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I have to chime in here. There is equally a huge amount of non-effective and HARMFUL substances and treatments that have been championed by "gods of alternate medicine" over the years. Some of these have proven to be down right quackery. I'm all for keeping an open mind but I'm also all for doing homework as to the properties and risks of any treatment whether it is mainstream to western medicine or under the blanket term of "alternate medicinal treatments"
Yes, do own homework ... know own body ... trust own self .. be open but discerning and be wary of the authoritarians no matter what "clothes" they wear.
Taking a pro-biotic supplement is basically harmless.
The worst result would be diarrhea which would be an indication that one has taken too much.
Fungal infections are common and result in some fairly obvious symptoms.
And there are old, tried and true, effective remedies to address them.
(Turmeric, for example, is an anti-fungal and you don't even have to buy a product!)
Or you can go to an m.d. and get a prescription (which is most likely costly no matter who is paying for it) and deal with the resulting symptom caused by it and never get to the root of why one is having recurring fungal infections to begin with.
It does take work and a certain amount of objectivity about ones own system to effectively use alternative treatments and move out of the western medicine paradigm which is not to say that it is not also valuable.
This country is pill popping, quick fix, do what the doctor tells you, don't question authority, etc., etc.
Applying that same attitude toward alternative medicine is unwise and often unsuccessful.
and it's misleading to say that there is no scientific proof that candida albicans exists.
you may have meant to say that there is no evidence proving (and i don't know whether that's even true) that candida causes various symptoms that are typically associated with an overgrowth of it.
as a moderator, due to the fact that some people may assume that you are more knowledgeable that the average poster, i would think it's important to be more accurate in your expression.
Its not misleading to state that there is no scientific evidence to support "the theory of systemic candida overgrowth "....
Its the truth...its a myth
You brought this up stating that the OP might have a "systemic candida albicans issue" an issue, which viralmd pointed out, likely does not exist...
I also don't understand why you think a "moderator" should not be allowed to chime in on a subject. Personally I don't ascribe any special knowledge to an anonymous "moderator" on an open web forum.
However, viralmd is an MD. A fact which does make him/her "more knowledgeable than the average poster" whether you want to admit that fact or not.
The "gods of western medicine" as you term them(us) do have more insight into how the body works, insight into pathophysiology and evidence based medicine than the average poster.
The "theory of systemic candida albicans" has been debunked and I just don't understand folks who think there is some alternate font of knowledge that would allow for this not being the case when science has shown that it just doesn't exist....
and DON"T listen to the old fashioned opinions of arrogant, misinformed doctors. They clearly wouldn't be able to afford thier golf club memberships if Systemic yeast infections were all cured.
Not that I want to get into yet another alternative vs traditional medicine debate but I will tell you my experience with candida and perhaps it might assist you. It is purely my experience AND obviously anecdotal at this point.
I have a medical condition which is known to have frequent periods of relapse followed by remission.
Several years ago a specialist informed me that often these relapses can be preceded by a urinary tract infection. When discussing this piece of information with a specialist specific to my condition she mentioned that many of the patients she treats take Cranberry 10,000 mg as a pre-emptive measure against urinary tract infections. I began taking one Cranberry 10,000 every day. I was also having problems with skin conditions and thrush so at that time I also began taking a probiotic daily. I've tried the ones that aren't refridgerated and didn't find they made much difference. The ones that are do make a difference for me.
The outcome for me is that since I've been taking these two tablets I've not suffered thrush, candida or a urinary tract infection (to my knowledge because apparently they can be happening without any outward symptoms.) OR a relapse of my medical condition.
I am on a pharmaceutical grade treatment for my condition prescribed by my specialist which I believe is very much making a huge improvement to my health HOWEVER I have been on it without taking the "vitamins" and after a couple of days I can start to have symptoms of UTI and candida, and can feel the effects of that on my medical condition.
Soooo I guess what I'm saying is why don't you try some Cranberry 10,000 and a good probiotic and see IF it has any benefits for you?
I find it much more beneficial to take the tablets than not AND I prefer to take them over steroidal creams.
I'd also suggest that you discuss the pros and cons of both these treatments with your doctor to make sure they will do you no harm.
My doctor informed me they would do no harm and is kept updated on my use of them. We are both very happy with the results.
Its not misleading to state that there is no scientific evidence to support "the theory of systemic candida overgrowth "....
Its the truth...its a myth
You brought this up stating that the OP might have a "systemic candida albicans issue" an issue, which viralmd pointed out, likely does not exist...
I also don't understand why you think a "moderator" should not be allowed to chime in on a subject. Personally I don't ascribe any special knowledge to an anonymous "moderator" on an open web forum.
However, viralmd is an MD. A fact which does make him/her "more knowledgeable than the average poster" whether you want to admit that fact or not.
The "gods of western medicine" as you term them(us) do have more insight into how the body works, insight into pathophysiology and evidence based medicine than the average poster.
The "theory of systemic candida albicans" has been debunked and I just don't understand folks who think there is some alternate font of knowledge that would allow for this not being the case when science has shown that it just doesn't exist....
