Series: Things that cause Candida – Prednisone – Part 2 of 6
Prednisone is a life-saving drug and its use can help people who are seriously ill. In fact, I recently had a friend with pulmonary distress who needed to be hospitalized because he literally could not breathe because of his asthma-like symptoms. The hospital staff administered IV prednisone and essentially saved his life. I also understand that people with autoimmune diseases like Lupus, Colitis and Crohn’s also need to take prednisone on a daily basis. However, prednisone is one of the most prolific creators of candida and here are the reasons why.
1. Prednisone is an immunosuppressant that acts on almost the entire immune system. This is why it is used to treat autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions like asthma, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease and dermatitis. However, suppressing the immune system is one of the factors that will allow candida to grow relatively unchecked. You see, candida is normally kept in check by the immune system. If the immune system is suppressed, candida will and DOES grow.
2. A side affect of prednisone is the suppression of the adrenal glands. This is one of the reasons why you must decrease the amount of prednisone you take slowly if you have been taking prednisone for longer than 7 days. If you were to stop the prednisone cold turkey, you could develop Addison’s disease which is when the body no longer produces the adrenal hormones. Adrenal glands are very important in maintaining proper amounts of blood sugar in the body and the suppression of the adrenals may cause this regulation to go haywire causing larger amounts than normal of glucose to accumulate in the blood stream. Of course, this increase in blood sugar feeds candida that is already growing because of the immunosuppression that prednisone causes. This effect is particularly prevalent in people already struggling with diabetes, but may affect those without diabetes as well.
Please keep in mind, I am NOT advocating that a person not take prednisone or get off it if you are taking it. You should never stop prednisone without the help of your doctor. I just want you to understand that if you are taking prednisone, especially for long periods of time, that you are creating candida, too. The combination of a suppressed immune system, high sugar levels in the blood stream and the length of time that one is on the prednisone is an incredible combination of factors that can lead to the creation of very large candida populations in the gut. In our experience, candida is caused more quickly with prednisone use than with a course of very powerful antibiotics.
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Leanne Felzien is a homeschool mom of five incredible children. In her "spare" time she runs a home-based business selling candida fighters and other health products. She loves reading, teaching algebra, spending time with good friends, taking IR saunas and playing classical guitar. 
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