Many doctors agree that candidiasis can be a very serious problem. Most of those are alternative doctors. Yeast overgrowth can cause so many different types of problems in the body it is overlooked by most conventional doctors. Dr. William Crook says that overgrowth of candida can cause everything from headache, low body temperature, anxiety, sleep problems, vitamin deficiencies, muscle pain, infertility, PCOS, digestive disturbances, nervous system problems in his book The Yeast Connection Handbook pg. 13. One study he quotes called Cellular immunity in Experimental Fungal infections in mice: The Influence of Infections and Treatment with a Candida Toxin on Spleen Lymphoid Cells which says, “…upon Candida albicans infection the toxin produced in the invaded tissues may act as an immunosuppressant to impair host defense mechanisms involving cellular immunity…” pg. 10

Candida organisms commonly colonize the human gastrointestinal tract as a component of the resident microbiota. Their presence is generally benign. Recent studies, however, show that high level Candida colonization is associated with several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Further, results from animal models argue that Candida colonization delays healing of inflammatory lesions and that inflammation promotes colonization. These effects may create a vicious cycle in which low-level inflammation promotes fungal colonization and fungal colonization promotes further inflammation. Both inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal Candida colonization are associated with elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17. Therefore, effects on IL-17 levels may underlie the ability of Candida colonization to enhance inflammation. Because Candida is a frequent colonizer, these effects have the potential to impact many people. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/

Candida albicans is one type of fungus which normally lives in the gut in a symbiotic relationship to us. It doesn’t bother us unless we upset the balance with a course of antibiotics, stress, or too much sugar. I heard Dr. Douglas Grahm author of 80/10/10 diet explain on a youtube video that we need candida, it’s our backup system to high blood sugar. When the blood sugar gets too high the candida eat the excess which might protect against diabetes. When our sugar intake stabilizes the candida also stabilize. People were concerned about eating too much fruit on a raw food diet. He’s the only one I have ever heard say that but it makes sense, could be an explanation.

Candida is hard to diagnose because there are no definitive tests that say you have it for sure. Lifestyle factors that affect the immune system negatively seem to a big precursor to candida. Dr. C. Orian Truss said in his book, The Missing Diagnosis, “The very existence of Candida albicans in the tissues on a chronic basis reveals an immune system at least partially “paralyzed” and “unresponsive” to its antigens – an immune system that is “tolerating” the continued presence in the tissues of this “foreign” invader.”4

Dr. Truss essentially says that with a strong competent immune system our body would fight or keep candida at a normal level. This is so important to know when approaching candida removal and prevention. I have seen people try hard just to stop the growth of candid with diet alone with minimal success. It needs a multiple prong approach and whole body system approach.

Candida is insidious; you can have symptoms for years and not even know it. You think you have minor little irritations that go on for years like headaches, adrenal problems, eczema, anxiety, brain fog, heartburn, IBS symptoms, endometriosis, abdominal pain, but they eventually go away so you don’t think about it again. You would always be treating symptoms but not getting to the root.

91 million Americans suffer from yeast overgrowth mostly caused by antibiotics, high levels of sugar, alcohol, birth control pills, and food allergies that inflame the colon.5 Walter Last author of the article called Candida and the antibiotic syndrome said, “In the 1940’s Candida was found in only three percent of autopsies, now the figure is nearer thirty per cent. There are, of course, other factors that can cause dysbiosis – the contraceptive pill, steroids and other drugs, radiation treatment and chemotherapy – but the main culprits are, without doubt, antibiotics.”6 So essentially 1 in 3 Americans have yeast overgrowth.

There are two forms of candida the yeast which is like a seed and mycelial form which is like a seed that has grown tentacles. The yeast is small in the form of seeds while the chronic form has grown tentacles that dig themselves deep into the gut or whatever part of the body they reside. Some people call it a seven-headed dragon because it becomes impossible to kill.7

When the candida grow into its mycelial form it burrows into the intestinal lining with its roots called rhizoids creating leaky gut.8 This allows not only the fungus and its byproducts called mycotoxins to seep through but also undigested food, bacteria, and other pathogens. If your immune system is compromised candida can have a field day. We are bombarded with many different pathogens, viruses, bacteria, and other things in our daily life that can make us sick; according to an article in Science magazine, “Candida albicans is the most common human systemic pathogen, causing both mucosal and systemic infections, particularly in immunocompromised people.”9

The byproducts of candida are very dangerous. Half way through my healing process I had muscle testing done to see what was causing low grade fevers. My doctor said it was toxins. I was having a die-off reaction from the candida toxins. Candida puts out at least 79 toxic by-products.10 These are neurotoxins that destroy and decompose tissues and organs. You can see why they would greatly contribute to causing leaky gut or as it is medically called intestinal permeability. These toxins disrupt RNA and DNA synthesis, damage and destroy neurons, are carcinogenic, and cause ataxia (lack of coordination) and even convulsions. They also confuse body systems which explains why the immune system gets confused attacks itself and can turn into autoimmune disease.11

These toxins are very damaging to the liver. Even if you think you have the constitution of an ox, your body can break down and your liver can become clogged. It’s so imperative to lower this toxic load so your body can restore itself and return to some kind of normal.

