Re: Different antifungals target different virulence factors in candida

 I absolutely agree with tpno2005. I have studied candida for many years. I also had serious systemic candida and managed to get rid of it(and all the symptoms too) for good using a particular multi-protocol that was entirely geared to be radically antagonistic to the behaviour and characteristics of candida. In my study of this disease, I soon realized that the simplistic antifungal/antibiotic approach was a hopelessly inadequate approach, for the following reasons:

* Dimorphism. Candida has a dual form -- a yeast form(saprophyte) and a fungal or mycelial form(parasite). The yeast form inhabits and causes problems locally in body regions such as the uterus, intestines, skin etc. The fungal form is body-wide, inhabiting the blood. tissues and organs, all regions of the body more or less. Most people who take anti-fungals dont even consider whether the antifungal acts outside the intestines to kill the fungal form. So you may well get rid of your candida for a while from the intestines -- but, if you also have the fungal form,  the candida will usually come storming back into the intestines after a month or two because you haven't even attempted to get rid of the fungal form in the blood, which eventually comes back to repopulate and infest the intestines again. Nystatin is a case in point, and only ever has anti-fungal action in the intestines because it is so poorly absorbed into the body -- this is why candida keeps returning when you use just nystatin. This return and re-emergence of candida when using nystatin is well known in medicine and is called the "Rebound Effect".

* Candida Biofilms. Here is another major reason people fail with their own protocols against candida. Unless you incorporate strong anti-biofilm components into your protocol, you will not make any headway against your candida problem. Regularly supplementing prototease enzymes (such as Nattokinase, Lumbrokinase, Bromelain or Papain) or turpentine(distilled gum sap of pine) to digest or dissolve the fibrin biofilms quickly will act to de-cloak the candida and all associated bacteria leaving them naked and exposed for more succesful riddance by anti-fungals and anti-bacterials.

* Candida breeds with host cells. This produces hybrid host cells that are essentially factories for producing mycotoxins usually in the gut.

* Immunosuppressive effects of candida mycotoxins.  One particular group of candida mycotoxins(which also is apparent in the Aspergillus mold family) -- gliotoxins -- act to seriously suppress T-cells and macrophages. Gliotoxins act to denature and disrupt the DNA of these immune cells -- thus greatly suppressing the immune system both locally and bodywide. This then leaves the back door open for further rapid spread of candida throughout the body and also allows easier infection by a wide variety of bacteria and other associated pathogen species.

Other candida mycotoxins. Other mycotoxins -- which comprise alcohols, acids, aldehydes and poisonous proteins etc which puts a tremendous strain on the liver and kidneys to get rid of them. These candida mycotoxins have extensive physical and mental effects. Tartaric acid, as a mycotoxin, acts to interfere with the citric acid cycle for energy and also acts to cause pain or myalgias in the tissues and organs(think CFS or Fibromylagia). Arabinose, an aldehyde sugar from candida, is crosslinked with lysine and arginine to produce pentosidine. Pentosidine has been found in the tiny brain tangles characteristically found in people with Autism, ADHD and Alzheimers Disease. If you want to know more about this -- just do a Google search on "William Shaw candida" or "Peta Cohen candida'. Both these doctors have successfully used strong anti-fungal treatments to greatly improve the condition of people who have Autism, CFS, ADHD, Alzheimers Disease and SLS(as well as many other diseases). It also makes complete sense to try and incorporate nutrients in your protocol that will act to neutralize and help remove these candida mycotoxins. Supplementing sodium molybdate or molybdenum will help to neutralize aldehydes and alcohols from candida.. Alkalizing the body will also help to remove dangerous acids -- such as tartaric acid -- from the body as well.

Profuse Candida/Bacterial associations -- This becomes very apparent from Dr William Shaw's research. Most ordinary doctors, if they find a bacterial problem in your body, will just zero in on that bacterial problem. But chances are that  if you have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, bacterial vaginitis, Fibromylagia, CFS, esophigitis, GERD(for a long time), IBS, Leaky Gut and a host of other diseases -- then you will also have candida. And if you do have bacteria associated with candida then you may have great problems gettig rid of your bacterial problem because the most recent research has also found that other pathogen species -- ie bacteria -- have been found to share and reside in candida biofilms for protection. 

These behaviours, characteristics and associations make candida an extremely difficult pathogen to get rid of from the body. I used the above information(and more) to form the main strategy for an anti-candida protocol that is all-natural and very effective. This protocol is shown and defined here on curezone. 

In my protocol, I use Lugol's Iodine, Borax(Sodium Tetraborate), Molybdenum, Alkalizing and Turpentine(plus others like Methylene Blue and Pau D'Arco) as the main candida-attack remedies. Candida are unable to adjust to LI or Borax because these nutrients kill fungus so quickly  -- they just don't have time to adjust. Iodine also interfers with and prevents attachment of pathogens to host cells as well. Notably, this combination also acts to kill a large range of bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma and smalll parasites. As well, all these nutrients will act throughout the body to kill both the fungal and yeast forms of candida -- they don't just act to get rid of candida from the intestines.  

 I have a high regard  for candida as a pathogen -- because it is such a clever, robust and adaptive pathogenic organism. There seems to be  a consistent permanence and virulence about candida infection that is generally unrivalled by bacteria or virus infections. In the beginning of my book, I describe candida like this:

"If bacteria and viruses are the regular enemy troops that attack our bodies and our immune system, then you should regard candida as their Special Forces or as a highly competent guerrilla terrorist force that can hide in your body using biofilms; candida can breed with the host cells, thereby easily adjusting to medicines; candida can cause cravings in its host for its favourite food: sugar. It is both a saprophytic yeast and a fungal parasite with a dual form that is always associated with many other pathogenic forms and diseases and one that uses superior chemical warfare to continually weaken our immune system via its waste products, which act to poison and wreak havoc in our bodies with excessive levels of aldehydes, alcohols and poisonous proteins including tartaric acid and arabinose (a five-carbon aldehyde sugar). Knowing what I now know about candida and the effects of their waste products, I would far rather be infected with bacteria or a virus than from any fungus like candida."