Candida—Eliminating Yeast/Fungal Overgrowth

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Candida—Eliminating Yeast/Fungal Overgrowth

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Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, or even sinusitis or spastic

colon? You probably have overgrowth of yeast or Candida. Though poorly

understood by most physicians, treating this underlying infection can have

profound

health benefits!

Immune dysfunction (i.e., being more susceptible to infections) is a common

part of both Fibromyalgia and CFS, and is becoming more common in the overall

population as well. In earlier articles, we have discussed _how to diagnose

and treat chronic viral_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_f-n/Infections-treating_hidden_viral_\

infections_cfs.html) and _antibiotic sensitive

infections_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_f-n_2/Infections-treating_hidden_anti\

biotic_cfs_fm.html) . The most common and important infections to

treat in CFS and Fibromyalgia are yeast, fungal and Candida infections (I will

treat these as a single infection for this article). Unfortunately, standard

medicine does not recognize fungal infections unless they affect the nails,

skin, hair or groin areas—or they are in the blood and can kill you. Because

there is no test to clearly diagnose overgrowth of bowel or sinus Candida,

many doctors say it doesn*t exist. Reminds me of the little boy who thinks he's

invisible because he's covered his eyes…

That there is no blood test does not mean there is no way to tell if you

need treatment. I recommend the Candida/yeast/fungal treatment for most people

who have ANY of the below problems: 1. CFS/ Fibromyalgia—As I have

discussed in lectures to thousands of health practitioners, if someone has

CFS/FMS,

presume the Candida is present and treat for it. 2. _Chronic sinusitis_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_r-s/Sinusitis-actually_a_yeast_infec

tion.html) —which is usually caused by yeast. 3. _Spastic colon_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_r-s/Stomach-spastic_colon.html)

/irritable bowel syndrome.

When you treat the yeast as we'll discuss, not only does the CFS/FMS usually

improve, but the sinusitis and spastic colon will often go away as well. As

fringe benefits, most of you will find (if you take the Diflucan medication

part of the treatment) that your dandruff and feeling like you want to stick

your finger in your ear to scratch it will also go away!

How do I Treat the Candida/Yeast?

It takes around 3-5 months to restore balance between the healthy bacteria

and the yeast in your body, but most people will be feeling better at ~ 1

month into using the prescription antifungal " Diflucan. " Here is your " recipe "

for treating the yeast: 1. Begin by avoiding sugar (I will add the magic

words " except for dark chocolate, " which is a healthy food in moderation).

Sugar

feeds yeast, so substitute stevia, a healthy natural sweetener. 2.

Take healthy bacteria (probiotics) to fight the yeast. I recommend _Probiotic

Pearls_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/probiotic-pearls-90/) or

Acidophilus Pearls 2 twice a day for 3-5 months. 3. At the same

time, begin the herbal antifungal mix " _Anti-Yeast_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/anti-yeast/) " 2 twice a

day for 3-5 months.

4. After 1 month on the above, add the medication Diflucan 200 mg a day for

6-12 weeks (get the generic form fluconazole. The brand name is $600 for 6

weeks. The generic is available for only $40 for 42 tablets at Consumers

Discount Pharmacy, phone 323-461-3606).

For those who would like more detail on the Candida issue, it is discussed

at length in my book " _From Fatigued to Fantastic!_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/publications/from-fatigued-to-fan/) "

(Avery/Penguin Oct

2007). Part of the section from the book is in the article below.

An Overview of Yeast/Candida Infections

I will use the terms yeast, fungi, and Candida interchangeably for this

discussion. Fungal overgrowth may suppress the body's immune system. It is

suspected that this occurs in part because the bowel yeast infections cause

what is

called ** leaky gut syndrome.** This means that food proteins get absorbed

into the blood system before they are fully digested. Because of this, your

immune system has to complete the digestion process, which often overtaxes it.

