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Candida overgrowth
m ay resu lt from an
im m u ne b reak down,
esp ec ially if the su fferer
relies on su gar as an
energy sou rc e
W h ile I d ont b eliev e th a t ev ery one
w ith M .E . h a s a ca nd id a p rob lem , I d o
th ink its a n is s u e for a s ig nifi ca nt
p rop ortion p a rticu la rly p eop le w h o
a ls o h a v e food intolera nces , b loa ting ,
th ru s h , or a n itch y a nu s . W h erea s th e
ca u s e of M .E . s till es ca p es u s , th e
ca u s es of ca nd id a p rob lem s a re m u ch
clea rer, w h ich h a p p ily m a k es it ea s ier to
trea t.
I b eliev e th a t in M .E . p a tients ,
ca nd id a ov erg row th m a y res u lt from a n
im m u ne b rea k d ow n, es p ecia lly if th e
s u fferer relies on s u g a r a s a n energ y
s ou rce (w h ich feed s th e y ea s t) a nd /or
coffee, w h ich s tim u la tes th e relea s e of
b lood s u g a rs .
14
InterAction 53 Au g u s t 2 0 0 5
H ow d oes it aff ec t
the b od y?
O nce th e y ea s t h a s ch a ng ed into its
a g g res s iv e fu ng a l form , it p enetra tes
th e g u t lining b y s ecreting infl a m m a tory
ch em ica ls w h ich w ea k en th e w a ll a nd
a llow th e m y celia to p ierce it, lea d ing
to a lea k y g u t. T h e lea k y g u t is lik e a
h os ep ip e w ith la rg e h oles in it.
N orm a lly th e intes tine b rea k s food
d ow n into tiny p a rticles w h ich a re th en
tra ns p orted th rou g h little g a tew a y s in
th e g u t w a ll into th e b lood s trea m .
H ow ev er th e lea k y g u t a llow s la rg er,
undigested food p a rticles to enter th e
b lood s trea m . If th e im m u ne s y s tem
d oes nt recog nis e th es e u nd ig es ted
food p a rticles a nd a s s u m es th a t th ey
a re a foreig n inv a d er, it im m ed ia tely
s ets a b ou t form ing a ntib od ies to th es e
food s , th u s crea ting s y m p tom s of food
intolera nce. B eca u s e th e im m u ne
s y s tem is s o b u s y fi g h ting th es e food
intolera nces , it b ecom es h y p er-rea ctiv e
a nd d is ru p ted . T h is a lone ca n a ccou nt
for fa tig u e, a llerg ic-ty p e s y m p tom s s u ch
a s s inu s itis or a s th m a , a nd b ra in-fog .
F u rth erm ore, ca nd id a is k now n to
s ecrete tox ins ca lled m y cotox ins , w h ich
ca n s u p p res s th e im m u ne s y s tem
fu rth er, a s w ell a s ca u s ing liv er tox icity,
h ea d a ch es a nd m u s cle p a iniii. O nce
ca nd id a h a s entered th e b lood s trea m ,
a ntib od ies from th e im m u ne s y s tem
com b ine w ith it to form a ntig ena ntib od y com p lex es , w h ich w h en
d ep os ited in th e joints , lu ng s or b ra in
res u lt in joint p a in, a s th m a , d ep res s ion
a nd h orm ona l d is ru p tioniv .
C a nd id a , b eing a y ea s t, th riv es on
d a rk , w a rm , w et a nd s u g a ry
env ironm ents . P eop le w ith a n
ov erg row th often h a v e intens e s u g a r
cra v ing s th e y ea s t d em a nd ing to b e
fed ! In th e w a rm m ois t g u t, it
ferm ents th e s u g a rs to p rod u ce
s y m p tom s s u ch a s fl a tu lence a nd
b loa ting , w h ile th e infl a m m a tory
ch em ica ls relea s ed res u lt in p oor
d ig es tion a nd a b s orp tion, h a v ing th e
k nock -on effect of fu rth er d ep leting th e
3 T ak e anti-fungal medications
Y our doctor may prescribe anti-fungal
drugs such as nystatin, although some
may not feel this is justified if you dont
have the more obvious symptoms of
ongoing thrush etc. Alternatively, you
can use a wide range of very effective
herbal and nutritional remedies such as
oregano, pau darco, cinnamon, or
caprylic acid. In treating candida, I
usually use two or three natural antifungals at once and frequently
alternate them to maximise
effectiveness.
