Playing online casino Malaysia through Alibaba33 online casino Malaysia can be a fun and rewarding experience for those who enjoy playing games for fun. trusted online casino malaysia alibaba33Bet on your favourite slots, live, sporting events and win big! If you enjoy sports, slots like Mega888 ewallet Alibaba33 online casino Malaysia has something for you.

Viagra Malaysia treat erectile dysfunction with the original ED treatment that has helped men feel confident in bed for decades. We’ll connect you with a licensed viagra malaysia healthcare provider to evaluate if our prescription ED treatments could be right for you, including super-affordable generic Viagra viagramalaysiaofficial Viagra is an oral ED medication that works by suppressing an enzyme in the body called PDE5.

Category: Natural Remedies - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Category: Natural Remedies - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

How To Heal Your Gut Naturally

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a healthy mammal is home to a complex community of bacteria. This microbial community is often called “microbiota,” “gut flora,” or “beneficial bacteria.” These microbes have evolved with us to coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship.

An Introduction to Gut Microbes

We need beneficial gut microbes for proper B vitamin production, digestion, and assimilation. Some bacteria also synthesize vitamin K. In fact, we need bacteria for synthesization, digestion, and assimilation of many vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and many other nutrients. Healthy bacteria also keep the population of other microbes (like candida) down to healthy levels. Healthy bacteria colonies form a biofilm that keeps the intestinal wall healthy and acts as a barrier against pathogens. Healthy bacteria move slowly and crowd out unwanted pathogens. A healthy gut biofilm is a home to thousands of different beneficial bacteria, the more the better. And they don’t just reside on our gut. Some of them can and do pass through the gut wall and they live all over our body. It’s often said that bacteria in our body outnumber our own cells by about ten to one. That’s incorrect, but there are more bacteria cells than human cells in the human body. The ratio is about 39 bacterial cells to every 30 human cells.

If you have ever been to a bio-dentist, they may have shown you what your mouth bacteria looks like under a microscope. Generally, the fast-moving bacteria are up to no good. You can see these guys frantically swimming around looking for trouble, banging against the teeth and gums, maybe looking for a good spot to burrow in and make a home, feed, and reproduce. If you have teeth and gum issues try this: take the capsule of a probiotic, break it open, and empty the contents into your mouth. Leave it in there. Move it around. Swish it around when you’ve built up some saliva. You should notice that some of the pain subsides. Now picture how this works in your gut. Incidentally, oral health is a very good indicator of gut health.

Without enough healthy bacteria, the whole body suffers. Gut microbes can change brain chemistry and alter endocrine functionality. Depression is tied to irritable bowel syndrome. Autism is believed to be caused by or at least exacerbated by an unbalanced gut. In my experience, every single autoimmune disease resides in the body of someone with an unhealthy gut.

Hopefully, you’re getting an idea of how important healthy bacteria are to our health. We need them for good health for many reasons, and likely most of which we aren’t even yet aware of yet.

It should be noted that the phrases “good bacteria” and “bad bacteria” are pretty inaccurate. Bacteria are only responding to their environment. “Good” bacteria, under bad circumstances, will become “bad” bacteria very quickly.

Candida

We all have candida spores in our gut even if we’re healthy. They’re practically indestructible. Anything we could do to kill them would probably kill us. They can reside in the body dormant without causing problems for an estimated six months.

Antibiotics kill bacteria and antibiotics can also kill other pathogens including fungi. But yeast spores are left to rule. When there is an opportunity to flourish candida turns fungal, becoming pathogenic.

Common Causes of Candida Overgrowth

  • Alcohol
  • Antibiotics
  • Vaccines
  • Amalgam Fillings
  • Refined foods
  • Smoking

An often overlooked way that candida gets fed is damage to the body. Cells are mostly made up of glycogen and starch. Damaged, dying cells feed yeast and other pathogens.

Leaky Gut

The gut is permeable, so to some extent, it’s always leaky. A health gut biofilm doesn’t let unwanted things pass into the bloodstream. Some of the “good” bacteria will get through, but that’s ok. Remember, there are bacteria all over our body. We want the good guys, not the bad guys. If candida takes over, an abundance of candida increases zonulin levels, the substance that controls the tight junctions between enterocytes in the gut, which leads to weaker junctions and the development of leaky gut. And here’s a scary fact for you: candida filaments also penetrate directly through the wall of the gut lining and contribute to leaky gut in this manner as well. In other words, picture centipede looking things with very long legs that kind of drill into the gut lining. The intestinal wall will also get dry and cracked. All of this makes for a gut that is much more permeable than it should be. At this stage pathogens and undigested proteins make it into our bloodstream, overwhelming the body’s immune system. Proteins have to be broken down completely or else the body sees them as foreign proteins and reacts accordingly. This is how most allergies happen.

And that gut drilling thing candida does – it does it all over the body as well, opening up pathways for infection throughout the body.  It’s easy to see how candida wrecks havoc on the liver. Consider the gut-liver axis. 70% of the blood flow to the liver is flowing from the gut. The liver quickly becomes overwhelmed with the toxins produced by candida.

I could go on and on about candida, but I’m attempting to write my shortest gut-health article to date, so I’ll stop here. But if you want to know more, read Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections. I’ll bet it’ll blow your mind. Candida is a fascinating creature.

Supplements

If you want to see a list of the top 25+ supplements for killing fungi, this is your list. Below is a list I put together a supplement stack with just a few that work very well to put the gut back into homeostasis.

  • Activated CharcoalBinds with positively charged things in the gut, like candida in its pathogenic form, and many of the toxins it produces, which then gets defecated out of the body. (more on activated charcoal)
  • AstragalusA potent antimicrobial that also is anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system, slows tumor growth, helps prevent and reverse diabetes, and more.
  • Berberine: This plant-root alkaloid extract has confirmed and potent antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
  • Biotin: With the presence of the B vitamin, biotin, it is said that yeast is unable to change into its mycelium form. On the other hand, there are some studies that suggest candida can feed off of biotin.
  • Black Walnut: Studies have shown that black walnut can effectively kill canker sores, herpes, and syphilis sores. The husks of black walnuts have potent anti-fungal powers; more powerful than many prescription drugs. Fungi and parasites thrive in an acidic environment.
  • Caprylic acid: A the fatty acid in coconut which contains antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Coconut or coconut oil by itself does not have very strong antimicrobial properties.
  • ChlorellaIt’s not an anti-fungal, but chlorella is negatively charged like charcoal and has a host of other benefits that counter candida symptoms. Chlorella also helps remove heavy metals and limited amounts of positively charged candida from the blood.
  • Cinnamon: A potent natural antifungal with tons of other health benefits. Read more on cinnamon.
  • ClaysLike activated charcoal, bentonite clay can bind with candida and heavy metals and other positively charged items to pull them out of the body through defecation.
  • Clove: This strong smelling spice contains some of the same compounds as oregano oil. Studies have shown that cloves contain powerful antimicrobial and anti-fungal compounds.
  • CranberryThere is nothing better for a urinary tract infection than unsweetened, unadulterated cranberry juice. Click for Recipe.
  • Diatomaceous EarthOften called DE for short, this supplement is another negatively charged chelator (like charcoal and bentonite clay, but not as effective in that way), that also kills pathogens, but candida biofilm protects itself well from DE. More on DE.
  • Enzymes: Hemicellulase, protease, and Cellulase have been shown to break down the cells walls and the biofilm of candida. These must be taken within a protective capsule that will break apart in the gut and not the stomach acid. More on enzymes.
  • GarlicAllicin, a compound in garlic, has antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties, and garlic helps strengthen the immune system. Read more about garlic.
  • Goldenseal: A popular herb that has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years, with potent antimicrobial activity, including some pretty decent antifungal properties.
  • GoldenrodGoldenrod is antifungal, diuretic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, astringent, antiseptic, and carminative.10
  • MagnesiumBreaks down the toxic metabolites (byproducts) of candida albicans. Read about homemade calcium and magnesium here.
  • MolybdenumAlso breaks down the toxic metabolites (byproducts) of candida albicans.
  • Mushrooms: Fight fire with fire, and fungi with fungi! Many mushrooms produce natural anti-yeast factors to prevent other fungi from taking over their turf. The reishi mushroom is well known throughout the world for its plethora of health benefits, including powerful antifungal properties, but there are many other mushrooms that help clean the gut as well.
  • Lemongrass: Lemongrass oil is the most powerful antibacterial and antifungal essential oil.
  • Neem: This plant’s properties include immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic.
  • Oil of OreganoThis extract is very well known for its ability to kill off pathogenic activity, and there are plenty of studies that demonstrate its efficacy.
  • Olive Leaf Extract: This extract is known for killing fungal and pathogenic bacterial infections without harming healthy bacteria. I suspect this is because it’s weak and doesn’t penetrate biofilm.
  • Pau D’ArcoAlso known as Lapacho, this supplement has received worldwide attention in recent years due to the numerous studies proving its amazing health benefits including the ability to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and difficult fungal infections like candida.
  • ProbioticsMost everyone knows to take probiotics to fight yeast infections, but make sure the probiotic is of quality. Lots of cheap probiotics break down in stomach acid and the ingredients end up actually feeding yeast. Also, they need to be able to pass through stomach acid and into the gut to do its job. Taking probiotics with antimicrobial supplements will reduce the effects of both.
  • SpirulinaFor purposes of candida killing, it works just like the other aforementioned algae, Chlorella. Check out How to Grow Spirulina at Home
  • TurmericTurmeric is a potent antimicrobial herb with proven antifungal properties and a host of other amazing health benefits. Check out How to Optimize Curcumin.
  • Undecylenic acid: This fatty acid is six times more effective than caprylic acid. It’s been shown in studies that candida cannot build a tolerance for undecylenic acid, which probably makes it the most potent candida killer on this list.
  • Wormwood: This is a potent antimicrobial’s active ingredient is Artemisia, and it is better known the world over for its ability to kill parasites.
  • Zinc: helps with protein digestion, enzymatic reactions, energy production, antioxidant functions, and it is imperative for proper mineral balance. It’s common to see a zinc deficiency in a candida-laden body.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:

I recommend taking the SF722, Berberine, MycoCeutics, and Microdefense with meals, and the Abzorb and Syntol separately, on an empty stomach (like in the morning and before bed). The Abzorb and the Syntol are a bit redundant, but I find good results using both if the budget can afford it. If money is really tight, just get the SF722 and put your money into your diet.