Just for the heck of it and despite the fact that i am a lousy "scholar" and don't have much patience for research, i went to the New England Journal of Medicine and pulled up this search result for Candida Albicans. The New England Journal of Medicine: Search Results for candida albicans
Like i said, i'm not a good researcher and my eyes are bothering me tonight but for anyone who wishes to have a looksy, there you go. 46 full text results must indicate something i figure.
And here is a link to the search results of JAMA JAMA -- Search Results for Candida Albicans
There are 1380 search results for Candida Albicans.
Interesting.
I feel so validated ... The New England Journal of Medicine and The Journal of American Medical Association.
And, because i didn't want to see posts in this thread that split hairs about the overgrowth of Candida versus the simple existence of it, this time i did a search result for Systemic Candida Overgrowth.
Here's 17816 hit results for "systemic candida overgrowth" found anywhere in an article in JAMA. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/search?...rch_submit.y=9
So not only are you using the medical establishment, you're misusing it ... or rather, trying to use it and doing it poorly.
In almost every post where there is an argument about alternative treatments, i give credit to the value of modern medicine. I have benefited from it myself and realize its worth but i go after it, in part, because it is indeed a limited paradigm and there is great arrogance and folly within it.
It's difficult to accept this because of both our conditioning and our reverence for technology and science (at the expense of our wholeness).
It does not ... it should not be an either or situation and many M.D.'s are wising up and integrating / incorporating alternative viewpoints and treatments into their practices. They are opening their minds and accepting the wisdom of people who have not been trained within the system that trained them.
p.s. For those of you who don't know both The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA are two of the (if no the) leading medical journals in the country and are highly respected around the world.
Last edited by coyoteskye; 07-07-2009 at 11:19 PM..
Nobody disputes that this organism exists. You don't seem to understand that.
What is disputed is that it is the FREQUENT, undiagnosed cause of multiple illnesses in people. In people with immunocompromise, those who've had cancer chemotherapy and those who've been given antibiotics it sometimes crops up. But it's not the underlying etiology of a plethora of mysterious and obscure signs and symptoms that have not yet been adequately diagnosed.
Nonsense like The Yeast Connection is just that: nonsense.
Just for the heck of it and despite the fact that i am a lousy "scholar" and don't have much patience for research, i went to the New England Journal of Medicine and pulled up this search result for Candida Albicans. The New England Journal of Medicine: Search Results for candida albicans
Like i said, i'm not a good researcher and my eyes are bothering me tonight but for anyone who wishes to have a looksy, there you go. 46 full text results must indicate something i figure.
And here is a link to the search results of JAMA JAMA -- Search Results for Candida Albicans
There are 1380 search results for Candida Albicans.
Interesting.
I feel so validated ... The New England Journal of Medicine and The Journal of American Medical Association.
And, because i didn't want to see posts in this thread that split hairs about the overgrowth of Candida versus the simple existence of it, this time i did a search result for Systemic Candida Overgrowth.
Here's 17816 hit results for "systemic candida overgrowth" found anywhere in an article in JAMA. JAMA -- Search Result
So not only are you using the medical establishment, you're misusing it ... or rather, trying to use it and doing it poorly.
In almost every post where there is an argument about alternative treatments, i give credit to the value of modern medicine. I have benefited from it myself and realize its worth but i go after it, in part, because it is indeed a limited paradigm and there is great arrogance and folly within it.
It's difficult to accept this because of both our conditioning and our reverence for technology and science (at the expense of our wholeness).
It does not ... it should not be an either or situation and many M.D.'s are wising up and integrating / incorporating alternative viewpoints and treatments into their practices. They are opening their minds and accepting the wisdom of people who have not been trained within the system that trained them.
p.s. For those of you who don't know both The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA are two of the (if no the) leading medical journals in the country and are highly respected around the world.
Pure rubbish...
Not sure why you feel validated....when your eyes are less "tired" try reading some of the links you posted.
As ViralMD points out, no one disputes the existence of C albicans. Its the "pseudoscience" behind the myth of "systemic candida albicans" that is a myth.
The second "search" you did within JAMA does nothing to bolster your argument. The first article that pops up in fact is a commentary from 1986 decrying the baseless assertion of "candida overgrowth" a quick scan of the remaining top 20 does nothing to further your cause either.
Unfortunately it is an "either/or" situation when it comes to the existence of a malady that can't be proven to exist.
My SO has a reoccurring fungal infection that was diagnosed as an infection of the hair follicle, it never goes away , it gets better with diligent application of a cream but any lapses in diligence, its back with a vengeance, This infection appeared after years of excessive pop drinking, too often when some thing goes wrong we try to use an additive measure by introducing something to the problem , the most conservative measures should be taken early and first by subtracting things that may be feeding the fungi or yeast . Some skin problems are caused by minerals not present in our modern diets. I have used B-12 directly on the skin to get rid of dry scaly patches, (they have never returned after many years of itching) Its probably the Niacin in it that is doing the healing.
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