5 Tests can be done to see whether you are a secretor or non-secretor. We all have a blood type – A, B, AB or O – and most people (about 75–80 per cent) secrete minute amounts of chemical markers of their blood type into their normal secretions (such as saliva or mucus). The 20–25 per cent or so of those who are non-secretors, irrespective of their blood type, are known to have a greater tendency to infections of all sorts, and of yeast in particular. Women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, for example, are much more likely to be non-secretors. In addition, non-secretors handle sugars less efficiently than secretors, adding to the likelihood of yeast overgrowth.4 A further aspect of this tendency shows that people who have type O blood, particularly if they are non-secretors, are far more likely to develop oral candidiasis.5
6 A person’s health history (such as antibiotic use) and the way their symptoms respond to simple treatment strategies (cutting sugar intake, for example) can be an accurate way of confirming Candida activity as a factor in symptom production. A self-assessment questionnaire (see Chapter 4) provides a dependable guide as to whether or not Candida is currently active. This suggests that the way to prove that a condition (or cluster of conditions occurring together) is the result of Candida is to use a treatment that would reduce yeast activity. If the symptoms then improve markedly, or disappear altogether, such ‘proof’ that yeast was at least part of the cause would be difficult to contest.
Candidiasis is one of the few instances where the treatment of a health problem is, in fact, the main means of diagnosis. The initial suspicion that results in the treatment being started relies upon recognizing the sort of symptoms that suggest the presence of Candida as well as an awareness of those factors that influence its development and behaviour.
A careful background history which looks at previous and current medical treatment and drug usage, as well as diet and stress factors, will give clear signs of the likelihood, or otherwise, of Candida being a possible culprit.
It is these areas that we will explore to formulate a series of recommendations for the control of Candida and for the prevention of its accompanying complications.
Candidiasis is rapidly becoming so widespread as to constitute an epidemic, especially (as we will see), but not entirely, among women. The potentially disastrous health damage caused by the interaction between our bodies and a yeast that is usually easily tolerated and controlled is one of the complications of civilization. The failure, thus far, by all but a handful of doctors to recognize the situation is tragic, as the degree of human suffering involved is enormous. Prevention is not difficult, and control, while a slow process (taking months, not years), is not beyond the limits of any intelligent person.
The major credit for the unravelling of this mystery belongs to one man, who recognized that what he was seeing in his own patients had worldwide importance. Dr C. Orian Truss, of Birmingham, Alabama, will be remembered for his work in this field by hundreds of thousands of grateful people. His masterly investigation and research, conducted in a normal medical practice, show how important simple observation is in the quest for knowledge and the understanding of humanity’s ills. Truss first set about diligently assembling his evidence, which he presented in a scientific journal. He then went back to his task of investigation. Over a period of years, his excellent clinical results in treating an enormous range of diseases – from acne to schizophrenia and what appeared to be multiple sclerosis – were so impressive that the world began to beat a path to his door. Dr Truss has written his own history of this research and of the whole story of Candida in his book The Missing Diagnosis.6
That book, and the excellent book on the same subject by another renowned American practitioner, Dr William Crook, entitled The Yeast Connection, both suggest for their attack on yeast the use of an antifungal drug called nystatin. They also suggest other methods, including nutrition and desensitization. This present book, however, will not attempt to echo such a drug approach, but will present non-drug alternatives to the use of nystatin. This is not to say that nystatin and other antifungal drugs should never be used, only that, in most cases, there are other, apparently safer ways of restoring the competence of the body to fight the yeast itself. There are sound reasons for trying to find anti-Candida alternatives (as will be explained in later chapters), including many naturally occurring nutrients which enhance the control of the wildly proliferating yeast without producing resistant strains, a problem now thought likely when nystatin is used for long periods. This is the only reason this book has needed to be written for, in every other way the two books mentioned on the previous page are excellent and valuable contributions to the literature of health.
We need now to take a closer look at the nature of the enemy, what makes it active and how to recognize such activity. Only then will we begin to learn how to deal with it.
REFERENCES
1 Stretch E. ‘Clinical manifestations of HIV infection in women’, J Naturopath Med 1992; 3(1): 12–19
2 Fibromyalgia Network Newsletters October 1990–January 1992
3 The Lancet 1987; January
4 Chaim W. ‘Association of recurrent vaginal candidiasis and secretory ABO and Lewis phenotype’, J Infect Dis 1997; 176(3): 828–30
5 Burford-Mason A. ‘Oral carriage of Candida albicans, ABO blood group and secretor status in healthy subjects’, J Med Vet Mycol 1988; 26(1): 49–56
6 Truss C. J Orthomolec Psychiatry 1980; 9(4): 287–301
2012 UPDATE
Rapid test: Vaginitis is now one of the most common reason for physician visits, and approximately 30% of all cases are caused by infection with Candida albicans
An accurate, inexpensive, rapid (10 minute), self-testing for vaginal candida can be achieved using a medically validated product called SavvyCheck™. Many pharmacies sell this over-the-counter – or, a websearch (using that brand name) will identify sites that will deliver the test-kit by post. The usefulness of this test is that you can check for progress in reduction of Candida over time.
2 Candida and your defence systems
Candida infection (overgrowth) is increasing dramatically. Reports show that systemic (in the bloodstream) infections with Candida in the USA increased by up to nearly 500 per cent between 1980–89, with Candida accounting for 10 per cent of all organisms isolated from blood in hospitals.1 The figures since then are bound to be even higher, and it is extremely important that we understand how to help the body protect itself from yeast overgrowth.
When we are ill, we have symptoms, and few symptoms are pleasant. But the symptoms are often signs that the body is fighting the actual cause of the condition. For example, if you have an infection, your temperature usually goes up, a clear sign that your immune system is fighting the infection. It is important to learn to understand symptoms and not to fight them, but to deal with the reason they are there. Another example would be the multiple symptoms of digestive distress, ranging from heartburn to bloating, constipation and/or diarrhoea. There are medications which will relieve these symptoms, although often only for a short time, but such medications will not deal with the underlying causes and often make matters worse in the long run.
There is one constant trend, even when we are unwell – that is, the body’s self-healing tendency. Your many interacting body systems (including the immune system) and functions are constantly striving for balance, for normality – a process known as homoeostasis. Cuts heal, breaks mend, infections are overcome (usually without any outside help); diarrhoea