Before we begin to talk about Candida and natural ways to treat it permanently, we need to have in mind the importance of controlling mycotic infections or in a simpler way, infections related to fungus.
This form of life is usually benign to us humans if our immune system is working accordingly, nevertheless, if they become pathogenic, causing infections, they can be very dangerous.
Fungal infections are really tedious to treat for doctors. Based on the fact those fungi are almost everywhere in the environment and they are perhaps even more diverse than certain types of bacteria, they are also less studied in pharmacology and therefore, harder to eliminate with special drugs.
It’s true that these days, there are treatments for fungal infections available for the public. However, antifungal drugs are very toxic for our organism and take some time to eliminate the source of infection, damaging more things as they try to control the fungus.
In fact, some have proven to be very ineffective in aggressive fungal affections resulting in dramatic and strict measures such as the final amputation of the infected limb (in case of skin infections on specific limbs), crossed infections with bacteria, sepsis (systemic invasion and dissemination) and death.
What is Candida?
Candida spp is a genus of the unicellular fungus associated with opportunistic infections that affect most people with low immunity to fight diseases, for instance, people suffering from HIV or AIDS, tuberculosis and oncologic patients.
From its subspecies, Candida Albicans is the most representative one. It’s usually innocuous and it’s a part of the regular flora in gastrointestinal, respiratory and genital mucose membranes.
It can also be found in fingernails, hair, oral cavity (gums, teeth, and bland palate) in low quantities and it’s pretty easy to find in severely damaged or skin with a wound to access.
What Causes The Candida Overgrowth?
As we’ve explained before the Candida genus is usually represented by opportunistic fungus. It usually appears on weak spots where the mechanical or chemical barriers have failed (for instance, burns and big wounds) and in a more invasive form, when the body doesn’t have enough material to fight back and keep it at bay.
For this reason, basically, anything that affects the immune system is a cause for candida overgrowth. Here, we can mention a few of them:
- Chronic usage of drugs and antibiotics
- Oral Contraceptives
- A bad diet with lots of fat and high in carbohydrates
- Excessive stress
- Prolonged usage of Corticosteroids
- Abuse of Alcohol and Cigarettes
Candida Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms are diverse depending on the afflicted area; nevertheless, skin manifestations are visible in most cases with ulcers, rash, abscesses that can have other complications such as eye infections, thrombophlebitis, and endocarditis.
Something relevant is the presence of neutropenia and the descent of the three cellular lines: erythrocytes, leucocytes, and platelets, in case of invasive Candida.
There are different clinical forms for Candida:
- Candidal Vaginitis (also called yeast infection): burning sensation when urinating, a thick hyaline vaginal secretion that is typically odorless and irritation (redness) around the vagina.
- Oropharyngeal Candidiasis (referred sometimes as thrush): Could be erythematous (red-raw looking lesions), pseudomembranous (presence of slough in the palate and near the uvula which works as a fragile coating that can be easily removed to reveal a reddened and sometimes bleeding, mucosa underneath) and hyperplastic (also called nodular candidiasis, it’s a white plaque that does not rub off.
- Fungemia: Generalized infection not only with Candida on the bloodstream but with several fungi distributed through blood.
- Invasive Candidiasis:it disseminates itself through all the body affecting all vital organs: lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys.
Associated Lesions:
- Angular cheilitis:lesion at the corner of the lips that involves three main things soreness, inflammation, and unilateral or bilateral fissuring. Usually, present through a coinfection between Candida and Staphylococcus aureus
- Stomatitis:Inflammatory lesion beneath a denture.
- Glossitis:rhomboid lesion in the center of the tongue.
- Gingival erythema: as its name establishes redness in the gums.
Candida is almost everywhere in the human flora. For that reason, we need to make an emphasis that you will NOT be able to eradicate it from your body completely.
