Category Archives: Yeast Infection Causes

Yeast Infection Causes

Alcohol Causes Many Yeast Infections

Alcohol is a Causative Factor in Many Yeast Infections

I have seen several patients in particular who find it almost impossible to stay away from alcohol yet who have digestive issues, skin complaints and fatigue. This to me is saying that you have a money problem yet you keep taking on more credit with the bank and continue a gambling habit. Of course you have a problem, and the cause is right under your nose but you are either in denial or you just can’t be bothered. With women it is usually the wine and chocolate, with guys it will be beer or wine. I can’t think of any food or beverage more destructive for the candida patient than alcohol.

The more resistant the patient is in wanting to give up all alcohol entirely for at least 6 months (to allow the digestive system to recover), the more likely it is that alcohol is underpinning the candida condition. Many candida patients also have anxiety, mood swings, impatience, irritability and even depression. These conditions appear to go hand in hand with chronic candida sufferers, especially if regular alcohol intake is apparent. Some candidiasis sufferers will feel, and appear to be, intoxicated. An unusual symptom of certain people with severe candidiasis is the presence of alcohol in the blood stream even when none has been consumed. First discovered in Japan, and called “drunk disease,” this condition creates strains of candida albicans which turn acetaldehyde (which is the chemical created by sugar and yeast fermentation) into ethanol. This is a process well understood by distillers of homemade brew.

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A medical test has been developed in which, after an overnight fast, the individual is given 100 grams of pure sugar. Blood samples taken both before the sugar loading, and an hour after, are measured for alcohol. An increase of alcohol indicates yeast “auto-brewery” intoxication. Another connection between alcohol and candidiasis has been found in a study of 213 alcoholics at a recovery centre in Minneapolis, USA. Test and questionnaire results indicated that candidiasis is a common complication of moderately heavy drinkers and alcoholics due to the combination of high sugar content in alcohol and the inability of drinker to assimilate nutrients. Additionally, female heavy drinkers with candidiasis were significantly sicker than non drinking women with candidiasis.

Many of the symptoms exhibited in drinkers such as insomnia, depression, loss of libido, headaches, sinusitis/post-nasal drip, digestion and intestinal complaints, overlap with those in candida overgrowth. Many candida patients are at risk for various ear, nose, throat or skin infections which are treated with … antibiotics.

Acetaldehyde

It is interesting to hear those who are chronically infected with candida yet who don’t drink alcohol, to say that they may feel “drunk”, spaced out or a bit tipsy. As the alcohol produced by the yeast begins to be broken down it creates acetaldehyde, a chemical which is even more toxic to the brain than ethanol itself, which insidiously undermines brain functions and damages neurological structures.

Acetaldehyde is a dangerous chemical which enters the body in various main ways:

  • Drinking alcohol
  • Inhaling exhaust fumes or cigarette smoke (active or passive)
  • Having an overgrowth of candida in your body

When we drink alcohol, it is broken down in the liver where an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase converts it into acetaldehyde. Then another enzyme breaks it down further into acetate, which gives our cells energy. The problem is that in alcoholics or people with a high level of toxicity the body’s ability to convert acetaldehyde is undermined. High levels of this chemical remain in the body and can cause a kind of poisoning which not only does physical damage but can very much distort mental perceptions. This is why some people I have seen with chronic and systemic candidiasis (and especially those who drink plenty of alcohol) can have depression, anxiety, mood swings and irritability. So now you understand, if you like a drink and have candida you MUST stop drinking for some time and restore your digestive system, repair the “leaky” bowel and work on building a healthy bacterial population and then in time re-introduce alcohol.

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Yeast Infection Causes

Is Your Yeast Infection Caused By Mercury Fillings?

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The Dental Amalgam Controversy

Is Your Yeast Infection Caused By Mercury Fillings

A question I am being asked with increasing frequency is, ‘Do amalgam fillings cause Candida?’

Unfortunately it is currently impossible to provide a specific answer in the context of amalgam directly influencing Candida overgrowth. If that sounds a little vague, what I mean is that there is strong evidence toward amalgam fillings indirectly influencing not only Candida in a negative way, but many other illnesses. However there is no evidence that amalgams cause it.

The History of Amalgam

What we are talking about when it comes to amalgam fillings are the silver colored compounds which most people have opted for when having cavities filled. Although they no longer contain high amounts of silver, which they did when they were first invented, they do contain a high level of mercury, around 50%, and the suspicion that this heavy metal lies behind various health issues has seen a sharp increase particularly in the past decade.