Diet

You could probably take lots of SF722 every day and eat like the average health-conscious person does and be fine. If you don’t want to take supplements forever, you’ll need to adopt a much healthier diet.

Here are three articles I put together on diet. This is indicative of how my family eats every single day. The first article has recipes for cranberry lemonade and salads.

Make cranberry lemonade every day. The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of candida are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant #3.

Eat a very large salad (7-9 cups) for breakfast. The salad has at least 10 different vegetables and a few different herbs.

Don’t let anyone cook or prepare your food for you. This means no boxes or cartons or almond milk. Make it yourself. No restaurants, not premade dinners, no prepackaged meals, your foods you buy should have only one ingredient.

Start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, for those that aren’t very sick, do a smoothie or snack on some nuts and/or fruit, or we finish that massive breakfast salad.

For dinner, cook from scratch, which will take preparation and time, but it gets easier. Try rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, and amaranth. Some of these foods are not recommended on candida-cleanse diets, but I feel they are beneficial when one is eating the aforementioned salads. Also, we add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well. For instance, the rice and beans go great with raw chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits.

The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of raw vegetables. Eat a variety of them. Your fridge should be full of produce! There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem.

For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains may be a no-no for the first few weeks at least, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned. I recommend, for those who are very sick and who have a hard time digesting foods, to slowly add in the aforementioned dinner foods into salads first.

Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for those who are chronically ill, avoided until the gut is working well. Grapefruit, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.

Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well.

Modern fruit has too much sugar in it; I don’t recommend being a fruitarian, especially with an abundance of candida. The key to fixing the gut is a very wide variety of fresh raw vegetables and herbs. Some fruit is great, but too much fruit can send even a healthy gut into fungal overload.

Wheat and oats should be avoided until gut health is restored. Wheat and oats tend to be drenched in glyphosate before they are harvested, and wheat has a host of other issues regarding health. If you want to eat bread, make your own using heirloom seeds and old-school practices. Check out Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Allergies, and Celiac Disease – It’s More Complicated Than You Think for more information.

Variety

You need a lot of different kinds of bacteria to make a healthy gut colony. Different bacteria like different foods, and the most beneficial bacteria like the healthiest foods. Raw vegetables and herbs feed the gut the best, producing the healthiest bacteria. If you think about it, nature really wouldn’t work any other way. A lot of health practitioners want to limit the diet when someone is sick. They also often say to avoid raw produce. These two ideas are wrong! I work the other way. Limit sweets, including fruits, and eliminate refined and processed foods, but expand your healthy whole foods that don’t feed pathogens, and fresh raw produce is best.

Six Months

It takes around six months for spores to die off. It takes about as long for the gut lining to heal. Fortunately, you can build a healthy biofilm full of beneficial microbes much faster than that. Unfortunately, spores are ready to come to life as soon as they’re feed. For anyone with systemic fungal related health issues, it takes six months of being very careful and strict on the diet – six months from the day, after all, symptoms are gone – to really get rid of candida, other fungi, and chronic illness.

Sources:



Having a Medical Marijuana Card Disqualifies You From Gun Ownership, Says Federal Appeals Court

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Wednesday that a ban prohibiting individuals with medical marijuana cards from purchasing firearms does not infringe on their second amendment rights. The ruling is a response to a lawsuit filed by a Nevada resident S. Rowan Wilson in 2011 after she was unable to purchase a weapon for self-defense due to a federal ban on the sale of firearms to illegal drug users. Wilson claims she obtained the card as a gesture of support for marijuana legalization. Chaz Rainey her attorney and plans to appeal the decision.

We live in a world where having a medical marijuana card is enough to say you don’t get a gun, but if you’re on the no fly list your constitutional right is still protected…”

The initial lawsuit was filed in Nevada back in 2011, more than a decade after Nevada decriminalized marijuana and legalized medical marijuana.

The 9th Circuit Court and States Law

This ruling calls to attention some major issues with marijuana regulation in the United States. The court that served this verdict has jurisdiction over the western half of the United States, a region that accounts for roughly 20% of the country’s population. It’s also which contains more than half of the states that allow recreational marijuana. In fact, the only district overseen by the 9th court without any marijuana legalization is Idaho.

Recommended: Trump’s FDA Is Bringing Back Asbestos and Making Russian Company Very Happy

Those laws are in conflict with the federal government’s stance on marijuana, though that attitude might be loosening now that it’s clear marijuana is big business. After all, the FDA approved the first marijuana-based medication earlier this year. Does that mean nationwide medical marijuana is coming? Or do certain businesses get the special treatment?

What’s The Call Here

So what takes precedence here? Should a person using marijuana legally as a medication be prohibited from purchasing a firearm? Do we apply those laws to those on prescription medications? The recent opioid crisis suggests that marijuana may actually be the lesser of two evils. Public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of legalized medical marijuana. What does that look like in America, and when do we get to see it?

Recommended: Monsanto Lost! Ordered to Pay $289 million in California Roundup Cancer Trial

Right now, that looks like a lot of confusion. The likelihood that things will work out for you seems to depend on who you ask and who you are. People of color are unfairly targeted for non-violent drug offenses. Meanwhile, GW Pharmaceuticals has received approval to sell marijuana-based medication while the U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, continues to promise nationwide crackdowns.

Can we get some consistency?

Sources:



Tonsillectomies Linked to Increased Risks of Allergies, Respiratory Illnesses, and Infectious Diseases

An original investigation published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Otolaryngology-Head & Neck division finds that children who underwent tonsil and/or adenoid (the gland on the roof of the mouth that near the connection between nose and mouth) removal contend with increased risks of allergies, respiratory illnesses, and infectious diseases. Researchers conducted a review of nearly 1.2 million children where roughly 60,000 of them had tonsillectomies, adenoidectomies, or adenotonsillectomy. The children that underwent the procedure were 2 to 3 times more likely to experience upper respiratory diseases. In addition, adenoid removal resulted in a 17% higher risk of infectious disease.

When I was younger, I remember reading a Sweet Valley Twins book where the twins get their tonsils out. They were scared, but by the end of the book all fears had been assuaged and they accepted that getting your tonsils out was an easy operation, simply another cost of childhood. No one asked any questions. As an adult, I have many. What condition is serious to warrant removing a body part? Were there any other alternatives? Most importantly, what does the removal of your tonsils mean for your health long term?

Why do they do a tonsillectomy? 

Tonsil and adenoid removals are usually done in childhood. In fact, the adenoids typically shrink after the age of seven so later removal of them is usually not considered necessary. Both removals are performed in response to inflammation, as enlarged adenoids and tonsils can block a child’s airway. Tonsils, in particular, are associated with sore throats.

Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

There is a good reason that tonsils are associated with sore throats. Tonsils and adenoids are the body’s first line of defense against pathogens that enter through the mouth. Doctors remove tonsils and adenoids because they’re inflamed, causing sore throats…but that’s what they’re designed to do. The inflammation is a direct response to infection. The tonsils produce T and B cells, and the adenoids produce white blood cells to combat infection. These organs are known to perform vitally important functions in the body, yet removing them is one of the most commonly performed surgeries in childhood.

Alternative Treatment Options

Many doctors are beginning to steer clear of tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies, as they’re finding equal or better rates of success with antibiotics. Of course, while much better than surgery, antibiotics are problematic as well. There are other ways to get in front of a sore throat, sinus infection, or cold. Time is of the essence, so the sooner you react to the little tingle at the back of your throat indicating something is wrong, the better. Implementing these steps quickly can be the difference between a day of feeling groggy and a week of downing supplements in a valiant effort to avoid bronchitis or strep. Some of them will obviously be difficult for children. Prevention, aka diet, is really the most important, especially for kids.

Related: How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials

Step One: Lock down the diet. This is not a time to be treating yourself. Sugar, processed foods, and dairy all feed the infection and can prolong the amount of time you need to recover. Big, diverse salads loaded with lots of chopped garlic and herbs are a must.

Step Two: Find (or make) a fire cider. Sip on it all day. The spicier the better. If you have a small child or if you absolutely can’t take the cider without something to sweeten it up, the only option is truly raw honey. Once the honey is heated in any way, the body recognizes it as simple sugars and it feeds the infection. Pro tip: try gargling the cider, especially at the back of the throat. Here’s one we like.

Step Three: Chew on raw garlic. Garlic should be your new best friend. For more on how great garlic is, read this article. You don’t have to swallow it (especially on an empty stomach, as no one wants to puke when they potentially have a sore throat), but if you feel like you can keep it down, go for it! The longer you can chew the garlic in your mouth, the better.

Related:  Make Your Immune System Bulletproof with These Natural Remedies

If you catch the issue in time, these three steps can be lifesavers. If you need a little extra oomph, other good natural treatments include oil of oregano, berberine in one of its many forms, slippery elm tea, cayenne in your lemonade, and in dire straits, herbal snuff (it hurts).

Conclusion

Tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are responses to these organs working the way they are designed to. There’s a pattern of this, the removal of necessary body parts, in modern medicine, from the tonsils to the appendix to circumcision. In our effort to figure out and control our surroundings, we frequently forget to consider the whole picture. We forget how holistic health actually is.

Sources:



Best Supplements To Kill Lyme and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is grossly under-reported in the United States. Lyme cases have more than doubled since the 1990s. The number of counties that are now deemed high-risk for Lyme has increased by more than 320 percent. About 329,000 cases of Lyme disease occur every year according to the latest researcher from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious diseases in the US and in Western Europe. Public funding for this disease is still far below that of less common illnesses, receiving less than 2% of public funding for West Nile and 0.2% of funding for HIV/AIDS even though Lyme effects for more people, but fortunately, awareness is rapidly evolving.

Contents

Lyme Disease 101

Infected ticks have been verified in 42 of 58 counties in California. The primary carrier on the West Coast is the Western black-legged tick, and it’s preferred host is the grey squirrel. On the East Coast the Eastern Black-legged tick is the principal carrier. This tick prefers the white-footed mouse.

Climate change seems to be giving this disease an advantage by helping ticks reproduce, and helping them live in more parts of the US. Ticks can’t survive in very cold climates. We are experiencing warmer winters, and ticks are able to live further and further north. The warmer temperatures also increase the growth rate of ticks. Some researchers estimate that global warming has increased tick reproduction by up to two times in the US, and up to five times in Canada.

