Yeast are a type of fungus that exist everywhere.  Candida is one form of yeast that can infect humans.  It is estimated that between 75% and 90% of people get a Candida infection at some time in their lives, such as thrush, toenail infections or vaginitis.

Some of these are easy to spot because they are on the outside and cause symptoms such as burning, itching or white plaques.

Many people, however, also get Candida in their blood called “systemic candidiasis.”  This infection generally comes from the intestines, where most people have some yeast growing all the time. The systemic infection can cause a multitude of symptoms.

How do I know if I have Candida?

Because Candida causes inflammation AND produces toxins, it can create a wide range of symptoms. One clinic that specializes in treating Candida lists the following symptoms:

• Digestive troubles
• Behavioral problems
• Skin and joint problems
• Hyperactivity
• Allergies
• Female problems
• Mental problems
• Emotional issues
• Immune problems
• Chronic fatigue

Essentially, every disturbance known to man has been attributed to Candidiasis, making it impossible to know if this is the real cause of the problem.  Fortunately, there are tools available that can help you determine the likelihood of a Candida yeast overgrowth being the cause of your health issue.

Spit test

Some advocate a test for Candida called the “spit test.”  This consists of spitting saliva into a glass of water in the morning before eating or drinking.  We are told that if you have yeast you will see strings or a cloud of spit in the water.  The problem with this test is that it has never been clinically validated.  It is likely that many people who have Candida will be negative on the spit test, or those who show positive results do not have an infection. Nobody knows if the test actually works.

Stool test

Because the presence of Candida in the gut is common, it is hard to determine if there is a true infection. Many will test positive when they only have colonization, which is not as evasive as a candida infection.  Also, many who have infections will test negative because the Candida infection is in a different fungal form.

Candida albicans is an organism that has two forms: yeast and fungus. The yeast-like form in a non-invasive, sugar-fermenting organism. Actually, these little budding yeast are not the problematic issue.

It is the “hyphae” fungus form that creates the internal crisis. Hyphae is close to the same composition that causes vegetables to stand up and grow reaching for the sunlight. Or, consider them like very long root-like structures, which can penetrate the gastrointestinal mucosa, breaking down the boundary between the intestinal tract and the rest of the circulation. This allows substances to be introduced into the blood stream, many of which are antigenic. When the candida pathogen has broken through the mucosal barrier and has entered the blood, you now have the most serious form of candida infection.

So, if I can’t go by symptoms, I can’t rely on the “spit test” and can’t even use a stool test, how can I know if I have systemic Candida?

Great question!

Symptom Test

Besides doing blood tests for immune reactions, the best way to know if you suffer from Candida is by checking for symptoms such as those listed above, and other clues:

1. People who get yeast infections on the outside such as skin, toenails, tongue, or vaginal infections are probably colonized with Candida.
2. People with immune problems such as cancer, chemotherapy, AIDS, excessive or prolonged stress, taking long-term steroids, and so forth, also have an increased risk.
3. Diabetes allows yeast to grow because of the high blood sugar.
4. Eating simple sugars and starches every day promotes yeast in the intestines.
5. Taking antibiotics, especially frequently or for long periods of time kills bacteria that keep the Candida in check.
6. Artificial sweeteners kill the normal bacteria, allowing Candida to grow.
7. Food allergies or “leaky gut” problems often mark a Candida problem.

Natural Candida Infection Treatment 

Another way to test for Candida is to use the treatment.  If you suspect there is a yeast problem, then start the treatment to see if you notice a difference in your symptoms.   This response to the treatment is as good a test as any other – and it works!

Most don’t need prescription antibiotics to treat Candida because they only work in the short-run.  The long-term treatment is a strict regimen of diet, supplements and herbal preparations.  If done in stages, the combination program works very well.

There are four parts to this program.

1. First, we replace those things you eat that promote the growth of Candida with food that prevents it.
2. Second, we re-inoculate the intestines with good bacteria.
3. Third, we repair the damage.
4. Last, we use antimicrobial supplements to remove the harmful organisms.

The order is important because if you kill off all the bacteria at once in people with Candida, it can cause a serious die-off or “Herxhiemer” reaction in those who are sensitive!  You first need to slow down the growth of yeast with diet and probiotics in order to allow the intestines to heal.

Phase One: Replace – 1 week

The bottom-line of yeast infections is you cannot get away from them!  Candida lives with us all the time.  So, we need to keep Candida from becoming a problem with a mutli-faceted approach..

The most important part of how we do this is by what we eat.  Whatever you eat, you feed the microbes in your intestines and determine which ones will grow.  Microbiologists grow Candida on a medium called “sucrose agar” because Candida loves sugar – a lot!  Thus, it makes sense to avoid eating sugar to  inhibit the growth of yeast. This phase replaces your usual diet with the following.