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Yet the debate involving the negative impact of amalgam fillings has actually been raging for almost 200 years. In fact, questions about the safety of this particular compound started practically from the time it was first used – in the 1830s. However there has also always been strong support for amalgam fillings by many dental professionals, which was, at one point, entirely because that there was no alternative compound suitable for the purpose other than gold, which was, and still is, extremely expensive.

Yet the ‘pro’ amalgam debate has also frequently maintained that amalgam is safe and such claims originally appeared to be substantiated in a study performed in 1957 by KO Frycholm. This study established that the higher levels of mercury found in the feces and urine of patients who were given new amalgam fillings returned to normal after 13 and 7 days respectively. On the surface then this would seem to prove that mercury is not leeched from fillings in the long term. However the problem many professionals are concerned with does not relate to mercury which leeches from the fillings and is expelled from the body, but mercury which leeches and is not expelled, but is then retained by the tissues.

A further study undertaken in the late 1980s examined the organs of a sheep 29 days after it had amalgams fitted. Scans and biopsies showed that the sheep, even after the amalgams were removed, had high levels of mercury in the jaw, gum bone, kidneys, liver, stomach, digestive tract, tracheal lining, lung, heart muscle, spleen, pancreas, brain and ovary. Again this kicked off the amalgam safety debate.

Another issue then arose which related to the mercury in amalgam fillings not leeching actual mercury but emitting damaging vapors which are then constantly being inhaled. Originally it was denied that the mercury released any vapors at all, then, once it had been proven that vapors are emitted, it was said they do not cause any negative health issues. A stance which the FDA still stands by today. Yet in the past scientists believed that the mercury in amalgam was inert, meaning it does not leech an vapor at all, a position which obviously changed. Today it has been conceded that it does leech and vapors can be inhaled, that these vapors are harmless. Who knows what the science of tomorrow will uncover.

Yet still today, despite a vast amount of research suggesting amalgam can negatively affect health, it is still the most popularly used compound for cavities, although the number of dental practitioners using it, has fallen.

Dextox Programs

When it comes to the mercury content of fillings negatively affecting Candida my own interest in the subject began with personal experience. I had suffered the effects of a Candida overgrowth for years and I had investigated all possible ways of eliminating it outside of those usually applied by conventional medicine. One of the things I began to realize could be affecting my ability to rid myself of it was my amalgam fillings. Although my doctor thought I was nuts for even thinking that my fillings could in any way be negatively affecting my health, I paid for all of them to be removed and replaced with composites. The year was 1987, and maybe I was thinking a little ahead of myself, but I know, that along with lifestyle and dietary changes, it was also the year I got rid of my Candida overgrowth for good!

Today composite fillings are only slightly more expensive than amalgams, around $10, and, even if you don’t feel like going through the expense and trauma of having them replaced, you can at least make sure that your dentist always uses composites or other alternatives in future.

Although there is usually talk of high mercury levels in the environment and food that we eat, particularly fish, this is usually different to the mercury in amalgam fillings. What we are looking at here, particularly in relation to Candida, is methyl mercury. This is where Candida convert the mercury vapor being released into methyl mercury. This is more toxic than the original compound introduced through the amalgam itself and which affects the digestive tract rather than the lungs.

There is also evidence that the mercury in amalgams can negatively affect the immune system and the thyroid. Which, as regular readers of my articles are aware, can severely impact the chances of eliminating a Candida overgrowth once it becomes established. To compound the problem the immune system is also overwhelmed by trying to rid itself of the mercury which is constantly being leeched and subsequently it becomes weakened and stressed. This means that the problem in itself becomes cyclical.

Hopefully now you can see how difficult it is to answer the original question, because although it is unlikely (but certainly not impossible) that amalgam fillings can actually cause an overgrowth of Candida, it is possible that it indirectly contributes to either aggravating it or preventing the removal of it.

Although back in the ‘80s I went to the lengths of getting my amalgams replaced, there is today some concern that the actual removal may result in more mercury being released into the body by this process. This is the reason that some people now undergo what is known as chelation which is a HMD (Heavy Metal Detox) method. This is a natural way of removing mercury, and other metals, from the body while your amalgams are still in place. It can be used in conjunction with my dietary techniques for eliminating the Candida and, I have found this is the best method for ridding the body of mercury and for taking the negative factors of amalgam with it.

Other options of HMD are available although they do have drawbacks. Firstly your amalgams have to be removed before the treatment is commenced. Secondly, the following agents are not only synthetic with possible side-effects, but they are also expensive on a per treatment basis. However I have provided you with a list so you can check them out for yourself:

  • I.V (Intravenous) Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (IV EDTA)
  • Oral Ethylendiamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)
  • Oral Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)
  • Oral Dimercaptopropane sulphate (DMPS)

Although my preference is for the natural chelation treatment HMD, I accept that many people may prefer to have their amalgams removed and replaced and to participate in the synthetic treatments. However the treatment processes are far too detailed to enter into here and I would only stress that you should drink plenty of water and increase fiber intake via a supplement no matter which option you choose. I would also strongly suggest that, even with the natural detox methods, you engage the expertise of a qualified professional before embarking on any heavy metal detoxification program.

