Candida, Sweet Cravings, and Alcoholism 

      Candida is the over growth of the negative bacteria, in the small intestines, that creates an environment for yeast. Side effects can be depression, fatigue, lethargy, foggy thinking, short term memory loss, aches and pains, acne, digestion problems, abdominal bloating, yeast infections, bladder infections, and strong cravings for empty carbs, alcohol, or sweets. 

     These foods feed the Candida. You more you eat of things high on the glycemic index, the more the Candida grows, and the stronger the cravings become. It has nothing to do with will power. It can become an all consuming entity in your body screaming, "FEED ME, FEED ME, FEED ME!"  The more you comply, the more the Candida thrives, and the worse you feel, mentally, physically and emotionally. 

      In AA (Alcohol Anonymous)  they tell people, "Eat all the sweets you want just stay away form the alcohol." They even go so far as to provide donuts or cookies at meetings. A major aspect of alcoholism is Candida. Killing off the Candida helps kill the desire for alcohol. Addressing alcoholism nutritionally and Holistically, with Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutritional supplements, and addressing the Candida, can increase the success rate from AA's 25% up to 85%.

      The reason for the discussion on alcoholism here is to establish the connection between alcoholism and Candida, but also to make the point that cravings for sweets, and junk food, can be every bit as strong as cravings for alcohol, because they are essentially the same thing.

     If you put yeast in a dark warm place and add fruit juice, you get wine, add grains and you get beer, add alcohol, and you get liquor. When people have an over growth of Candida, it is like a distillery in their small intestines. The day after a sweet, or junk food binge, people feel hung-over, because they are. 

      So what causes Candida? Antibiotics kill off the positive and negative bacteria in the small intestines. Like using Round Up on a lawn and killing off the grass and the weeds. What comes back first? The weeds, which is like the negative bacteria. The weeds then choke out the grass, which is like the positive bacteria. 

     The Western medical community used to deny the existence of Candida, until they came up with a drug to kill it. Until roughly the past 15 years or so, they didn't know what the positive bacteria was for. We now know that it is necessary for the digestive and the immune systems.

After killing off the positive bacteria, from antibiotics, either prescribed, or in animal products that are not free range or organic, it takes at least 6 months to re-establish the positive bacteria. Usually in the time people ingest more antibiotics and start the cycle all over again. If antibiotics are necessary, and sometimes they are, it is advisable to take some good probiotics afterwards, for at least 6 months, to re-establish the positive bacteria. 

      Another reason for the over growth of Candida is heavy metals. The body takes some thing bad, Candida, to encapsulate something worse,heavy metals.There are many sources of heavy metal exposure in our modern world, but a few of the most prevalent include aluminum cookware, the aluminum in antiperspirants, and metal fillings.There is no way to successfully treat Candida, without addressing heavy metals as well, in cases of heavy metal toxicity. If people have Candida and don't have metal fillings, I test for heavy metals anyway. If their mothers had metal fillings that could initiate Candida in their children. 

      Fussy babies with colic, diaper rash, night crying, thrush, allergies, or digestive issues, usually have a problem with Candida. ADD, ADHD, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and Chronic Fatigue, are all just a group of symptoms, not diseases. These are all the Western medical terms for, "We don't have a clue what is causing this, but we have to have a label for insurance and our patients."  But in every case I have treated, of all of these, Candida is a major component, as it is with so many chronic health issues.     

      There are many products on the market to treat Candida, some good, some not so good. By the time people get into see me they have often tried any number of them. They tell me they would have saved themselves a lot of time, money, and aggravation had they come to see me first. Therefore my advice is to find a good Holistic practitioner, who not only treats Candida but also knows to address the heavy metal component as well, preferably one who also does nutritional counseling.

      If sweets, alcohol, or junk food call to you, the Candida is in control. If you can walk right by them and they no longer look appealing, you have reclaimed your body.

                                                          Health & Happiness,

                                                                            Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                                534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR  97520

                                                                                For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134