Candida Overview

Question 1

The microflora is home to hundreds of different kinds of microorganisms, all designed to live in a symbiotic and non-harmful relationship with you. These organisms do a lot to keep you alive & enable you to thrive:

Answer 1

• train your immune system
• prevent the growth of harmful bacteria
• create a barrier from exposure to all sorts of agents that you come into contact with
• produce antibiotic-like substances that are anti-fungal and anti-viral
• regulate the growth and development of the GI tract
• produce vitamins for you, even manufacture certain hormones

Question 2

Most of the flora resides in your __ and the largest populations of organisms that dwell there tend to be ___

Answer 2

colon
bacterial

Question 3

Everyone is different and there are a # of factors throughout your life that will affect the composition of your flora

Answer 3

• a baby’s first opp for colonization is by the flora of his/her mother in the passage through the birth canal
• type of birth delivery
• immunizations
• breast or bottle feeding
• use of antibiotics & pharmaceuticals (bc, steroids, hormone replacement therapy)
• chemotherapy & radiation
• diet
• drug & alcohol use
• stress
• geographical enviro
• age
• overall health & immune status

Question 4

Candida albicans is a __ or __

Answer 4

yeast or fungus

Question 5

In a healthy person, candida is a harmless agent. yet fluctuations in the internal bacterial environment that influence immune health enable the yeast to grow past its tipping point, past the point where its actions are kept in check by the host climate.

Question 6

In these circumstances, the same strains of Candida that grow as harmless commensals can become ___ , invading the mucosa and causing significant damage.

Answer 6

pathogenic

Question 7

Candida is considered a dimorphic fungus – meaning it can change shapes, oscillating between a __ and __ depending on its surrounding habitat. Dimorphic literally means “with two shapes”.

Answer 7

bud & hyphae

Question 8

The longer filaments or ___ can burrow their roots through the mucosal barriers and into your tissues to initiate what’s called __

Answer 8

hyphae; leaky gut

Question 9

Without suitable restraint, any number of elements, including improperly broken down constituents from the food you’ve eaten, can make their way into the bloodstream and wreak further havoc on your health. This may appear as …

Answer 9

• inflammation
• allergies
• asthma
• eczema
• food intolerances
• headaches
• joint pain
• depression
• anxiety
• mood swings
• issues with memory or focus

Question 10

__, ___, and __ generate more Candida growth and why your diet is so important to treating Candida.

Answer 10

Sugars, starches, and simple carbs

Question 11

As you make more yeast, you put more strain on your immune system to try to gain back some balance. This leaves you __ and __ and can cause confusion among your immune cells as they try to discern self from other.As the yeast “feeds” on the sugars in its environment, it begs for more, creating a “__ __”

Answer 11

tired & inflamed; sweet tooth

Question 12

The by-products left behind from the yeasts’ feast are perhaps more dangerous to your health than the yeast itself. These are toxic chemicals and dead yeast cells classified as ___, or little fungal poisons, that can be released into your bloodstream.

Answer 12

mycotoxins

Question 13

___ is another mycotoxin left behind by Candida metabolism. This little poison interferes with your body’s abilities to produce key antioxidants and suppresses the function of your immune system by thwarting the production of white blood cells.

Answer 13

Gliotoxin