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Yeast Infection Causes

Yeast Infections Cause Fermentation Dysbiosis

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My experiences with Candida began long before I entered the medical profession. In fact, the problems my dad suffered quite possibly led me along the path of naturopathic medicine rather than that of allopathic.

For years he experienced severe problems after eating, having terrible gas, cramps and stomach distension. His doctor sent him off for every investigative test possible, including endoscopy, ultrasound, colonoscopy and X-rays, but the results always came back as no cause found. The problem my dad faced was the same as many people face today – without a cause being identified many patients are treated by their clinicians as if they are overreacting to minor, everyday issues. It was this attitude which sent my dad off to investigate the problem himself and he discovered the work done by Dr William Crook, who saw the implications of gut dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth as being something significant even back in the 1980s.

Yet what Dad’s doctor failed to spot was that all his symptoms were clearly indicative of Candida overgrowth. After meals he always craved something sweet. In fact he craved something sweet even in between meals. Bread loaded with marmalade or jam, coffee with three spoonfuls of sugar, tins of condensed milk. It was indeed a rare occurrence for him to turn down anything with sugar in it! As kids we thought we were lucky because we were rarely refused ice-cream – in reality it was just a great excuse for Dad to eat as much of it as he could!

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Eventually, with the help of Dr Crook, even Dad began to realize that it was the Candida causing him to crave sugar. His desire for sugar wasn’t driven by his own cells but by the bacterial overgrowth in his gut – and the more he ate, the worse his problems got. Flatulence, was a common occurrence in our household. And, although it is natural particularly when we are laid down, it shouldn’t occur all the time. But with Dad, it most certainly did!

Yet the phrase, ‘like father, like son’ became a reality in my case, when I began to experience similar symptoms to his in early adulthood. In my case though my diet was, at least originally, reasonably good. Yet with hindsight I began to believe that a dysbiotic situation was initiated in my gut by old amalgam fillings which were replaced within a 6 month time-frame. This caused a release of methyl mercury, quite possibly from the damage caused to the old fillings and the new ‘source’ replacements. The end result being that my gut microflora were negatively affected. My situation improved but only after I had the new amalgam fillings exchanged for composite ones and underwent 18 months of intensive Candida treatment. It was a health issue which I could have well done without but at least it provided me with, yet another, learning curve.

But what my dad was actually suffering from was a state arising from Fermentation Dysbiosis. This is a situation created by carbohydrates (sugars), which the Candida demand and which enable them to increase numbers and continue a state of dominance in the gut. In the main the common symptoms which arise from fermentation are those which represent that of any fermentation process – increased gas – and in the human body this results in excessive flatulence, bloating and general gut discomfort.

Problems can also occur which are subtly different to fermentation dysbiosis, when it comes to a problem known as putrefaction dysbiosis. This is when the digestive tract is having problems related to degrading not carbohydrates, but proteins. Putrefaction results in flatulence which has is of a more odorous nature and reflected by the unpleasant, and embarrassing, sulfur smell of flatulence. The protein foods involved are meats, eggs, gluten, dairy products, and often, peas. In addition to this distinctive pungent flatulence, a person who has problems digesting such products will also have other symptoms such as nausea and headaches to accompany the digestive issues.

So, the end result is that the two different kinds of digestive dysfunction can result in symptoms which initially appear similar, but which subtly differ. With fermentation dysbiosis, the problem of digesting carbohydrates or sugars, patients will often get accompanying symptoms in the form of depression or anxiety as well as the odorless but frequent flatulence and it will be visibly driven by a craving for sugary foods.

Yet other problems can occur with fermentation dysbiosis. This is because the toxins produced by specific organisms such as Candida albicans will ultimately degrade the integrity of the intestinal wall and the fungi itself, in addition to other foreign bodies, can actually infiltrate the blood stream and so travel around the body to set up further infections – and of course, result in more serious and chronic conditions.

So, when it comes to gas it is important to establish exactly why this excess is being produced – is it as a result of excessive sugar intake or the inability to digest proteins – maybe it will be a mixture of both? And, not only is it important to identify why the problem is occurring but equally it is necessary to appreciate that although initially it may seem to be a minor problem, if not little more than an embarrassing inconvenience, but to understand that in some circumstances it could possibly set up long term and chronic health issues which are often very difficult to resolve.

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