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Taken fom Lynns group. This part was so good that I felt that I had to

post it here for the benefit of our members.

 

 

CANDIDA and the ANTIBIOTIC SYNDROME

http://www.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/candida.htm

By Walter Last

 

Lack of energy and digestive disturbances, arthritic joint pains, skin

disease, menstrual problems, emotional instability and depression. All

symptoms of what I call the 'antibiotic syndrome' which have greatly

increased in frequency in recent years.

 

On further examination, more symptoms may be discovered. Most of the

gastro-intestinal tract is tender when pressed, especially the small

intestine, liver and gall bladder. There may even have been a gall

bladder

operation that failed to improve the condition, sometimes even

worsening the

symptoms.

 

There could be a history of thrush or oral, anal or vaginal itching.

When

these are present the diagnosis of Candida is obvious but it may also

be

present in the absence of these manifestations and that can be

somewhat

confusing. The yeast or fungus Candida albicans, of course, thrives

during

antibiotic treatment. I regard it as reckless negligence to prescribe

antibiotics without simultaneous fungicides and replacement therapy

with

lactobacilli afterwards. I believe that this practice has greatly

added to

our vast pool of a chronically sick population.

 

However, the 'antibiotic syndrome' is not just due to Candida. I

regard it

more generally as a 'dysbiosis' where the wrong kind of microbes

inhabit the

intestinal tract, not just Candida and other fungi, but many types of

pathogenic bacteria including coli bacteria which are normal in the

colon

but become disease-forming when they ascend into the small intestine.

 

If the problem has existed for years, there is usually a lack of

gastric

acid which then allows the stomach to be colonised by microbes,

causing

inflammation with pain and later, ulcers. The toxins released by the

microbial overpopulation cause in addition chronic inflammation of the

liver, gall bladder, pancreas and intestines. I regard it as rather

likely

that a chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a major contributing

factor

in the development of insulin-dependent diabetes.

 

Bacterial attack

 

Specific types of pathogenic bacteria appear to cause or contribute to

specific auto-immune diseases. One variety of coli bacteria, for

instance,

produces a molecule that is very similar to insulin. When the immune

system

becomes activated against this molecule it may then also attack

related

features at the beta cells of the pancreas

 

Another type of bacteria, Yersinia enterocolitica, induces an immune

response that attacks the thyroid gland and leads to Grave's disease

with a

serious overproduction of thyroid hormones.

 

Ulcerative colitis is linked to overgrowth with pathogenic microbes,

the

same as Crohn's disease, osteoporosis and ankylosing spondylitis. In

ankylosing spondylitis the vertebra of the spine fuse together causing

stiffness and pain. Other joints may in time become affected.

 

Klebsiella, another type of pathogenic bacteria, produces a molecule

that is

similar to a tissue type found in people with this disease. When

klebsiella

numbers in the gut decrease, related antibodies in the blood decrease

and

the condition improves.

 

Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to other bacteria, called proteus.

Proteus is

also a common cause of urinary tract infections. Women suffer urinary

tract

infections as well as rheumatoid arthritis twice as often as men,

while men

usually have higher levels of klebsiella and three times more

ankylosing

spondylitis than women.

 

In addition microbial overgrowth dam ages the intestinal wall so that

only

partly digested food particles can pass into the bloodstream, causing

allergies. In this way all auto-immune diseases can be linked to food

allergies.

 

While rheumatoid arthritis is a frequent feature of the antibiotic

syndrome,

and I regard it as relatively easy to cure, not many sufferers of this

disease seem to be interested in this natural approach. The other day

a

young man with severe rheumatoid arthritis knocked at my door to

collect

money for a medically sponsored walkathon. When I told him that I do

not

give money for drug treatment as it can be overcome with natural

therapies,

he shouted: 'You are mad!' and left visibly upset.

 

Other auto-immune diseases that have so far been linked to dysbiosis

are

psoriasis, lupus erythematosus and pancreatitis. When remedies are

given

that bind bacterial endotoxins, these conditions usually improve. A

further

consequence of dysbiosis is susceptibility to food poisoning as with

salmonella bacteria, while a healthy intestinal flora prevents these

from

multiplying and causing trouble.

 

Staphylococcus aureus or golden staph cause serious infections in

hospital

patients. It has been found that not only golden staph but also other

infections are greatly potentised when they occur with a Candida

overgrowth.

As Candida overgrowth is a natural outcome of the standard hospital

treatment, it is easy to see why golden staph is so deadly in

hospitals.

 

A similar picture emerges with AIDS. People do not die from the AIDS

virus

but from Candida-potentised bacterial infections. I also see the

antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in babies and infants as the main cause

of

their frequent infections, glue ear and greatly contributing to cot

death.

 

While it used to be uncommon for children to have more than one or two

infections a year, now more than six is the norm.

 

In the 1940's Candida was found in only three per cent of autopsies,

now the

figure is nearer thirty per cent. There are, of course, other factors

that

can cause dysbiosis - the contraceptive pill, steroids and other

drugs,

radiation treatment and chemotherapy - but the main culprit is,

without

doubt, antibiotics.

 

Closely related to Candida are the mycoplasms or pleomorphic

organisms.

These have been shown to be a main factor in the causation of cancer.

Therefore, antifungal therapy has also major benefits in cancer

treatment.

 

Dr Orian Truss

 

In 1953 Dr Orian Truss discovered the devastating effects of

antibiotics in

an Alabama (USA) hospital. During a hospital round Truss was intrigued

by a

gaunt, apparently elderly man who was obviously dying. However, he was

only

in his forties and in hospital for four months. No specialist had been

able

to make a diagnosis. Out of curiosity Truss asked the patient when be

was

last completely well.

 

The man answered that he was well until six months before when he had

cut

his finger He had received antibiotics for this. Shortly afterwards he

developed diarrhoea and his health deteriorated. Truss had seen before

how

antibiotics cause diarrhoea. It was known that Candida was

opportunistic and

thrived in debilitated patients, but now Truss wondered if it might

not be

the other way round, that Candida actually caused the debilitated

condition.

 

He had read that potassium iodide solution could be used to treat

Candida

infestation of the blood. So he put the patient on six to eight drops

of

Lugol's solution four times a day and soon the patient was again

completely

well.

 

Soon afterwards he had a female patient with a stuffy nose, a

throbbing

headache, vaginitis and severe depression. To his amazement all her

problems

immediately cleared with Candida treatment. Some time later he saw a

female

patient who had been schizophrenic for six years with hundreds of

electroshock treatments and massive drug dosages. He started treating

the

woman for sinus allergies with a Candida vaccine. Soon she had

recovered

mentally and physically, and remained well.

 

From then on he treated his patients against Candida at the slightest

indication of its presence. Many of his patients made remarkable

recoveries

from most unusual conditions including menstrual problems,

hyperactivity,

learning disabilities, autism, multiple sclerosis and auto-immune

diseases

such as Crohn's disease and lupus erythematosus.

 

Every experienced naturopath can relate similar success stories.

Ironically,

antibiotics are usually not necessary in the first place. In a few per

cent

of the cases in which they are necessary their serious after effects

could

easily be avoided using fungicides and lactobacilli.

 

Many people doubt the effectiveness of natural therapies against

apparently

serious infections, but my experience leads me to believe that

frequently

natural therapies are more effective, without causing the repeated and

chronic infections seen after antibiotics. I have seen patients who

have

been unsuccessful on long-term antibiotic treatment recover within

days or

weeks with natural therapies.