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Showing posts with label them. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Candida Symptoms and 3 Steps to Them
Candida Symptoms and 3 Steps to Them
9 Candida Symptoms & 3 Steps to Treat Them
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Do you ever experience any of these health issues?
- Exhaustion
- Cravings for sweets
- Bad breath
- White coat on tongue
- Brain fog
- Hormone imbalance
- Joint pain
- Loss of sex drive
- Chronic sinus and allergy issues
- Digestive problems (gas and bloating)
- Weak immune system
- UTI
If so, these are just some of the signs that you may have candida and in this article you will learn other candida symptoms along with what causes candida and the diet to naturally treat candida.
What Is Candida?
Candida Albicans is the most common type of yeast infection found in the mouth, intestinal tract and vagina, and it may affect skin and other mucous membranes. If the immune system is functioning optimally, this type of yeast infection is rarely serious. However, if the immune system is not functioning properly, the candida infection can migrate to other areas of the body, including the blood and membranes around the heart or brain. (1)
Candida is a fungus that aids with nutrient absorption and digestion, when in proper levels in the body. When it overproduces, the typical candida symptoms may appear. In the digestive tract, left unchecked, it breaks down the walls of the intestinal lining and penetrates into the bloodstream. This releases by-product toxins and other toxins from your system, causing leaky gut syndrome.
When you body’s natural pH balance is upset, the candida can grow out of control, creating a systemic problem. Good healthy bacteria and a properly functioning immune system are essential when fighting this stubborn infection.
Candida Overgrowth Syndrome, or COS, is the term used when candida has grown out of control in your body. Make no mistake: This is a chronic health condition. Individuals that have never experienced a serious yeast infection can find they have developed new sensitivities, allergies or intolerances to a variety of foods. These foods include dairy, eggs, corn and gluten.
What Causes Candida Infections?
There are many possible causes of candida including a diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol that help yeast to grow. To add to that, I’ve described six other potential causes below.
1. Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics
Sometimes, antibiotics are needed to fight a stubborn infection to kill the offending bacteria in your system. The problem with antibiotics and with overusing them (often creating antibiotic resistance) is that they don’t just kill the bad bacteria; they kill the good ones, too.
The good bacteria in your system are responsible for digestion and keeping candida under control. After a long course (or multiple courses over a short period), antibiotics can make your body a literal breeding ground for candida.
2. Birth Control Pills
Unlike antibiotics, birth control pills in and of themselves do not directly cause a yeast infection or candida overgrowth syndrome. However, when a woman consumes a diet high in refined sugars and has had a course of antibiotics, birth control pills can adversely affect her body, leading to a candida infection.
Some women find that birth control pills seam to instigate yeast infections — and even long after the initial infection is gone, once they start taking the birth control pills again, candida can take root.
3. Oral Corticosteroids
Individuals that treat their asthma with corticosteroid inhalants are at an increased risk of developing candida in the mouth, leading to systemic candida overgrowth. (2) It is imperative that individuals using corticosteroid inhalers for asthma follow the directions for swishing the mouth out after each use. If oral candidiasis is detected, can be treated with the gargling of coconut oil and a drop or two of essential clove oil.
4. Cancer Treatments
According to the Department of Clinical Research at Merck Research Laboratories, candidiasis can become invasive in cancer patients and prevent a serious complication. (3) In this study, one-third of patients being treated for cancer had “invasive” candidiasis. Chemotherapy and radiation can both work to kill cancerous cells and tumors; however, they also kill off the healthy bacteria that naturally fight candida.
5. Diabetes
In a Type 1 or a Type 2 diabetic, sugar levels in the mouth and other mucous membranes are traditionally higher than in an individual without diabetes. Since candida is a type of yeast and sugar feeds yeast, it is understandable that those with diabetes are at a greater risk for developing candida overgrowth syndrome.
6. Weakened Immune System
Any individual with a weakened immune system is more likely to develop candida. This population includes infants, small children, the elderly, those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (4), and other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.
9 Candida Symptoms
Candida overgrowth can be difficult for a physician to diagnosis. This type of system yeast infection presents different ways, in different people. Below are nine of the candida symptoms to watch for if you are concerned you have candida, or candida overgrowth syndrome.