One toxin produced from candida albicans is acetaldehyde. This one toxin alone does many things just to the brain. It impairs memory, decreases your ability to concentrate (brain fog), causes depression, slows reflexes, lethargy, and apathy, heightened irritability, decreased mental energy, increased anxiety and panic, and several others.12 The toxins started to fascinate me when I got one of my lab tests back showing that I was deficient in molybdenum which is a mineral that the liver depends on to detox acetaldehyde. It helps with candida die-off by converting acetaldehyde into acetic acid which allows it to be excreted the normal pathway by the liver.13

One of the root causes of candida can be a damaged liver. It’s interesting that when I first was starting my healing journey to heal from candida and the host of other problems that went along with it I had a dream that that I needed to cleanse my liver. I was literally scrubbing it like the three stooges in a very old movie where they were washing meat on a clothing washboard. It was hysterical to watch. Jordan Rubin says in his book Physician Heal Thyself, “When the liver is even slightly damaged by a toxic chemical, immune function is severely compromised. Liver injury is also linked to candida overgrowth, as evident in studies of mice demonstrating that when the liver is even slightly damaged, candida runs rampant through the body.”16 Greens help the liver detoxify like chlorella and the mineral molybdenum does also as well as many other things like the herb milk thistle which literally helps the liver to regenerate its cells, dandelion, and fennel and others that will be listed out in the supplement section.

Another root cause is not only antibiotics but medication that is paradoxically meant to lower inflammation in the body but creates mayhem in the gut. NSAID medication which the full name is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Dr. Ginevra Lipman in her book Figuring Out Fibromyalgia said, “Studies show that NSAID medications increase intestinal permeability within 12 hours.”17 She also said, “An intriguing recent study demonstrated that patients with fibromyalgia have ‘leakier’ intestines than healthy subjects. In this study, fibromyalgia patients showed much higher absorption of a substance that normally should be too big to fit through the walls of the intestine, on average allowing nearly twice as many large particles through as control subjects.”18 I wonder if that is because they take more anti-inflammatory drugs because their muscles hurt all the time.

I just want to list out some of the side effects of NSAID medication because this was a medication I took a lot of when I was in my early twenties for migraine headaches. Not only did I have bizarre nightmares (which are a rare side effect) from this medication but I believe contributed to the leaky gut and my overall health issues with digestion.
This came from a medication guide that was given to me when I got a prescription filled for ibuprofen which was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration.

Serious side effects: heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure from body swelling (fluid retention), kidney problems including kidney failure, bleeding and ulcers in the stomach and intestine, low red blood cells, life-threatening skin reactions, life-threatening allergic reactions, liver problems including liver failure, asthma attacks in people who have asthma. Those are the serious side effects. The other side effects almost all symptoms of faulty digestion: stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Wow, that is quite a list. This is approved by the FDA! It almost makes me cry when I think about as a young, naïve, stressed out single mother sitting in a doctor’s office trusting them to guide me I am given a prescription for a medication that did go on to give me many side effects with stomach pain. I thought I had an ulcer; I got an endoscopy to see what was going on inside my stomach around the age of twenty-five or so. It started back then with medications like these that only added fuel to the fire of my health problems.

The above information was written when I was doing a deep dive into digestion when I was working toward getting pregnant in 2014-2015. The following information is from multiple doctors complied in a book called Alternative Medicine; The Definitive Guide where over 400 physicians explain their treatments. The following is under the chapter called Candidiasis “According to James Braly M.D. of Hollywood, Florida, the fungal form of Candida appears to permeate the gastrointestinal mucosal lining and break down barriers to the bloodstream. ‘When the fungal form of Candida occurs in the body, allergenic substances can penetrate into the blood more easily, where they form immense complexes, and perhaps even promote food allergy reactions.’” Pg. 618

“Candidiasis can affect areas of the body far removed from Candida colonizations in the gastrointestinal tract and vagina. One reason for this is that Candida produces a number of toxins that can suppress immune function, deplete the body of white blood cells needed to fight infection, and prevent the manufacture of antioxidants such as glutathione.” Pg. 618

“Candidiasis symptoms cover a broad spectrum and the condition can cause a number of diseases, ranging from allergies, vaginitis, and thrush (a whitish fungus in the mouth of vagina) to an invasion of the genitourinary tract, eyes, liver, heart, or central nervous system. At its most destructive, candidiasis is involved in autoimmune disease, such as Addison’s disease and AIDS.” The list of other symptoms of candidiasis according to Dr. Braly includes digestive problems such as bloating, cramping, gas, and diarrhea, respiratory problems, coughing wheezing, earaches, central nervous system imbalances, generalized fatigue, and loss of libido.” Pg. 618-619

When I thought that Jessica could have IBD I did a little more research on candida/yeast/fungus and found a profound statement, A statement from a research study entitled Inflammation and gastrointestinal Candida colonization says, “Recent studies, however, show that high level Candida colonization is associated with several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.” The summary basically says that Candida can delay healing inflammation and inflammation promotes candida colonization. It’s a vicious cycle. “Both inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal Candida colonization are associated with elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/.

