Candida albicans

Non-secretor saliva not only fails to prevent attachment of Candida, but may actually promote the binding of Candida to tissues. Women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (thrush) are much more likely to be non-secretors.

2 Among the major causes of the internal ecological disturbances which lead to Candida overgrowth are the effects of steroids (hormones) in food (residues found in factory-farmed meat and poultry, for example) or in medications (such as cortisone, the contraceptive pill and antibiotics) as well as the long-term effects of antibiotics used as medication or found in factory-farmed animals or their products, such as milk.

Antibiotics and hormones are fed to animals to speed their growth and control the heightened susceptibility to disease that their unnatural lives generate. Anyone who regularly consumes beef, pork, veal and chicken (and many people eat one or more of these daily) will have absorbed prodigious amounts of antibiotic and hormone residues (unless the source of the meat was from a farm that does not use such drugs). Unfortunately, antibiotic residues also find their way into dairy produce (including eggs) unless it is of guaranteed organic origin, so even vegetarians are likely to be affected by antibiotics in food. Low-level intake of these substances over many years may have a devastating effect on the ability to control Candida, as would the regular use of these drugs in the form of medications. This area is yet to be adequately researched, but it does provide one more argument in favour of adopting a near-vegetarian diet that is low in dairy products.

A report in the London newspaper Daily Telegraph (19 August 1999) entitled ‘Antibiotics, how the cure became a killer’, states: ‘Eating food containing antibiotic residues exposes humans to a constant low level of [these] drugs.’ This not only leads to organisms (bacteria, yeasts) which have become resistant to the medication through constant exposure, but to the likelihood of chronic low-grade infection or overgrowth in those who consume such foods. A study in Holland showed that 14 per cent of the human population in an intensive-farming area were carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Yeast infection is also almost certainly rampant in such individuals. Choosing organic sources of food would help to avoid this danger although, unfortunately, agricultural practices which use high levels of antibiotics and steroids on animal and fruit production also leads to run-off of water and effluent containing these medications into rivers, and often into our tap-water supply.

As for avoiding antibiotics as medication, this is not always possible although, in my book Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics (Thorsons, 2001), I have explained how it is often possible with the use of a variety of safe alternatives. If antibiotics were used only when absolutely necessary, we would be able to avoid the increasing threat of ‘superbugs’ which have become resistant to them, largely because of excessive and inappropriate use. And we would also dramatically reduce the spread of the Candida epidemic.

It has also been noted that, because of the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, a degree of control over Candida is lost. Yeast, therefore, finds this a good time to expand its activities.

3 Blood sugar imbalances, such as diabetes and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), are another ‘cause’ of Candida overgrowth. Diabetes is a chronic imbalance involving the way the body metabolizes starches, fats and proteins, leading to higher levels of sugar in the blood than is safe. The dangers of a diabetic state include a greater risk of heart and kidney disease and, most certainly, of yeast infections because of the higher sugar levels. Many people who are not diabetic have wildly fluctuating blood-sugar levels as a result of a range of factors, including adrenaline-releasing habits (such as smoking, caffeine consumption, alcohol, high stress levels, dietary intake of refined sugars and carbohydrates). The ‘anti-Candida’ diet (see Chapter 6) is suitable for diabetics as well as those whose blood sugar levels are unstable.

The following questionnaires can indicate the possibility of 1) a diabetic state or 2) a hypoglycaemic state (low blood sugar, which many experts believe can be a prediabetic state).

If your answers suggest the possibility of diabetes, you should consult your GP as soon as possible to check this out. If your answers suggest hypoglycaemia, you should consult a nutritionist and/or a naturopath to sort out the dietary and lifestyle factors that need modification.

Diabetes questionnaire

1 Is there a history of diabetes in your family (particularly insulin-dependent diabetes)?

2 Are you over 40 and overweight?

3 Have you become excessively thirsty for no obvious reason?

4 Do you urinate more frequently than in the past (with no actual bladder infection)?

5 Has your appetite increased without any change in your activity levels?

6 As well as the symptoms described in questions 3, 4 and 5, do you find yourself excessively tired for no obvious reason?

