Candida Albicans is a yeast and a fungus. It exists in small amounts in everyone's intestinal tract. It is also responsible for yeast infections in women.

In small amounts Candida is harmless. In large amounts it can be life threatening. In between, it can contribute to many troubling problems including chronic female yeast infections, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, gas and bloating. It can also cause food allergies, skin rashes, and allergies to mold.

There are many ideas on Candida.  There is an excellent book by Dr. William Crook called, "The Yeast Connection Handbook" which discusses it.  My ideas are a bit different from those normally put forward.  Dr. Crook and others usually assume Candida to be an infection of the intestinal wall.  I believe this can be true, but there is a second way Candida can cause problems that is overlooked.

It is known that in some individuals gastrointestinal motility is a problem.  This means that food is literally not pushed through the intestines as it should be.  This literally allows the food to spoil while still in the body.  Some carbs are harder for the body to digest even in a healthy person.  These foods become even more difficult to digest.  Foods to avoid are therefore carbs such as fruit, bread, etc..  Candida feeds on sugar and alcohol meaning these should also be avoided.  Meats, fats and other proteins are usually not as much of a problem because they digest much more quickly.

It's not hard to understand how motility can be affected by chronic fatigue.  The muscles of the gastrointestinal tract simply become exhausted more easily.  The food in the gastrointestinal tract is in a wet, warm environment.  It literally becomes moldy with Candida before it can be digested.  Candida then produces toxins making the fatigue worse!

If possible, you need to address the root cause of Candida such as low vitamin D.  Antibiotics, cortisone and birth control pills can contribute to the overgrowth of Candida.  Candida often goes hand-in-hand with helicobacter pylori.

Candida exists in the colon normally in small amounts. The amount of Candida in a healthy person is quite small. Candida has no known benefits, but in small amounts it is harmless.

Candida in the colon can be encouraged by the consumption of sugar, alcohol and by food allergies.  Candida feeds on simple sugars. Food allergies inflame the colon, which encourages more Candida. Eliminating sugar, alcohol and foods to which you are allergic can greatly help.

Candida can lead to a vicious cycle in which it causes food allergies, which in turn inflame the colon, which in turn lead to more Candida growth.

There are blood tests for Candida which are quite accurate.  (Stool tests which are often used have been shown to be very inaccurate.)   See my testing page for more information.  Candida is a very controversial condition.  It may be difficult to find a doctor who will treat you.  See my page on finding a physician for help in this area.

I could go on, but there are web-sites and other sources of information, which do a far better job than I could. Here are a few sites. More can be found on the links page.

An excellent summary of the condition can be found at The Chronic Candidiasis Syndrome page.

Dr. William Crook has published several books on the subject including "The Yeast Connection Handbook".

If you've read the literature on Candida, you are probably completely confused about what to eat and not to eat. Every book and person has a different opinion on the subject.

My doctor gave me the best advice on this subject.  He said that to address Candida, you must address food allergies that inflame the colon. He told me not to eat anything with sugar and after ordering up a food allergy blood test, told me not to eat anything on the allergy list.  I cut down fruit to one serving  per day.  Fruit juice was completely out since it contains concentrated fructose which is even worse than table sugar.

I strongly suspect the reason for the conflicting food advice is that different people are allergic to different things.  I strongly believe that a very important factor in my recovery was the elimination of foods that I am allergic to from my diet.

Summary

To fight Candida, the most important thing is to eliminate food allergies.  

Sugar feeds Candida. It is important to deny nourishment to the Candida.  I found that some sugars are worse than others.  Table sugar did not aggravate my Candida that badly, but fructose did.  Fruit juices contain concentrated fructose and should be avoided.

Whole fruit also contains fructose and many people advocate eliminating it.  I don't. One alternative MD I have seen agrees with this.  Fruit contains fructose but also has many healthful effects including the ability to neutralize toxins such as methanol.   For that reason it is best to reduce fruit consumption, but not eliminate it.

Testing for allergies is critical.  See my testing page for more information.

Antifungal Drugs and Antifungal supplements

There are a number of drugs which are used for treating Candida.  The results are mixed and I believe that addressing diet and allergies is more productive, but for many people, antifungals are worth a try.

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