The Dangers of Candida Overgrowth
Maybe be you have heard of it but are still unclear about just what is Candida?
Candida – or more properly Candida albicans – is now
commonly acknowledged as the particular type of microscopic yeast that
causes yeast infection or thrush in humans – otherwise known as
Candidiasis.
Yeast is a single cell organism that grows into
colonies of many cells and can be seen physically at this stage when it
infects areas of the body as white patches or clusters. This is how it
may appear in the throat, the vagina or in the intestine when a ‘camera’
is sent in to investigate!
Normally Candida is restricted in its growth by
those other little micro-organisms that are commonly called ‘good
bacteria’ (at least in Yoghurt adverts). The good bacteria do not tend
to cause any adverse symptoms in the body, and their actions actually
provide benefits. One group, or genus, of good bacteria is the
Lactobacillus family, that features better known species such as
acidophilus and bifidus amongst a total of 13 helpful strains.
Lactobacillus are rod shaped bacteria and they can be derived from
certain food items, such as live yoghurt, where their action of creating
lactic acid helps to turn milk into the popular thick creamy dessert or
breakfast item.
One reason that yoghurt is sometimes recommended for
application to thrush affected areas is that it will provide a ‘dose’
of Lactobacillus to try and bring Candida back under control. But
naturally the yoghurt used must be the live, plain variety. Daubing some
sugar laden, pasteurized mango yoghurt on your ‘parts’ is only likely
to make matters even worse.
In normal lower levels Candida is a natural part of
human flora and not really a problem, in some respects it even provides
benefits for the body. Candida acts as a sort of ‘natural’ waste
digester and starts to ferment sugary wastes. But the problems really
start when it grows out of control.
This occurs, for example, when our good bacteria
have been inhibited. This can be caused by taking a course of
antibiotics. Antibiotics kill off the bacterial entities that cause an
infection, but indiscriminately kill off your good guys too! this allows
Candida (which is a yeast, so it is not killed by antibiotics) to ‘run
wild’. This is why many people suffer a yeast infection when, or just
after, taking antibiotics.
In addition to losing our good bacterial body-guards
we are also liable to excessive Candida growth when our body becomes
overly ‘acidic’. Now this is a major problem in Western society for
various reasons. Most notably the issue relates to the kind of diet we
eat. Typical modern processed foods, soda drinks (like any of the cola
brands – whether diet or otherwise!) and sweets, cakes or biscuits all
add acidic influences to the body. Eating foods that contain simple
carbohydrates is a real problem because ingredients like white sugar and
white flour provide ideal food sources for Candida and do they simply
exacerbate the overgrowth of yeast.
Another acidifying influence can also be stress -
and the world we have created today often causes us to be stressed and
therefore more acidic (the psychological impact of stress causes the
release of natural acids in the body). So in addition to getting your
diet right an holistic treatment for Candidiasis would also most likely
require you to adopt some techniques to reduce stress in your life.
Candida loves warm, moist places which is why you
can easily suffer a vaginal yeast infection or penile thrush. Another
key areas where we tend to have lactic acid bacteria keeping our system
running in balance and harmony is in the gut. If Candida grows out of
control in the colon it can lead to ‘leaky gut’ syndrome and the yeast
can then pass through the intestinal walls into the blood stream and
literally be transported around the body where – if the bodily imbalance
continues – it can cause all sorts of havoc.
If Candida albicans does pass through the gut walls
and begin to manifest itself in colonies around internal organs of the
body it can potentially lead to serious health issues. So treatment for
yeast infection is necessary, but the typical over-the-counter solutions
are often inadequate for providing permanent relief from the problem of
Candida.
One real issue with typical prescription drugs,
creams or pessaries for thrush infection, is that that they do no more
than quell the more noticeable symptoms of yeast infection for a time.
If your body is out of balance you need to try and address this in order
to bring yeast overgrowth under control. The only effective way to do
this is to take a holistic approach. This is where the selection of
tried and tested holistic methods for treating Candida come in.
Simply applying a cream may temporarily provide
local relief. But if Candida is affecting you systemically you urgently
need to adopt an holistic strategy. The real worrisome issue with
allowing Candida to continue to thrive is that internally massive
colonies of Candida can starve healthy cells of oxygen. This then sets
up a dangerous precedent. Cells do not willing ‘give up an die’ so they
will start to operate ‘without oxygen’ – which is technically called
becoming ‘anaerobic’. When cells do this they have literally regressed
to a self-preserving mode of existence – but it is one that can become
disastrous for the body as a whole. If the condition persists then large
groups of anaerobic cells can form and these are commonly recognized as
a ‘tumour’ – that’s correct – it is the beginning of a cancerous
condition.
So do not ignore a yeast infection, particularly if
it is persistent. You need to start a process of re-balancing your body
as soon as possible and following an holistic treatment plan for
regaining health and bringing Candida back under control is paramount.
Recommended Resource
(Click image for full download details):
Amelia Treadgold became a ‘natural health crusader’
after years of inadequate diagnosis and treatment at the hands of the
acolytes of ‘Big-Pharma’! She has published useful information about
yeast infections for sufferers and also recently reviewed the best
holistic thrush treatment products on the market today. Amelia has also a
contributed detailed thrush and yeast infection symptoms articles to
the online natural health magazine website: GoNandO.com (Go Natural and
Organic)
Originally published at: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Candida-and-Why-Can-it-Be-So-Dangerous?&id=2167737