Candida - it's not what you think by Thomas Nissen ND

Candida, or yeast overgrowth, is widely considered a ‘women’s issue’. The truth is that yeast is a common problem for men, women and children, and it can have significant consequences to your health.

Consider the following ailments – allergies; autoimmune disorders; bladder infections; chronic fatigue; diabetes; food cravings; hyperactivity; irritability; low libido – all may be the result of yeast overgrowth.

What is candida? Candida albicans is a yeast-like organism that is found on the skin and mucous membranes of nearly everyone the world over. Candida is encouraged by sugar/starch rich diets and is especially pervasive in the mouth, intestinal tract and vagina. Candidiasis (yeast infection) refers to a wide variety of symptoms caused by the overgrowth of candida. Symptoms can be local, as in a diaper rash, or systemic, as in any one of the previously named ailments or diseases. Symptoms can range from mild to seriously debilitating. Visible yeast infections (eg. ‘thrush’ in children and vaginal infections in women) are a sign of systemic yeast overgrowth, however, such overgrowth can be present and detrimental to your health without visible signs.

As candida fungi circulate in the bloodstream, they secrete toxins that create a variety of negative effects. These toxins can cause cancer, destroy our organs, alter our immune system, and affect our hormonal balance. Despite the potential for serious health implications, yeast infections are rarely treated with due care. Often, women self-diagnose as a result of visible or discernable symptoms and self-medicate using over the counter creams and oral remedies. The fact is though, that many people, if not the vast majority of the population, suffer from yeast overgrowth and don’t even know it. What’s more, while yeast infections are thought to be, and treated as, a root ailment, they are actually a symptom! The presence of yeast is usually an indication of other parasites and of heavy metals.

In his book “Infectious Diabetes”, Doug Kaufman clearly shows how the metabolic by-products from yeast (also known as mycotoxins) can cause diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is in fact a yeast disease! In recent studies, subjects with Type 2 Diabetes were able to recover from their symptoms purely by treating the yeast infection. Diabetes is known to be an illness relating to body sugar - patients control their symptoms by regul ating their sugar intake - yeast loves sugars associated with a sugar-rich diet. Manage the sugar, manage the yeast, and ultimately manage the illness.

BUT, if patients deal with the heavy metal toxicity which gave rise to the yeast in the first place, they would have a chance at actually reversing the illness altogether. What can be done? Eating a well-balanced diet (avoiding sugar-rich foods specifically) is a start, but as long as a high amount of heavy metals are present in the body, we can have little success in treating candida and its resulting ailments, including diabetes. Heavy metals establish the perfect terrain for the development of fungus (as well for parasites, bacteria, mycoplasmas and viruses).

In order to effectively eliminate and deter yeast overgrowth, we must detoxify and eliminate heavy metals. To better understand how well your body is able to handle heavy metals, seek diagnostic testing from an environmental health practitioner, or take a  Heavy Metal Screen Test. Developed by Nissen Medica Inc.

The Nissen Medica Heavy Metal Screen Test is a home-based kit to determine the presence of heavy metals in your body and/or environment. It is an easy accurate process using a dithizone reagent which has been known to chemical science for more than 60 years. The Heavy Metal Screen Test is effective as an early indicator of heavy metal intoxication and is useful as a monitoring tool throughout one’s detoxification process.

Suggested protocol

• Take:
  • 3-5 tablespoons of essential fatty acids daily (eg. sesame oil, hemp seed oil, pumpkin seed oil)
  • An Anti-fungal supplement
  • Lactobacillus probiotic (to promote intestinal health)
  • Trace minerals
  • Zinc supplement 15-50mg/day
  • Whey protein supplement 
• Use Bio-Chelat (Oral chelation) daily 
• Ensure regular bowel movements and drink high amounts of low mineral water (reverse-osmosis, distilled water)
• Modify your Diet. Avoid items that directly contain yeast such as breads, beer and wine. Eliminate candy, cookies, sodas, sweets, fruits and fruit juices as well as other sugars (corn syrup, honey, fructose). Stay on a low-carb diet.
• Other supportive modalities include the use of a trampoline (to improve lymphatic circulation), sauna, clay bath, colonics, yoga and meditation.

Practitioners have long observed that patients diagnosed with chronic fungal illnesses (Candidiasis and others), recurrent episodes o f bacterial infections (sinusitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, bladder/prostate infections) and chronic viral illnesses (EBV, CMV, HIV, herpes zoster, genital herpes, CFIDS, etc.) often experienced dramatic recoveries following treatment for heavy metal/mercury toxicity.

Mercury itself is known to repress the immune system, and amalgam fillings are known to convey immunity to antibiotics, impairing the body’s own defence system. Heavy metal detoxification programs not only discourage the growth of yeast and unwanted bacteria, they routinely improve our overall immune response.

The long and the short of it is this: candida, or yeast overgrowth, is a highly invasive symptom of a lesser known problem – heavy metal toxicity. If we merely treat flare-ups of yeast infection, we fail to address the underlying cause and are powerless to eliminate recurrent infection and potentially greater problems. To take care of candida, we must address the cause, we must first take care of heavy metals.