4 Heal the leak y gut
Herbal teas such as calendula and
chamomile can be drunk to stimulate
the healing of the intestinal lining,
whilst nutritional supplements such as
L -glutamine and MSM provide the
necessary building blocks for the
healing process. The gut lining can take
up to three months to repair. G iven
that food intolerances will slow down
healing, a laboratory food intolerance
test is also advisable.
5 R e-populate the gut with
friendly bacteria
The two major probiotics or friendly
gut bacteria which help keep intestinal
yeast in check are lactobacillus
acidophilus and bifidobacterium. D ont
be tempted to use cheap probiotic
drinks as found on supermarket
shelves. These only contain the minor
gut bacteria and are usually in a very
sugary liquid perfect for encouraging
fungal growth. Other cheap probiotic
supplements have been shown to be
made up of dead or ineffective
bacteria. Y ou get what you pay for!
Complementary therapies
Complementary therapies
Candida continued...
Where do we go from
here?
If you do suffer from both candida and
M.E., treating the candida can in my
experience help to reduce many M.E.
symptoms. By clearing the toxic load on
the body, relieving the immune system
of the candida and food intolerance
burden through anti-fungal medicines
and diet, and boosting the immune
system with herbs and probiotics, youll
have gone quite some way towards
helping the body to heal.
Realistically, getting candida under
control takes between 3 and 18
months, depending on how severe it is.
While you would need to stick to the
diet for some time, most people can
gradually re-introduce fruit and enjoy
the occasional sweet treat as they start
to feel better. After the candida is back
in check (which can be confirmed
through another test), you can set
about further tackling the M.E. by
continuing to treat the immune,
endocrine and nervous systems, and by
using adaptogenic herbs to build
stamina.
F urther information
Dr M orris references
i
ii
Tests
Biolab in London offers a range of tests (e.g. candida
antibodies test, 45). Test kits can be sent by post but
results must go to a qualified practitioner; visit
www.biolab.co.uk or call 020 76 36 5959.
The author uses Individual Wellbeing Diagnostic
Laboratories for candida antibody and food intolerance
testing visit www.iwld.net for details or tel. 020 8336
7750.
Medichecks lab also offers useful tests see ad on inside
back cover
P ractitioners
To find a nutritional therapist in your area, contact the
British Association for Nutritional Therapy on 0870 6 06
1284 or visit www.bant.org.uk
The National Institute of Medical Herbalists can be reached
on 01392 426 022, or visit www.NIMH.Org.UK
The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (with GP referral)
is on 0207 391 8891 or visit www.rlhh.org.uk
Supplements
All Biocare products are discounted for AfME members;
see page 48
U seful articles
Related topics covered in previous issues of InterAction
include: parasites and M.E. (issue 39, 2002), candida
debate (issue 44, 2003; also at www.afme.org.uk); gut
problems in M.E. (issue 45, 2003), probiotics (issue 47,
2004; also at www.afme.org.uk) and food intolerance
(issues 41, 2002 and 52, 2005).
Books
More in-depth information can be found in Jo Dunbars
book: H ow T o Cope S uccessfully with Candida, (Wellhouse
Publishing, 6 .99). This is available post-free by calling
Botanica Medica (see about the author on page 16 ).
Eat to Beat F atigue by Jane Harries has many candidafriendly recipes with all proceeds to Action for M.E. see
review on page 23.
Beat Candida through Diet (Vermillion, 8.99) by Gill
Jacobs also features delicious recipes from leading cookery
writer Michelle Berriedale-Johnson.
J o Dunbars references
i
ii
Complementary therapies