There exists within our bodies what should normally be beneficial yeast, called Candida albicans.  When our bodies are in balance, this diploid fungus (a yeast form) lives in our intestinal tracts as part of the normal gut flora.  When balanced, it is beneficial because it helps to keep other harmful bacterial organisms in check.

However, Candida seems to have a mind of its own.  This little yeast would love to spread out of the intestinal tract and into every nook and cranny it can find in our bodies.  And given a chance, that is exactly what it does.  It multiplies and spreads.  In doing so, it causes substantial damage to our overall health.

There are many factors to account for the overgrowth of Candida, such as overuse of antibiotics and failure to replenish the “good” bacteria, chlorinated and fluoridated water consumption, prescription and over-the-counter drug use, including and even perhaps especially antibiotics, prednisone and birth control pills, consumption of antibiotic and pesticide-ridden foods, unhealthy diets consisting of sugars, starches, refined flours and hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, excessive chronic stress, mercury poisoning, as well as other factors, the healthy flora balance of the gut is disturbed, allowing the once beneficial yeast to flourish and multiply out of control.

This yeast then mutates into a dangerous mycelial fungus that begins to spread and make its way up the digestive tract, causing a multitude of health problems.  This is very dangerous because this fungus grows rhizoids – leg-like structures – which allow the fungus to then dig into your organs.  This is one major cause of Leaky Gut Syndrome and all the symptoms that condition includes, such as malnutrition, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, food allergies and sensitivities, environmental illness, and multiple chemical sensitivity, just to name a few.

It’s important to note that the metabolism of this fungal overgrowth is lactic acid and acetaldehyde.  Acetaldehyde then converts to various toxins, including alcohol, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide.  Lactic acid buildup promotes an acidic biological terrain, or bioterrain, and makes for sore muscles.  It’s similar to the muscle soreness you experience after heavy exercise, only this soreness never goes away.  Also, people become seriously ill by being poisoned by chronic carbon monoxide created inside their own bodies as a result of Systemic Candidiasis.  This prevents one from being able to absorb and utilize oxygen properly, meaning that you can breathe in all the pure oxygen you want, but your body is not going to be able to absorb or utilize it in sufficient quantities.  In oxygen deficiency, all health problems begin to occur, and cancer is inevitable, as cancer thrives in highly acidic, low oxygen environments – just as Candida does.

Causes of Candidiasis:
w antibiotic use
w mercury poisoning
     - from dental amalgam fillings
     - from polluted fish
     - transferred from the womb if mother was mercury poisoned while pregnant
     - from environmental sources such as coal-fired power plants
     - from vapors produced by CFL light bulbs
     - from vaccinations
w stress
     - job-related
     - financial problems
     - marital/relationship stress
     - family stress
     - health-related stress
     - environmental stress, including living conditions in the home and environment outside the home
     - environmental pollution
     - noise pollution
     - lack of personal time and space
     - chronic negativity towards yourself/negative thoughts, excessive anger, self-blame
     - trauma
w diet – refined processed foods, particularly sugars and carbohydrates
w consumption of meats that contain trace amounts of antibiotics & hormones
w pesticides
w pharmaceutical drugs, including birth control pills, prednisone, other corticosteroids, statins, and any other pharmaceutical drug that interferes with liver function (look for side effects concerning the liver)
w over-the-counter drugs, including NSAIDs and cold/flu medicines
w copper imbalance, including metal leakage from copper pipes or cookware into water and food
w protein (amino acid) deficiency
w improper nutrition from infancy
w chlorinated and/or fluoridated water consumption
w lack of proper hydration
w lack of sufficient fiber and vegetables in diet
w lack of sufficient stomach acid (most people actually feel this and think they have acid reflux – this is not the case!)
w chemical food additives
w habitual overeating
w habitually skipping meals
w hydrogenated (trans) fats
w lack of sufficient sleep
w irregular bowel movements – chronic constipation
w lack of sufficient sunshine exposure
w sexual activity with a partner who has Candidiasis
w carbon monoxide poisoning
w cigarette smoking

So how do you know if you have a Candida overgrowth?  Do you have several or more of the following symptoms?