Lyme disease is named after where it was first discovered, which was in Connecticut in a town called Lyme. In the 1960s and 1970s, with a population of 12,000 living in Old Lyme, Lyme, and East Haddam, 39 children were diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and 12 adults were diagnosed with arthritis that was said to be from an unknown cause.

In 1975, frustrated by the lack of answers from their medical community, two mothers started gathering information from residents and then relayed that information to the  Connecticut State Department of Health and the Yale School of Medicine. The researchers were able to identify the disease and recognize its symptoms, nobody knew what the cause was until the early 80. We owe the discovery to Willy Burgdorfer, a scientist who was studying Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He discovered the tick connection and the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is named after him.

Many still attribute its transmission only to ticks, but a growing number of researchers including one of the leading authorities on Lyme disease, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, believes that the bacteria can be spread by other biting or blood-sucking insects, including mosquitoes, fleas, spiders, and mites. We now know that dogs and cats can get infected too.

Is Lyme Contagious?

Numorous reports indicate that Lyme-causing bacteria appears to be passed down gestationally. A new study published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine suggests that Lyme disease may also be sexually transmitted.

“Our findings will change the way Lyme disease is viewed by doctors and patients. It explains why the disease is more common than one would think if only ticks were involved in transmission.” – Marianne Middelveen, lead author of the study

Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial species of the spirochete class of the genus Borrelia. These spirochetes infect many vertebrate animals including small mammals, lizards, and birds. Ticks most frequently acquire spirochetes from infected rodents during their larval feeding.

Spirochetes and known for their unique corkscrew shape and the way they move in a corkscrew type of motion. They are very slow to replicate and they survive without iron, which is very rare for bacteria. Instead, they use manganese for their survival. Unlike most disease-causing bacteria and fungi, it is believed that Borrelia burgdorferi does not emit a toxin. But the bacteria do seem to have a direct interaction with the cell tissues it infects.

Animal studies have shown that the bacteria can be found in low numbers in many tissues and organs including the skin, joints, heart, brain, urinary tract, and more. Aside from the initial infection, Borrelia does not seem to circulate in the blood.

Borrelia burgdorferi, with its corkscrew shape, bores deep into tissues and cartilage (including the brain and nervous system). This leaves the bacteria out of reach of most antibiotics. This bacteria can also mutate out of its corkscrew shape to a form that is able to live inside our cells (“intracellular”), once again leaving hard to kill with antibiotics. Borrelia burgdorferi and other spirochete bacteria form dormant cysts inside the body that block antibiotic activity, and the higher the dosage of antibiotics, the more resistant it becomes.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lyme disease is usually accompanied and aided by co-infections of other stealth microbes that also live inside our cells as well.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

  • Rashes
  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Cognitive decline
  • Vision changes
  • Other neurological problems
  • Skin outbreaks
  • Heart problems
  • Mood changes
  • Pain

Check out this full list of symptoms provided by Joseph Burrascano, MD

Most people who have been diagnosed with Lyme, including those who test positive, never recall being bitten, or show the telltale bullseye rash.

Testing For Lyme

Current diagnostics miss up to 60% of acute cases. This is what’s so infuriating for those trying to figure out what’s going on with their bodies: Testing for Lyme is inaccurate, but especially so in the beginning. By the time the tests are likely to show positive for someone with Lyme, antibiotic treatments are typically no longer effective. In other words, people would go to their doctor and ask if they have Lyme, the doctors would say how rare it is (fortunately doctors are getting much better about this lately), but would reluctantly perform the tests, only to find no trace of Lyme. So the person would assume some other autoimmune disease while the Lyme slowly proliferates. Then the person would eventually seek another opinion, get another round of tests, and maybe (but often not) find out they do in fact have Lyme. Or, they often find out that one can have Lyme and still test negative indefinitely, but at this stage, the person is showing enough symptoms that the new more knowledgeable doctor can easily conclude that it’s Lyme.

But now the antibiotics will no longer be effective. It’s too late. Many people try anyways, wrecking their immune system in the process.

I suspect that often times a heavy round of antibiotics works to kill the bacteria, but the body is left so badly damaged that new infection (often Candida being the first) takes over, and all of the symptoms remain.

Borrelia does not seem to circulate in the blood. This is the main reason it is so difficult to detect. The bacteria also have a very slow replication rateso the number of bacteria found in a host remains small, at least for a long time.

There are multiple tests for Lyme. The CDC recommends screening with the ELISA test and then confirming the results with the Western blot test. As mentioned, these tests are completely unreliable during the first 4-6 weeks of infection. The tests only measure the patient’s antibody response to the infection, not the presence of the bacteria itself.

Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose using conventional tests. And there’s great variation in the presentation of the disease as well, depending on where you contracted it, and whether or not you have any other coexisting infections. There is a group of seven or eight microbes that are the most common. The worst ones are Babesia microti and the different forms of Bartonella.

It is said that an initial course of antibiotics given in stage one cures the disease most of the time, but why not all the time? Is the course of antibiotics too short? Should more be given? Should they be given long term, especially for those who have stage 3 symptoms? What if blood tests no longer show spirochetes? If the antibiotics don’t work, the patient now has to combat Lyme with a very depleted immune system.” – Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD

Why Antibiotics May Not Work for Lyme Disease

These days, early treatment is typically successful, according to the latest science, but most patients go undiagnosed for years. At least 20% of those who are said to be successfully treated for Lyme will experience the same symptoms after treatment, which as mentioned, can easily be attributed to a depleted immune system leading to Candida overgrowth or other fungal pathogens, opening the door for many other infections as well.

Antibiotic resistance occurs at a high rate with spirochete bacteria. Borrelia (and also its co-infections), will respond slowly to antibiotics. They will develop resistance. The bacteria that survive antibiotics can become completely antibiotic resistant. This is why doctors are starting to use multiple antibiotics at once seems, and this does lead to better chance of defeating Lyme, and depleting the immune system. If the medication fails, the bacteria that have survived will not only become resistant, but it will also become much more entrenched in the host.

The Lyme Timeline

Phase One – 3 to 30 Days

Also called early localized infection

Some say less than 50%, others say up to 70-75% develop the bullseye rash, starting at the site of the tick bite. It is not itchy or painful but they are usually warm to the touch. Sometimes flu-like symptoms develop soon after, including fever, chills, swollen lymph glands, headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain.

Phase Two – Days to Weeks After Bite

Also called early disseminated infection

  • Rash spreads
  • Large joints may become swollen and painful
  • Stiff neck in some cases
  • Meningitis may develop
  • Dizziness
  • Heart palpitations

Phase Three – Later Months to Years

Also called late disseminated infection

Many infectious disease specialists believe that “chronic Lyme disease” does not exist, and that Lyme disease from a tick bite can be cured with a short course of antibiotics. It is possible that those who have undergone antibiotic treatments are suffering from the side effects of antibiotics, but more and more experts are coming around to the idea that Lyme disease can survive and cause long-term autoimmune symptoms when antibiotics don’t work. We all know (or at least, we all should know) that antibiotics do not always work and can cause more problems.

  • Arthritis symptoms – swollen, painful joints (fluid-filled joints)
  • Neurological symptoms – numbness, tingling, shooting pains
  • Cognitive symptoms – brain fog, short-term memory deficits, confusion
  • Mood disturbance – depression
  • Fatigue
  • Abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure

Facial paralysis sometimes occurs in this stage or stage two.

Scary Lyme Facts You Should Know

How does Lyme make us sick, and why is it so damn resilient?!?!

  • Spiders, mosquitoes, fleas, and mites may also be spreading the same or similar bacterial infections.
  • Tests are unreliable because they measure the patient’s antibody response to the infection, not the bacteria itself.
  • There’s great variation in the presentation of the disease, depending on where it’s contracted, and whether there are other coexisting infections. At least eight other microbes make up the most common co-infections., including Babesia microti and different forms of Bartonella.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, has a corkscrew shape that allows it to bore deep into tissues and cartilage (including the brain and nervous system), safely out of reach of most antibiotics.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi can give up its corkscrew shape and convert to a form that is able to live inside cells (“intracellular”) where again, antibiotics have less reach.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi, along with other similar microbes, can form dormant cysts that are completely resistant to antibiotics; the harder you hit it, the more resistant it becomes.
  • Most ticks carry multiple disease-causing pathogens called co-infections. Borrelia burgdorferi is usually accompanied and aided by co-infections of other stealth microbes.
  • Lyme disease has been reported in all 50 states.
  • Lyme disease has been found on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Ticks carrying Lyme can be smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.
  • Many, perhaps most, do not get the bull’s eye rash. Some develop flu-like symptoms a week or so after becoming infected, however, many people are asymptomatic but can develop Lyme symptoms months, years or decades later.
  • It is called the great imitator; looking like many other health problems (Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Bells Palsy, ADD, MS, and Lupus).
  • People with other chronic disease are much more susceptible to Lyme disease, making Lyme even more likely to go undetectedcted.
  • The medical community is divided over the diagnosis and treatment guidelines.
  • Health insurance still often won’t cover the treatment for Chronic Lyme disease.
  • Lyme Disease transmission may be possible through intercourse, and can likely be passed down through the womb.
  • There are 12 strains of Borrelia that are known to cause Lyme Disease, and standard testing only tests for one.
  • Lyme Disease is more epidemic than Aids, West Nile and Avian Flu combined.
  • Lyme Disease can cause more than 300 different symptoms.
  • The average Lyme patient takes 2-3 years to get diagnosed correctly.
  • 25% of the reported cases are children.

Lyme Disease Cofactors

Leaky Gut and Lyme

In response to pathogenic toxins leaking from the intestines, the immune system produces multiple inflammatory compounds: Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF Beta-1), Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). These inflammatory compounds affect multiple systems of the body. Because of the inflammatory compounds that become elevated in people with Lyme disease or co-infections, they are at greater risk of leaky gut. In a study on Lyme disease patients, Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and Interleukin-13 (IL-13) were found to be elevated in different phases of infection. TNFα has also been found to be elevated in Bartonella infections, mice infected with Babesia, mice receiving Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever antigens, Ehrlichia infections, and in Brucellosis patients. Both TNFα and IL-13 have a direct effect on increasing intestinal lining leakage. Unfortunately, western medicine lacks a way to accurately diagnose and to treat leaky gut syndrome.” – Plugging the Holes in Lyme Disease Leaky Gut

I am of the opinion that a leaky gut is the root of most chronic disease. True or not, a leaky gut always exacerbates every ailment, every disease, every single health issue. You cannot cure any chronic disease without a healthy gut.

