Hello,
Here are some new articles regarding candida, allergies and genetics.
NYSTATIN AND DIFLUCAN, THE MYTH EXPOSED
There exists the myth that Nystatin and Diflucan are very powerful antifungal treatments. This myth exists due to the fact that they are the most prescribed and revered antifungal. It also exists because the drug companies and your Doctor may say it’s so.
However the herbal kingdom also contains antifungal substances. In fact there are dozens and dozens of different antifungal compounds that exist in nature in the forms of herbs.
The purpose of this article will be to reveal the myths, the pros and the cons of both the herbal antifungal and the prescribed drugs such as Nystatin and Diflucan.
Nystatin and Diflucan are given to patients who suffer from chronic fungal or yeast growth. The fungal yeast growth could be anywhere in the body, the intestines, genitals, mouth etc. The assumption is that the medicine will kill the fungus, it will go away and all will be well. This is about as ignorant as the person who invites Osama Bin Laden or Charles Manson to his home for dinner and expects to have a nice quiet evening at home.
Limitations of Nystatin and Diflucan
Nystatin is particularly known for causing drug resistance in different strains of Candida Albicans. It has done this for several reasons. One is that it has been so widely prescribed. Millions of individuals prescribed this drug equals billions of colonies of Candida have had a chance to mutate against it. Beyond this however, it is typical for Nystatin to be prescribed for periods of time that exceed 30 days. My contention is that drug resistance in Candida colonies begin after the colony has been exposed to the same medication for 21 days continuously. Nystatin can be prescribed for 30,60 or 90 days at a time.
Diflucan is rarely prescribed for that long because it is simply too toxic and may cause liver and kidney damage. However is it not as toxic as Nizerol which could cause a disaster if prescribed that long.
Nystatin is active mostly in the intestinal tract and is poorly absorbed systemically. This is an advantage of Diflucan or Nizerol in that they are absorbed systemically and are not limited to the intestinal tract.
Dysbiosis
The definition of Dysbiosis is an imbalance in the intestinal tract of normal intestinal flora. Lactobacillus Acidophilus which inhabits the 40-60 foot long small intestine and Bifido Bacterium which inhabits the 6-8 foot long colon are the most abundant protective bacteria in the digestive tract. They help produce vitamins, help us digest and absorb nutrients from our foods and also protect us from harmful bacteria, parasites and yeasts which find their way into our digestive tract. When medication such as antibiotics, steroids, antacids, and immune suppressing drugs are taken these friendly protective organisms die-off. This condition is called “Dysbiosis”. “Dysbiosis” is a state of imbalance where the harmful micro-organisms achieve an abnormal dominance over the good organisms. This allows a build- up of toxins produced by the organisms and also disrupts normal digestion. Due to this, stomach acid and enzymes produced by the pancreas that digest foods (particularly proteins) lessen. This leads to incomplete digestion of proteins.
It is impossible for someone to have an overgrowth of Fungus or Yeast without also developing Dysbiosis. This is because once the friendly flora that protects us from Fungus or Yeast in compromised the growth of harmful bacteria and parasites occur along with the Fungus or Yeast. Does Nystatin or Diflucan kill harmful bacteria or parasites? The answer is no!
So if you use these drugs to eliminate your Candida problem and if you are lucky enough that they do indeed eliminate it, you are still left with the harmful bacteria and the parasites the make up the remainder of your Dysbiosis. That being the case the harmful bacteria and the parasites prevent your friendly bacteria from growing back despite the hundreds of dollars you are spending on acidophilus and probiotics. So what happens in time? Well of course, the Candida grows back again? Why? Because you treated Candida only and not the complete problem which is the Dysbiosis!
Why Use Herbs?
1. Antifungal herbs are plentiful, you can rotate 3,4 or 5 different ones taking each one for 4, 7 or 10 days at a time and then moving to another one without ever causing dug resistance to occur.
