Candida (Thrush)

"I Thought I Was Going to Die"

It was around 2 a.m. the last time I caught a glimpse of the Grim Reaper out of the corner of my eye. I jumped from the bed with a fierce burning in my throat and it had shut off my airway. The only breath I could get was from sucking with all of my might through my nose. Water helped of course and when I finally reclaimed my wind, my throat burned like crazy. A little of juice from a fresh lemon seemed to cut away the acid that lined my throat.

It took about 30 minutes for me to completely recover enough to go back to bed.

I have become a self-appointed expert in the fields of Reflux, Acidophilus, and Candida.

Acidophilus is available over the counter in capsule form. I keep a bottle on my dressing table even though I have learned how to prevent Reflux. Candida is a whole other deal.

I have Candida (thrush, yeast infection) almost every time I have to take an antibiotic. By the time the antibiotic clears the infection, bronchitis, or cold, I have contracted the Candida.

Candida is not easy to conquer. I take 4 of the acidophilus capsules twice a day. In addition to that, I keep several small canisters of the flavored yogurt and will eat one of those at night before going to bed. After about a week I have the bad bacteria on the run.

There are good and bad bacteria as far as our health goes. With 60 to 70 million Americans suffering from various digestive diseases, that means we need to pay attention to those little critters working 'round the clock inside of our bodies. Acidophilus is a common organism in yogurt and cultured milk products, such as kefir, that are said to foster a healthy balance of bacteria in the stomach. It's one of the "good" or "friendly" ones, out of about 400 types of bacterial that live in our intestinal tract and, for women, in the vagina as well. It's helpful, because it aids manufacturing of B vitamins and the production of lactase and other antibacterial agents.

Without good bacteria, also called probiotics, living in the gut, digestive processes go haywire. In a healthy state, our bodies just naturally maintains the proper balance. Some of the things that disrupt the natural functioning of our gut are preservatives and other additives in our foods, diets with a very high content of fat, birth control pills, alcohol consumption, and even stress. Acidophilus supplementation can help when things are out of balance.

Eating yogurt won't necessarily help. You have to read the labels because some of the yogurt on grocery store shelves don't actually contain any viable acidophilus due to the fact that they've been highly processed. It's difficult to process foods so that we're safe from harmful bacteria and yet keep the helpful bacteria alive.

Here are some of the potential benefits of supplementing your diet with acidophilus. A really big one is the suppression of Candida, a type of yeast that can be very harmful, especially to our reproductive system and urinary tract. If you like to visit other countries, you'll be happy to know that supplementing your diet with acidophilus while abroad can help thwart proliferation of infectious organisms people commonly encounter in countries that do not have highly developed systems of public health. It can also help control both diarrhea and constipation. And it helps reduce internal gas, bloating and bad breath. Some find that it even helps counteract lactose intolerance and helps lower cholesterol due to its enhancement of the body's ability to absorb fats.  There's more. It may also enhance immune system function, aid in the treatment of respiratory infections such as sinusitis and bronchitis, and lower the risk of asthma, hay fever and eczema. Not bad for an organism too tiny to see with the naked eye.