You can prevent invasive infections though, by following a good diet with less carbohydrates, exercising, avoiding contact with raw materials directly especially when you have an exposed wound, showering after sex and practicing safe sex with a stable couple, taking antibiotics ONLY when necessary, using the right contraceptive and taking the hygiene measures seriously and in case of a small fungal infection with Candida or another fungus, either natural or pharmacological, follow the treatment carefully.
How to cure Candida?
On the natural area, there are a lot of alternatives that can help you control Candida
Best Herbal Remedies for Candida Overgrowth
- Boric acid: Mostly for yeast infection. Boric acid is available in capsules and can be useful to treat it; suggested dosage by the CDC is of 600mg inserted vaginally once a day for 2weeks. However, consult with an expert before starting the treatment.
- Tea Tree oil: Research has shown that this natural oil has a great antifungal, an antiseptic activity that works very well controlling several afflictions caused by Candida albicans. It’s available in vaginal suppositories or in a dilution that can be added to a tampon to insert overnight. Caution is advised with the oil since it causes swelling, irritation, and itchiness if used directly over the area. We suggest you consult with your doctor before testing the waters with this remedy.
- Garlic: contains a large amount of sulfur which offers a broad-spectrum action against fungus. Garlic can be available in many formats in natural stores: tablets, oils, pills. It’s highly recommended in patients with severe immune depression with who other treatments don’t seem to work.
- Pau d’Arco: This is the bark of a rainforest tree, also known as Taheebo. It also has a good antifungal activity and can be taken in a capsule, one a day, or in tea. In case you choose the latter drink 3 cups of tea per day.
- Raw apple cider vinegar: This natural alternative is very good for several things, including fungal infections for Candida. The apple cider you can obtain it yourself with apples or buy it at a natural store. To use it, take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, dilute it in water and drink before every meal, preferably before bedtime. This fights Candida in the gastrointestinal tract since it creates a hostile environmentfor the fungus.
- Caprylic Acid: This fatty acid which is a major component of coconut oil. It can be taken in tablet, one tablet a day or in a solution by getting the coconut oil and drinking it 2 times a day.
- The Candida Control Program:This is not really a remedy but protocol to control Candida Overgrowth with other ingredients. The purpose is to achieve these goals: Avoid feeding Candida with a great diet low in carbohydrates and high in proteins and unsaturated fatty acids, improve the immune system’s activity and effectiveness to fight it, plant good bacteria in the digestive tract to compete with Candida and in the end to manage the healing crisis symptoms or the Herxheimer’s reaction (systemic reaction to the accumulation of toxins and residual metabolites for the elimination of the fungus)
Contraindications for Natural Medicine:
Avoid home remedies and alternative therapies in case of:
- Pregnancy
- Exposure to ETS or Previous sexual contact with someone with ETS
- Recurrent candidiasis
- Other fungal infections and co-infections with bacteria
- Using other medication to treat Candida, it’s not a good idea to mix substances indiscriminately.
Natural vs Medical -Should we or shouldn’t we try?
With all the things we’ve explained so far, you’re probably wondering if it’s a good idea to go for the natural alternative or to simply follow the regular medical protocol of echinocandins and expanded-spectrum azoles such as nystatin, imidazole, amphotericin B and other drugs in the list of medical approved drugs to treat Candida and which are scientifically certified to work in “most” cases, even with their side effects and complications.
The truth is, even when we suggest you try a natural way, we can’t ignore the original medical treatment since it does work for a lot of people. Our main advice is that if you or another person has other pathologies that worsen the general conditions such as cancer and/or if there’s infection for HIV the best option is not to risk it and first follow a doctor/expert’s instructions and if the original drugs don’t work, then follow a more natural line of treatment.
This may sound really contradictory given the nature of our title and the fact that we still recommend all these natural remedies, because they are effective in their own way, too.
But, the thing is-Nobody’s body works the same.
The most important thing is your health and the wellbeing of those you love so if you see that treatment is not working, consult another doctor and try another treatment. There are many alternatives for you to try on, all you need to do is search for the right one with the aid of those who know about health and try safe alternatives. Dare to try but be very careful, fungal infections are no game and your life is not worth additional risks.
