Tag Archives: Yeast Infection Diagnosis

Questions & Answers

Sugar Alcohols: Are They Safe?

Are xylitol, sorbitol, and other sugar alcohols a safe replacement for sugar?

Xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol are polyols, or sugar alcohols, which are commonly found in fruits. They’re also found in tree bark and vegetables. They tend to be some digestible, although some are partly digestible, and some are indigestible.

Some sugar alcohols are fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides, so keep that in mind.

Studies have indeed shown no serious side effects from these products, even if people are consuming three to four ounces of xylitol a day for two years. Apart from a bit of gastric distress, a bit of diarrhea or bloating or gas, they didn’t have any problems with it.

Why I don’t recommend regular use of sugar alcohols is because they can get people hooked on a sweet taste.

The only sweetening agents I would use in my house would be honey from my own beehives, or pure maple syrup, and even then in moderation.

Further readings:

It’s not a great idea to get hooked on sweet foods. It’s going to disrupt the gut. It’s only going to cause problems down the track. There’s definitely some research demonstrating that sugar alcohols may potentially push people into craving more sugar.

I recommend integrating bitter and sour foods into your diet. You’ll still enjoy sweet foods but no so much.

Do I think that sugar alcohols are a safe replacement for sugar?

Well, I think they are. These sorts of sugars are certainly safer than the artificial sweeteners that are widely researched and shown to be linked with many different problems, including brain dysfunction.

I certainly endorse xylitol and stevia as natural sugars. There’s very robust evidence that xylitol has a great effect on stopping streptococcus mutans, or the plaque formation on teeth.

Even though sugar alcohols are okay, I still suggest you don’t overdo it.

Try not to get used to anything really sweet in life. You’re going to enjoy your food a lot more if you don’t have this constant need to have something sweet in your diet.

If you do want something sweet, have berries. Berries are quite sweet to eat and they also contain phytochemicals that provide health benefits.

Try and take the focus off of having sweets. Make your diet about enjoying food for other reasons.

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Questions & Answers

Zinc Carnosine And Your Gut: What You Need To Know

Is zinc carnosine good for the GI system?

Zinc is an essential mineral for everyone, but it is particularly essential for males.
It’s incredible how many people I’ve seen over the years in my clinic with zinc deficiency.
You can do a zinc taste test if you go to your health food store and ask for a small bottle of Zinc Tally or zinc taste test, and just read the instructions on the bottle to test yourself for zinc.

Zinc’s very important. You can’t make stomach acid without zinc, so you need zinc, B1, and B6, I believe. Those are the three core elements you need to make stomach acid. The stomach can’t produce proper acid without zinc, and zinc can’t be absorbed without enough stomach acid, so it’s quite a vicious cycle.

When zinc levels are sufficient, and the pH of the stomach is nice and acidic, the pancreas is stimulated to create picolinic acid.

Picolinic acid is very important because it’s one of the main binding mechanisms for trace elements, including selenium and vanadium, to get into the body.

In other words, zinc is necessary to ensure other trace elements are being properly absorbed. If you’re deficient in zinc, you can end up deficient in a number of micronutrients.
Zinc carnosine is zinc bound to carnitine. Studies have shown that zinc carnosine is particularly good for ensuring a sufficient supply of stomach acid.

Further readings:

I once read an interesting study which showed that about 100 milligrams of zinc carnosine per day protects the stomach lining better than a drink designed to protect the mucosa from hyperacidity.

Most people who take proton pump inhibitors would benefit from zinc carnosine.
Zinc carnosine has even been used in high dose, short term for Helicobacter pylori patients. But in my opinion, zinc picolinate is also just as good.

Males lose more zinc with one emission of ejaculation than a woman will lose in 30 days. The reason being is that seminal fluid contains reasonably high amounts of zinc to buffer that solution, which aids with fertility.This is why men have lower zinc levels than women.
I started to take a lot of zinc years ago, not because I was deficient, but to see what would happen. I found my sense of smell and taste markedly improved.