1. Chronic Fatigue
If you have fatigue or exhaustion that you simply cannot shake, regardless of the number of hours you sleep, you may have chronic fatigue syndrome. The disease is characterized by fatigue that lasts a minimum of six months and is often accompanied by other symptoms, including headaches, joint pain, difficulties with memory and concentration, and sore throat. (5)
Often one of the candida symptoms is chronic fatigue. While a candida infection is not the only cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, many physicians believe it heightens the risk of CFS.
2. Mood Disorders
One of the reasons it can be difficult to diagnosis candida is that so many of the candida symptoms are common to other conditions, including mood disorders. Individuals with candida overgrowth may experience dramatic mood swings, anxiety, irritability, depression and even panic attacks.
3. Recurring Vaginal and Urinary Tract Infections
When an individual experiences recurring infections in the urinary tract or vagina, candida may be at the root of the problem. It is important to realize that candida can be sexually transmitted, and partners can spread it back and forth. For women, reduce the risk by avoiding tight-fitting underwear or pantyhose and avoid hot baths during an active infection. (6)
4. Oral Thrush
Oral thrush is actually a yeast infection, caused by the same strain of candida that affects other mucous membranes, including the vagina. Most often caused by the use of prednisone or other oral corticosteroids as mentioned above. Left untreated, it may spread through the body including the digestive tract, lungs, liver and heart valves.
Oral candida is communicable; newborns can get thrush during birth, children can get it from sharing toys with other children, and adults can pass it back and forth through the saliva. (7)
5. Sinus Infections
As with many of these other candida symptoms, sinus infections are common today, and it can be difficult to pinpoint the root of the cause. Candida does affect the sinuses and can result in a persistent cough, post-nasal drip, an increase in congestion, seasonal allergies, and general flu-like symptoms. If you experience consistent problems with your sinuses, it’s time to check for a candida infection!
6. Intestinal Distress
Ongoing intestinal distress is a sign you have a candida infection. Persistent flatulence, burping, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, and stomach cramps may be caused by a lack of healthy bacteria in your digestive tract.
When yeast overtakes the intestines, healthy bacteria are undermanned, and cannot fight off the infection alone. Many individuals experience dramatic relief of chronic intestinal distress when effectively treating a candida infection.
7. Brain Fog
Along with mood changes and chronic fatigue, brain fog is often overlooked as a sign of candida. However, candida overgrowth can cause a lack of focus, poor physical coordination, difficulty in concentrating on tasks and poor memory.
8. Skin and Nail Fungal Infections
Athlete’s foot and fungus in the toenail are common yeast infections, which stem from the same breed of candida. Continued infections may be a sign that you have a systemic candida infection.
9. Hormonal Imbalance
A hormonal imbalance is one of the signs of candida that presents in many other health conditions. However, it is important to recognize how an infection can cause early menopause, PMS, a low sex drive, migraines, endometriosis, water retention, mood swings and an inability to lose unwanted pounds.
Whilst in the midst of candida overgrowth, your body becomes inflamed, causing the yeast to grow and spread beyond the digestive tract. One of the byproducts of candida actually can mimic estrogen, leading to a serious hormonal imbalance. (8)
Treatment 1: The Candida Cleanse
The candida cleanse helps to rid the body of excess candida through the flushing of the digestive tract, and the introduction of healthy candida fighters found in fermented vegetables and kefir.
You really have two options for a cleanse: a liquids-only cleanse or a more gentle cleanse with food. You may also opt the most thorough gut reboot, starting with the step one cleanse and then move to the step two cleanse. The whole process will set the stage for starting the candida diet as well!
Step One: Liquids-Only Candida Cleanse (Duration 1–2 Days)
Start by making a vegetable broth from organic onions, garlic, celery, kale, sea salt and pure water. Let simmer and strain. Discard the vegetables and refrigerate the broth.
Throughout the day, sip on warm broth; it’s imperative that you drink lots of water to help your body expel all the toxins in your system. While this is not a long-term cleanse, it can be repeated as needed every few weeks. It can also be used as a jumpstart to the food cleanse below.