Many physicians feel that yeast overgrowth causes a generalized suppression

of the immune system. In other words, once the yeast gets the upper hand, it

sets up a cycle that further suppresses the body's defenses.7

Yeast are normal members of the body's *zoo.* They live in balance with

bacteria—some of which are helpful and healthy, and some of which are

detrimental and unhealthy. The problems begin when this harmonious balance

shifts and

the yeast begins to overgrow.

Many things can prompt yeast to overgrow. One of the most common causes is

frequent antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill off the good bacteria in the bowel

along with the bad bacteria. When this happens, the yeast no longer have

competition and begin to overgrow. The body is often able to rebalance itself

after one or several courses of antibiotics, but after repeated or long term

courses—and especially if the body has an underlying immune dysfunction—the

yeast can get the upper hand.

Other factors are also important. Studies have shown that animals that are

sleep-deprived and/or have increased sugar intake develop immune suppression

and bowel yeast overgrowth. Many physicians feel that eating sugar stimulates

yeast overgrowth in people as well. So as you prepare your meals, remember—

sugar is food for yeast.

Diagnosing Yeast Overgrowth

There are no definitive tests for yeast overgrowth that will distinguish

yeast overgrowth from normal yeast growth in the body. In my experience, using

Dr. William Crook's yeast questionnaire is still the most reliable way to tell

if a person is at risk of yeast overgrowth. A simplified version is part of

our _free web program_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/treatment_options/Online_program.html) which will

analyze your symptoms to determine the cause(s) of

your CFS/FMS, fatigue or pain and tailor a treatment protocol to your case.

In addition, anyone with ANY of the following criteria should be treated

with antifungals: 1. anyone with CFS or Fibromyalgia, OR 2. who has

chronic nasal congestion or sinusitis, OR 3. has spastic colon (gas,

bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation), OR 4. has been on recurrent or

long

term antibiotics (especially tetracycline for acne), OR 5. who

intermittently has painful sores in the mouth (not cold sores on the outer

lips)

that last for about ten days at a time.

Treating Yeast Overgrowth

A number of very effective treatments can be used to eliminate a yeast

problem. I find that the best approach is to combine dietary changes, natural

remedies, and prescription medications.

Natural Yeast Treatments

The most important part of treating yeast overgrowth is avoiding sugar and

other sweets, although I will add the three magic words, **except for

chocolate.** You can also enjoy one or two pieces of fruit a day, but you

should not

consume concentrated sugars like fruit juices, corn syrup, jellies, pastry,

candy, or honey. Stay far away from soft drinks, which have ten to twelve

teaspoons of sugar in every twelve ounces. This amount of sugar has been shown

to markedly suppress immune function for several hours. Be prepared to have

your CFS/FMS symptoms flare for about one week when you cut sugar out of your

diet.

Using stevia as a sweetener is a wonderful substitute for sugar. Despite

some misconceptions, stevia is safe and natural, and you can use all you want.

There are even cookbooks available for using stevia. The brand of stevia that

you choose is very important, however. Most brands of stevia are not filtered

and therefore are bitter. The two that won the taste test in our office are

made by Body Ecology (1-800-4STEVIA) and Stevita. _Ribose (Corvalen)_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/corvalen-d-ribose/) , a

very

effective nutrient for treating CFS, FMS and heart conditions, is not readily

digestible by yeast and is usually well tolerated.

Several books have been written on the yeast controversy and offer

additional dietary methods to try. One of the best is The Yeast Connection and

the

Woman by the late Dr. Billy Crook, a physician who advanced our understanding

of

CFIDS/FMS considerably.

One of those dietary methods that can help restore balance in the bowel is

the intake of acidophilus—that is, milk bacteria, a healthy type of bacteria.

