by Dr. Sally Rockwell |
The contemporary Western diet is the FAD. Our declining health is directly related to our eating habits of the past 50 years—a diet high in overly processed foods, sugar, salt, and fat; and low in fiber and nutrients that does not keep us healthy. The results of our contemporary dietary habits are showing up as FAD DIS-EASES such as hypoglycemia, food allergies, candida yeast overgrowth, epstein-barr virus, cancer, autoimmune diseases, immune system dysfunctions, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. These conditions are SYMPTOMS of our fast-paced lifestyles and poor eating habits—and can be reversed when we are willing to take responsibility for our health and change our eating habits.
Yeast infections are not new to the human species. Hippocrates noted that people with white patches on their tongues (yeast overgrowth) were people who would soon die.
What is Candida?
Candida Albicans is the name of a yeast organism that belongs to a family of molds, mildews and fungus; bacteria organisms are in a different category, or family. Candida is found in most warm-blooded animals (including humans and house pets), and is a normal inhabitant of the bowel. Yeast and bacteria normally live together in harmony.
Friendly and unfriendly organisms like yeast and bacteria live everywhere, including in and on our bodies. Our intestines are full of friendly bacteria that do work for us by helping to digest foods, produce vitamins and so on. Some yeast hang around; they do not seem to do any work for us, but they do not harm us either. When our health is good and the friendly bacteria are active, yeast does not multiply into colonies large enough to cause problems. Yeast do not thrive in a healthy body.
Yeast are opportunists, and multiply rapidly in stressed and/or unhealthy bodies. Yeast are well fed by those who exist on diets high in refined starches (white noodles, white rice, white bread), high sugar; junk-food all of which contribute to the conditions described in the CANDIDA QUIZ.
The yeast usually get started in the lower bowel and spread out to colonize the entire digestive tract, including up through the stomach (especially in cases of low or no stomach acid) into the throat, mouth and nasal passages and down into the lungs. The bowel wall itself is normally a very sturdy, protective membrane that keeps toxic products of digestion out of the bloodstream. In Candida overgrowth, the yeast buds change form into spear-like shapes and attach to the bowel wall and/or pass through it into the system. The toxic by-products of the yeast leak into the blood where they cause a wide variety of symptoms including allergic reactions at distant sites such as: joints, skin, lungs, and the brain.
Dozens of by-products (poisons) of the yeast have been identified. The most toxic to date is ‘acetaldehyde’, the same chemical that alcohol breaks down to in our bodies — which may explain why one can get a “hang-over” from eating too many sweets or starches, or even too much fruit. In other words, the yeast colonies in our intestines feed on the sugars we eat — multiply — and produce toxic waste that make us sick because we cannot get rid of that toxic waste fast enough. These toxins place a tremendous load on the immune system and so the body cannot defend itself or fight off infections or dis-ease like it’s meant to do. People with severe Candida infection generally have food allergies and are sensitive to all sorts of odors and chemicals and have a hard time living (or even existing) in the 20th century. Women are more likely to get infected than men. This is related to the female sex hormone progesterone, which rises in the body about mid-cycle. Progesterone increases the amount of glycogen (blood sugar) in the vaginal tissues and provides an ideal growth medium for yeast. Certain hormones actually stimulate yeast growth and this may be why some women experience poor health (especially allergies) during pregnancy because this is when progesterone levels are elevated. Men are affected less frequently but are by no means invulnerable to yeast infections. Prostrate problems and jock rash are often associated with yeast infections. In infants yeast infection is seen as thrush or severe diaper rash. Candida yeast can be transferred from mother to child at birth.
Symptoms are so illusive and varied that yeast overgrowth is seldom recognized. Begin by taking the CANDIDA QUIZ, then thoughtfully review your lifestyle.
For more info, contact and educate yourself further by visiting Dr. Sally Rockwell’s website at www.DrSallyRockwell.com.
Check the January issue “Treatment and Getting Well!”
THIS IS INFORMATION ONLY, AND NOT TO BE TAKEN AS MEDICAL ADVICE.
See your doctor first.
Follow Us