Step Two: Steamed Vegetables (Duration 3–5 Days)
By eliminating grains, sugars, fruits, starches and alcohol from your diet for three to five days, you can make great headway in your fight against candida overgrowth.
Mostly, eat fresh, organic vegetables that have been steamed. For this cleanse stage, keep away from any starchy vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes and white potatoes, which may contribute to sugar levels and feed the candida. Continue to drink plenty of pure water, a minimum of 72 ounces per day, to help flush the candida and by-products from your system.
During this time, no more than once a day, you can eat salads made from leafy greens (like romaine) or bitter greens (like chard) and topped with just a bit of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice).
During either of the candida cleanses above, you can use bentonite clay to help surround the toxins and efficiently remove them from your system.
Treatment 2: The Candida Diet
This is a diet to not just discourage candida; it’s the diet to help you rid your body of candida! This is also a great next step if you have already started with the candida cleanse.
1. The first step of the diet is to boost your immune system through the elimination of sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates. These items are contributing to the growth of the candida in your system.
2. Step two is to replace these foods with organic vegetables, including carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and asparagus.
According to ancient Chinese medicine, warm starchy vegetables support the spleen in clearing candida from the body. While I don’t recommend these vegetables during the “cleanse” stage, the regular candida diet includes warming fall vegetables that nourish the spleen, such as sweet potatoes, yams, peas, mung beans, lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans, carrots, beets, corn, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, yellow squash, rutabaga and pumpkin. These should be the main sources of carbs that satisfy your cravings for sweets as well.
What about grains? Some grains like quinoa, barley, teff, sorghum and amaranth and a starch like corn can help to dry the overly damp gut, so one serving a day (no more!) of those grains can work for most people with candida.
The same story follows for cold foods, which shouldn’t be consumed more than once per day. Therefore, don’t have a gut-friendly smoothie on the same day you have a salad. Your candida gut will heal most from warm nourishing foods.
As with any food, however, it’s always important to monitor how you feel after consuming a meal when you have candida. Some people who suffer stomach distress after eating any kind of starch, for instance, should avoid starchy vegetables like corn, peas, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, zucchini and yams. Instead, they should eat non-starchy vegetables — typically the flowering parts of the plant — like lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes.
Also, keep fruit intake low as well as natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
3. Add cultured dairy, preferably goat milk kefir, for healthy probiotic foods can effectively kill the candida in your system. Kimchi and sauerkraut are good additions to your diet as well as unsweetened cranberry juice, as it creates an acidic environment that makes it difficult for candida to thrive.
Fermented vegetables contain microflora that helps to protect the intestines. Regular consumption can help improve the immune system, making the body less hospitable for candida. Begin with a half cup per day of sauerkraut, kimchi or other fermented vegetables as part of a new eating plan dedicated to bringing your body back into a healthy balance.
The candida diet helps to provide beneficial bacteria, regulate appetite, and reduce your cravings for refined carbohydrates and sugars.
Treatment 3: Supplements, Essential Oils & Coconut Oil
Research shows that candida albicans, the strain of candida that leads to systemic candida overgrowth is often resistant to both fluconazole and itraconazole, the drugs most often prescribed for candida.
1. Coconut oil can effectively fight candida due to its antimicrobial properties. (9) The combination of lauric acid and caprylic acid found in coconut oil, kills off harmful candida through both ingestion and topical application.
2. Milk thistle supplements help to cleanse your liver from prescription medications (steroids, birth control, antibiotics, as well as others), environmental pollution, heavy metals, and the remnants from both chemotherapy and radiation.
As mentioned above, some prescription medications, and cancer treatments can lead to candida overgrowth. Milk thistle, along with the candida diet, can help your body recover and create an environment where candida ceases to thrive.
3. Vitamin C helps to boost adrenal glands, and helps to restore your immune system. I recommend 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice per day.
4. Clove oil, oregano oil and myrrh oil help to kill a variety of parasites and fungi, including candida, in the body. Lavender oil also inhibits the growth of candida and is effective at preventing the spread of the infection. (10)
For example, by adding a couple of drops of clove oil or lavender oil, mixed with coconut oil during your cleanse, you can help to kill off the offending candida. Because these essential oils are powerful, they should only be taken internally for 10 days or less.