Acidophilus is found in yogurt with live and active yogurt cultures. Indeed,

eating one cup of yogurt a day can markedly diminish the frequency of

recurrent vaginal yeast infections.9 Acidophilus is also available in

supplement

form, but which brand you use is important. Many brands do not actually contain

the amount that the label claims or contain dead bacteria—which do not put up

much of a fight against the yeast. I like to use _Probiotic Pearls_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/probiotic-pearls-90/) by

Integrative Therapeutics or Acidophilus Pearls by Enzymatic Therapy. The pearl

coating acts like a little tank—which protects the milk bacteria as they pass

through the acidic environment of the stomach. Without this coating to protect

against stomach acid, it is estimated that 99.9% of these yeast fighting

bacteria will NOT survive the trip through the stomach. This means that to get

the

number of healthy bacteria in 1 pearl to your colon, you'd need to eat around

3 gallons of yogurt! Once the pearl hits the alkaline environment of the

small intestine, it dissolves and releases the bacteria to fight the yeast. I

recommend that you take 2 pearls twice a day for 5 months, after which time

many people choose to continue taking one a day for prevention. Although the

box

claims 1 billion bacteria per pearl, the laboratory assays actually show

that these pearls contain 2.4 billion bacteria. If you are on antibiotics (not

antifungals), take acidophilus at least three to six hours before or after the

antibiotic dose.

Many other natural antifungals can be helpful, but when used individually in

a high enough dose to kill the yeast they also irritate the stomach. Because

of this I like to combine multiple anti-fungal herbs. My favorite

combination is _Anti-Yeast_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/anti-yeast/) by

Ultraceuticals, which contains 240 mg of coconut oil powder (50%

caprylic acid), 200 mg of oregano powder extract, 120 mg of uva ursi extract,

240 mg of garlic powder (deodorized), 160 mg of grapefruit seed extract, 80

mg of berberine sulfate, 200 mg of olive leaf extract, 50 mg of alpha lipoic

acid, 50 mg of milk thistle extract, and 50 mg of N-Acetyl L-Cysteine.

Prescription Treatments for Yeast Overgrowth

It is critical to add a prescription anti-fungal as well, because the

natural products only kill yeast in the gut and are not as strong. I recommend

that

almost all of my CFS/FMS patients use Diflucan (Fluconazole) 200 mg/day for

6-12 weeks. If stool cultures (which are negative in most people who need

yeast treatment) show the yeast to be resistant to Diflucan, then your doctor

may choose to substitute Nizoral at 200 mg/day for 6 weeks. Nizoral can lower

adrenal hormone levels, so if your cortisol is low your doctor should consider

adding adrenal support when prescribing Nizoral. I don't use Sporanox

because it costs over $600, and if your yeast is resistant to Diflucan, it will

usually also be resistant to Sporanox but sensitive to Nizoral. The anti-fungal

medication Lamisal is simply NOT effective for Candida.

Nystatin, an antifungal medication, has been helpful in the treatment of

yeast overgrowth in the past. Unfortunately, more and more fungi seem to be

developing resistance to nystatin. In addition, nystatin is poorly absorbed,

which means that it has little impact on the yeast outside of the bowel.

Because

of this, I am now using the _Anti-Yeast_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/anti-yeast/) herbal mix

instead.

Any effective antifungal can initially make the symptoms of yeast infection

worse. In addition, Diflucan can cause liver inflammation, although this is

uncommon (Tylenol is more likely to cause liver problems), and I have not seen

it be a significant problem in the more than 3,000 patients I've treated. If

you have preexisting active liver disease, you should be cautious about

using Diflucan—or not use it at all. The " Anti-Yeast " herbal above also

contains

lipoic acid, milk thistle extract, and N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, natural

supplements that helps to protect and heal the liver.

