora in the mouth (and elsewhere) where the normal flora is damaged by the antibiotic therapy to the advantage of the fungus, which then blooms... When the delicate balance of normal and abnormal bacteria is disturbed, an overgrowth of this fungus may occur” (5).
The point at which yeast overgrowth becomes very serious, though, is when the infection finds its way into the depth of the intestinal tract because this can lead to Leaky Gut Syndrome. If you have chronic Lyme disease, you are likely familiar with LGS, but in a nutshell, it's when your intestinal lining becomes hyper-permeable, allowing foods, fats, and toxins to “leak” into your bloodstream.
Dr. Joseph Mercola Asserts In His Book, Could Candida Be Sabotaging Your Health? Why You Should Take Candida Seriously:
"When Leaky Gut happens, the body will start to fight what it believes is a foreign substance, and will form antibodies that not only wreak havoc on your entire immune system, but can trigger food allergies as well as continue the Leaky Gut cycle. In turn, this can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies in your body, which lower your immune system even more, causing another vicious circle of gastrointestinal and autoimmune problems—and with them a feeling of fatigue, listlessness, and often, depression when it seems like you just don’t know what’s wrong with you."
The science is now solidly behind the idea that a yeast infection can cause numerous autoimmune and inflammatory problems. This is something that MUST be taken seriously in any chronic illness healing protocol.
Most supplements for treating yeast overgrowth out there are either too weak or two strong, contain ingredients that many people are allergic to, are slow-acting, and/or are effective at first, but don't finish the job in the long run (7).
What to do about it
- Yeast Ease has become what many consider now to be the most effective, yet most gentle, anti-fungal and anti-yeast product to date. An independent lab determined that Yeast Ease was very effective against every type of candida and it has been shown to be the most effective, yet the most gentle, remedy found out of thousands of herbs clinically tested (6).
- Yeast Ease Plus is Yeast Ease with Silphium laciniatum added, which adds an extra detox and mucolytic effect if you feel it necessary. It also breaks down neuro-toxins and is an anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, analgesic.
- The Yeast Infection Bundle is designed to help the body cover candida overgrowth, toxins, die-off, and parasites. Something many people don't know is that parasites are often a large contributor to yeast infections and the cravings that exacerbate them. Watch Dr. Sara's video on this bundle.
Lifestyle Tips
We live in a universe that has many different environments. The rain forest is completely different from the deserts. Each environment produces different plants, bugs, and animals. Your body, whether you like it or not, is also a universe to another set of species. Your body contains parasites, bacteria, viruses, prions, mycoplasmas, yeast, mold, fungus, and more (3). You are personally responsible for the environment you create within your body.
No one has a gun to your head making you drink 6 cups of coffee, or a liter of diet pop, or making you drive through the fast-food restaurants. So, if you do not like inhabiting these critters, then only you can change the environment so that they cannot survive. So, ask yourself as you are putting something in your mouth, “Am I okay with feeding the “universe” with all its critters and giving them what they thrive off of?”
If you want different critters in your body, then you need to change the environment. First, do not make your body so acidic. An acidic body allows the critters to live. They are happy, happy, happy. Plus, an acidic body will lead to chronic illness and the Pharmaceutical companies are happy, happy, happy too.
Face it. If you take our remedies and you still give in to unhealthy cravings, it will take the remedies longer to work. So, it is best to figure out how to stop the cravings. Also, realize that the cravings are coming from those critters inside you; they want to survive, so they send out chemicals that affect your brain and it causes you to crave the things they want... not what you want. They want you to feed them sugar, they want you to keep the environment acidic. It is a battle, and it is your choice to see who wins.
Soda/Pop
If you drink pop, first of all, please AT LEAST get off of diet pop. You are really hurting yourself beyond what you understand because of the artificial sweeteners; it is better just to go ahead and drink the real sugar.
If you are a diehard pop drinker, something you can do for an alternative is get your favorite juice and put carbonated water in it. You will get that zing that you feel when you drink a pop that “will cut the crud,” but you will be able to control the amount of sugar you are ingesting. Juice does still have a lot of sugar in it, so it still isn't ideal, but it's a great step in the right direction. The natural sugars will be easier for your body to deal with.
Another drink I love is 1/4 cup of apple juice, with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (I just use any of the JN ACV products), a dash vanilla extract, some lemon, and some stevia of some sort if I feel I have low blood sugar, then I fill the glass up with water to make it at least 8oz.
Coffee
Coffee is generally not harmful in and of itself. However, it is recommended to decrease the consumption of caffeinated beverages and use caution. It's especially dangerous to drink coffee on an empty stomach because it has been shown to weaken the intestinal wall, which can undermine your immune system and leave you more vulnerable to pathogens like Candida. Coffee can irritate your digestive tract, which definitely doesn't help anything.
One of our favorite alternatives is organic cocoa, with cinnamon, and maca powder in it (plus half and half, or a touch of half and half, with coconut oil). The organic cocoa provides the caffeine without the crash later on. The cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and the maca regulates hormones. Notice there is no sugar in this drink-- just fat from the half and half, which curbs the appetite.
Douche
Believe it or not, a douche is a great way to get medicine into your body. The top remedy I recommend using for a vaginal yeast infection is Yeast Ease in the apple cider vinegar base.
Please be careful. It is not the Yeast Ease that I am worried about. The risk is in you overdoing it and putting too much inside and hurting your tender tissues, resulting in needing time to mend. Typically, a douche should be done no more than one time per week. However, if it's really bad and you are desperate for relief, you can do a short intensive period of one to three times per day for one or two days. You must be careful because overdoing it could exacerbate the issue.
You can also dilute Yeast Ease ACV with clean water and apply topically to the affected area. The dilution ratio is up to your best judgement, knowing your skin sensitivity. You can dilute it a lot and add a splash to a quart of water, or you could keep it more concentrated and add a splash to a cup of water.
In Conclusion
This is just a start in changing your environment. A great resource to for more details on the impact of yeast overgrowth is Dr. Joseph Mercola's book, Could a Candida Infection Be Sabotaging Your Health?
It is better to start slowly and maintain a habit than to try to change your whole life right off the bat. You're much more likely to overwhelm yourself and end up quitting if you change everything all at once. Just think about where you were a year ago, 5 years ago. Time has flown, right? So just be patient with “the new you” and change things slowly and stay committed.
Sources
(1-2) -Could a Candida Infection Be Sabotaging Your Health? Why You Should Take That Yeast Problem Seriouslyby Dr. Joseph Mercola
(3) - Revised Estimates for the Number of Human and Bacteria Cells in the Body by Ron Sender, Shai Fuchs, and Ron Milo
(4) - The Link Between Antibiotics and Yeast Infections - Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Corinne O'Keefe Osborn
(5) - Candida by The Oral Cancer Foundation
(6-7) - Beating Lyme Disease, Second Edition by Dr. David Jernigan
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