Re: My theory on candida epidemic

 I think antibiotics are THE cause of the candida epidemic. My theory is that antibiotics wipe out certain good bacterial species that inhabit the surface of the intestinal mucous membrane. When these good bacteria are killed off, the ever present candida invades the mucous membranes. Once this happens the war is lost. Candida has won and the best the body can do is limit the damage.

People not taking antibiotics can still develop Candida problems though. The problem lies in immune dysfunction. The immune system though is a multitude of things INCLUDING the intestinal flora, which form bacteriocides, peroxide, and acids including lactic and acetic acid.

Yawn, so what else if new? Okay, probiotics help by increasing lactic acid in the intestines and limiting candida growth. This is good. But they will not eradicate candida.

Correct, but the acids formed keep the Candida growth gene turned off and also keep Candida in a relatively harmless yeast form rather than the aggressive and pathogenic fungal form.

What's more, they won't even colonize the intestines, let alone displace candida from the mucous membrances. Contrary to advertising, all priobiotic bacteria are transient. So as soon as you stop taking probiotics you will get another candida outbreak.

This I really have to disagree with. A few strains have been shown to be transient. But there are literally thousands of beneficial strains that inhabit the gut. And these bacteria do a lot more than just control Candida and pathogenic bacteria. They also produce B vitamins and immune factors. They also the produce about 80% of the body's serotonin. In order for us to stay healthy these bacteria have to take up residence in the intestines.

In addition how could prebiotics work for the body if these bacteria were not residing in the gut? Prebiotics do not contain these bacteria. Instead they feed the flora that are residing in the gut. Since most people are not breast feeding on colostrum or eating dirt they are not getting regular infusions of these bacteria. So if these bacteria were not residing in the gut then we would be quickly depleted of these bacteria and we would have all sorts of health issues from the lack of beneficial compounds produced by these bacteria.

Yeah, still nothing really new here. Okay. Babies get their good surface inhabiting bowel bacteria from their mothers, both in the womb and through colostrum.

They do not get the flora in the womb. Instead the flora are first picked up during birthing as vaginal fluids containing these bacteria enter their mouth and then are swallowed. This is why C-section babies are not as healthy. The first bacteria they are exposed to are not the benefical flora, but rather hospital pathogens. They also pick up beneficial bacteria from the colostrum, but also from the mother's nipple skin.

What if their mother's good bacteria has already been killed by antibiotics? The baby is then born into the world with no effective defence against candida. Further, if the baby is unlucky and gets infected with candida in the womb, due to systemic candidiasis of the mother, the baby may also be born autistic.

You are never going to kill off all of the benefical bacteria with antibiotics. There will always be survivors, which is again why prebiotics can be used to get the numbers back up. And the baby will still get more flora from the nipple skin if the mother is breast feeding.

What I'm getting at here is that with each generation of humans, the special mucous membrane lining bacteria that defend against candida are gradually becoming extinct. This means that future generations will not need to take antibiotics for systemic candida infection to occur. There is also the probability that candida is becoming increasingly virulent and resistant.

What's the solution? Firstly we need to isolate the right bacteria that actually protect the intestines from candida, even if we have to locate them in isolated tribes that have never taken antiobics. We then need to develop a way of getting them into the intestines so that will colonize the linings. I think this is the strategy being looked into by Paul Jaep and Gary Smith in UK. I wish them luck, because I think we are rapidly losing this war against our immune systems, while the arrogant medical fraternity smugly sits back in denial.