Candida and MS

Barberry tea will help, but not just on its own. The herb barberry is rich in the alkaloid berberine, which has a powerful effect on the immune system and in cleansing the colon.

You can take it either as a tea, a tincture, or in capsules mixed with other herbs which help colon health. There are 817 websites about barberry!

For the benefit of readers who may not know what candida is or how to treat it, here are some basic details:

What Is It?
The Candida Syndrome, more commonly known simply as Candida, is a fungal overgrowth in the gut. We all have some fungus in the gut, but when it proliferates out of control it overloads the immune system.

In Candida, the normal yeast has had a population explosion and changed into a parasitic fungus that penetrates the bowel wall, puncturing it with little holes. This causes the leaky gut syndrome, where partly digested foodstuffs leak into the bloodstream, causing havoc.

Effects of Candida
Healthy bacteria in the gut are needed for the proper functioning of the digestive system. One of the key tasks of this healthy bacteria is the production of the B vitamins. It also makes other vitamins and minerals easier to absorb.

If the gut bacteria are disturbed, as in Candida, it has a profound knock-on effect. The semi digested foodstuffs in the bloodstream set off an immune response - the immune system thinks these partially-digested food proteins are foreign.

You become sensitive to certain foods, and it also leads to malabsorption: Nutrients you need are not taken up by the body properly, leading to a cascade of disorders.

Symptoms
Symptoms of Candida include general malaise, low energy, and craving sweet things. You can also feel bloated and heavy in the gut.

Once the Candida has gone, many people with MS say they have more energy, less fatigue, a greater sense of well being and an improvement in MS symptoms.

Causes
Candida can be caused by the over-use of antibiotics, the contraceptive pill, long-term use of steroids, and other drugs which can destroy healthy gut bacteria. Other yeasts, parasites, or some obscure bacteria could also be factors.

Testing for Candida
You can get yourself tested for Candida at some clinics. One of the main ones is Biolab, 9 Weymouth Street, London, W1. Tel: 020 7636-5959.

Treating Candida
The idea behind the treatment is to get rid of the fungal overgrowth, and restore the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.

Candida feeds on anything sweet, fungal, or fermented. So to treat it you have to cut out all sweet foods - however 'healthy' - all fungi, anything with yeast, and everything fermented.

The Anti-Candida Diet:

• Yeast, Bread and Pastries
• All fermented products
• Alcohol and all fermented drinks
• Sugar and all sweet things
• White Flour In All Forms
• Malted Products
• Citrus Fruit Juices
• Many Vitamin Products
• Milk and milk products
• Processed and Smoked Meats and Fish
• Dried and Candied Fruits
• Melons, Ripe Bananas and Grapes
• Mushrooms and all fungi
• Cheeses + things made with a fermentation process
• Certain Nuts
• Foods Going Stale
• Processed Foods
• Drugs which promote the growth of yeasts - steroids, antibiotics, the contraceptive pill
• Coffee and tea
• Mould, Mildew and Damp
• Certain Chemicals

Other Ways to Combat Candida:

• Grapefruit seed extract such as Citricidal.
• Camomile has antifungal properties.
• Rooibosch (Redbush) tea.
• Aloe Vera has antifungal action and promotes healthy intestinal flora.
• Pau D'Arco has strong anti-candida effects and is anti-inflammatory.
• Tea Tree Oil has strong anti-fungal properties.
• Oxygen Therapies can also help control candida.
• Caprystatin. This is very dilute caprylic acid (coconut extract).
• Caprylic acid. Used successfully to treat severe intestinal candida in a form which allows a timed release so it is not absorbed in the upper intestinal tract. This may not suit you if you are sensitive to coconut.
• Colonic Irrigation. This is the administration of water into the bowel, sometimes with other substances such as acidophilus, garlic extract, or oxygen. Debris is flushed from the region and the additives can greatly reduce candida and improve bowel health.
• Enemas. These are less effective as they don't penetrate as far as colonics. Both need to be given by experts.
• Nystatin. This is an antifungal antibiotic drug used against many yeasts and yeastlike fungi such as Candida. It kills yeast cells on contact, but only surface yeasts. Any which are embedded more deeply in the intestine wall are not affected. Nystatin has few sideeffects, but can only deal with the situation short-term and the problem can return.

Full details of Candida can be found in the book by Judy Graham and Frances Pulling 'MSRC A-Z Guide to Complementary Therapies' .

Candida related products

Citricidal grapefruit seed extract; Oxyflex Higher Nature Tel: 01435 882880 Fax: 883720

Barberry bark, Pau d'Arco Hambledon Herbs (organic suppliers) Tel: 01823 401104 Fax: 01823 401001

Barberry Capsules, Chamomile Ft Cascara Capsules* and Pau d'Arco TinctureHerbs Hands Healing Tel/Fax: 01379 608201 * A stronger version of the Barberry Capsules, for occasional use

OxCgen Capsules Resonance Tel: 01803 840008

Recommended book:
Candida Albicans. Could yeast be your problem? - Leon Chaitow, Thorsons

© Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC)