The candida cleanse is not designed to eradicate candida but to restore it to its normal healthy levels. Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus that naturally lives in healthy balance in the body. It is found mostly in the intestines, but also in the genital tract, mouth, and throat.
However, if the balance is upset and the candida grows too much it can make you quite ill. It can move from the intestines into the blood stream and throughout the body. This is called candidiasis and it is estimated to affect about 70% of the adult population of North America. Symptoms include bloating, lack of energy, faltulence, diarrhoea or constipation, constant tiredness, fungal infections.
The following candida cleanse program will help to rid your body of this overgrowth of candida albicans.
Step 1 - Citricidal
Citricidal kills parasites, fungus and bacteria and is made from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit. It is quite powerful so you only need to use it for a week or two, preferably before you begin the probiotics. This will help kill off the Candida and any fungal growth in your intestines. It is the jump start to any candida cleanse program.
Usually you buy it in a small bottle and add 4-12 drops to a glass of water. It tastes quite bitter but resist the temptation to sweeten it. It is worth using this for a week or so before you begin the probiotics. You will only need a 50ml size for the candida cleanse unless you are also using it to treat another condition such as crohn's disease.
Citricidal does help to remove parasites, although the colon cleanse treats parasites more effectively.
Step 2 - Probiotics
Probiotics combat the overgrowth of candida. My advice would be to continue taking these well after any candida symptoms have gone, especially if you have relaxed your diet. This is probably one of the most important ingredients in the whole candida cleanse program.
A healthy human gastrointestinal tract contains trillions of bacteria and other microbes. In fact you will find several hundred different types.
Man has evolved with these microbes always present in the digestive system and they have become a necessary part of healthy digestion and the immune system.
"Probiotics" are live bacteria that can supplement this ecology of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, and improve health.
At present, there are only a handful of products on the market worldwide with bacteria that have proven clinical benefits.
After a few years of looking and trying, there is one product, produced in Japan that seems to stand out and that is Threelac.
Threelac
It is probably the most effective product in the marketplace to aid any candida cleanse/yeast cleanse of the body. It supports favourable pH levels so helps in the restoration of internal alkalinity and enhances intestinal microbial flora balance.
Five years in development. Millions are sold each year.
Step 3 - Candida Cleanse Diet
Follow the diet given below. It is designed to make your body a place where the candida cannot thrive. Be rigorous for the first few weeks. It is normal to experience cravings and a slump in your energy at first. After about three weeks you will find your energy levels will improve. You will feel better than you have for a long time.Beneficial Foods for Candida Cleansing
Increase your intake of essential oils especially those rich in omega-3 These include:- Fish oils
- Oily fish like salmon and trout
- Flax-seed
- Borage
- Evening primrose oils
- Avocadoes
- Olives
- Olive-oil
- Garlic
Harmful Foods for Candida Cleansing
If you can, I would recommend that one of your main life goals should be to completely eliminate sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet. Not easy, but you will find that as the candida recedes you will lose your cravings for sugary, starchy foods.
1. Sugar
Eliminate all forms of sugar. It feeds the yeast and it can grow rapidly. These foods include: white sugar, brown sugar, sweeteners, fruit juice, honey, treacle, all syrups (e.g. maple, corn, rice), maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, demerrara, amisake, sorghum.
If you are buying pre-prepared or canned food then watch out for the sugars in these. They include: sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glycogen, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, galactose, monosaccharides, polysaccharides.
So, no cakes, cookies, candies, desserts, sodas, fruit-juice and ice-cream.
After 3 days on the candida cleanse it will become easier to resist sugars as the body starts to correct any thyroid, chromium, and manganese deficiencies.
2. Refined Carbohydrates
Eliminate White bread, cakes, cookies, white pasta, white rice, potatoes, and all refined flours.
Whole-grain flour, bread and pasta, Brown rice, basmati rice are all allowable after the body rebalances.