Lyme Disease and Co-infections

Ticks can carry many bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans within them, and transmit these pathogens with a single bite.

The most common tick-borne diseases in the United States include Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Diseases acquired together like this are called co-infections. Click below to learn more about specific Lyme disease co-infections. – About Lyme Disease Co-Infections

We also borrowed their chart:

Lyme and Candida Overgrowth

Yeast overgrowth is a common concern for Lyme patients who undergo antibiotic therapy. Whether or not the Lyme or other bacterial pathogens are killed, the immune system is depleted, the body;’s beneficial bacteria is eradicated, and the body is almost guaranteed to be overrun with fungal pathogens. If one is cured of Lyme disease they will then have to rebuild their immune system (along with healthy gut flora). Most people don’t know how to do this. If they did, they most likely would not have been susceptible to Lyme in the first place. But for those who do the Lyme treatment without successful elimination of Lyme now have to deal with a body that soon inundated with fungi.

Lyme Disease and Amalgam Fillings, Vaccines, and Other Toxic Compounds

Mercury toxicity has been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, panic attacks, insomnia, cognitive decline (Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and more), chronic headaches including migraines, joint pain, Candida overgrowth, and much more. The body cannot fend off Lyme under such conditions. People with a history or poor diet, antibiotic use, mercury fillings, or immunizations, are extremely susceptible to Lyme disease and the many co-infections the come with it.

Supplements, Herbs Used For Killing Lyme

  • Astragalus: A potent antimicrobial that also is anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system, slows tumor growth, helps prevent and reverse diabetes, and more.
  • Berberine: This plant-root alkaloid extract has confirmed potent anti-viral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
  • Black Walnut: Studies have shown that black walnut can effectively kill canker sores, herpes, and syphilis sores. Syphilis is another spirochete bacteria.
  • Cloves: This strong smelling spice contains some of the same compounds as oregano oil (see below). Studies have shown that cloves contain powerful antimicrobial and anti-fungal compounds.
  • Enzymes: Hemicellulase, protease, and Cellulase can dissolve Biofilms (which Lyme often resides in and procreates within) and Lyme Cysts (which, as stated above, shield the bacteria from intrusion). More on enzymes.
  • GarlicAllicin, a compound in garlic, has antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties, and garlic helps strengthen the immune system in other ways too. Read more about garlic.
  • Goldenseal: A popular herb that has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years, with potent antibacterial properties.
  • GoldenrodGoldenrod is antibacterial, antifungal, diuretic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, astringent, antiseptic, and carminative.
  • Mushrooms: Many mushrooms produce powerful antibacterial factors. The reishi mushroom is well known throughout the world for its plethora of health benefits, including powerful antimicrobial properties, but there are many other mushrooms that help as well.
  • Neem: This plant’s properties include immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic.
  • Oil of Oregano: This extract is very well known for its ability to kill off pathogenic activity, and there are plenty of studies that demonstrate its efficacy.
  • Pau D’Arco: Also known as Lapacho, this supplement has received worldwide attention in recent years due to the numerous studies proving its amazing health benefits including the ability to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and difficult fungal infections like Candida.
  • TurmericTurmeric is potent antimicrobial herb with proven antifungal properties and a host of other amazing health benefits. Check out How to Optimize Curcumin.
  • Wormwood: This is a potent antimicrobial’s active ingredient is Artemisia, and it is better known the world over for its ability to kill parasites.

The Lyme Protocol That Works

I’ll bet someone is going to ask why I don’t mention colloidal silver. I don’t think it’s good for you, I’ve never found it particularly helpful, and I just don’t trust it. But to each their own; you can find tons of very intelligent naturopaths who are much more educated than I am who will vehemently disagree with me on colloidal silver. And, the key to killing off Lyme with supplements, like with antibiotics, you need to use more than one. You’ve got to attack from every angle you can or else they build up immunity. The good news is that natural remedies affords many more options with fewer if any side effects and in my experience (when done right), a much better success rate. Like, 100%.

Now here’s the bad news. Actually, it’s not bad news, but it sure sounds like it to most people at first. You may not be able to kill the Lyme any time soon. I recommend a plethora of supplements with differing properties to attack any and all pathogenic bacteria, but you will never eradicate systemic pathogenic disease completely with supplements alone. And even with a perfect diet and all the best supplements, it takes time! A few of these Lyme-bacteria bastards, and other pathogens, will survive anything and everything you do to it at first. Don’t think that just because you are symptom free that your body has rid itself of all virulent infection. It doesn’t work that way.

The protocol calls for a phase of antimicrobials, but the foundation of the program is the diet. It’s the most important aspect of the program. Nobody gets well without eating right. At best, you’ll trade one disease for another if you skimp on the diet. Heal the gut, eat right, rebuild the body, and after a round of antimicrobial bombardment you rebuild the beneficial bacteria and let your immune system slowly finish off the survivors. This means being highly disciplined with diet for six months after the last ailment is gone. Think of it this way: Once you feel well, if you’re eating perfectly, it’ll take another six months to completely finish off the disease. A glass of wine or some refined sugar consumed before then could cause a resurgence.

In my experience, every single person who has Lyme disease has gut issues. I don’t believe that Lyme disease causes the gut issues, though it can exacerbate them. I contend that anyone who is susceptible to Lyme had a depleted immune system before they contracted Lyme, and virtually anyone with a depleted immune system has poor gut health. This protocol focus on gut health first and foremost. The gut is the foundation of your health. You can know how healthy someone is by the quality of microbes that reside within us.

Anti-Lyme Diet

Here are three articles I put together on diet. Most people, even those with Lyme and even worse diseases, will get completely well on this diet without supplements, but it takes a lot longer.

This is indicative of how my family eats every single day.

We start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, we sometimes do a smoothie or we snack on some nuts and/or fruit or we just finish our massive 11-cup salads. For those with serious gut issues, hold off on the nuts for a week or two. Anyone with lots of Candida should wait on the smoothies as well. Double up on the salads for the first week or two if you’re very ill.

For dinner, we always cook from scratch, which takes preparation and time, but it gets easier, I promise. Rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, oatmeal, and amaranth are common staples for our cooked meals, but don’t do the oats or millet until most of the inflammation subsides. We add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well, for instance, the rice and beans go great with chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits. There are some very interesting benefits to cooking many foods, but raw generally yields more benefits, so I mix it up.

This is truly a lifestyle, not just a diet, and it’s one we live every day. It’s also the same exact protocol I recommend for almost everyone who is sick, including anyone with Lyme. There’s a lot of conflicting information on what people with Lyme should eat, but I implore you, give this a try for at least 10 days, and you’ll see why. You may not need to go to this extreme to rid your body of disease, but I find that most who are dealing with chronic illness need to take it this far, at least for at least for a few months. With Lyme, it behooves you to err on the side of caution.

The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of it. Make sure they are diverse with at least 15 different vegetables and herbs. Read the article linked above, and make your salad recipe. If you could see what packing your gut with salad does to your ecosystem under a microscope, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about them. There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem. I cannot stress this enough – BIG DIVERSE SALADS!!! Mine are 9-11 cups a day. Throw on some beans or meat or eggs, whatever it takes to get them down, but get them down. If you can’t digest salads, get to where you can. I can’t digest McDonald’s. I don’t have the ecosystem in my gut to do that. If you can’t digest salads properly, you don’t have the right ecosystem for them. You need to build the right gut bacteria. How? Salads, that’s how. Eat salads!

Did I mention how important salads are? Ok, moving on.

The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of pathogens are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant 3rd. The recipe for cranberry lemonade resides within the first link above where the salad recipe is.

For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains may be a no-no for the first two to three weeks, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from many other foods including cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned.

Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for the very ill, avoided until the gut is working better. Grapefruit, tomatoes, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.

Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well. Same goes for carrot and beet juice. If you want to juice with a little sweetness, that’s fine, but add lots of cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric, tot he point at which it’s really not sweet anymore.

For anyone on a tight budget I recommend putting the money to food, and if affordable, add Abzorb and SF722. That’s enough with the right diet to fix the gut in almost everyone. More of the right kind of supplements speed thing up radically, but they’re usually not neccessary if you have access to good food.

Phase 1 – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys For One Month (in order of most to least important):

Use your own judgment to an extent regarding what to take and how much. If you get every single one, you should be ok to take each and every one as directed (except the Blood Detox, take one to two full droppers by mouth one to three times a day as needed, preferably on an empty stomach, the label has the wrong instructions, it’s a long story), but for smaller people this may be a bit too much. On the other hand, if you get fewer supplements or are on the larger size, you would likely do better with upping the dosages a little. The more you spread out the dosages throughout the day, the more effective they will be. Green Lifestyle Market sells all of the supplements mentioned and offers a return guarantee, so if something doesn’t work for you, you can exchange or get a refund. Experiment. These are supplements, they’re not going to kill you, no matter what big-pharma would like you to believe. I did this protocol myself for three weeks, and I recommend 3-4 weeks for anyone with Lyme. I just took all of them with each meal, as some can cause an upset stomach if empty.

Some of them say to take with food, and some say to take on an empty stomach. I like taking antimicrobials with salad and other healthy meals, especially when taking a lot. But again, use your own judgement, see what works best.

If you need an additional immune system bost, for instance, if you’re regularly coming down with colds and flu or have sinus issues, consider these additions below. You shouldn’t need them if you get at least a few of the ones above, but if you like to go overkill like me, here you go:

If you have trouble digesting food, take abzorb with your meals. This will also help break down the supplements for easier assimilation.

If the die-off is a problem, and anytime you kill lots of pathogens there is an influx of toxins the body has to deal with. The aforementioned cranberry lemonade and salads help to mitigate this, but Gastro-Cleanse with the activated charcoal can also help.

If defecation is slow or infrequent, salads should fix this, but some people need more help. Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will move the poop. It is imperative that bodily elimination functions are working properly. Obviously, stuck bowels are really bad news for anyone needing to detoxify.