If symptoms of yeast overgrowth are caused by an allergic or sensitivity

reaction to the yeast body parts, symptoms may flare up when mass quantities of

the yeast are suddenly killed off. This is called a die-off (Herxheimer)

reaction and can occur with the treatment of any chronic infection. To decrease

the risk of this reaction, start your treatment with the acidophilus and a

sugar-free diet for a few weeks, followed by the Anti-Yeast herbals for one

month before beginning the Diflucan. If symptoms flare up, take just 25-100 mg

of

Diflucan each morning for the first three to fourteen days. If symptoms

recur after you stop the Diflucan, I recommend continuing the medication for an

additional six weeks at 200 mg a day. If you cannot get the Diflucan from your

physician, the rest of the program will still help, but will not kill off the

yeast in the sinuses as the Diflucan will.

Many books on yeast overgrowth advise readers to avoid all yeast in the

diet. This advice is based on the theory that an allergic reaction to yeast is

the cause of the problem. However, the yeast that is found in most foods

(except beer and cheese) is not closely related to Candida, which is the

predominant yeast that seems to be involved in overgrowth.

In my experience, trying to avoid all yeast in foods results in a

nutritionally inadequate diet and does not substantially help most people.

Although a

few people do appear to have true allergies to the yeast in their food, they

account for fewer than 10% of my patients with suspected yeast overgrowth.

These people may benefit from the more strict diet recommended in Dr. Crook's

book. Interestingly, once adrenal insufficiency and yeast overgrowth are

treated, most people find that their allergies and sensitivities to yeast and

other

food products seem to improve or disappear.

Nutritional deficiencies such as low zinc or low selenium may also decrease

resistance to yeast overgrowth.10 A good multivitamin supplement, such as the

_Energy Revitalization System_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/berry-splash/) , should

take care of these deficiencies. This is

simply another example of how all the factors involved in CFS/FMS are closely

interrelated.

What If the Yeast Comes Back?

It is normal for yeast symptoms to resolve after treatment. After six weeks

on Diflucan, most people feel a lot better. If not, you may have

Diflucan-resistant Candida, and a trial of Nizoral may be helpful. However,

symptoms may

sometimes also recur soon after you stop taking either antifungal. If this

happens, I would continue taking Diflucan or Nizoral for another six weeks or

for as long as is needed to keep the symptoms at bay. More frequently, people

feel better after treatment and stay feeling fairly well. Although many

people never need to be re-treated for yeast, others need to repeat a course of

antifungals after six to twenty-four months, especially after eating too much

sugar or taking antibiotics.

The best marker that I have found for recurrent yeast overgrowth is a return

of bowel symptoms, with gas, bloating, and/or diarrhea or constipation,

vaginal yeast, mouth sores, and/or recurring nasal congestion or sinusitis. If

these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, especially if there is also

even a mild worsening of the CFIDS/FMS symptoms, it is very reasonable to

repeat

treatment with six weeks of _Anti-Yeast_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/anti-yeast/) , _Probiotic

Pearls_

(http://www.endfatigue.com/store/products/supplements/probiotic-pearls-90/) ,

and Diflucan. If a second

round of treatment resolves the symptoms, you may opt to repeat this regimen

as often as is needed, usually every six to twenty-four months. By using the

Anti-Yeast and Probiotic Pearls, however, you may be able to avoid the need

for repeated use of antifungals and the possible risk of becoming resistant to

them.

Some people find that they need to stay on the antifungals for extended

periods of time-years, in some cases—or the symptoms recur. As an

alternative,

instead of taking the antifungals every day, many people find they can get long

term suppression of the yeast by taking 200 mg of Diflucan twice a day, one

day each week (for example, each Sunday).

Treating the yeast is one of the most important parts of treating CFS/FMS,

chronic sinusitis, or spastic colon. Though it takes 5 months to restore

balance, you'll be feeling much better after 1 month on the Diflucan

anti-fungal

medication. If your physician won't prescribe it, see a _Fibromyalgia and

Fatigue Center_ (http://www.fibroandfatigue.com/) physician or a _Board

Certified

Holistic Physician_ (http://www.holisticboard.org/) . You'll be glad you

did!