3. Fruit
Fruit contain natural sugars that support the growth of yeast. This includes fresh, dried, canned, and frozen fruit and all fruit juices.
4. Yeast
Yeast and all food that contains yeast should be eliminated. These include all baked goods raised with yeast such as bread, rolls, crackers, bagels, pastries, and muffins.
You can eat baked foods made from wholemeal flours or sprouted grains that have been levened with baking soda/powder.
5. Vinegar
Vinegar is made with a yeast culture. These include: White vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise, salad dressing, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, shrimp sauce, soy sauce, mustard, pickles, pickled vegetables, green olives, relishes, horseradish, mincemeat, chili sauce.
You can use soy sauce substitutes like 'Bragg's Liquid Aminos' that are not fermented.
6. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are fungi. Eliminate all mushrooms.
7. Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Maize (sweetcorn), popcorn, and Pistachios
They often contain a lot of mold and should be eliminated.
8. Alcohol
Eliminate all alcohol. At least until you have rebalanced and the candida overgrowth has gone.
9. Coffee and Black Teas
10. Cheese especially Moldy and Processed Cheese
Blue cheeses and other aged, moldy or blue cheeses should be eliminated. Eliminate all processed cheese. Avoid pizza as many commercial brands are made from processed cheese.
11. Processed, Dried, Smoked, and Pickled Meats
12. Refined, packaged, and processed food
Whether in cans, boxes, bottles or packages, nearly all of them contain yeasts and sugars.
13. Dairy products other than cheese
It is not necessary to totally eliminate all dairy Products but candida can make fat digestion difficult, so dairy products should be restricted.
After a few weeks on the candida cleanse program you will be approaching a more normal balance in your system. So as not to waste the benefits of the candida cleanse you will need to maintain a healthy diet. Don't revert to the same old habits that got you into trouble in the first place.
Overgrowth of candida symptoms
There are 3 ways that Candida overgrowth can cause illness.
1. Candida overgrowth in the intestines can cause
- Bloatedness
- Celiac sprue
- CFIDS
- Constipation
- Crohn's disease
- Diarrhoea
- Flatulence
- Giardia
- Heartburn/Esophagitis
- Hypothyroidism
- Hypoadrenalism(Addison's disease)
- Itchy anus
- Regurgitation
- Small bowel bacterial overgrowth
- lethargy
2. Toxins passing through the intestinal wall due can cause
- Concentration Problems (Foggy brain)
- Depression
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Migraines
- Muscle aches
3. When candida enters the bloodstream it damages the endocrine system and can cause
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Chronic tiredness
- Cystitis
- Ear infections
- Fatigue
- Fungal infections (especially skin)
- Hayfever
- Irregular Menstruation
- Joint pains
- Joint swelling
- PMS (mood swings, bloating, swollen/tender breasts, headaches, cramps)
- Sensitivity to odours
- Sinusitis
- Skin rashes
- Thrush
- Weight gain/weight loss
The Causes of Candida Overgrowth
- Antibiotics
- Chemical poisoning
- Diets rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates
- Heavy metal poisoning e.g. lead
- Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, or menopause
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Immuno-suppressive drugs
- Mercury amalgam poisoning from dental fillings
- Oral Contraceptives
- Progesterone cream
- Steroids
- Stress
The molecular microbiology of candida albicansAbstract by Dr. Jan Schmid |
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The yeast candida albicans is present on most humans as a harmless commensal organism. Thousands of yeast cells can be present in an individual, mostly in the gastrointestinal tract, without any ill effect. However candida albicans is also the major fungal pathogen of humans. Infections can be localised, such as vaginal infections and oral infections, which cause a considerable degree of discomfort. In some patient groups, whose defense system is severely compromised (prematurely born infants, leukemics and burn patients), the yeast can turn into a deadly pathogen causing systemic infections- up to 50% of the patients infected die as a result. The incidence of such infections is increasing rapidly, especially in hospitalised patients. If you want to read more then see Candida Albicans Research at Massey University.
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