If you've ever suffered with Thrush, the word 'Candida' will be all too familiar. But do you know what it really is, what causes it and how to control it naturally. Candida overgrowth affects both men and women, manifesting in surprising ways, which if left unchecked, can lead to some awful consequences.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CANDIDA?
Candida is a single-celled form of life, a yeast or more accurately a fungus, normally found in your gastrointestinal tract. In the free WellBeing Checklist I offer visitors to my website, you will see the word microforms. Yeasts, fungi, moulds, bacteria and viruses are all examples of microforms. Candida itself, is not a problem; in fact without it we would die. BUT, our modern Western diets lead to serious Candida overgrowth and that is where the problems start because the symptoms of overgrowth range from the mildly irritating to the fatal!
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH MICROFORMS?
Actually their presence would be totally fine if it weren't for some unwelcome little habits in certain conditions! You see, they feed off the same stuff that our bodies rely on for energy - glucose, proteins and fats. Then after they've feasted, they show their gratitude for your hospitality by excreting nasty, poisonous acid wastes into our bloodstreams and inside our cells. Lovely - thanks very much! These wastes are called myco- (meaning fungus) and exo- (meaning bacterial) toxins.
WHAT CAUSES MICROFORM OVERGROWTH?
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
In fairness, Candida and other microforms shouldn't shoulder all the blame for the damage they do. Sure, symptoms like (deep breath) pain, fatigue, adrenal/thyroid failure, indigestion, diarrhoea, depression, hyperactivity, eczema, asthma, colds and flu, haemorrhoids, arthritis, endometriosis, thrush, ulcers, colitis, lack of sex drive, irritability, hay fever, acne, tumours, hormone imbalances, insomnia, allergies, malabsorption (I could go on but won't) and that oh-so-common 'feeling tired and fed up' all the time are indeed caused by the little critters chucking out their poisons, but they couldn't do it without our willing co-operation!
Microforms love an acidic body you see. Their idea of heaven is splashing about in their own waste. They don't like too much oxygen so acid is perfect. So if our diets are largely acid-forming then we provide them with the perfect breeding ground and give them carte blanche to literally eat us alive and cause damage to tissues, organs and processes. As Rudolph Virchow* pointed out, 'Mosquitoes seek the stagnant water, but do not cause the pool to become stagnant.'
Now at this stage, you are either thinking - 'yikes, I can relate to that, how do I regain control?' or you are looking smug and thinking 'yeah well, I don't have any of those symptoms so I can't have a microform problem.' If you are in the second group, take heed:
If you are not maintaining the right acid/alkaline balance for your body, you may only be in the first stages of microform overgrowth where you have no outward symptoms, but it's only a question of time before your body will start 'having a pop'** by throwing out warning signs in the form of symptoms like the ones above.
OK - so now for some good, cheery stuff...
HOW DO I (YOU) REVERSE OR PREVENT MICROFORM OVERGROWTH?
You create an internal environment in which they cannot party! And whether it's Candida or any other microform, that environment is an alkaline one which can be achieved by diet and, ideally, supplements. As your body alkalizes, the yeasts, fungi, moulds etc stop growing and stop harming you. Any toxins still hanging around can be mopped up by certain fats and minerals and be eliminated from the body. Job done! The Wellbeing Checklist will tell you more about what constitutes an alkalizing diet but if you want a quick rule of thumb to play by - think green - green is good!
The theory of how to do it is simple, but the practice can be challenging. If you suffer with any of the symptoms mentioned above (or suspect that your diet has you headed that way) and want to regain control of your health and wellbeing the natural way, then a wellbeing coach or nutritionist can really help. Your health is the most valuable thing you have and we're all living longer - wouldn't it be wonderful to live 'weller' too?
*Rudolph L. K. Virchow (1821-1902) A German cytologist who established the law that all cells arise from pre-existing cells. He also stated that pathology was a cellular science (1858), which gave a new emphasis to the explanation of diseases in animals.
** For the benefit of any readers outside the UK: 'having a pop' or more accurately ' 'aving a pop' roughly translated means to complain in an animated fashion! It's a London thing.
Claire Raikes is a Wellbeing Coach, Speaker and Writer who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She now shares her passion for natural and vibrant health through coaching, speaking and writing about the importance and power of a truly healthy diet.
She publishes a free weekly eZine, In Essence and is compiling an eBook of Healthy Fast Food with 25% of the proceeds going to The Cancer Project, a charity set up by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and nutritionists to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival.
If you have a recipe you would like to submit, visit http://www.LiveInEssence.com for further details.
To book Claire to speak at your event, email her at Claire@LiveInEssence.com.
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