What to eat:

1. Vegetables, about 6 cups per day in order to get the nutrients you need.  Include all colors, such as yams, leafy greens and red peppers
2. Meat (preferably grass-fed) – including lamb, beef, poultry, pork and seafood
3. Dairy – including yogurt and cheese with active cultures
4. Nuts and seeds
5. Fermented foods – pickles, sauerkraut, miso and so forth
6. Berries are OK in small amounts
7. Switch to coconut oil in your cooking – it will inhibit yeast in your food.

What to avoid – the less of these you eat, the better:

1. Sugars and sweeteners, of all types
2. Breads, cereals, pasta, grains and rice
3. Fruit, except for berries
4. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes or cooked carrots (raw carrots are OK)

Phase Two: RE-INOCULATE – 1 week

After a week on Phase One: Replace, the next step is to get the good bacteria growing in your intestines.  This is an essential step because it is these beneficial bacteria that normally keep the Candida infection in check.

Many people think they are being healthy when they drink diet sodas, but in actuality they are killing the good bacteria and allowing the yeast to grow.  That is partly why the first step is so important.  The diet above also provides plenty of “prebiotics,” or food for the good bacteria.  So, while starving the yeast, you are feeding the beneficial organisms.

Take a probiotic with at least a billion Lactobacillus and Bifidus with every meal.  These are the major players in suppressing yeast overgrowth.

Phase Three: Repair – 1 week

After another week on the probiotics, continue the same diet with probiotics, but add bowel repair nutrients.  These help to make the lining of the intestines intact so there is no “leaky gut” allowing yeast to get into the blood.

Take the following:

• Glutamine: 2000 mg morning and night, on an empty stomach
• Licorice root: one capsule with every meal

Phase Four: Remove – 4 weeks

In order to get the Candida out of the body, there are several antimicrobials that are used.  These actually kill bacteria or stop the growth of the yeast directly.  Even after four weeks, some may get a “Herxheimer reaction” from the yeast dying off.  Those who are very sensitive should start with half the dose.  These are rotated on a weekly basis because the Candida organisms easily become resistant if they are taken too long.

Pau d’arco – This is an herb from the Amazon Rainforest that inhibits the growth of Candida both in the intestines and in the body. Since it doesn’t kill the organisms, it won’t cause a reaction to “die-off.”

Dose:  It should be used as a tea three times per day.

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) – This will have more of an effect of killing the yeast, not just inhibiting its growth.  It comes in a liquid concentrate and is quite bitter.

Dose: Ten drops in a cup of water three times per day is recommended.

Oregano oil – The advantage of oregano oil as an anti-fungal is that they don’t develop resistance to it.  After you have finished the entire program, you may continue to take oregano oil every day to prevent recurrence. It’s also very strong and can cause a burning sensation.  If this is a problem, diluted it with more water.

Dose: The dose is 6 drops in a cup of water twice per day.

Black Walnut – This comes in a tincture and will also remove intestinal parasites. Continue for four weeks.

Dose: The dose depends on the preparation, but most tinctures would be about 50 drops in a cup of water three times per day.

Yeast-free for life!

Candida is difficult to eradicate because the organism is all around us. Although challenging for the patient, the anti-candida protocol requires patience and the strictest adherence to the treatment.

Thus, many need an ongoing program that includes a sugar-free diet, probiotics and anti-fungals.  I know of some who have had to rotate the anti-fungals for years in order to keep Candida in check.  Others use just oregano oil 3 drops per day to prevent recurrence.

This is about your health, and only you know how you feel so it is most often up to you to keep yourself free from yeast.  Now you have the tools at home that work!

The 4 steps program can be summarized below:

4 Part Program To Stop Candida Infection Naturally  Replace — Week 1 Strict diet with very limited simple sugars or starches.  Re-inoculate — Week 2 Continue the diet Take probiotics with lactobacillus and Bifidus with every meal  Repair — Week 3 Continue the diet Continue the probiotics Take Glutamine 2000mg twice per day on an empty stomach. Take Licorice root – one capsule with each meal.  Remove – Week 4 Continue the diet, probiotics, Glutamine, and Licorice root Take Pau d’Arco  Remove – Week 5 Continue the diet, Probiotics, and Glutamine Stop the Licorice root and Pau d’Arco Take GSE  Remove – Week 6 Continue the diet, probiotics and glutamine Stop the GSE Take Oregano oil  Remove – Weeks 7-10 Continue the diet, probiotics and glutamine Stop the Oregano oil Take Black Walnut  Repeat – Weeks 11 and on Modified sugar-free diet Probiotics depend on the need Rotate anti-fungals, if needed, OR Low-dose oregano oil