Phase 2 – Stay Clean and Populate with Good Guys:

If you’ve been dealing with chronic illness for a long time, for phase two, I recommend reading and following Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections.

If you’re not very poor health, I recommend spending the following 5-6 months taking the following every day as directed:

Protocol Example

6am

Take an Abzorb, or other probiotic, and the Blood Detox, and the MycoPhyto Complex, and any other supplements that say to be taken on an empty stomach.

9am

Salad time!

The MycoPhyto Complex company recommends to take on an empty stomach, but I like it with salads and smoothies too.

Take Abzorb if digestion is difficult, or if you just want to maximize nutrient assimilation.

Take all other antimicrobials with the salad as well (like the MicroDefense, Berberine, UndecynOil of Oregano, Gastro-Cleanse, etc. with the salad.

12pm

Homemade Smoothie Time! If you’re extremely ill you may need to wait on the smoothies and just double up on the salads for the first week, but I’ve found that many people who were suffering from a plethora of ailments and having trouble recovering responded very well to pineapple smoothies. Pineapple smoothies (made with fresh pineapple), like the ones I have recipes for in the above link, pack a massive amount of enzymes and can help break down a lot of junk in the gut, while delivering large amounts of nutrition. But, smoothies have plenty of sugar, so be sure to repeat the antimicrobial supplements from 9am.

Use pineapple, coconut water, water, cranberry juice, or if you can withstand some sugar try granny smith apple juice, but don’t use sweet fruit juices for smoothies. See the recipes.

6pm

Dinner time! Everything from scratch, nothing pre-made in any way, all whole food ingredients. It’s also time for another round of antimicrobials.

9pm

Finish off the night with an Abzorb, or other probiotic, and the Blood Detox, and the MycoPhyto Complex, and any other supplements that say to be taken on an empty stomach.

Three More Supplements to Consider – Lyme Die-0ff, Heavy metal Detox, & Bowel Movements

If Candida die-off is a concern be sure to drink plenty of cranberry lemonade and I also recommend adding Total Nutrition Formula and the Intestinal Detox. Here’s a recipe to make your own Total Nutrition. With these two formulas, you’ll get bentonite clay, charcoal, chlorella, spirulina, and more, which are all great for mitigating the die-off effects of a and they also chelate heavy metals.

You can take the Total Nutrition Formula with the smoothie or sprinkle it on the salad (or choke it down with water), and take the Intestinal Detox anytime throughout the day as directed.

Conclusion

You can get well. Any doctor who tells you different is trying to sell you a lifetime of treatment. It takes a lot of work. It’s worth it. In the end, you’ll be healthier for having had Lyme. And if you’re not sure if you actually have Lyme, it really doesn’t matter. A truly holistic protocol, like this, will address and remedy any pathogenic chronic health ailment, given enough time and attention.

Recommended:
Sources:
  1. The Lyme Wars – The New Yorker
  2. UK’s new Lyme guideline brings both positives and negatives – Lyme Disease.org
  3. BORRELIA BURGDORFERI – Bay Area Lyme
  4. Lyme disease is vastly under-reported, CDC says – CBS News
  5. About Lyme Disease Co-Infections – Lyme Disease.org
  6. Lyme Disease – CDC
  7. Lyme Disease – Mayo Clinic



The Top Ten Tips to Treat Yourself Today and Every Day

There are many ways to improve your health naturally and safely at home – and elsewhere.  If you follow these ten tips every day, they will soon become a habit.

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling means that you rinse your mouth out – ideally with coconut oil. This can have a very powerful cleansing and healing effect, detoxifying or cleansing the body.The process can also help with dental problems in the mouth.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to whiten teeth and freshen breath.  It can also improve several health conditions (ranging from eczema to arthritis) through its effect on oral bacteria. Imagine the oil that lubricates and cleans vehicle engines for many miles before being changed and fresh oil put in. Oil pulling works the same way in our mouth, getting rid of dirt and grime.

First thing in the morning – on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids – put 1 to 2 teaspoons of the oil in your mouth. Push, pull and swish the oil between your teeth and all around your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes, long enough to bind bacteria with the oil. Spit out the oil and rinse.  You can then brush your teeth with a natural toothpaste and even a natural sea salt and water mouthwash.  At the start, carry this out 3 times a day if possible for a full detox. Later, change to once a day for maintenance.

Recommended: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Vitamin D supplement and/or Sunlight Exposure

Unless you are a lifeguard on a California beach or you live on the equator, there is a strong possibility that you will be Vitamin D deficient.  Today, we spend much of our lives indoors, under artificial light and when we do get out in the sunlight, we are encouraged to slather on the sunblock.  Make the change to exposing as much skin as possible to the summer sunlight (without skin block) until the skin starts to turn a light pink (if you are light skinned).  Darker skin tones can tolerate more sun.  The darker your skin, the longer it takes to absorb vitamin D.  Aging can also prevent absorption.

During the winter months, most of us need to supplement with a high-quality vitamin D3 and the dosage can be up to 5000 IUs daily.  If you are unsure about how much you should take, get tested.

Coconut Oil

Often considered to be one of the healthiest oils in the world, the flesh of the coconut is very high in healthy fatty acids. While the composition of fat varies depending on the type and processing of the oil, medium-chain saturated fatty acids make up approximately 90% of coconut oil with a slight contribution of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

Many natural health followers believe that adding coconut oil to your diet will help in preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Take two tablespoons daily with food. Start off with just a teaspoon of coconut oil and gradually build up, making sure you use organic virgin coconut oil.

Resistance Exercises

Resistance exercise is any form of exercise that forces your skeletal muscles to contract. For this form of strength training, you can use resistance bands or one of those chest expanders.  You can put your foot on one end and pull upwards with your arm for several times and then change to the other foot and arm.  A resistance band can be attached to a chair or a handy pillar.  Any external resistance will lead to increases in muscular mass, strength, endurance, and tone.  An invaluable way to improve your health.

Recommended: 35 Things You Could Do With Coconut Oil – From Body Care to Health to Household

Grounding – Going Barefoot Outdoors

There are numerous health benefits when you are grounded or connecting electrically with the Earth. But, unlike our ancient ancestors, we no longer have this grounding connection – unless we walk barefoot on grass, sand or even in a body of natural water. Grounding helps to combat inflammation by restoring circulation to fingers and toes, can be very beneficial for problem varicose veins, can thin the blood making it less viscous, and even helps to counteract jet lag.  An hour of grounding after a long flight or car journey can eliminate those unwanted effects of long-distance travel.

A Weekly Epsom Salt Bath

Two cups of Epsom salt in a warm bath can be very beneficial, relaxing and therapeutic.  The bath will help to detox; provide a further form of treatment for skin conditions such as eczema and acne; soothe inflammation, bruising, swelling and muscle strain; and top up magnesium levels where deficient.

Relax Your Back

Apart from an Epsom salt bath above, there is a very useful exercise for the relief of lower back pain.  Lie flat on the floor facing upwards before lifting your legs straight up into the air and, bending at the knees, place your feet on the seat of a dining room/kitchen chair.  Remain like this for at least twenty minutes.  Relax as much as you can and even practice deep breathing at the same time.

Recommended: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

A Daily 30-minute Walk

And a brisk one at that!  We all need to get moving more and this is an ideal way to start and a very good habit to get into.  Of course, an hour is even better, but I am not pushing it!

Hydrating

Are you drinking enough liquids and especially water?  A jug or glass of water next to your bed at night helps to keep you hydrated and even aids sleep.  During the day, keep a glass or reusable bottle of water at your workplace to remind you to keep drinking. Carry that same bottle with you when traveling or out and about.  Water is not always as drinkable and as safe as you would hope or expect.  Investing in a high quality home water filter is probably the most practical and affordable solution.

Recommended: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Standing in the Workplace

We don’t have to tell you that most people don’t stand enough, preferring to take the comfortable easy way out.  And yet, spending too much time sitting is now considered to be as dangerous for your health as being a smoker, increasing the risk of diabetes, heart failure, invasive breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, reducing blood flow, and even leading to deep vein thrombosis.

Think and plan on how you can become more of a stand-up person.

Taking that daily brisk walk above is one way while re-thinking your workplace set up is another.  Change your workstation to a standing one; take all phone calls on your feet; pace up and down while you talk; and urge your work colleagues to try standing or walking meetings.

These tips are all ones that I try to follow regularly.  Not always every day but I have the best intentions and I do benefit!

Related Reading:



Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections and Gut Health

Most people living in modern societies suffer from an excess of Candida. Like bacteria, we all have fungi cohabiting within us. Anyone who is chronically ill is dealing with an abundance of Candida. While more and more people are beginning to realize this, most of the protocols and supplements sold to repair gut function and balance flora are not getting people well. We will address the reasons for this, but first let’s get a better understanding of what Candida is, and why we at OLM keep harping on it as if this microbe is the foundation for all disease.

Contents

Candida, Yeast, Mold, Fungus, 101

Yeast is a fungus that grows as a single cell. They look like translucent crisped rice cereal under a microscope.  Mold is fungus that grows in multicellular filaments called hyphae. Fungi is the plural form of fungus, so, for instance, if we’re talking about Candida albicans we call it a fungus. If we’re talking about more than one specific kind, it’s fungi.

Candida is a genus of yeasts. There are nearly 20 different strains with different qualities peculiar to each species that we know of. Candida is the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide. Many different species of Candida are found in our gut flora, most commonly the C. albicans. Other fungi are also found in our gut. Any protocol that addresses Candida properly addresses all fungal overgrowth. Though they mean different things, often times within medicine the words Candida, fungus, and yeast are used interchangeably. Mold, on the other hand, is not generally used synonymously with the latter. Generally, when health practitioners speak of mold, they are referring to environmental exposure, like from a moldy home, for instance.

Black mold and other mold exposure should also be treated by an anti-fungal protocol. Black molds and other molds do not directly cause Candida overgrowth, but anything that depletes the immune system for a long enough period of time will lead to Candida overgrowth.

Candida albicans

Candida albicans is a polymorphic fungus. This means that it can grow in several different forms. When the gut is good and healthy, there will most likely be some Candida in the form of yeast (the little rice crispy looking fellows). Candida is usually a commensal, or symbiotic, organism but can become pathogenic when it becomes filamentous. Other types of Candida we are familiar with so far that can cause infection in humans include Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei, Candida lusitaniae, and Candida auris. For these intents and purposes, we’ll just be referring to any overgrowth of Candida, which will address all fungal infection.