I strongly recommend that everyone get a zinc taste test to ensure that Ievels are good.
Zinc is necessary for RNA and DNA transcription. If you want to prevent a lot of serious diseases, you want to ensure that cellular reproduction is proceeding as it should. Zinc will prevent a wonky or dodgy transcription. It’s also crucial for fetal growth, so women who are trying to conceive need adequate zinc levels.

Zinc is also essential for white blood cell function. It also has anti-viral effects.
Due to its role in neurotransmitter production, zinc can help people with anxiety and depression.

Zinc, B6, and magnesium is the classic triad called the glucose tolerance factors. Having sufficient zinc levels will reduce the chances you’ll snack on crappy food because blood sugar is better regulated.

There you have it.

Is zinc carnosine good?

It’s very good, but don’t forget to test your zinc levels as well.

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Questions & Answers

Improving Your Gut Health With CanXida Products

I often get asked by people, what are the most important supplements for gut health?

Most people I’ve seen in the clinic take far too many supplements. They spend too much money taking dozens and dozens of supplements in this ridiculous belief that they take 20 or 30 things, it’s going to improve their health.

I’ve rarely seen a person attain excellent health taking 10, 20, 30 dietary supplements. I think the one that topped the cake for me is a lady who took 63 different nutritional supplements in one day.

Many people will see a practitioner like me, and they may get recommended a supplement. But then after a while they’ll see somebody else and somebody else and somebody else, and then they’ll go to a Whole Foods store, and then they’ll go online, and before they know it, they’re taking 10, 20, 30 supplements.

It’s not required. You don’t need to spend so much money taking so many vitamins and the like.
You should be able to get almost everything you need, from your diet and lifestyle. The whole idea about my Candida Crusher channel is to get you to a better level of living, better way of thinking, better way of living and relating to people, but also a better way of eating. And, this should get you to a point where you don’t need to take lots and lots of dietary supplements.

The only things I like to take myself personally are good quality and omega-3, and occasionally I’ll take magnesium. I take a multivitamin may be sometimes, but that’s about it. I get everything I need from the kind of diet that I have.

Further readings:

I encourage people, is always to select those foods that I’ve talked about on this channel. Prepare them yourself. If you can grow some of your foods. Get involved in your food chain.
If you’re reading this article, you’ve likely got a digestive problem.

Do you have constipation? Do you have esophageal reflux disease? Do you have gas or bloating? Have you had a stool test performed, and it’s conclusive that you’ve got a Candida problem or maybe a parasite problem?

Maybe you’ve got SIBO or dysbiosis. Once you find out what you’ve got, then it’s a matter of tailoring the diet and lifestyle to suit that condition. Supplements are just icing on the cake.
Now, you may think that it’s a bit weird for someone like me not to have a range of like 50 different products because I am a product formulator. I’ve formulated many successful products for many companies over the years. But I’ve only formulated a few CanXida products so far because I don’t believe people need a whole bunch of stuff to take.

One of my key products is the antimicrobial Canxida Remove. If you have a problem with bacterial overgrowth, you may want to consider CanXida Remove, assuming you’re already eating a healthy diet.

The second thing that I often get people to consider is probiotics.

Digestive enzymes and probiotics need to be taken together, either as separate supplements or as a combined supplement together.CanXida Restore contains both digestive enzymes and probiotics.

In my opinion, most people only need to take these two or three products for about six to twelve months to improve their gut health.

And after, they don’t need to take supplements anymore, unless
they have a specific need for, say, a magnesium supplement or a coenzyme Q10 one because they’ve got some issues there with their heart.

Or, they could take some lutein or zeaxanthin for their eye, for example, if they’ve got a visual problem.

Don’t fall into the trap of taking a supplement for sleep, a supplement for anxiety, a supplement for your bowels, and so on. It’s a waste of money.

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Questions & Answers

Estrogen: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Estrogen has been very maligned for many years. Many people believe estrogen is a “bad” hormone, but if you have a healthy, balanced body, estrogen is perfectly fine.

The problem is that obesity has become the norm in many countries. The diet in these countries is high in saturated animal fat, which can cause estrogen problems.

Saturated fat influences certain types of intestinal bacteria to produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. Beta-glucuronidase makes estrogen a lot more able to move through the bloodstream and into the body where it can create damage.

Estrogen is a proliferative hormone. It makes things grow. When in excess, estrogen has been linked with many different types of cancers. This is why you don’t want a whole lot of beta-glucuronidase activity going on in the body.

One of the reasons vegans and vegetarians tend to have a more streamlined body shape is that they have a more balanced estrogen and progesterone profile.

Further readings:

By changing the amount and types of fats that you eat, you can avoid estrogen problems. For example, lean protein and fish protein are god choices. Fish protein is often associated with an anti-inflammatory fat.

Beef fat, on the other hand, tends to trigger inflammation through a particular pathway.

In order to reduce the build-up of estrogens in the body, you need to be aware of xeno-estrogens (foreign estrogens). Xeno-estrogens are found in the diet as well as plastics like cling wrap. It’s not a good idea to use those types of plastics, especially on high fat foods, because artificial estrogens can get sucked into the fat.

Use containers with a lid rather than plastic wrap.

Dietary fiber can reduce estrogens levels. So can certain probiotics, particularly lactobacillus acidophilus, which has been linked with a reduction of both beta-glucuronidase and estrogen. I recommend having a bit of yogurt in your diet and taking lactobacillus acidophilus supplements.

The critical steps to keeping your estrogen at a health level are to keep at a healthy weight, eat the right foods, including plenty of fiber, avoid deep-fried foods, and cut back on alcohol.

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Female Yeast Infection Diagnosis, Vaginal Yeast Infections

Do I Have A Vaginal Yeast Infection Or Is It Something Else?

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I’ve seen many women over the years who complain of itching, thrush and discharge. Many are uncertain when it comes to understanding exactly what it is they have, and for those women they will find this a useful post. Vaginal thrush infections are caused by yeast infections, Candida vaginal yeast infections are the most common cause of vaginitis and are a cause of huge irritation and inconvenience for many women. Symptoms are itching in the groin area and in and around the vagina especially. Increased discharge is not necessarily present in this condition.

Remember, you are most likely at risk of developing candida fungal vaginal infections (thrush) increases if you:

  • Have diabetes.
  • Are pregnant.
  • Habitually use an antibiotic.
  • Take the oral contraceptive pill.
  • Have a defective immune system.

These are some of the most likely causes, and they may lead you straight into a diagnosis of a vaginal yeast infection. A vaginal yeast infection is almost always caused by a change in the vagina’s acid balance, which leads to an increase in yeast and an over growth. Yeast infections are often seen after a person takes antibiotics. Sometimes however, there may not be an obvious reason as to why a woman has developed a thrush infection. Diagnosis is straightforward however and can be confirmed by taking a swab from the vagina. Conventional treatment is either with pessaries (tablets in the vagina) or tablets by mouth. However could it be vaginal yeast infection or perhaps is it another thing? In just a moment we will look at a chart I put together which outlines the different kinds of vaginal problems you are most likely to experience, and their typical signs and symptoms.

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Suppressive Treatments Don’t Cure Vaginal Yeast Infections

Your doctor may prescribe topical therapies, and the first application may cause burning as you place a cream or vaginal suppository into your vagina. This mode of treatment is very effective and using these conventional methods cures seventy to ninety percent of thrush. But is it really cured, or has this form of treatment just suppressed the yeast because the cause was never addressed?

My belief is that this form of treatment is very suppressive indeed, i.e.; the condition is driven back into the body and because the causes remain untreated and thrush may recur at anytime. I tend to find that many women with endometriosis (and many other chronic “women’s problems”) can relate to having treated their vaginal yeast infection many years ago just like this, with local vaginal treatment and antibiotics, and believe they have “cured” it, only to discover in time that they are diagnosed with endometriosis or some other chronic women’s problem.

The Whole Person Needs Treatment And Not Just Their Vagina

I’ve found from experience that an imbalance in the vaginal micro flora is most always indicative of a similar imbalance in a woman’s digestive tract and further afield. Therefore, when a patient presents to my clinic with a recurrent vaginal yeast infection I always recommend that she follow the entire Candida Crusher Program. If the vaginal is acute and not a recurrent problem however, an isolated instance can effectively be treated locally as I describe below without having to resort to systemic (diet and lifestyle) treatment. But if the problem resurfaces or is chronic, then the Candida Crusher Program is best followed for a complete resolution thrush of the thrush.

