|
|
|
WELCOME!
This Web Site contains rather detailed information on the illness sometimes referred to as Candidiasis. Candidiasis is caused by the common yeast "Candida albicans."
Visitors to this site are likely looking for information, therefore this is a content-intensive site. You will not find lots of unneeded graphics to slow you down while navigating.
This is a large site. There is a LOT of information here. Take your time. The site is still growing, and will likely do so for a very long time.
The author hopes you find it interesting and helpful. Please Email your thoughts and comments about this site.
- Thank you
- George (Russ) Andrews
|
|
What's new |
The author is not a doctor, nor does he have any formal training in medicine, and therefore the information on this site must not be taken as medical advice.
The author will NOT respond to requests from patients for advice, because providing advice could be construed as practicing medicine without a license.
If you are a patient, and wish to make use of the information found on this page, print the pertinent information and present it to your physician, or have him access this Web Site.
The creator of this site does not claim the information as being completely accurate or even complete!
While not trained as an MD, the writer has developed a great deal of knowledge. He has done considerable study using the National Library of Medicine computerized database, self-observation and analysis, and brain-picking of highly respected medical doctors and medical educators. There is plenty here to keep the lay-person-sufferer busy, and to stimulate the thinking of both medical clinicians and researchers.
Candidiasis is a generalized infection by the yeast known as Candida albicans. It may involve several parts of the body; usually the GI tract, and often the skin at various places, the vagina, nasal passages, sinuses, and sometimes the lungs. There are usually body wide and brain symptoms due to toxins released.
Candidiasis is not well understood by many doctors in the USA, some even claiming that it is not a disease at all. Others accept the validity of the illness, and recognize that it can have a severe impact upon people.
There are several disease names associated with this organism. The ones the author is familiar with are:
|
Oral Thrush |
Common in the mouths of babies |
|
Vaginal Thrush |
Same as Vaginal Yeast infection |
|
Vaginal Yeast infection |
Infection in the vagina |
|
Moniliasis |
Same as Candidiasis |
|
Subcutaneous Candidiasis |
A persistent infection in the deeper parts of the skin |
|
Yeast Syndrome |
Same as Candidiasis |
|
Candidiasis |
Generalized infection by Candida albicans |
General Comments on Treatment and Prognosis
Candidiasis can range from a short term problem of a few weeks or months to nearly a whole life time. People can experience symptoms ranging from fairly minor, such as headaches, to rather debilitating, where the person can barely function.
Treatment can range from simple diet changes plus taking Lactobacillus acidophilus for a few weeks (producing a cure) to a long term (decades) struggle to gain control and maintain it.
In severe
cases, such as the author's, control is
not easy. The illness had been untreated for many years. In that
time, a lot of biochemical damage had been done by the yeast toxins
to virtually all systems.
Reducing the overall system yeast toxin load results in general improvement of all systems of the body, including endocrine, nervous, and immune systems. However, the time frame to do this can take years. My own recovery took years! The reasons recovery can take so long are:
(1) For a wide spread infection, it takes a long time of very persistent diet control and efforts to reduce the yeast population everywhere in and on the body.
(2) Once the yeast population is down (fewer toxins available to damage chemistry and cells) it takes a long time to rebuild many of the damaged cells, enzymes, and general chemistry of the body. You also have to keep up the diet and yeast suppression, or else it will quickly rebound!
A good recovery depends upon the patient being very disciplined for a long time.
A good recovery also requires considerable understanding of the mechanisms involved. That understanding helps you keep focused, helps you understand new symptoms or observations, and to formulate new responses by you, as they may become necessary. That is why I have put such extreme effort into the web site. It is a reference which should be studied often, and referenced when there is anything new, or you have new questions. Of course I recognize that it probably does not answer all possible questions, but it is a very good start.
This site was created for three audiences, and to forward three goals.
I have tried to give you a good indication of what you will find at the other end of each link.
A link can take you to the top of a page, or to a point somewhere down the page.
There are "hot spots" on some drawings. More will be added. Pointing at a hot spot will turn your pointer to a pointing finger. Click, and you will go to that place.
Sometimes, when you jump to a page, you will most likely want to return to where you jumped from. Use the "Back" button of your browser to do this.