Candida albicans is found in over 70% of the population, and due to inaccuracies of testing, this percentage is likely much higher. If we include all kinds of Candida, one can guess it’s much closer to 100%.

Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth

  • Athlete’s foot
  • Diaper rash
  • Itchy crotch
  • Itchy vagina,
  • Yeast infections
  • Funky discharge
  • Body Odor
  • Digestion problems
  • Gas, and bloating
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Food allergies
  • Any other allergies
  • Thrush or a white tongue
  • Itchy ear canals
  • Sugar cravings
  • Addictive tendencies
  • Insomnia
  • Severe mood swings

Read more about Candida Overgrowth Symptoms.

Is Candida Contagious?

Transmission can occur with direct contact, and in some cases, indirect contact transmission may be possible. In other words, Candida is contagious, and sex is a likely way for this to occur, but the body has to be susceptible to receive the transmission of infection, which usually means a weakened immune system and plenty of sugar to feed the infection.

Pathogenic = Mold, Hyphae Fungus, Filamentous Growth, Virulent Candida, the Mycelium Form

There is yeast, there is the pseudohyphae form, and there’s the hyphae state. The yeast form of Candida is ovoid-shaped (translucent rice crispies). The hyphae form, (long visible chains, threads, or filaments, mold that grows in a thread), is what causes the big problems, but the yeast form of Candida is believed to play an important role in the spread of Candida. Then there is the pseudohyphae form, which is not very well understood, other than being an intermediate form between yeast and hyphae. Differences in pH, temperature changes, carbon dioxide levels, and starvation, as well as other complex feedback loops, can trigger yeast to convert to the hyphae form.

Candida can change back and forth between its different forms depending on its needs at any given time, which is one of the many reasons it is able to adapt and survive in such a wide variety of conditions.

Crazy Scary Candida Facts

Why does candida make us sick, and why is it so damn resilient?!?!

Candida mutates and develops resistance towards treatment. It has been found that Candida Albicans has the ability to rearrange its genes and adapt to many methods of eradication that may be used against it, including antifungal medications, oxidative stress, and temperature increases.

When Candida has access to the bloodstream (which happens with a leaky gut), it can colonize in the sinus cavities, glands, and organs in the body, including the skin and the brain.

The cell wall of Candida is made up of mostly sugars and proteins. One of the sugars that make up the cell wall of Candida is called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are also used as a structural building block for Candida biofilm. The beta-glucans can stimulate and suppress the immune system of the host.

Candida can bind to certain hormones, altering their shape so they’re no longer able to fit into their target hormonal receptors. This is one way Candida can manipulate the endocrine system and disrupt hormonal balance.

A healthy gut has a healthy biofilm made up of beneficial bacteria with a little bit of yeast. Healthy biofilm has a beneficial symbiotic relationship with our body. Candida also develops a biofilm.

Candida biofilm is the resilient, gelatinous matrix that Candida creates around itself when it colonizes tissue around the body. This biofilm allows Candida to grow while protecting it from the immune system. In other words, Candida uses its biofilm to suppress or activate the immune response of the host to adjust its environment.

Some Candida proteins look similar to gluten protein molecules, which also look similar to the proteins that make up our thyroid. This causes autoimmune disease.

Candida needs an alkalinity to survive. When it finds itself in an environment that is too acidic, like your gastrointestinal tract, Candida will release ammonia to raise the PH of the environment.

An abundance of Candida causes anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other a plethora of other mental health disorders. The toxins released by Candida can impair neurotransmitter production and neurotransmitter function an disrupt brain chemistry. Your thoughts, feelings, moods, and your way of seeing the world can be profoundly influenced by Candida.

Yeast needs energy. Sugar supplies this energy. If oxygen is low or non-existent (like in the middle of a ball of dough, or inside much of our body), yeast will produce carbon dioxide and ethanol, also known as alcohol.Alcohol levels can be so high in the body that the individual may actually be drunk, fail a breathalyzer test, and experience a hangover after the sugar is used up.

Byproducts of Candida – Candida Toxins

Byproducts of Candida also include uric acid and acetaldehyde. Excessive uric acid can lead to kidney stones, gout, and metabolic acidosis. In other words, while Candida loves an alkaline environment, it can cause the body to be extremely acidic in the blood and all over the body outside the Candida biofilm.

The carbon dioxide that yeast produces can damage the nervous system and the cardiovascular system.

Acetaldehyde is a neurotoxin that affects your brain, nervous system and every other internal organ. It damages red blood cells which it reduces the capacity of blood to carry oxygen.

Acetaldehyde combines with two key neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and dopamine. Together they form tetrahydro-isoquinolines, which closely resemble opiates in structure and function. Tetrahydro-isoquinolines cause an opiate-like high. This is one of the causes of sugar addiction that occurs with Candida overgrowth, and the tetrahydro-isoquinolines also fuel addiction to alcohol and other drugs and addictive behaviors.

Candida Die-off

Candida Die-Off is also called the Herxheimer reaction. When many fungal microorganisms like Candida are destroyed at the same time a bunch of those previously mentioned toxins will be released immediately and will need to be processed by the body. For an already over-taxed body, a Candida detox can sometimes push the body too hard, causing serious illness. This isn’t common, and should not stop anyone from ridding their body of fungal overgrowth, but it is advisable to take things relatively slowly or to address the die-off issues with the right supplementation regimen.

Candida Causes Leaky Gut

Candida increases zonulin levels, the substance that controls the tight junctions between enterocytes in the gut, which leads to weaker junctions and the development of leaky gut. Candida filaments also penetrate directly through the wall of the gut lining and contribute to leaky gut in this manner as well.

A gut filled with Candida causes the body to not digest anything properly, which increases toxicity and nutrient deficiencies.

What this means is that when Candida takes on its hyphae form in the gut, it will soon open up the gut, allowing food to pass through the gut wall undigested. This leads to celiac disease and a host of other problems. When the body sees foreign proteins (proteins that were not completely broken down during digestion), the body sees a foreign invader. A leaky gut also gives the Candida and other pathogens access to the bloodstream in order to colonize anywhere and everywhere.

You should be able to see why it is absolutely imperative for anyone who is dealing with a leaky gut to avoid gluten. And if you host disease, you have a leaky gut.

Potential Causes of Candida Overgrowth

We like to consider stress as a huge factor with diseases, but I feel we give stress way too much credit. Take PMS for instance. When the endocrine system is of subpar health, women suffer from extreme emotional swings tied to their biological cycle. It should be noted that men have a sort of “PMS” too, and are just as susceptible to hormonal outbursts, and in my opinion, more so. My point is that hormonal mood swings are an indicator of poor hormonal health. We know how much hormones affect our day-to-day decisions and our ability to cope ins stressful situations. Now picture trying to make it through life with a severely unbalanced hormonal system. It’s not the stress that kills us, it’s our ability to cope with it. And poor choices in stressful situations often beget more stressful situations.

It’s sugar. That’s the primary cause of Candida overgrowth. In the two decades I’ve been studying Candida, and hundreds of people I’ve spoken with who suffered from an abundance of Candida, sugar was always the cause or was at least fueling the problem. Other toxicity issues will need to be addressed, and often times it was one major toxic event that precipitated an illness, but health will not be restored unless sugar is radically reduced in the diet, and virtually all refined sugars are eliminated. See more on diet below. I doubt any of the following would accurately be the one and only “cause” of most people’s fungal abundance, but the following issues will at the very least exacerbate the Candida overgrowth.

Acidity and Alkalinity

Many have heard that acidity equates to disease, and alkalinity equates to good health, but it’s not that simple. Candida likes alkalinity. An alkaline environment of the intestinal tract favors yeast growth. Candida overgrowth needs increased alkalinity in the digestive tract in order to switch to its virulent fungal form. Strong stomach acid promotes better digestion and it kills or inhibits pathogens.

Antacid medication is an important risk factor for Candida overgrowth. To make matters worse, researchers have also found that Candida can control the pH of its environment. When necessary, Candida produces and releases ammonia. Ammonia is alkaline in nature. The ability of Candida to produce ammonia ensures its survival.1

Potential Nutritional Deficiencies

Mineral deficiencies are more likely to lead to Candida overgrowth, though the most virulent cases almost always seem to come sometime shortly after prescription antibiotic usage. These deficiencies do not seem to cause Candida, but they do exacerbate the problem, and Candida overgrowth does lead to mineral deficiencies. Low stomach acid can also lead to mineral deficiencies with calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, copper, and zinc.2

Iron or folic deficiency may facilitate an invasion of Candida albicans in some individuals, but studies don’t show a significant enough correlation to indicate that these deficiencies will cause Candida overgrowth, at least not alone.3

Magnesium and molybdenum break down the toxic metabolites of Candida albicans. Acetaldehyde is the most well known of these toxins. With a magnesium or a molybdenum deficiency, our body is unable to remove acetaldehyde from the body. The toxins promote cell decay which feeds the Candida lifecycle (pathogens love two things: sugar and decaying or dead cells).

Candida can also prevent us from assimilating minerals. With a gut filled with fungi and other pathogens, the proper breaking down of minerals (and proteins and other nutrients) does not happen. Obviously, this opens the door to an extensive list of autoimmune diseases.

B vitamins, including pantethine (B5) and biotin (B7), are often cited as supplements that inhibit Candida growth, but there are also studies that indicate Fungi feeds off of these and other nutrients. To supplement with such specific nutrition when the gut is in such disarray is a fool’s errand.

A deficiency in calcium and magnesium, can lead to and exacerbate sugar cravings. Supplementing with these minerals can help. Though we are rarely deficient in glutamine, supplementation with it does help eliminate sugar cravings.

Copper has a fungicidal value in the body’s tissues. Copper compounds are used commercially as sprays on vegetables, as algicides in swimming pools, etc. Having too much copper or not enough copper in the body can disrupt gut flora and other nutrient balance.

Improper fat digestion or a diet lacking in healthy fats can also help Candida to flourish. Short-chain fatty acids have fungicidal properties. A healthy body synthesizes appropriate protective fatty acid compounds.

