Archive for May, 2008

Candida and White Tongue

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Have you taken a look at your tongue lately?  The tongue is the daily picture of the digestive tract and other parts of the body. You can learn a lot, if you pay attention to the condition of your tongue.

A very serious condition is indicated if you have a black tongue.  If you have this, you should see a doctor directly.  However, you are here to learn about white tongues…so, here goes.

1. A coated, white tongue with a slight yellow tinge to it is an indication of digestive distress.  This could indicate that you need digestive enzymes to aid you in digesting your food. It could also mean that you have a candida problem which is causing a disruption in the digestive tract.

2.  If you have white patches on your tongue and cheeks or if you have sore spots in your mouth, you may have a condition called oral thrush.  Oral thrush is a candida infection in the mouth and can be very painful.  This will need to be treated with an antifungal.  A Nystatin swish is what your doctor would recommend; this is a pharmacuetical that you place in your mouth, swish it around for a while and then swallow.  We have found a good natural alternative is ThreeLac or FiveLac.  This probiotic is in a powder form - you place it on the tongue and let it sit there and then swallow.  People have seen improvement in just a few days with ThreeLac.  You may also want to use a colloidal silver solution to swish around your mouth.  I would recommend 2 tsps in 3-4 ounces of water - do not swallow this solution.

3. For the ladies - Red spots on the tongue are usually located towards the back of the tongue and are an indicator of hormone imbalances (especially estrogen). If you see this, you may want to have your doctor run a hormone panel on you to check for extra estrogen in the system.   Extra estrogen is an indication of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) - as estrogen is a candida feeder you may also have candida.

There is a saliva test that you can do at home to determine if you may have candida - you can find the saliva test here: http://www.stopyeast.com/saliva.html.

 Hope this helps!

What encourages yeast or candida overgrowth?

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Candida overgrowth is becoming more and more widespread.  It is speculated that 85-90% of the populus has at least some form of yeast overgrowth.  Why is this becoming such a problem?  We can do so many things with technology and, yet, this simple, invasive organism is significantly affecting people’s lives in all sorts of negative ways.

So, what it is it that we are doing that is creating the opportunity for this candida yeast to become such a pain?  What are the contributing factors that create a wonderful environment for yeast?

1. Our diets - the typical SAD diet that we consume day in and day out contributes a lot to this problem. With convenience being a high priority these days, it becoming more and more difficult to cook nutritious foods from scratch.  Much of our diet is processed and comes right out of a box onto our dinner table.  Fast food and foods rich in sugar are also culprits.  These types of foods create an acidic environment in the gut that is the perfect environment for candida to grow.  Look around you sometime at other people’s grocery carts - check out how many people buy tons of soda.

2. Birth Control Pill and Pregnancy - while this is obviously not a problem for men, these two things can set up significant yeast problems for women.  The extra estrogen placed in Birth control pills and the wild hormonal swings while pregnant can create a lot of candida.  Pregnancy will also suppress the immune system.  This is necessary, of course, so that the body will not think that the baby is an invading organism and try to attack it.  However, the immune system is one of the main things that keeps candida overgrowth under control, when the immune system is suppressed it is easier for candida to flourish. 

3. Even hormonal changes during the regular menstrual cycle can allow candida to overgrow. Conditions like PCOS are really tough on women as PCOS is characterized by large amounts of estrogen in the body - the extra estrogen feeds candida like crazy.

4. Broad spectrum antibiotics are some of the worst culprits.  The antibiotics can not be selective in which bacteria they kill off, so they kill of everything - the good, the bad and the ugly.  Once all of this bacteria is killed, however, you are utterly defenseless against candida overgrowth.  Yeast can grow quickly (and will) once you have had a dose of antibiotics.  If you have been on antibiotics for longer than a month at a time for chronic sinusitis, lyme disease, staph infections, etc. you need to get on a candida cleanse ASAP.

5. Prednisone or other corti-steroids.  Many people are forced to use products like prednisone to control inflammatory situations. People with Lupus, Fibromyalgia or Chronic sinusitis may find themselves on prednisone for long periods of time.  In our experience, Prednisone creates candida overgrowths even faster than antibiotics. 

6. Finally, anything that weakens the immune system can lead to candida problems.  The immune system is your “body guard” and, if it is strong, will keep candida under control.  If you find yourself under stress and unable to fight off colds and other viruses; your immune system is weak. You need to bolster it as quickly as you can or you may start to see candida issues.

If you have questions about candida and how to get rid of it. Please contact us at: www.stopyeast.com - 1-888-242-8408.

Yeast Infections in Men

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Many men think that yeast infections happen solely to women.  Sorry guys… I am afraid you are wrong on that one.  Although, it is not very common, it is very possible for men to get a penile yeast infection.  The most common way that this is contracted is through sexual contact with a woman who has a vaginal yeast infection. 

Symptoms may include:
1. an itchy rash on the exterior of the penis
2. sensation of burning or pressure while urinating or during intercourse 
3. whitish, clumpy discharge. 
4. red color at the head of the penis
5. severe pain and itching

Men who are not circumcised may have more of a chance of contracting a yeast infection then men who are circumcised.

If your symptoms are internal, you will need to perform a candida yeast cleanse to eradicate it entirely.  If you have an exterior rash, you should also treat this topically.  You can get more information on this particular problem at: http://www.yeastinfectionsolutions.net/male_yeast_infections.html and http://www.stopyeast.com

Candida - Why pregnancy can make it worse

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Why does pregnancy make candida worse?

Candida is an opportunistic yeast that will take advantage of anything it can in order to grow in your system.  Women who are pregnant can see a flare up in yeast conditions once they find out that they are expecting. But, why does this happen…?!?!

 It turns out that the body will suppress the immune system in order to protect the developing baby.  If the immune system was not suppressed, the body would think that the baby was an invading organism and would organize a defense against the embryo.  The poor baby would not stand a chance! 

However, this suppression ofthe immune system allows candida to start proliferating; so, the more pregnancies you have had, the worse the candida can become.

Candida - why fighting it is so hard…

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

Candida fighting is tough!!!  Many people have tried to do it and many have failed.  For some, the difficult part is maintaining the anti-candida diet.  This diet is essentially a starvation diet and it is no wonder that many people will not commit to fighting candida because the diet is so strict.  However, there are new, more powerful products being developed all of the time that take the diet out of the equation.  ThreeLac, FiveLac and Candex do not require as restrictive of a diet, although it is recommended to restrict your sugar and alcohol.  But, diet aside… it is still a difficult battle to fight - Why is it so hard?

 Well, the answer lies in the toxins!  Candida normally produces over 70 different toxins - these toxins are released into the human system and include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and ethanol.  When you start putting pressure on the candida, the rate at which these toxins are produced increases.  A virtual flood of toxins from the still living candida, the increased output of toxins as a defense mechanism from the candida and the dead candida itself pours into the system.  Your poor body is overloaded with toxins and it may have a difficult time getting rid of all of this stuff.  If you notice headaches, joint or muscle achiness, skin rashes, itchy skin or even depression, these are all signs of extra toxins in the system.  You have to get these toxins out of the system quickly in order to start feeling better. 

This toxic rush is what results in failure for many people.  When the toxins start pouring into the system, they start feeling crummy and will often quit because they don’t feel it is right to feel bad when doing a candida cleanse.  If you quit at this stage, the candida wins.

Go into the battle with candida well-armed. Make sure you have a soluble fiber containing apple pectin and/or psyillium hull to absorb the toxins in the gut.  Take Epsom Salt baths a few times per week to pull toxins through the skin.  Try taking a dry sauna if you have one available in your area.  If you are struggling with constipation, get a good constipation relief product (OxyPowder is our favorite) to make sure you are going!

If you go into battle well-educated and well-armed, the candida will not stand a chance and you will be on your way to renewed and vibrant health.