On Candida

[Guest guest]

This was from a candida list, and thought it was relevant:

this is well-written and to me really 'underlines' how important treatment is:

"Candida albicans is a very complex organism. It can injure our bodies and cause infections by penetrating the tissues of our bodies. In addition, it releases at least 79 toxic chemical substances, called antigens into our bodies. These toxins, or poisons, are responsible for many of the symptoms described as being characteristic of Candida Related Complex. Our immune systems create antibodies to fight each toxin. Healthy immune systems can effectively battle the Candida, counteract the toxins and maintain a balance in our bodies. When our defenses are weakened, however, the candida and its toxins travel throughout our bodies, wreaking havoc with our health. They even attack our already impaired immune systems, weakening them further.

Two of the most detrimental candida toxins are acetaldehyde and ethanol, both of which are poisonous to the tissues of our bodies. Other notable candida toxins include canditoxin, mannan, proteinase, tyramine, and polysaccharide protein complexes.

Most of us are aware that when mixed together, sugar and yeast produce ethanol, a type of alcohol. The same happens inside our bodies: the sugars we eat react with yeast, and ethanol is a by-product. Acetaldehyde, which is used commercially to make acetic acid, drugs and perfumes, and is six times more toxic to brain tissue than ethanol, is then produced as the ethanol breaks down. Not only are ethanol and acetaldehyde generally toxic to our system, they also cause the following problems in our bodies: cell membrane defects and destruction of enzymes (which are important to digestion, respiration, and other bodily functions).

The cells primarily affected by toxins are red and white blood cells. Chemicals released by candida make the cell membranes more rigid and less flexible, which keeps the cells from successfully carrying out their necessary functions. One of the functions of red blood cells is to carry oxygen throughout the body. To do this they have to be elastic enough to squeeze down to about one-seventh of their normal size to be able to get into the body's tiniest blood vessels, the capillaries. By making the red blood cell walls rigid, the candida chemicals impede the flow of blood and therefore oxygen, to all of the organs and tissues of the body. White blood cells make up part of the immune system. When their cell walls become rigid, their ability to fight off infection is decreased, leaving our bodies more susceptible to illnesses. Rigid cell walls of other cells in your body decrease their ability to absorb needed nutrients and vitamins.

Damaged cell walls also keep hormones from penetrating cells. Hormones travel throughout the body via the bloodstream, regulating body functions. One example of the effect this has on your body involves the function of the thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism. When thyroid hormones can't enter cells, the normal metabolism of the body is slowed, causing decreased body temperature, intolerance to cold, and most importantly, fatigue. One reason this source of fatigue cannot be diagnosed through laboratory tests is that blood tests measure only the amount of thyroid hormones in the blood, not their ability to perform. This is a complex topic about which entire books have been written. For more info see "Solved: The Riddle of Illness" by E. Langer, M.D."

the above is from an excellent book called 'Candida Related Complex' by Winderlin and Sehnert, M.D.

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you for welcoming me to this site.

I agree entirely with what you said. This country with all of its affluence

is the most mal- nourished country in the world. Obesity is a sign of

malnutrition. When fast food came

about, although it fits in with our fast paced lifestyles, it has ruined our

health. In addition, the fruits and vegetables that we eat today do not have

the same nutritional value as they did 20 years ago. This is because the

soil is sadly depleted from lack of crop rotation, and the constant spraying

of herbicides and pesticides. When I go shopping to stores like Sam's Club

or Price Club, I marvel at the garbage foods that consumers have in their

shopping carts. I go there to buy bottled water in bulk, fruits and vegs, if

they look okay, and sometimes they have good fish, which I pray is not from

polluted waters. Others are buying cases of soda, large bags of snacks with

artificial color, processed frozen foods, etc., and they are feeding this to

their precious children and think they are being good parents. Then they

wonder why they are constantly in the pediatrician's office with their child

having chronic ear infections, bronchitis, etc. That is why I turned to

these food based Chinese Herbs. In fact, I am helping a little cousin of mine

in Texas who has a life threatening immune deficiency regain his health. He

has been sick for 2 years and I believe he got this problem from being fed by

his hard working parents the American fast food diet, which is the easy way

to live, but not the healthy way. Thanks for listening to me vent.

Sue Rauch

ville, New Jersey