1. An Introduction To Candida
Candida: Is This Often Misdiagnosed
Condition Making You Ill?
So many people go through life suffering
from symptoms like fatigue, recurrent yeast
infections, headaches, irritable bowel
syndrome, itching and headaches. But as
diverse as those symptoms sound, they often
all have the same cause – an opportunistic
fungus named Candida Albicans.
Sadly Candida is often misdiagnosed, but
today I’m going to explain exactly what it is,
how it develops and how to treat it. I’ll list
the three most common causes of Candida
overgrowth, and then I’ll share the three key
elements that you must include in a
successful Candida treatment plan.
What is Candida?
Candida Albicans is a pathogen that takes
advantage of a disruption in the balance of
microorganisms in your gut. This balance of
‘gut flora’ is a crucial part of your immune
system and digestive health , but it can
easily be lost during periods of stress or after
a course of antibiotics. When this balance is
lost, the colonies of Candida Albicans are
able to expand rapidly until they control a
large portion of your gut.
If you’re wondering why a few extra
pathogens in your gut are such a big
problem, let me explain. Candida Albicans
releases up to 79 different byproducts,
including uric acid and a powerful neurotoxin
named acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde causes
chronic headaches and brain fog, and was
recently classified as a potential carcinogen
by the International Agency for Research on
Cancer . Uric acid can cause joint pain and
lead to gout if an excess builds up.
Meanwhile, the change in your gut flora can
lead to digestive problems, food intolerances,
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2. yeast infections and oral thrush.
A study by Rice University found that around
70% of us have Candida Albicans in our guts.
That sounds like a lot! However, the fact is
that most of the time Candida is completely
harmless. It exists in small colonies and is
kept under control by the other
microorganisms in your gut. Candida only
becomes a problem when we do something
to change that balance.
Three Common Causes
Of Candida Overgrowth
A course of antibiotics
This is undoubtedly the most common cause
of Candida overgrowth. Antibiotics are
lifesavers, but they also come with serious
side effects that should not be ignored. In fact
broad spectrum antibiotics are often
prescribed for illnesses that would quickly
clear up with a little rest. Unfortunately, this
has some major consequences for our
digestive and immune systems.
Broad spectrum antibiotics do exactly what
they are designed to do – kill bacteria. But
the problem is that not all the bacteria in
your body are harmful. In fact, a typical
healthy adult carries around 500 strains of
bacteria and as many as 100 trillion
individual bacteria . Many of these bacteria
play important roles in digesting your food
and maintaining a healthy immune system.
When antibiotics kill so many of these
beneficial bacteria, there is one opportunistic
fungus that is ready to take advantage.
Because the colonies of Candida Albicans no
longer face competition for the space and
nutrients in your gut, they can quickly
multiply and expand. And as they grow, the
amount of toxic byproducts they release
grows too. This is how those Candida
symptoms like chronic headaches and fatigue
begin to develop.
Eating a high-sugar diet
Can diet alone lead to a Candida overgrowth?
Yes it can, especially if an unhealthy high-
sugar diet is eaten for a long period of time.
The modern Western diet is full of sugar and
high fructose corn syrup, particularly since
the increase in corn subsidies in the 1970s.
Take a walk through the supermarket and
sugar is everywhere you look. It appears in

3. the most unlikely places too. Processed
meats, tortillas, pasta sauce, salad dressings
and cereals are all surprising sources of
added sugar. And the sugary diet that most of
us eat is exactly what Candida Albicans needs
to thrive.
Of course it’s important to note that it takes
a long term, high-sugar diet to cause a
Candida overgrowth. If you have a healthy
diet already, eating one chocolate bar a week
won’t lead to a Candida overgrowth.
A long period of stress
Anyone who has suffered from stress will
agree that it can make physical changes to
your body. In fact stress may be one of the
major causes of disease in today’s society.
And there are a couple of different ways in
which stress can contribute to a Candida
outbreak.
First, stress raises your blood sugar . This is
the typical ‘fight or flight’ response – your
body senses the stress and makes lots of
energy available for whatever happens next.
Of course stress rarely comes from physical
danger these days (it’s more likely to be your
boss shouting at you!), but effect of the
elevated blood sugar is the same.
Secondly, your immune system is weakened
by stress, undermining your natural defenses
against a Candida overgrowth. There has
been lots of debate over exactly exactly how
this occurs, but there is now little doubt that
it does happen.
The Three Elements You
Need In Your Candida
Treatment
There are three key elements to any good
Candida treatment plan. First, you must
change your diet to exclude as many sugars
as you can. Second, you should take an
antifungal to kill off as much of the Candida
as possible. And third, you should choose a
good probiotic to replenish your gut flora
and prevent the Candida from coming back.
Should you be doing all three of these
elements at the same time? Absolutely!
Candida is a difficult condition to beat and
this plan allows you to attack it from all
angles. Here is some more detail on each of
those three elements and why they
complement each other so well.

