BIOFILMS

A significant discovery was made in 1997 (research had been going on for years previous). Some pathogens such as candida and the bacteria responsible for Lyme’s disease were found to live in film structures that hid and protected them from Antibiotics and the human immune system. They were named “biofilms” and consisted of a matrix of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron as well as other bacteria. It could be considered a colony that derived much mutual benefit by living together in such an arrangement. Biofilms is a major reason why getting rid of candida is difficult. Antifungals are given and kill significant number of cells but after the antifungal moves on, the biofilm acts as a nursery supplying more baby candida cells to come out and re-infect the host.

To tackle the problem of biofilms it was found necessary to attack the matrix the biofilm is made of. Chelating agents can be given such as EDTA which binds to and carries off the minerals making up the matrix. Certain enzymes are able to attack the cellular structures of the matrix. Attacking the biofilm in these ways will allow holes and spaces in the biofilm structure so that antifungals can enter and kill the hiding candida. The topic of biofilms is somewhat lengthy and involved so I just want to mention the salient points. If you have been harboring candida for years and years, you most certainly have biofilm in your system. If you have been taking antifungals at least twice a day on an empty stomach in sufficient dose quantities and still have the same amount of die-off and seem “stuck” you either have biofilm or you aren’t being strict enough with your diet. There are SOME people who have only had a candida problem for a year or less who don’t have biofilm and can proceed with anti-candida protocol with no problem. When I get to talking about enemas in my next post I will discuss what are known as “ropes” or “strings” of yeast eliminated rectally from the colon. I had those and examined them. They had a tensile strength that could not be from candida alone. I am sure they were biofilms. Some were gray-green (stained by bile for a long time) and opaque (candida is translucent). So if you have suffered from candida for a long time you can benefit from anti-biofilm protocol. Below are two links from biofilm experts that I recommend you read:

http://www.advancedhealing.com/dr-ettingers-biofilm-protocol-for-lyme-and-gut...

http://www.autismpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Usman

From the first link, Dr. Ettinger lists supplements useful in breaking up biofilm. Some I have mentioned before like coconut oil, monolaurin and xylitol from my discussion on antifungals. Below are the ones (in the order I give them of importance) that I think are most helpful against biofilms:

Interfase Plus – Enzyme product that contains the important enzyme beta glucanase which attacks yeast cells. Also contains EDTA which removes minerals from the matrix thus weakening it. Take 2 or 3 capsules right before bedtime.

Serrapeptase – Important fibrinolytic enzyme that attacks the biofilm. Take at least 120,000 units right before bedtime.

Nattokinase – Another fibrolytic enzyme that attacks biofilm. Take 4,000 units right before bedtime.

NAC – N-Acetyl Cysteine – An amino acid that is a component of glutathione and which has anti-biofilm properties. Take 1 gram per day.

Lactoferrin – Scavenges iron so as to keep it unavailable to biofilm formation. Take 250 mg. once or twice a day on an empty stomach.

When taking the enzyme products (Interfase Plus, nattokinase and serrapeptase), they are best taken right before bedtime on an empty stomach. They will work overnight punching holes in the biofilm so that when you take your antifungals first thing in the morning, the antifungals will be much more effective. The other biofilm supplements can be taken during the day: coconut oil 2 or 3 tablespoons a day, monolaurin 2 teaspoonfuls a day, xylitol 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls a day.

Antifungal Probiotics

After about a month of antifungal therapy it would be good to add some antifungal probiotics to your protocol since they can get to the colon because they aren’t absorbed by the gut. Also, yeast can’t become immune to them. So, what are antifungal probiotics?

They are bacteria that have antifungal properties. I’m not sure if they “eat” the candida or not but they do kill candida directly. These weren’t known about until the early 90s when a product hit the market called Threelac. It contains three different bacteria that are microencapsulated to survive the acid of the stomach and be released in the gut. Threelac comes in small foil envelopes that you tear open and either pour directly on the tongue and chase with water or you can dissolve it in a glass of water and drink. Tastes like a lemon Lucky Charm. The three bacteria contained in Threelac are:

Bacillus Subtilis – A soil-based bacteria that does not colonize in the gut (eliminated from body after 3 days).

Bacillus Coagulans – A soil-based bacteria that is a lactic acid producer thus favoring other friendly bacteria and disfavoring yeast. Supports and improves immune function.

Enterococcus Faecalis – A bacteria normally found in the human colon. Competes with yeast for food thereby edging it out. Some hospitals say that this bacteria is capable of transferring Antibiotic resistance to other bacteria. Well, as long as you don’t take Antibiotics with this you should be fine. I personally have had no bad side effects taking Threelac but some people have and they blame it on this bacteria. The vast majority of people report no bad effects.

The makers of Threelac claim that no special diet is required. It is not stated on the box so I’m going to guess it’s made in an advertisement or video. Like I’ve said previously, if you don’t adhere to a strict anti-candida diet, NOTHING you do to treat candida will work. So don’t think Threelac is any different in that respect. Threelac is fairly low in bacterial counts per pack. There are only one-half billion bacteria of each of the three strains per pack. So start off taking two packs each morning before breakfast. After a month increase to two packs twice a day. I don’t think Threelac is a miraculous ‘silver bullet’ against candida but it is useful none the less. Threelac produced die-off in me after I had plateaued with regular antifungals so I know it was doing some good.

The bacillus coagulans can be purchased as a stand-alone probiotic. Potencies in the 5 to 6 billion microorganisms per capsule is common and a good dose. Take one a day after being on Threelac for 2 or 3 weeks. This probiotic really does major damage to the yeast colonies. I had major die-off for over an hour so I know it was working. After 2 weeks I increased my dosage to one capsule every 12 hours and am experiencing the most improvement in my fight against candida.

Bacillus Laterosporus BOD is another antifungal probiotic that is soil-based and does not colonize the gut. It is good at what it does but the capsules it comes in are only 100 million microbes per capsule. That is one-tenth of a billion. If you take 10 capsules a day to achieve 1 billion organisms, your bottle would run out after 6 days. A bottle is only $15 but still it’s what I call pricey if you want an effective dosage.

Again, I want to repeat my disclaimer to those who are overwhelmed by all the info and supplements I’m mentioning in my posts:

Since it is fairly hard to know how serious or widespread a yeast infection you might have, I am going to assume it is a serious infection. If your infection is not that serious then if you take my advice you will get over your infection much quicker than normal. All of the things I discuss here are helpful to curing yeast infection. It is impossible to answer what is the least you have to do or buy to get over your yeast problem. I am writing to a large audience. Each person’s needs are different. Don’t ask me if you HAVE TO do any one thing or combinations of things I’ve discussed. Take responsibility for your own health. Do your own research like I have and EXPERIMENT wisely.
If you missed my previous posts in this series you can read them here:

//www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=2207315

//www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=2207622

//www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=2208079