Also, for oral thrush, use three drops of clove oil with one tablespoon of coconut oil and swish in the mouth for 20 minutes.
Candida Die-Off Symptoms You May Experience
Rapidly killing off candida in your body creates a metabolic reaction that releases over 70 different toxins into your body. Symptoms that show the candida cleanse and the candida diet are working include:
- Impaired brain function
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Intestinal distress including bloating, gas, constipation and nausea
- Sweating and fever
- Sinus infection
- Skin breakouts (not limited to face)
- Typical flu-like symptoms
When you start experiencing the candida die-off symptoms, rejoice! These symptoms usually clear up in seven to 10 days. The candida is leaving your body, and within just a few weeks, you will notice an increase in energy and focus, as well as relief from other symptoms you have experienced.
After your symptoms have subsided and you have completed the cleanse and the diet, you should continue eating a diet that is high in protein and high-fiber vegetables, and limit grains, fruits, sugar and high-starch vegetables like white potatoes. Continue to consume fermented vegetables and kefir to help your body stay in balance and keep the candida at bay.
Read Next: Caprylic Acid — The Saturated Fat that Fights Candida, Infections & Acne
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Sunday, December 18, 2016
How Important Is It to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them
How Important Is It to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them
How Important Is It to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?
January 30, 2016 | 250,122 views
By Dr. Mercola
Raise your hand if youre guilty of bringing home a new shirt or pair of pants from the store and wearing them, sans washing. Its very common, maybe even typical, as many fabrics look pristine when theyre fresh off the rack.
You probably assume theyre clean or at least relatively so, but tests conducted by Philip Tierno, Ph.D. director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University, at the behest of Good Morning America, uncovered some disturbing compounds lurking on clothing.
And this is only one reason to consider washing before wearing. Many clothing items are also contaminated with chemicals and dyes that may lead to irritation or other health issues.
Even insects (like lice) could potentially be transmitted on new clothes. If youre currently not a washer-before-wearing type, you may change your mind by the end of this article.
Feces, Respiratory Secretions, Vaginal Organisms and More
Tierno tested pants, blouses, underwear, jackets and other clothing items purchased from chain clothing stores (including both high-end and low-end options). The tests revealed a number of unsavory compounds lurking on the "new" clothes, including:1
- Respiratory secretions
- Skin flora
- Fecal flora
- Yeast
Perhaps not surprisingly, swimsuits, underwear and other intimate items were the most heavily contaminated. Tierno told ABC News:2
"Some garments were grossly contaminated with many organisms … indicating that either many people tried it or ... someone tried it on with heavy contamination …
In a sense, you are touching somebodys arm pit or groin. So you want to be protected thats all … You may not come down with anything and, most cases you dont, but its potentially possible."
What types of illnesses could you potentially get from trying on contaminated clothes? Organisms that cause hepatitis A, travelers diarrhea, MRSA, salmonella, norovirus, yeast infections and streptococcus are all fair game when it comes to clothing items tried on by multiple people.
Even lice and scabies could potentially be transmitted by trying on clothes. Is it likely? No. Possible? Yes, particularly if your immune system is not functioning up to par. Tierno told The Huffington Post:3
"The good thing is that most people have a very robust immune system, so they can usually fight off the small number of organisms they may get on their body … The fact that you come into contact with one doesnt mean youre going to get sick."
Chemical Contaminants: Another Reason to Wash New Clothes
Depending on what country your new clothes were manufactured in, they may contain multiple chemicals of concern. Among them are azo-aniline dyes, which may cause skin reactions ranging from mild to severe.
If youre sensitive, such dyes may leave your skin red, itchy and dry, especially where the fabric rubs on your skin, such as at your waist, neck, armpits and thighs. The irritants can be mostly washed out, but it might take multiple washings to do so.
Formaldehyde resins are also used in clothing to cut down on wrinkling and mildew. Not only is formaldehyde a known carcinogen, but the resins have been linked to eczema and may cause your skin to become flaky or erupt in a rash.4
Nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), meanwhile, is a toxic endocrine-disrupting surfactant used to manufacture clothing.
