Candida and Leaky Gut Syndrome
What is Candida?
Candida Albicans is a fungus that causes yeast infection or Candidiasis in our body. Similar to baker’s yeast, Candida is an oval-shaped microorganism that can reproduce rapidly by budding. Almost everyone has intestinal Candida colonies. Under normal circumstances the yeast lives in harmony with us through a delicate balance of bacterial types.
How does Candida make us sick?
Candida releases powerful poisons as it multiplies, which circulate in the bloodstream causing many symptoms and disorders. Candid can produce a type of false estrogen and thyroid hormone, which leads to hormone imbalance and receptor malfunction. Candida produces an alcohol called ethanol, which grows rapidly when yeast has a food source such as high blood sugar. Too much ethanol production can cause liver detox function overloading. Acetaldehyde is another by-product of Candida. It is related to formaldehyde and causes a variety of malfunctions in the body. Candida can invade a variety of body tissues causing local inflammation. It typically attacks the mouth (thrush), vagina, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, prostate gland, skin and finger or toenails. It is also believed that chronic Candida overgrowth in digestive tract is the major cause for leaky gut, which could be one of the main reasons for food allergies.
What makes Candida grow?
- Faulty nutrition: over consuming refined sugar, carbohydrates, and dairy products have a positive correlation with Candida growth. Nutrition imbalance weakens our immune system and makes Candida condition worse.
- Antibiotics and food preservatives: antibiotics and food preservatives suppress growth of not only bad bacteria but also healthy bacteria, which we need to digest food and fight for Candida. Long-term or frequent intake of antibiotics leads to Candida overgrowth. Another concern is that antibiotics that are administered to animals and accumulated in animal tissue eventually end up in our body to promote Candida growth.
- Compromised immune system: poor nutrition, lack of sleep, constant stress, allergies, environmental pollution, use of certain drugs and emotional stress all weaken immune system and cause Candida overgrowth.
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy and menstruation: Female hormone plays an important role in immune function. Hormone changes during pregnancy and menstruation make women prone to Candida infections.
What are the symptoms of a Candida infection?
- Digestive system: bloating, cramps, gas, diarrhea or constipation, and food intolerance.
- Skin: eczema, hives, excessive perspiration, acne, psoriasis and nail infections.
- For women: PMS (mood swings, water retention, cramps, craving for sweets, headaches), vaginal itching and burning, vaginal discharge, recurring vaginal or bladder infections, loss of sexual desire.
- For men: prostatitis, impotence, and recurring anal itching and genital rashes.
- Endocrine system: thyroid and adrenal gland malfunction.
- Other chronic conditions: fatigue, depression, painful joints, numbness, burning and tingling, digestive disturbances, poor recall, muscle aches, abdominal pain, feeling spaced-out.
Nutritional Guideline for Candida Therapy
What Not to Eat:
- Eliminate all sugar and dairy products as much as you can: Refined sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, lactose, white flour products, bread, pastries, pretzels, potato chips, crackers, alcoholic beverages, soda pop, sweetened fruit juice, melons, dried fruits
- Dairy products (except active culture unsweetened yogurt), cheeses, butter and cream.
- Avoid yeast or mold containing foods as much as you can: Mushrooms and all fungi, mold and yeast in any form, yeast breads, brewer’s yeast, all pickled products, fermented foods, sauerkraut, soy sauce, and cheeses
- Avoid citrus fruits, pineapples, and tomatoes
- Use occasionally: Whole grains, baked potatoes, fruits in small amounts, raw nuts and seeds, dry beans and legumes in small amounts, millet, brown rice, buckwheat and yellow cornmeal
What to Eat:
- Eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, lamb and veal which has been organically fed
- All vegetables except potatoes, corn and yams.
- Recommended fruits include apples, cherries, pears and all berries.
- Increase your fiber intake to keep intestinal flora healthy and bowel movements consistent.
- If you have food intolerance toward above recommended food, treat the intolerance the same time while treating Candida.
How to Reduce Sugar for Your Children
- Be a role model: Children learn eating habits from the adults in their lives. Eat the way you would like them to eat so they can learn what a good diet is.