But What If It Is Not Vaginal Thrush, What Then?

Here are five other presentations besides vaginal thrush, and it is important that you know what you are dealing with before you commence treatment. As usual, it is always best to seek the help of your doctor when it comes to diagnosis, once a firm diagnosis is made and you know what you are dealing with you will be able to know how to treat it.

1 – Trichomoniasis

Sometimes called “trich”, trichomoniasis is different from the other complaints in that a small organism called a flagellate causes it. It is common to experience an abundant greenish-yellow discharge, an itching which can range from mild to extremely intense and even a strong burning sensation or pain in the vagina. Diagnosis is performed by analyzing a swab of the discharge. Treatment is generally a short course of (strong) antibiotics, after which I recommend to take a powerful probiotic product for four to six weeks thereafter.

2 – Bacterial vaginosis (BV)

This condition is known as gardnerella vaginalis, and is caused by the growth of bacteria that causes the acidity of the vagina to become much more alkaline. Contributing factors are poor hygiene, poor health in general, birth-control IUD use, and in particular the transferring of E.coli bacteria from the rectal area to the vagina due to poor hygiene or sex.

The abundant alkalinity with this condition causes a fishy or brine-like smell and a grey foamy discharge. Diagnosis is carried out once again by analyzing a swab from the discharge, and the treatment is once again a short course of antibiotics.

Bacterial vaginosis is one of three common types of vaginitis (BV, vaginal yeast infection and trichomoniasis), and possibly the most common vaginal infection. Maybe you thought that vaginal yeast infections are the most common vaginal infection, well they are not, because BV is in fact the most common. A link between BV and low levels of vitamin D was discovered in June 2009 and reported by The Journal of Nutrition in The New York Times. My advice is to have a blood test for vitamin D and see what your levels are, you may be quite surprised to know that most of the population are borderline to low in the crucial immune boosting fat-soluble vitamin. Ensure good hygiene with sex, because many cases come from not enough care taken during sex.

3 – Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is an STD (sexually transmitted disease) that is caused by the gonococcus bacteria. You can have gonorrhea without experiencing any symptoms, but some people experience burning pain when urinating. However, gonorrhea is rarely seen these days. Diagnosis is confirmed by analyzing a swab from the cervix, urethra (entrance to the bladder) or back passage. Treatment is with very powerful antibiotics. Sexual partners also need to be traced, screened for gonorrhea and in addition diagnosed accordingly.

4 – Chlamydia

Chlamydia is likewise a sexually transmitted disease and is an unusual cause of vaginitis, because infection often does not produce symptoms unless pelvic inflammatory disease is present. Diagnosis is made by analyzing a sample taken from the cervix or the urethra. Treatment is with antibiotics. Sexual partners should be traced, tested and treated.

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5 – Genital Herpes

Genital herpes (Herpes type 2) is caused by the herpes simplex virus and is almost in all cases a sexually transmitted disease. It is possible to infect the genital area with the virus via contact with a cold sore (herpes type 1, part of the same family). Herpes is seen at the entrance to the vagina as small blisters. The first time a person has herpes, it is common for them to develop a fever, and night sweats may occur, swollen lymph nodes in the groin on the affected side, general discomfort is experienced, urination is painful, and the lips and entrance to the vagina may become swollen and red.

Eventually the herpes infection settles down, and the person experiences flare-ups ranging from very occasionally to very rarely. The skin in the affected area will become more sensitive and signal an imminent case of herpes.

A tingling sensation can be felt and then the blisters may appear which can itch intensely, and may even create a burning sensation if ruptured. It is in the herpes sufferer’s best interests to discover how to improve their health to the point where they rarely experience these flare-ups. In conventional medicine, a diagnosis is made by a doctor based on the appearance and with special swabs sent for analysis. Antiviral treatment is often recommended, but you will find in this case that natural medicine has a lot to offer this patient. In case you have herpes virus, particularly if it’s acute, I personally recommend a course of natural medication solution for at a minimum six to twelve months, simply because, doctors view herpes infections as “incurable” disease requiring a lifetime of drugs in order to suppress the symptoms.