Candida: Yeast By Any Other Name! Bill Bailey, Ph.D., MH, ND, CNHP, CTN (Dr. Bailey can be reached at Traditional Naturopath)

Dr. Atkins covers the problem of Yeast infections in his book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution quite well.  Why cover yeast infections (candida albicans) in a diet book?  Because often, the conditions that lead to yeast infections are the same that led to weight gain... that is, sugar and carbohydrates!  And, yeast issues can slow, or even stop, progress that a low carb dieter is making in his dietary efforts!  "Yeast," in this case,  is actually candida albicans, and it is found in everyone's gastrointestinal tract.  The problem is one of OVERgrowth of this yeast.

Dr. Atkins says, "Candida outgrows its boundaries (the Candida albicans yeast is a normal inhabitant of our bodies, generally comprising 10% of the microorganism profile of the intestinal tract) when a subject is exposed to:

1. A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
2. Antibiotics (more than 20 weeks in a lifetime would make Candida overgrowth a probability.)
3. The mercury in silver dental fillings.
4. Birth control pills, prednisone, and other steroids.

Since everything on this list is iatrogenic - meaning caused by the medical care we receive-or diet related and either recommended or condoned by establishment medicine, to admit that yeast is an epidemic-which I believe it is - is to admit that medicine and dentistry share the guilt in its causation.

First, consider antibiotics, which are capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of germs such as the pneumococci bacteria, which cause pneumonia. Unfortunately, they will also kill the friendly Lactobacilli that live in your intestines and keep Candida from spreading.

There's nothing wrong with antibiotics when you use them to save your life, but unfortunately, in our pill-popping society, they're taken for a variety of inappropriate reasons. Doctors will prescribe them to snuff out a bad cold, or to treat acne, or to prevent a nearly non-existent complication of mitral valve prolapse.

Antibiotics are probably the main unleasher of yeast infections, but birth control pills have also been implicated, and, finally, there's the poison that almost all of us carry around in our mouths twenty-four hours a day-mercury. The silver/mercury filling that dentists still put in the mouths of their patients is approximately 50% mercury, and mercury Just happens to be the most poisonous free element our bodies get exposed to.  Dentists have always believed that in amalgams it was stable and would not contaminate its host.

This simply isn't true.  Mercury vapor tests in the mouths of real people have made that unambiguously clear.  Mercury figures into this chapter because it's a sure-fire way to weaken your immune system in just such a way that yeast infections flourish. Now let's look at diet.

I don't believe that your diet necessarily causes candidiasis, but my clinical practice has taught me that the wrong will definitely encourage a yeast infection once it has begun and will make it almost impossible to clear up.

The worst offender is sugar. Indeed, nothing is more usual than to find that the victim of a yeast infection has sugar cravings. Sugar is the major growth factor for yeast. Candida patients are warned to stay away from ice cream, candies, cakes, corn syrup, fructose, maple syrup, molasses, etc. etc. It is no coincidence that Atkins weight-loss dieters won't be eating any of those foods, either.  You'll also be avoiding the lactose in milk and all those refined carbohydrates like starches, white flour, and white rice that easily turn to sugar in the body.

All this is very critical for those of you who are going on the Atkins diet to lose weight. A yeast infection can prevent that from happening even though everything else is in your favor."¹

So, what can be done about yeast infections?  Here is an excerpt from a Certified Natural Health Professional handout in one of my classes:

"The body is designed to accommodate friendly bacteria which normally grow in the intestinal tract.  When a baby is born it has in its intestinal tract abut 75% Lacto bacillus acidophilus and about 25% E coli bacteria which is the "non-friendly" kind of bacteria.  If the balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria gets out of correct proportion then the person will experience numerous symptomatic problems.  The friendly bacteria actually assist the body to digest food and keep under control those foreign bacteria which would attack the body and cause sickness.  

Some of the common signs of yeast overgrowth are: extreme mood swings, irritability, depression, headaches, lethargy, gastritis, colitis, distension, bloating, fluid in the ears, itching, rashes, psoriasis, acne, spots in vision, blurred vision, tearing, burning in eyes, dry mouth, rash, cough, bad breath, blisters, sore throat, muscle aches, white patches, or bladder infections, fatigue, loss of appetite, overeating, insomnia, poor circulation, numbness and tingling, change in body hair, vaginal burning or itching, endometriosis, menstrual cramping, PMS, hay fever, asthma, food sensitivities, hives, mitral valve prolapse, impotence, loss of interest in sex, prostatitis, thrush, and colic... to mention only few symptoms!

In order to rid the body of yeast one must stop feeding the yeast, and stop those activities that inhibit the body from balancing its natural flora.  The majority of yeast problems begin with drugs that kill bacteria in the body -- both the friendly and the unfriendly.  All antibiotics, cortisone-type drugs, oral contraceptives and chemotherapeutic drugs are destructive to the body's natural flora.

After one has begun to eliminate the cause of the problem, he or she must begin to build the body by replacing the friendly flora which has been destroyed.  Begin with a good brand of acidophilus and take a sufficient amount between meals to begin the restoration process.  Second, take some product designed to kill the unfriendly yeast in the body.  This can be an herbal product, an enzyme, or some form of homeopathic remedy.  Choose the product you will use with the help of a health professional, then take that product every day, without fail, or the program will not work.

Finally, be sure that the foods you put into your body do not work against the rebuilding process.  DO NOT use processed or packaged meats in any form, canned goods, vinegar, sugar in any form, yeast products, cakes, candy, mushrooms, peanuts, and pickled, dried, or smoked foods.  Your diet should consist mainly of fresh vegetables and meat.  Avoid processed foods of any kind, including meats and vegetables.  'Raw' foods are best.  Your diet and your observance of the above rules will determine whether or not you will ever get over being sick and tired due to yeast (candidiasis) issues."²  

So, to review, we see the best path to fighting Candidiasis is:

1) Refrain from eating sugars (easy on a low carb diet!)

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