Symptoms of Candidiasis:
w bloating
w indigestion
w acid reflux
w heartburn
w abdominal gas
w frequent diarrhea and or loose stools
w frequent or chronic constipation
w irritable bowel syndrome
w leaky gut syndrome
w itchy rectum
w Chrohn’s Disease
w colitis
w oral thrush or chronic white coating on the tongue
w toenail fungus
w athletes foot
w vaginitis
w vaginal yeast infection
w recurrent urinary tract infections
w PMS
w endometriosis
w ovarian cysts, including PCOS
w uterine fibroid tumors
w estrogen dominance/hormonal imbalance
w menstrual problems
w electrolyte imbalance
w acidic pH of the bioterrain
w respiratory issues
w adrenal fatigue
w Addison’s Disease
w multiple sclerosis
w hypothyroidism/sluggish thyroid
w asthma
w autism
w social anxiety disorder/anti-social disorders
w prostatitis/enlarged prostate
w prostate cancer
w anger/rage disorders
w drug addiction
w migraines
w headaches
w chronic fatigue
w alcohol cravings
w sugar/carb cravings
w anxiety
w depression
w brain fog
w loss of concentration/clear thinking
w dizziness
w hyperactivity/ADD/ADHD
w mood swings
w poor memory
w sexual dysfunction
w impotence
w irritability
w learning difficulties
w cognitive impairment
w chronic pain
w joint pain
w arthritis
w fibromyalgia
w muscle weakness
w acne
w eczema
w dermatitis
w psoriasis
w rosacea
w chronic hives
w ringworm
w rashes
w jock itch
w itchy and/or crawling sensation on skin/pruritis
w sinus inflammation/chronic sinus pressure
w sore throat
w recurrent strep throat
w recurrent/chronic sinusitis
w recurrent/chronic bronchitis
w halitosis/chronic bad breath
w earaches
w tinnitus/ringing in the ears
w persistent/chronic cough
w environmental illness/multiple chemical sensitivities, including sensitivity to perfume, cologne, hairspray, laundry detergent, fabric softener, cleaning products, etc
w food allergies/sensitivities
w hypoglycemia
w nutritional deficiencies/malnourishment
w cancer
w diabetes
w chronic or recurrent pneumonia
w Lupus
w hiatal hernia

The above symptoms are very broad and many of them can be attributed to other health problems as well, such as viral infections and chronic bacterial infections, but the chances are still quite high that the root cause of the above symptoms is Candidiasis, or Candida overgrowth.

So how do you know if you have a Candida fungal infection?  It’s often difficult to have a diagnosis based on blood tests, otherwise conventional medicine would recognize this as the big problem that it is.  So how do you know for sure?

There just happens to be a simple and inexpensive home test that is extremely accurate that you can perform to tell whether or not you have a Candida problem.  It’s called the morning saliva test.  Here’s how to do it:

1. Locate a clear unmarked water or juice glass.  If you don’t have one, you can buy one in any grocery or dollar store.  Put it out where you’ll see it first thing in the morning when you wake up.
2. Upon waking, before you brush your teeth, before you drink your water or coffee or tea, and before you eat anything, fill your clear glass up with water, and then gather all the saliva in your mouth, and spit into the glass of water.
3. Observe the saliva.  If it begins to develop leg-like strings along the bottom of the saliva sample, dangling down into the water, or if the water becomes cloudy in the middle of the glass, or if sediment falls down to the bottom of the glass, then you have a Candida overgrowth problem.
4. The faster you observe these things occur, the worse the problem is.  For example, if this happens within seconds or just a couple of minutes, your problem is quite severe.  If it takes longer, it’s less severe.
5. If the saliva simply floats there without developing leg-like strings or becoming cloudy in the middle or depositing sediment, then you likely do not have a Candida problem.

So here we have covered a very large list of causes and symptoms of Candidiasis.  By now you have a pretty good idea about whether or not this problem applies to you.  Now we’re going to discuss how to get rid of the Candida overgrowth and heal from it.  Click Next to continue.