4. 1. A Low Sugar Diet
Candida Albicans is dependent on organic,
carbon-based compounds to build its cell
walls, reproduce and switch from yeast form
to its more virulent fungal form. In practice
this means it needs sugars, so that’s exactly
what you should cut out of your diet .
There is a misconception that you only need
to cut out added sugars from your diet to
beat your Candida. Unfortunately this is not
the case! Candida Albicans is just as happy
feasting on the natural sugars in fruit as the
added sugars in your soda. A proper Candida
diet involves cutting out as many sources of
sugar as possible, whether they are natural
or added.
There are a few obvious foods that you
should avoid – chocolate, soda, sugary
snacks etc. But if you’re serious about
fighting your Candida overgrowth you should
also steer clear of fruit as well as starchy
vegetables like potatoes and yams. Reading
your food labels is key because so many
foods have added sugars these days.
So what does that leave? Lots of delicious
foods actually! Although you’ll have to do
without your fries and chocolate, you will
find yourself moving towards a much
healthier, more nutritious diet. By using non-
starchy vegetables, meats, fish and healthy
grains you can create all kinds of tasty
dishes. One simple tip? Use lots of herbs and
seasoning to spice up your food.
2. Probiotics
Next up are probiotics . If you don’t already
know about these ‘good bacteria’ that live in
your gut, they are just great for fighting off a
Candida overgrowth. In fact, they can be a
useful addition to anyone’s daily routine,
whether you are suffering from Candida or
not.
So why have I included probiotics as the
second element in this plan? There are
actually three ways in which probiotics help
to control or reverse your condition.
First, they compete with the Candida yeast
within your gut. There’s only so much space
and nutrients to go around, so the more that
is used by the ‘good bacteria’ the better.
Second, they maintain the natural acidity in
your stomach. This acidity prevents Candida
from switching to its pathogenic, fungal

5. form. And third, they boost your immune
system.
Probiotics usually come in supplement form
but, as with antifungals, there are some
natural alternatives too. Fermented foods like
kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi all contains lots
of ‘good bacteria’. Be careful what you buy
though – make sure you get one that says
‘live cultures’ on the label. Alternatively, you
can make your own probiotic foods at home.
3. Antifungals
Most antifungals , both natural and doctor-
prescribed, work against Candida by
disrupting its cell walls. While antifungals are
unlikely to reverse a Candida overgrowth by
themselves, using them in combination with
a low sugar diet and some good probiotics
will do just that.
Many people ask if they should be using
natural antifungals or asking their doctor for
a prescription antifungal like Nystatin. The
answer is that both can be effective. On
balance, natural antifungals tend to be milder
and have fewer side effects. You may find that
taking two or three natural antifungals at the
same time is more effective, but you should
definitely not rotate them as this simply
allows the Candida to adapt.
If you choose a natural antifungal, here are a
few options for you to try. Caprylic acid is an
antifungal found naturally in coconut oil, and
has been the subject of numerous studies
into its antifungal properties. Oregano oil is
another option (a 2001 study found that
oregano oil “is both fungistatic and
fungicidal to Candida Albicans, the human
pathogenic yeast”). And a study by the
Journal of Complementary and Alternative
Medicine showed that Grapefruit Seed Extract
is effective against “over 800 bacterial and
viral strains, 100 strains of fungus, and a
large number of single and multi-celled
parasites”.
There are some effective antifungals sitting
on the supermarket shelves too! Foods like
garlic, rutabaga, coconut oil and olive oil all
have antifungal properties. Integrating them
into your diet can make a Candida treatment
plan even more effective.
One key misconception
about Candida
You will hear some medical practitioners

6. claim that Candida overgrowth can only
affect those will severely compromised
immune systems. For example, it can be a
life-threatening condition among those
suffering from AIDS or cancer.
Although it is certainly true that systemic
Candida can be found among these patients,
it is also true that a Candida overgrowth can
occur in individuals who aren’t as severely
immune-compromised. Risk factors like a
high sugar diet and antibiotics can disturb
the balance of your gut flora and allow
Candida Albicans to flourish. In fact,
diagnostic tools such as the Candida
antibodies test can actually tell us if your
body is fighting a Candida infection.
When the medical community refers to
systemic Candida, it generally means the type
of life-threatening Candida that is seen
among patients suffering from severe illness.
On the other hand, when we refer to Candida
overgrowth, we mean the kind of Candida
infestation that mostly affects your gut and
causes a wide range of symptoms like
digestive problems, headaches and recurrent
yeast infections.
If you’d like to learn more about Candida
overgrowth, my Ultimate Candida Diet
program contains a simple 5-step program
for beating Candida and eliminating those
Candida symptoms for good.
A 5 STEP
PROGRAM TO
BEAT CANDIDA
Lisa Richards, Candida expert and the
creator of TheCandidaDiet.com, reveals
the treatment that permanently cured
her yeast infections, eliminated
Candida and restored her energy
levels!
If you regularly
experience
symptoms like
headaches,
brain fog,
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About The Candida Diet
Lisa Richards is a Candida expert and the author of
the Ultimate Candida Diet program. She writes
regular posts on the causes, symptoms and
treatment of Candida, and has helped thousands of
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System?
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Should You Take Antibiotics For Your
Illness?

8. Candida sufferers recover from their condition.
Lisa's approach to beating Candida involves
probiotics, natural antifungals and a low sugar diet.
Using the right combination of these three
elements is the best way to overcome a Candida
overgrowth.
Tweets from Lisa Richards
@dodegaard Hi Doug, unfortunately tomato juice
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17 / Apr / 2013
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