The author of this article, Dr. Dean, is a key health advisor to www.yeastconnection.com, a Web site I highly recommend to women based on the pioneering work of Dr. William Crook.
Dr. Crook, one of my first mentors and a friend who passed away last year, was the author of the classic book, The Yeast Connection, and many other bestsellers that helped millions of women. He was instrumental in helping me recognize that there was a wide network of physicians who understood the importance of nutrition. He indirectly helped connect me to this network and I will be ever grateful for his guidance in this area as that was really the beginning of my journey into high-level natural health.
His great legacy is being carried on at www.yeastconnection.com, where you will find out all the latest insights on how Candida yeast causes problems in your body, and how to alleviate them.
By Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Health advisor, yeastconnection.com
Yeast: The Missing Link?
There are numerous theories about the causes of these two debilitating illnesses, ranging from viral infections, neurotransmitter imbalances, immune system failure, intestinal bacterial and yeast overgrowth.
One way of looking at chronic candidiasis, CFIDS and fibromyalgia is from an immunological point of view:
We also know that in the most severe immune disorder we know--acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)--100 percent of patients have candida overgrowth and candidiasis symptoms. I've talked and written about the downward spiral into candidiasis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia for decades.
Here's how the story goes beginning chronologically at birth and medically leading to candidiasis, CFIDS and fibromyalgia:
The Baby Years
Childhood
Young Adulthood
Adulthood
Yes, it's a nightmare scenario. It may seem extreme, but you have only to look around you, talk to a neighbor or look at your own health history to see the pattern.
Solutions
If you have chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches, muscle aches, memory loss, digestive disorders and other symptoms listed above, you may benefit from a comprehensive treatment program that includes the following five-step approach:
1. Diet and exercise
Eat a diet rich in meats, fish, chicken and eggs (free range and organic), seeds and nuts, vegetables and oils while avoiding sugars, grains, and fermented products like vinegars and preserved meats. This diet restricts the amount of fuel available to the yeast in your intestines. A grocery list of foods to get you started is available at our Web site.
Once you've started on the diet, begin to exercise, even if for only five minutes a day, especially for people with CFIDS. You'll also find help with an exercise program at our site.
2. Supplements
Probiotics: These supplements contain friendly bacteria that help you keep a natural, healthy balance of microorganisms in your digestive tract. There are many different forms and brands of probiotics available in foods and pills and capsules. However, to be effective, they need to be able to bypass harsh stomach acid and deliver at least 1 billion live organisms to the intestines.
Digestive Enzymes: These supplements help break down foods so that incompletely digested food molecules don't enter the intestines and become absorbed, which causes food allergies and sensitivities. Most good products contain several enzymes to promote optimal digestion.
Herbs and Nutrients: These elements inhibit the growth of candida albicans. Before resorting to prescription antifungal medications and their possible side effects, a variety of herbs and nutrients can help support a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria, reining in yeast growth. Among the nutrients that work together to stop candida overgrowth are caprylic acid, pau d'Arco, oregano oil, black walnut, grapefruit seed extract, garlic, beta carotene and biotin.
Vitamins and minerals: Taking a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement daily helps supply your body with the nutrients it needs to help you regain your health. A good calcium-magnesium-vitamin D supplement is also essential to optimal health, especially for women.
Visit our site for recommendations on each of these supplement groups.
3. Avoid exposure to chemicals
Chemical sensitivities and allergic reactions are very common in people with yeast overgrowth. Avoid exposure to paints, pesticides, herbicides, household cleaners, perfumes and scents.
4. Address emotional and psychological issues
This step also profoundly impacts your ability to cope and helps balance the chemistry of your body and brain. Visit our site for advice.
5. Work with a kind and caring health professional
Spend some time interviewing doctors and finding one willing to work with you. You'll find links at our site to help you in this search.
Dr. Crook wrote, "I feel that CFIDS and fibromyalgia are often yeast-related. People with these disorders seem to develop them because their immune systems are weakened (by yeast overgrowth), viruses are activated, yeasts multiply, food and chemical allergies become activated, and nutritional deficiencies develop."
Dr. Crook was careful to note that he didn't think that yeast overgrowth was the primary cause of CFIDS and fibromyalgia. I fully concur, yet based on Dr. Crook's experience and my own, following a diet free of sugar and processed and refined foods plus the correct supplementation, can be exceedingly successful in helping people suffering from these conditions.
Extensive resources on yeast overgrowth, related conditions and ways of treating them are available at our site.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., is health advisor to Woman's Health Connection at www.yeastconnection.com and is featured on the website's "Ask A Pro" page. Her latest books are The Miracle of Magnesium and Natural Prescriptions for Common Ailments.
Related Articles:
PMS and The Yeast Connection Depression: Is Yeast a Missing Link? Allergies: Is Yeast a Missing Link? Part I Fibromyalgia Pain is Real -- What You Can Do to Relieve It Diet Helps Fibromyalgia Physicians' Protocol For Using Antibiotics in Rheumatic Disease
PMS and The Yeast Connection
Depression: Is Yeast a Missing Link?
Allergies: Is Yeast a Missing Link? Part I
Fibromyalgia Pain is Real -- What You Can Do to Relieve It
Diet Helps Fibromyalgia
Physicians' Protocol For Using Antibiotics in Rheumatic Disease
References
Dismukes, W. E., J. S. Wade, J. Y. Lee, B. K. Dockery, and J. D. Hain. 1990. A randomized, double-blind trial of Nystatin therapy for the candidiasis hypersensitivity syndrome. N. Engl. J. Med. 323:1717-1725.