Candida, What is it?

Often people are unclear on what candida is or they may be totally unfamiliar with the term. It is important to understand what candida is and ultimately how to clear it and support your body to stay in balance. Candida is at epidemic levels yet many may not know they even have candida.

We all have yeast organisms within our gut. Yeast is part of the natural world and serves to break down our bodies once we past on. Sounds like a lovely topic however it important to understand how yeast works in our bodies and how it can transmute into a candida condition. Environment is of up most importance in whether a one cell yeast organism will mutate into a candida condition. A harmless yeast cell can under the right conditions turn into a candida parasite.  A rule of thumb is that where there are heavy metals you will find candida proliferating. The truth of the matter you would be hard pressed to find anyone who did not have some level of heavy metals within their bodies if they have a candida infection.

Even in the most pristine parts of the world people’s whose blood is tested will often have over 200 toxic trace chemicals. You will never find Candida without some level of heavy metal poisoning. Specially troublesome is mercury poisoning. The toxins within our blood create an overly acidic environment which is perfect for candida to multiply and proliferate. Also, candida may multiply in response to the presence of heavy metals in attempt to protect the body initially. However if left to progress over time, a harmless yeast turns into a candida infection which can lead to other serious health conditions.

The challenge once the yeast become a multi-celled organism, it then has the ability to drill holes through your gut and release into your blood stream creating havoc where ever the candida spreads which leads to leaky gut syndrone.  Once in your blood stream candida can take up residence anywhere and everywhere within your body. At this stage candida infection becomes systemic.  Serious health conditions can arise when the candida infection spreads to the organs of the body.

It is imperative that you recognize when you may have a candida infection and take the appropriate steps. The symptoms can be many and varied. itching, poor digestion, gas, foggy head, forgetful, memory loss, depression, food allergies, leg cramps, panic attacks, hair falling out, skin conditions, super sensitive to chemicals, sugar cravings, tired much of time, are just a few of the symptoms you can experience when candida is present.

There are key components that need to be addressed to clear a candida infection. You must look to the underlining causes. Stress, poor diet, heavy metals, mold exposure, toxic chemical exposure are some of the common conditions that create an environment for candida to proliferate. Check your pH if you are too acidic your internal environment is perfect for candida take hold.

Also, a long standing candida issue will take longer to address to really clear from your system. A simple rule of thumb to check to see if you may have a candida infection is to do the spit test first thing in the morning. Upon rising have a clear glass of water at your night stand. Spit into the glass of water prior to drinking any water. If white streamers form within the first 5 minutes in the water you have a more severe level of candida infection. The faster those white opaque streamers form in the water the more severe your infection. If it takes 20 minutes or longer the infection is present however not as likely to be as severe.

Of course listen to your body and check to see if you have a number of the common candida symptoms and I do advise you find a great holistic practitioner that can have blood work done to check the severity of your candida.

Your first line of defense is to eat an alkaline and healthy diet. The rule of thumb with an candida diet is stick with leafy green vegetables, lean meat, brown rice and steer clear of simple carbohydrates like bread, pasta, sugar, desserts etc. Eat whole foods and heavy on the green vegetables. Juicing leafy greens is an excellent way to support an alkaline pH balance.

In future articles on turning the tide on Candida, I’ll recommend some excellent products that address candida directly and support a healthy flora in the gut.

Please feel free to leave comments. If you have a candida story or have found a candida regimen that is working for you please leave your experience in the comments box.

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