If you answered ‘yes’ to either of the first two questions and to at least one of the other questions, a check-up is called for to rule out the possibility of early diabetes.

Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) questionnaire

1 Do you tend to wake up feeling tired and feel more energetic after breakfast?

2 If a meal is delayed or you skip a meal, would you expect to feel edgy, shaky and/or faint?

3 Do you crave sugar-rich foods?

4 Do you regularly (more than once daily) use tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol or cigarettes to give you an energy boost?

A ‘yes’ answer to any of these questions suggests the possibility of low blood sugar. More than one ‘yes’ strongly suggests this to be the case.

A variety of strategies can be followed to help normalize your blood sugar, including supplementing daily with 200 micrograms (mcg) of chromium (known as glucose tolerance factor), eating a diet rich in protein and complex (unrefined) carbohydrates, avoiding sugar-rich foods and the sort of stimulants listed in question 4, and following a ‘grazing’ pattern of eating little and often.

If Candida is also a problem (and why would you be reading this if it wasn’t?), this change in diet will help, but you will still need to follow the anti-Candida protocols outlined in Chapters 5, 6 and 7. A diet rich in simple sugars literally feeds the yeast, and one of the strategies you need to follow is to starve it (while at the same time doing something to eliminate it, as described in later chapters).

Immune system inefficiency

As we have seen in Chapter 2, part of the body’s response to an intruder such as Candida is the production of antibodies to confront the particular antigen (a substance which stimulates an immune system response) that is present in the foreign substance or organism. Candida has many antigens, and the efficiency with which the defensive operation is carried out against any particular one of these antigens can, to some extent, be inborn (genetic). There is a wide variation in the degree of response in any one person to the different Candida antigens, which can lead to a state in which the immune system, unable to counteract and expel the yeast invasion adequately, learns to tolerate it in increasing amounts.

Biochemical and metabolic individuality

Research has demonstrated that we are all biochemically unique.

This means that there are wide variations in the particular requirements for any of the more than 40 nutrients we require for survival and health. Many of these individual needs are determined before birth and has led to the genetotrophic theory of disease causation. This, put simply, says that, because a person has individual inborn requirements which may vary greatly from the theoretical ‘average’ or ‘normal’ amount, there is a good chance that one or another of these needs will not be met by the normal dietary intake. This leads, at best, to a lower degree of function and, at worst, to a deficiency state.

To a large extent, this individual inborn (genetic) factor also applies to our ability to handle one or another of the pathogens, or microorganisms, capable of infecting us. This is certainly the case in our ability to handle Candida adequately. It seems that since infestation by this yeast is virtually universal, we are incapable of totally controlling its presence in our bodies. Yet, some people are better able than others to keep it under control and limit its spread. Thus, other people, even without the added complication of factors such as antibiotics and steroid drugs, become ‘tolerant’ of spread of the yeast.

The most common areas of spread are the mouth, throat and vaginal areas. If this initially produces a degree of immune system reaction and activity, then we would see manifestations of the condition called thrush. This condition would flare up periodically when, perhaps, there are factors that lower the body’s general vitality. Eventually, in many cases, the condition might no longer trigger an acute flare-up, but would remain as a semi-permanent, chronic state. This happens when the body becomes ‘tolerant’ of the yeast and is no longer able to mount attacks against it. It is also an indication of impaired or deficient immune function. The many factors in our environment which can influence this state include stress factors, nutritional inadequacy and toxic pollution as well as the use of specific drugs which weaken the immune system (see above for discussion of steroid and antibiotic use).

Drugs and immune function

Nowadays, we are all familiar with the concept of tissue and organ transplantation. This involves the use of powerful drugs that are designed to prevent the body of the recipient from rejecting the new, foreign tissue or organ. These are called immunosuppressive drugs because it is their primary task to stop the natural defences from working adequately – in other words, to suppress the immune system. The risk of infection and of other diseases resulting from this is all too familiar to patients who have undergone such treatment.

