My diet & detox journal

Cleansing for Candida & Yeast

Some folks are looking for natural solutions to balance yeast and fungal populations in the body. Here are some thoughts on that topic.

I work for ReNew Life Formulas, the leading manufacture of internal cleanses in the natural products industry. Part of my work is about teaching people about how to use natural herbs and compounds to balance yeast. As others mentioned, diet is everything when it comes to this, but adding to that is the opportunity to use a natural cleanse designed to support a healthy balance of yeast and intestinal microbes. My company makes one of the leading products, it’s called CandiGONE. There are also many other options, and if you are up for the challenge you can also blend your own herbs and make your own formula. The kits are great because they are inclusive.

Regardless of which one you choose, look for a product in vegetable capsules or tincture, as those are the easiest to digest, and have no fillers or binders. In terms of ingredients, there are many fungal balancing ingredients, such as berberine sulphate from barberry, as well as neem, uva ursi, caprylic & undecylenic acid, garlic, etc… Sometimes it takes a product with multiple ingredients, and mutiple ‘angles’. A total solution should include not only the cleansing product with herbs and nutraceuticals, but possibly another product such as a secondary probiotic supplement, and even something such as an enzyme with high levels of protease and lysozyme, the enzyme which breaks down chitin, part of the outer wall of yeast. (this helps weaken the organism, and support your body’s normal elimination process.)

I am biased to my company’s products, but I have always supported Brenda Watson, the founder long before I came to work for her. We offer lots of free literature, magazines and audio, with the intention of educating people about the need for healthy digestive care. Candida overgrowth is very common nowadays, and many doctors are finally recognising it as a serious issue. One thing you might want to look into is the relationship between heavy metals in the body, and other issues affecting our immune system at a subclinical level. These issues can ‘break us down’, just enough that we are weak and suceptible to microflora dysbiosis (imbalance in good to bad bacteria.) Leonard Smith, the gastrointerologist who works with Brenda to formulate our products says that although modern medicine does a great job with acute candidiasis using antifungal medications, little is done to support maintenance…thats what sets people up for reacurrent infections.

Anyway, I could talk for hours on this, as it is something I am truly passionate about. This topic is facinating to me, and I’ve seen soo many people transend it, so it’s hard not to share. If you are interested in ReNew Life products, they are sold in Health Food Stores, (look for the big yellow sun on the box) or through practitioners under the name “Advanced Naturals” in a blue and white box. Another great company to look for is run by the woman who wrote The Body Ecology. That is a great book to read, by the way, if you are looking to try a natural option for yeast. She details how to eat, how to treat the imbalance, etc.

For those of you new to the digestive care industry, you might not be familiar with probiotics, or the microflora that lives in our digestive tract. Perhaps you’ve read about the benefits of yogurt, or cultured foods. Regardless, when seeking to manage yeast organisms, try probiotics, and pick a product with more than just acidophilus…look also for bifidobacteria, and multiple strains of each. Keep in mind, the human digestive system is like the finger prints on our hands…they are each unique so the bacteria that thrive in you may be different than mine or your neighbor’s…a probiotic product with multiple strains covers more options serves as the best solution.

And, once you balance your intestinal ecology, once the candida is kept in check by healthy and neutral bacteria, the situation is not 100% resolved…

Candida albicans, the most common type we see in such situations is a dimorphic organism, in that it exists in two forms. In its harmless state it exists as a yeast which buds off to replicate…however, when allowed to overgrow in the system it mutates into a fungal form, growing mycelia or threadlike filaments. These ‘roots’ secrete substances, and allow the candida to puncture the intestinal lining…they are then able to secrete their toxins directly into the bloodstream. (At work we often say they are forcing us to ‘mainline’!) These minute holes also allow the yeast and fungus to enter the blood stream and travel to different parts of the body.

So even after your populations are in check, even when they are in balance in your digestive system AND you’ve gotten them out of the bloodstream, there is still the issue of the ’swiss cheese’ intestinal lining. It is very important to address this, otherwise you are still at risk for food sensitivities and any number of issues which come up when the blood stream is exposed to the contents of your digestive tract, that under normal instances would be safely kept in within the lumen…

So, the best way to support a healthy intestinal lining is through amino acids such as l-glutamine and essential fatty acids, etc. Cabbage is one of the best sources of l-glutamine outside of supplements. (and many supplements contain cabbage source l-glutamine.) Rice bran and rice bran oil is also helpful.