Heavy Metals, Hormones, Pharmaceuticals, GMOs, Pesticides, Antibacterial Soil, and Other Toxins

Toxic compounds kill beneficial bacteria if for no other reason than that they’re toxic. Pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs designed to kill microbes will do the same thing inside humans once digested. Inhaled steroids used to treat asthma have also been shown to cause oral candidiasis, which makes one wonder what happens in the gut with steroid use.

People with mercury fillings are often subject to Candida outbreaks. Tiny particles break free, and mercury vapor is released that we then inhale and swallow. The body doesn’t just slough off the mercury. Its molecular structure is so similar to selenium, which the body needs, the cells snap it up as if it were a beneficial mineral. In the gut, mercury creates an environment that is not friendly for beneficial bacteria. An overgrowth of “bad bacteria” and Candida results.

The majority of fungal conditions or chronic infections should be considered a conscious adaptation of the immune system to an otherwise lethal environment by heavy metals. Mercury suffocates the mechanism and can cause respiratory intracellular cell death. So the immune system reaches a compromise: Grow bacteria and yeasts that can bind large amounts of toxic metals.” – Dr Dietrich Klinghardt

Some doctors specializing in Candida treatment have reported that they have discovered clinically that 98% of their patients with chronic Candida also had mercury toxicity.” – Dr. John P. Trowbridge

Mercury vapors from dental fillings play havoc on the body through a host of means, the least of which is to feed the bacteria, fungi, and yeasts that thrive on mercury. Mercury will promote the growth of Candida, though as it absorbs the mercury, it thereby protects the system to a certain extent from its toxicity – until they are saturated then they begin to re-release the mercury in organic form. Mercury fed Candida become more and more virulent and eventually penetrates the intestinal walls and invades the cells. These fungal microorganisms become quite at home in the cell, and can easily be considered a principle characteristic of cancer.” – Dr. Mark Sircus

Endocrine disrupters interrupt hormones in ways that Candida find beneficial. Candida binds to certain hormones, altering their shape so they’re no longer able to fit into their target receptors, making these hormones inactive. Candida likes estrogen. Too much estrogen helps support Candida in a variety of ways. Candida also produces a waste product that, in the human body, mimics estrogen. With enough Candida in the body, the endocrine system can lower the acidity of the digestive tract, the urinary tract, and the reproductive systems. Candida can effectively raise the pH level in parts of the body to make it more alkaline the way Candida likes it, creating a feedback loop. Other areas of the body quickly get too acidic, promoting more disease.4

Antidepressants alter gut function. Antidepressants that influence the neurotransmitter serotonin are particularly egregious.  NSAIDs can damage the entire intestinal tract. NSAIDs often damage the mucosal lining of the stomach (causing ulcers) and the small intestine.5

Toxic compounds don’t have to reach the gut to cause problems. Toxins damage our cells just like they damage microbes when we breathe toxins in or absorb the compounds through our skin. The pathogens will come to feed off of the damage. We could go on endlessly about how all of the most talked-about toxic compounds reak havoc in the gut and the immune system, but it’s all the same. They do damage to the body and they strain the immune system which puts the body out of balance and leads to infection. Think of infection as the garbage men. It’s their job to consume the garbage, the damage, the decay of our bodies. If we have a lot of damage to feed infection (or too much sugar), the infection takes over the body, and the damage its presence ensues helps to feed its own cycle.

Supplements, Herbs Used For Killing Fungal Infections

  • Activated Charcoal: Binds with positively charged things in the gut, like Candida in its pathogenic form, and many of the toxins it produces, which then gets defecated out of the body. (more on activated charcoal)
  • Astragalus: A potent antimicrobial that also is anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system, slows tumor growth, helps prevent and reverse diabetes, and more.
  • Berberine: This plant-root alkaloid extract has confirmed, potent antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
  • Biotin: With the presence of the B vitamin, biotin, it is said that yeast is unable to change into its mycelium form. On the other hand, there are some studies that suggest Candida can feed off of biotin.
  • Black Walnut: Studies have shown that black walnut can effectively kill canker sores, herpes, and syphilis sores. The husks of black walnuts have potent anti-fungal powers; more powerful than many prescription drugs. Fungi and parasites thrive in an acidic environment.
  • Caprylic acid: A the fatty acid in coconut which contains antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Coconut or coconut oil by itself does not have very strong antimicrobial properties.
  • ChlorellaIt’s not an anti-fungal, but Chlorella is negatively charged like charcoal and has a host of other benefits that counter Candida symptoms. Chlorella also helps remove heavy metals and limited amounts of positively charged Candida from the blood.
  • Cinnamon: A potent natural antifungal with tons of other health benefits. Read more on cinnamon.
  • ClaysLike activated charcoal, bentonite clay can bind with Candida and heavy metals and other positively charged items to pull them out of the body through defecation.
  • Cloves: This strong smelling spice contains some of the same compounds as oregano oil. Studies have shown that cloves contain powerful antimicrobial and anti-fungal compounds.
  • Cranberry: There is nothing better for a urinary tract infection than unsweetened, unadulterated cranberry juice. Click for Recipe.
  • Diatomaceous Earth: Often called DE for short, this supplement is another negatively charged chelator (like charcoal and bentonite clay, but not as effective in that way), that also kills pathogens, but Candida biofilm protects itself well from DE. More on DE.
  • Enzymes: Hemicellulase, protease, and Cellulase have been shown to break down the cells walls and the biofilm of Candida. These must be taken within a protective capsule that will break apart in the gut and not the stomach acid. More on enzymes.
  • GarlicAllicin, a compound in garlic, has antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties, and garlic helps strengthen the immune system. Read more about garlic.
  • Goldenseal: A popular herb that has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years, with potent antimicrobial activity, including some pretty decent antifungal properties.
  • GoldenrodGoldenrod is antifungal, diuretic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, astringent, antiseptic, and carminative.10
  • Magnesium: Breaks down the toxic metabolites (byproducts) of Candida albicans. Read about homemade calcium and magnesium here.
  • Molybdenum: Also breaks down the toxic metabolites (byproducts) of Candida albicans.
  • Mushrooms: Fight fire with fire, and fungi with fungi! Many mushrooms produce natural anti-yeast factors to prevent other fungi from taking over their turf. The reishi mushroom is well known throughout the world for its plethora of health benefits, including powerful antifungal properties, but there are many other mushrooms that help clean the gut as well.
  • Lemongrass: Lemongrass oil is the most powerful antibacterial and antifungal essential oil.
  • Neem: This plant’s properties include immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic.
  • Oil of Oregano: This extract is very well known for its ability to kill off pathogenic activity, and there are plenty of studies that demonstrate its efficacy.
  • Olive Leaf Extract: This extract is known for killing fungal and pathogenic bacterial infections without harming healthy bacteria. I suspect this is because it’s weak and doesn’t penetrate biofilm.
  • Pau D’Arco: Also known as Lapacho, this supplement has received worldwide attention in recent years due to the numerous studies proving its amazing health benefits including the ability to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and difficult fungal infections like Candida.
  • ProbioticsMost everyone knows to take probiotics to fight yeast infections, but make sure the probiotic is of quality. Lots of cheap probiotics break down in stomach acid and the ingredients end up actually feeding yeast. Also, able to pass through stomach acid and into the gut where it needs to be to do its job. Taking probiotics with antimicrobial supplements will reduce the effects of both.
  • Spirulina: For purposes of Candida killing, it works just like the other aforementioned algae, Chlorella. Check out How to Grow Spirulina at Home
  • TurmericTurmeric is a potent antimicrobial herb with proven antifungal properties and a host of other amazing health benefits. Check out How to Optimize Curcumin.
  • Undecylenic acid: This fatty acid is six times more effective than caprylic acid. It’s been shown in studies that Candida cannot build a tolerance for undecylenic acid, which probably makes it the most potent Candida killer on this list.
  • Wormwood: This is a potent antimicrobial’s active ingredient is Artemisia, and it is better known the world over for its ability to kill parasites.
  • Zinc: helps with protein digestion, enzymatic reactions, energy production, antioxidant functions, and it is imperative for proper mineral balance. It’s common to see a zinc deficiency in a Candida laden body.

The Best Anti-fungal Supplement Products Available (that I know of)

I’ll bet someone is going to ask why I don’t mention colloidal silver. I don’t think it’s good for you, I’ve never found it particularly helpful, and I just don’t trust it. But to each their own; you can find tons of very intelligent naturopaths who are much more educated than I am who will vehemently disagree with me on colloidal silver.

SF722

If you’re on a budget and can only afford one supplement, SF722 is my first recommendation. SF722 is undecylenic acid. The gel tab is derived from Bovine, so vegans beware.

Undecyn

Undecyn combines undecylenic acid with betaine HCl (very acidic) and berberine. Some use both, as the formula provides differing avenues for absorption of the undecylenic acid which may be more or less effective depending on the body’s state at any given time.

Abzorb

Abzorb is one of my new favorite supplements and one of the few I personally take regularly. On an empty stomach, Abzorb is a potent probiotic and a systemic enzyme. That means the capsule breaks open in the gut, not the stomach. If, on the other hand, you take Abzorb with food, you’ve got a potent digestive aid with enzymatic activity and beneficial bacteria to help break down the food and populate the gut with beneficial bacteria. It’s a fine probiotic, with potency I can attest to, but there are much more potent probiotics available as well, which many like to use in conjunction with Abzorb, though for most people this would likely be overkill. It wouldn’t hurt to use both, but it may be a waste of money.

MycoPhyto Complex

Then there’s a mushroom complex that I would take every day if I were a wealthy man. This formula contains turkey tail, reishi, maitake, blazei, and cordyceps. The health benefits of this supplement are too many to list.

Gastro-Cleanse

The Gastro-Cleanse contains psyllium husk, activated charcoal, goldenseal, chlorophyll, apple pectin, and 50 million lactobacillus acidophilus specifically designed to accompany the antimicrobials.

Candida Complex

The Candida Complex includes calcium undecylenate (candida killing fatty acid), Pau d’arco, a very potent enzyme blend, and berberine.

Berberine

And then there’s the straight berberine at 500mg per capsule. That’s a potent dosage, and one I don’t recommend for long-term, as the gut would not likely be able to build up a healthy ecosystem with such a powerful antimicrobial continually bombarding the system.