Other drugs such as steroids (hormones) also have this effect. Steroids are used in a variety of conditions ranging from rheumatic disorders to asthma and hormonal imbalances. The most widespread use of steroids, however, is not for the treatment of disease, but in the form of the contraceptive pill. One of the most devastating effects of the long-term use of this type of medication is on the immune system in general, and on the ability of Candida to proliferate wildly, in particular. (The contraceptive pill is discussed more fully below.)

Immune system nutrient support

There is now a variety of nutrient substances known to be absolutely vital for the adequate functioning of the immune system.

These include vitamins and minerals with antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are able to slow down, or stop, a process in which substances known as ‘free radicals’ can cause tissue damage. The major free-radical ‘scavengers’ are vitamins C and E (acting in conjunction with the mineral selenium) as well as certain amino acids (parts of the protein chain) such as methionine, cysteine and glutathione (which is itself a combination of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine).

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), zinc, manganese and other important nutrients have, when deficient, been shown to be involved in compromising the immune system.

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As already mentioned, it is possible for any of the 40-plus nutrients vital to life to be required in extraordinary amounts by any given individual to meet unique inborn needs. Not only is there an inborn difference under normal life circumstances, but these needs can vary markedly during specific conditions, such as infection, stress or pregnancy, in the same person. This means that any vitamin, mineral or other nutrient is capable of upsetting the chain of complex biochemical interactions required for the immune system to function efficiently. The nutrients mentioned above just happen to have a more dramatic impact than some of the others.

Stress and immune function

Stress, which involves repeated, or constant, states of anxiety – and all that this entails in terms of depletion of vital nutrient reserves as well as imbalances of internal secretions and functions – is a major cause of immune incompetence. A new scientific discipline called psychoneuroimmunology studies the direct connection between our emotions and how efficiently, or otherwise, our immune system behaves. The evidence shows a clear link between the mind and the body operating through the defence system, which is meant to protect both. A dramatic demonstration of this connection is the fact that, during periods of stress (students during exam time, for example), people become far more prone to infection. This is an indication of the reduced efficiency of their immune system as well as the increased utilization by the body of vital nutrients, such as zinc and vitamin C, at such times.

The interaction between anxiety/stress conditions and nutritional imbalances leads to the immune system being unable to operate efficiently. If, at the same time, there is an increased demand on the immune system to function efficiently to counteract environmental or nutritional toxicity (air pollution, cigarette smoke, alcohol, caffeine-rich drinks such as coffee, chocolate and tea), then a complex picture emerges in which excess demands, inadequate nutrition (with associated deficiencies) and perhaps drug use, such as the contraceptive pill, will all interact to deplete immune function even further. Let us examine the manner in which commonly used drugs can further complicate the situation.

Antibiotics, the Pill and steroids

It is clear from years of research that the use of antibiotics removes the biological controls over the yeast that lives inside us. As has already been mentioned, a prime site for this to take place in is within the long, dark, warm and moist (ideal environment for yeast) digestive tract which, it should be noted, is also inhabited by upwards of 2.3 kg (5 lb) in weight of other microorganisms, most of which are ‘friendly’ and helpful to the body.

One such friend is Lactobacillus acidophilus, which helps to keep a check on the spread of yeast. When antibiotics are used to destroy pathogenic (harmful) microorganisms which may be causing harm to the body (as in treating an infection), the friendly bacteria in the bowel are also destroyed or severely damaged. When this occurs, yeast, which is totally unaffected by the antibiotic (not being a bacteria), is able to find room for expansion. This becomes even more likely since the resistance of the immune system will be compromised at that time. A similar thing happens with the use of steroid drugs such as cortisone (including cortisone ointments, so commonly prescribed for skin problems, which can cause a yeast increase by being absorbed into the bloodstream). All steroids, including those used in the contraceptive pill, will have a depressing effect on the immune system.