Jessica has had very interesting reactions to the multiple respiratory and other infections that she’s had, with high fever and her body taking a very long time to completely recover from sickness. There have been a few puzzling results from her immune system tests. The research shows that continuing to have excess yeast in the body means that the immune system is not functioning optimally. If you have candida at all it means that your immune system has been weakened and is tolerating excess candida. It is interesting to me the wording that Dr. Orion Truss in his book The Missing Diagnosis, uses to describe the immune system and candida, “The very existence of Candida albicans in the tissues on a chronic basis reveals an immune system at least partially ‘paralyzed’ and ‘unresponsive’ to its antigens—an immune system that is ‘tolerating’ the continued presence in the tissues of this ‘foreign’ invader.” The missing diagnosis by C. Orian Truss, M.D., pg. 25 26

Jessica had elevated IgG levels on one immune function test that Dr. Michalik did, reported on 2/7/2019 said she had high CD4 T helper cells at 52.0 range 23- 48 and high CD4 (T4) helper at 2860 and range is 500-2400.” “Dr. Chaitow points out that, when the immune system I s completely suppressed (as in AIDS), yeast proliferates freely and colonizes the body and bloodstream, leading to septicemia (blood poisoning). In less dramatic but more prevalent cases, the immune system is temporarily suppressed and helper T cells (lymphocytes that pass into the bloodstream to help fight infection) are destroyed. Such immune suppression can be due to any number of factors, such as poor diet (including ingestion of pesticide residues and preservatives), alcohol use, chemotherapy, radiation, exposure to environmental toxins, antibiotics that injure or destroy the T cells, and stress.”

Jessica has been exposed to many environmental toxins including mold and its toxins, glyphosate, and a few others listed on the GPL -TOX toxin test from The Great Plains labs.
There has been a little confusion about candida and the tests Jessica has gotten and the response to those tests by her doctors either treating or consulting doctors. I think many other doctors have said and these doctor familiar with candida say something no less, “The clincher to any diagnosis is not so much what is happening in the laboratory as what is happening in the patient.” Says Stephen Langer, M.D. The combination of an individual’s complete medical history and examination, the patient’s response to treatment, and information culled from laboratory tests is the key to correct diagnosis.” Pg. 622

While I am doing my best to respect our pediatrician and the fact that she spent many years in medical school, it has become very hard to do so because of the overwhelming evidence in my daughter’s health shows something continues to go on and on and on, it seems especially related to candida/fungus/mold/yeast. Did this start in the womb when I was given two rounds of antibiotics while she was in the womb, and one time right after she was born and breastfeeding when I had a UTI from the catheter during and after C-section surgery. There are so many nuances, and things that have to be guessed at as far as how this ongoing yeast/fungus is affecting my daughter. If you don’t believe that excess yeast can cause health problems, what do you do with that? when so much information shows that it can cause or contribute to a host of health problems.

Jessica has had consistent candida in her stool since age 1. “Studies show that until bowel Candida is under control, local manifestations will continue to appear.” Pg. 623

A few things to improve health when candidiasis is an issue
1. Strengthen patient’s immune function – nutritional supplements
2. Reduce factors that predispose a patient to Candida overgrowth
3. Avoid sugar in all its various forms including sucrose, dextrose, fructose, fruit juices, honey, maple syrup, molasses, milk products, most fruit (except berries), and
potatoes (whose starches converts to sugar).
4. List of supplements suggested by Dr. Braly
a. Vitamin C (8-10 g daily)
b. Vitamin E (400 IU daily)
c. Evening primrose oil (6-8 caps daily)
d. Eicosapentaenoic acid (omega 3 oil, 6 caps daily)
e. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5, 250 mg daily)
f. Taurine (500-1,000 mg daily
g. Zinc chelate (25-50 mg daily)
h. Goldenseal root extract (with no less than 5% hydrastine, 250 mg twice a day)
i. Lactobacillus acidophilus (one dry teaspoon 3x daily; if allergic to milk, use nonlactose acidophilus) (these dosages are for adults and need to be adjusted for children)
pg. 624. Pg. 624 lists some herbal like goldenseal, Oregon grape, barberry, caprylic acid, pau d’ arco.

Jessica was on nystatin for a short time. It didn’t seem to affect her stool results. Dr. Sodhi a doctor using nystatin to treat his candida patients without very good results said, “…nystatin causes Candida to mutate into another species of yeast, therefore treatment can continue to long periods and still have little affect…nystatin lingers in the intestines and kills other potentially helpful organisms.” Pg. 625