- Teach, talk, and explain: Explain to your kids about too much sugar can make them sick and why it is necessary to limit sugar consumption. Children as young as two years old can learn and understand what you talk about.
- Limit access: Children under a certain age only have access to food you bring into your house. Do not bring sweets home. Find alternative snacks instead.
- Promote alternatives: Buy or make your own healthy snacks with low sugar content. Prepare fruits or other alternatives in advance. Use diluted fruit juice instead of soft drinks.
- Plan ahead: Bring your own snacks along when you are going away from the house. An unexpected stop at a convenience store or fast food place always means extra sugar.
- Eliminate sugared drinks: One 12-ounce soda drink contains 9-10 teaspoons of sugar alone. Make your own soda by mixing half of 100% fruit juice with half of sparking water. It tastes as good as other soft drinks.
- Manage frequency and portions: Limit dessert to once or twice a week. Make it a special occasion instead of a routine. When eat out, order a small size dessert or share one with family members.
- Out of sight, out of mind: Limit TV time or channels that show excessive junk food commercials aimed at kids. Rent or buy videos, or pre-record your child’s favorite shows (without the ads) onto blank videotapes or DVDs.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky gut describes a condition that the permeability of the intestinal lining is increased. The Organic Acid Urine Test (OAT) often shows the presence of many organic acids, metabolic products of intestinal yeast or bacteria, in the urine sample. The positive results of OAT suggest an over growth of the intestinal pathogens and a leakage of the intestinal toxins to the bloodstream. The toxins are further detoxified by the liver and kidney.
Leaky gut syndrome is caused by the following factors:
- Damage of the intestinal lining:
- Over growing yeast produces digestive enzymes, destroys part of the intestinal lining and imbeds themselves inside the lining
- Over use of antibiotics plays a major role in the yeast over growth
- Heavy metal from vaccine and other sources damages the lymphatic system on the intestinal lining
- Autoimmune attacks also introduce high inflammation to the intestinal track
- Body’s weakened repairing system: The body often has a compromised immune system, which consumes huge amount of energy to deal with energetic conflicts among systems and make antibodies against many allergens. Such a chaotic system has very limited ability to repair the damage.
The consequences of the leaky gut fall into the following four areas:
- Recycle of the toxins: intestine is the major source of the internal toxins in the body. Over growth of pathogens produces extra toxins, plus the regular intestinal movement is paralyzed (constipation). The recycled toxins eventually ware out the body detox organs such as liver and kidneys. The high toxic situation results in high inflammation and causes damages to not only the digestive system, but the immune and nervous system as well.
- Food allergies: undigested food leaks into blood and triggers immune response. This is the reason why food allergy always comes back if the leaky gut is not completely healed.
- Malabsorption of the nutrients: absorption of many nutrients requires active transport or binding site on the intestinal lining. The damaged membrane system does not provide enough active transport for the nutrients. Even you eat very healthy you may not get the nutrient with the leaky gut syndrome, which causes many clinical conditions such as anxiety, depression and AD(H)D.
- Poor defense: damaged intestinal lining system does not provide enough lymphatic cells to defense pathogens. Digestive system is the largest lymphatic organ. Without a healthy lymphatic system in the intestinal lining it is hard to control pathogen growth and results in a viscous cycle and creates a chaotic stage.
The treatment of leaky gut emphasizes on controlling pathogens and supporting repairing functions. Before stating leaky gut therapy, the body’s chaotic stage has to be controlled using Meridian Balance and Immune System Reprogramming. Once the body’s function returns to normal stage, a carefully monitored Candida and leaky gut program will help to heal the leaky gut (please refer to IBMT). Here is a summery:
- Meridian Balance to re-achieve body’s functions and reduce inflammation
- Pathogen control including Candida and parasite therapies. Re-achieve intestinal functions
- Regeneration of the intestinal lining using homeopathic and herbal remedies. Regeneration of adrenal function and overall body’s healing ability
For more information, please read
Dr. Hong's official website and Dr. Hong's Blog.