MicroDefense

The MicroDefense gives you olive extract, sweet wormwood, clove powder, and grapefruit extract; all good stuff to help balance the gut, but the company is owned by Nestle, so buyer beware. We’re looking for an equivalent that we can carry.

Anti-Fungal Diet and Supplement Protocol

Here are three articles I put together on diet. This is indicative of how my family eats every single day.

We start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, we sometimes do a smoothie or we snack on some nuts and/or fruit or we just finish our massive 11-cup salads. For dinner, we always cook from scratch, which takes preperation and time, but it gets easier. Rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, oatmeal, and amaranth are common staples for our cooked meals. We add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well, for instance, the rice and beans go great with chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits.

This is truly a lifestyle, not a diet, and it’s one we live every day. You may not need to go to this extreme to rid your body of disease, but I find that most who are dealing with chronic illness need to take it this far, at least for a few months.

The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of it. Make sure they are diverse with at least 15 different vegetables and herbs. If you could see what packing your gut with salad does to your ecosystem under a microscope, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about them. There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem.

The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of Candida are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant #3.

For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains will be a no-no for the first few weeks at least, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned.

Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for the very ill, avoided until the gut is working better. Grapefruit, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.

Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well.

Now that diet is covered, here’s the supplement part:

SF722 – 5 capsules three times a day, once on an empty stomach, the other two times with or without food.

Abzorb – take two capsules with harder to digest meals, and also take two on an empty stomach twice a day, like early morning and late night.

For anyone on a tight budget I recommend putting the money to food, and if affordable, add Abzorb and SF722. That’s enough with the right diet to eliminate fungal overgrowth in almost everyone. There are some who work or live in environments that constitute more environmental stressors on the body, and therefore need a lot more help. There are also many living in areas of the country where the healthy food selection at the local grocery store is sparse. I recommend more supplements and growing your own food in such a case. And I recommend growing your own food for a hundred other reasons as well.

If you’re someone who needs more supplementation or, like me, you just tend to prefer overkill, here’s a step-by-step protocol that includes all of the previously recommended supplements, and a bit more to address Candida die off and healthy defecation.

Each day has two supplement routines that are repeated. Each supplement routine has an objective.

Optional Supplements include:

MycoPhyto Complex

Clean and Populate with Good Guys:

On an empty stomach, early morning and late night

Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys:

With  meals, three times a day

Also, take absorb with any food that is difficult to digest.

Protocol

6am – Clean and Populate With Good Guys

Start with Abzorb and a big glass of cranberry lemonade and the other aforementioned optional supplements.

9am – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Salad time! The MycoPhyto Complex company recommends to take on an empty stomach, but I like to take it with salads and smoothies too.

12pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Homemade Smoothie Time! If you’re extremely ill you may need to wait on the smoothies and just double up on the salads for the first week, but I’ve found that many people who were suffering from a plethora of ailments and having trouble recovering responded very well to pineapple smoothies. Pineapple smoothies (made with fresh pineapple), like the ones I have recipes for in the above link, pack a massive amount of enzymes and can help break down a lot of junk in the gut, while delivering large amounts of nutrition. But, smoothies have plenty of sugar, so it’s a good time to repeat the supplements from 9am.

Use pineapple, coconut water, water, cranberry juice, or if you can withstand some sugar try granny smith apple juice, but don’t use sweet fruit juices for smoothies. Always add as many vegetables and herbs as you can.

3pm -Week 1 – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

3pm -Week 2 – Populate With Good Guys

6pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Dinner time! Everything from scratch, nothing pre-made in any way, all whole food ingredients.

9pm – Populate With Good Guys

Finish off the night with probiotic support and leave them alone for the night to do their thing.

Three More Supplements to Consider – Die-0ff, Heavy metal Detox, & Bowel Movements

If Candida die-off is a concern be sure to drink plenty of cranberry lemonade and I also recommend adding Total Nutrition Formula and the Intestinal Detox. Here’s a recipe to make your own Total Nutrition. This way you’ll get bentonite clay, charcoal, chlorella, spirulina, and more, which are all great for mitigating the die-off effects of a Candida detox, and they also chelate heavy metals.

You can take the Total Nutrition Formula with the smoothie or sprinkle it on the salad (or choke it down with water), and take the Intestinal Detox anytime throughout the day as directed.

If you’re not defecating easily and at least twice daily, I also highly recommend the Intestinal Cleanse. It kills parasites and moves the bowels better than anything else on the market that I know of, by far. I recommend taking it with the antimicrobials.

Conclusion

Also, any doctor who tells you that raw foods are a bad idea when dealing with Candida does not understand gut health. If you can’t digest raw foods, the supplements will help you develop a gut ecosystem that can. Take it slowly if need be, but there’s no getting around the raw foods. They are a must for good health. If I were to eat McDonald’s right now, I would have a very hard time digesting it. I don’t have the proper bacteria for digesting fast food because I don’t eat it. What you eat dictates what microbe you have. The most beneficial bacteria in our gut is bacteria that likes the healthiest foods. And it makes sense; nature wouldn’t work well any other way!

On the other hand, I also do recommend cook foods as well. There are nutritional benefits to cooked foods, and it is very difficult and expensive for most people to get enough calories and nutrients from raw food alone. The way I look at it is, cooked foods sustain, raw foods heal. But it’s a little more complicated than that, as many cooked foods have healing benefits as well.

Recommended Supplements:
Sources:
  1. The #1 Cause of Mineral and Protein Deficiency – Body Ecology
  2. Serfaty-Lacrosniere, C., Wood, R. J., Voytko, D., Saltzman, J. R., Pedrosa, M., Sepe, T. E., & Russell, R. R. (1995). Hypochlorhydria from short-term omeprazole treatment does not inhibit intestinal absorption of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium or zinc from food in humans. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 14(4), 364-368.
  3. Nutritional deficiency in oral candidosis – NCBI
  4. Candida & The Endocrine Factor – Puristat
  5. PMS and Candida Overgrowth: The Dangers of Estrogen Dominance – Body Ecology
  6. Can Digestive Enzymes Assist in Controlling Candida Overgrowth? – Body Ecology
  7. 15 Fascinating Facts About Candida You May Not Know – Holistic Help
  8. Candida albicans – Microbe Wiki
  9. How Does Sugar Affect Yeast Growth? – Science & Plants for Schools
  10. Health Benefits of Goldenrod – The Herbal Academy
  11. The Candida Mercury Connection – PES Detox Systems



Consuming Essential Oils: The Secret Spring Ingredient for 2018 and One Immune Boosting Recipe

Not many people are aware that essential oils can be used medicinally both externally (via diffusers, massages, and baths) as well as internally (via food and drink). When we think of cooking with herbs and spices we usually reach for the fresh or dry versions of those ingredients to add flavor and depth to our culinary dishes. Now imagine enjoying those herbs and spices in a concentrated medicinal form that not only provides an intense spectrum of flavor but is packed with different compounds (some of which cross the blood-brain barrier because of their small molecular size) and medicinal properties in which their usage in your cooking will take your food to new healing heights.

A History of Medicinal Use

Ingesting essential oils is not something new and actually dates back to 3000-2500 B.C. and is believed to have been first used in food preparation and preservation by the ancient Egyptians, although there are references that it was used in China and India around the same time, if not earlier.

Related: Understanding Essential Oils: A Complete Guide For Beginners

In terms of healing properties, Dr. Eric Zielinski states that essential oils “combat pathogens (harmful microorganisms), are a source of antioxidants (needed to prevent and cure disease), and have been shown to contain advanced healing properties in addition to cancer cell cytotoxicity amongst other things.” Also, Dr. Jockers points out that, “since essential oils boost and uplift the mood, they can actively alleviate binge eating and unhealthy cravings.”

It is interesting to note, that currently doctors in Europe particularly England, France, and Germany offer their patients a choice between either pharmaceutical drugs or natural essential oils when prescribing remedies for a health condition. That is why essential oils are readily available throughout apothecaries across Europe.

Related: How I replaced Medications with Essential Oils

Already Edible

In the U.S. our food industry uses essential oils in many products ranging from sweets, drinks, and chocolate just to name a few, so as to add intense flavor and strong aroma into the ingredient mixes. Because of their internal usage the FDA has compiled a “GRAS List” for essential oils (generally recommended as safe), whereby the following oils are listed and are considered safe for ingestion: Lemon, Orange, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, Peppermint, Ginger, Mandarin, Sage, Tangerine, Lemongrass, Grapefruit, Fennel, Spearmint, Cinnamon Bark, Oregano, Lime, Dill, Rosemary, Clove, Basil, Geranium, Rose, Rosewood, Cumin, Cardamom, Lemon Myrtle, Tarragon, and Mountain Savory.

Approach With Caution

However, please be mindful that not all essential oils are meant to be consumed internally and you must always double check the oil name, bottle description and label recommendation before using any. Also, not all oils are created equally. Many companies use fillers, pesticides, and methods that do not make the oils safe for consumption. Make sure any oils you intend on using internally are 100% pure, organic, and unadulterated. If you are uncertain about specific brands and oil recommendations, consult with a holistic health practitioner just to be safe.

Related: Fight Cavities and Gingivitis Naturally With Homemade DIY Oral Health

Around this time of year, many people wish to keep their immune systems high; their respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular systems optimally functioning; and germs, viruses, and bacteria at bay. Below is my favorite original recipe, immune boosting peppermint essential oil tea I like to drink once a week during this time of year. It is great both for your mind and body. It is relaxing, uplifting, immune boosting, weight losing, and stress relieving all in one.

Peppermint Lemon Tea from the Alma Holistic Health Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1-1.5 cups of distilled water, boiled
  • 2-3 teaspoons of raw unfiltered wildflower honey
  • 2 drops of food grade, 100% pure Peppermint essential oil
  • ¼ frozen lemon grated
  • ½ fresh squeezed lemon juice

Bring distilled water to a boil. In a ceramic mug, place honey, essential oil, grated frozen lemon, and lemon juice. Add the hot water to the ingredients in mug and stir. Cover with a small plate for 3-5 minutes. Before sipping, inhale the aroma and reap its benefits first via your nose. Then slowly start to drink the tea and cover your body with a warm blanket and relax on a couch or bed. Feel the warmth and light tingle envelope your throat, sinuses, chest, lungs, and body. Take a nap after if you are able to.

Recommended:
Sources