You certainly dont want to be exposed to NPE if you can help it, but when consumers wash their clothes, NPEs are released into local water supplies where wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove them.
When NPEs enter the environment, they break down into nonylphenol (NP), a toxic, endocrine-disrupting chemical that accumulates in sediments and builds up in fish and wildlife.
Chemicals May Lurk in Your Clothing Even After Washing
Unfortunately, washing wont remove all the chemicals in your clothing. For instance, the antimicrobial triclosan is sometimes added to fabrics, including clothing. Research has shown that triclosan can alter hormone regulation and may interfere with fetal development.
Animal studies have also raised concerns about its ability to affect fertility, and bacteria exposed to triclosan may also become resistant to antibiotics. Even an increased cancer risk has been suggested.
Stain-proof clothing, meanwhile, is a common source of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are toxic to humans and the environment. Youll most often hear about PFCs in relation to non-stick cookware, but theyre also common in fabrics.
Unless the clothing you buy is organic, it also is likely made from genetically engineered (GE) cotton that is heavily treated with pesticides and other chemicals during production. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) explained:5
"The chemicals used in cotton production dont end with cultivation. As an aid in harvesting, herbicides are used to defoliate the plants, making picking easier.
Producing a textile from the plants involves more chemicals in the process of bleaching, sizing, dying, straightening, shrink reduction, stain and odor resistance, fireproofing, mothproofing, and static- and wrinkle-reduction.
Some of these chemicals are applied with heat, thus bonding them to the cotton fibers. Several washings are done throughout the process, but some of the softeners and detergents leave a residue that will not totally be removed from the final product.
Chemicals often used for finishing include formaldehyde, caustic soda, sulfuric acid, bromines, urea resins, sulfonamides, halogens, and bromines.
Some imported clothes are now impregnated with long-lasting disinfectants which are very hard to remove, and whose smell gives them away. These and the other chemical residues affect people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
Also, people have developed allergic reactions, such as hives, to formaldehyde through skin contact with solutions on durable-press clothing containing formaldehyde."
Conventionally Grown GE Cotton Is the Worlds Dirtiest Crop
You might be surprised to learn that cotton is considered the worlds dirtiest crop due to the cotton industrys heavy use of hazardous herbicides and insecticides, including some of the most hazardous insecticides on the market. According to the Organic Trade Association:6
"Cotton is considered the worlds dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health. Cotton covers 2.5% of the worlds cultivated land yet uses 16% of the worlds insecticides, more than any other single major crop.
Aldicarb, parathion, and methamidopho, three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides to human health as determined by the World Health Organization, rank in the top ten most commonly used in cotton production.
All but one of the remaining seven most commonly used are classified as moderately to highly hazardous.
Aldicarb, cottons second best selling insecticide and most acutely poisonous to humans, can kill a man with just one drop absorbed through the skin, yet it is still used in 25 countries and the US, where 16 states have reported it in their groundwater."
As you might suspect, this is hazardous on multiple levels — for the farmers working with these chemicals, the people living nearby, the consumers buying the cotton and virtually everyone else, who will eventually be impacted by this widespread environmental pollution.
This is one reason why I strongly encourage you to choose organic cotton clothing whenever possible — it will not be genetically engineered and subject to this onslaught of toxic exposures.
Top Tips for Safer Clothing
Looking for clothing made from organic cotton is an excellent start to finding safe, non-toxic clothing (for you and the environment). You can also look for the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 label, which is indicative that it has been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 substances, including:
- Azo dyes
- Phthalates
- Heavy metals
- Pesticides
- Allergenic dyes
Finally, many experts do recommend washing new clothes when you bring them home from the store, maybe even twice. If the article of clothing cannot be machine washed, consider running it through a cycle in a hot dryer before wearing it.
You may also want to keep on some clothes while trying on new clothing at a store (at least leave on your undergarments, and then wash those too when you get home). Washing your hands after shopping is also a good idea, as youve been handling clothing that could have any number of chemicals and other contaminants on them.
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