2. Herbs are much less toxic then the prescription antifungal drugs.
3. All the antifungal herbs are to a greater or lesser degree also effective against harmful bacteria and parasites. So when you use the herbs you’re treating the Dysbiosis and not just the Candida. This gives you a better chance of eliminating your Dysbiosis so that the acidophilus will grow back! They “cons” regarding using herbs are very few. Allergic reactions may occur in very sensitive individuals to some of the plant substances in the herbs. That aside there are none.
So while in fact there is the myth of Nystatin and Diflucan being so powerful, you now may see that they are nothing more then big bullies, who can’t ever do the job correctly, so like all bullies their own short comings lead to their eventual failure.
USING GENETIC TESTING TO DEVELOP A PERSONALIZED NUTRITION PROGRAM
At the Biamonte Center, we develop personalized Nutritional programs of diet and supplementation to meet an individuals needs. The data that we rely on to determine what is needed for the individual is based on a simple concept. “What does the body tell us it wants now and what may the body need in the future based on its genetics”.
HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHAT NUTRIENTS YOUR BODY NEEDS?
To determine what the body wants, we rely on blood testing, tissue mineral analysis which determines the levels of potential toxic metals like lead, mercury etc and healthful minerals such a iron, zinc, calcium etc and a test called an “Organic acid profile’. Organic acids are wastes that are the result of normal chemical processes in the body. The Organix Profile provides a view into the body’s cellular metabolic process and the efficiency of metabolic function. Identifying metabolic blocks that can be treated nutritionally allows individual tailoring of interventions that maximize patient responses and lead to improved patient outcomes. Organic acids are metabolic intermediates produced in pathways of central energy production, detoxification, neurotransmitter breakdown, or intestinal microbial activity. Accumulation of specific organic acids in urine often signals a metabolic inhibition or block. This may be due to a nutrient deficiency, an inherited enzyme deficit, toxic build-up, or drug effect. This Organix test gives us a further understanding of what the blood work and tissue mineral test may mean.
So essentially these 3 tests tell us what the bodies current nutritional requirements are based on the current diet, life style, stress, medical conditions, exercise and exposure to toxins from the present environment.
WHAT DOES GENETICS REALLY MEAN?
A patients genetics are the 2nd area that need to be explored in order to fully understand their body’s needs. The genetic material of all living things is made of up of the molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid-more commonly known as DNA. Amazingly, the DNA of any two individuals is 99.9% identical. So what makes us different from each other? The crucial one tenth of one percent (0.1%) difference between one person’s DNA and another’s lies in the small but unique variations called “Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms,” or “SNPs” for short. A small variation in SNPs can help identify genetic predispositions; an individual can use this information to maintain heart health and bone strength, for example.
A genome is the total sum of an organism’s DNA, genes and chromosomes. Genomics is the systematic and simultaneous study of multi-gene systems, such as those found in humans. The Genetic testing that we use is a practical application of this understanding of genetics designed to identify areas of the Human Genome that may not be functioning efficiently. The screening and analysis provide us with an improved understanding of your specific body processes and pathways that may not function at their best.
Our lab provides a scientifically well-established method of understanding your unique physiological make-up. Virtually 100% of health conditions are affected by genetic makeup. This enables us to focus specifically on the areas that need attention for you to achieve maximum health and longevity.
In order to determine what the body may want based on its genetics we utilize the Integrative Genomics™ DNA screening. The Integrative Genomics™ DNA screening starts with a comfortable, easy-to-do mouth swab to collect a DNA specimen. Either you or your healthcare practitioner gently swabs the inside of your cheek, then allows the swab to dry in the drying rack that is included with the collection kit. The dried swab is then placed in a special envelope and sent to the lab for analysis.
The lab analysis focuses on the occurrence of relevant SNPs. Pronounced “snips,” SNPs are small but common natural variations in human DNA. Each person has several million SNPs that account for the wide variations seen in the spectrum of human appearance and physiology. Our screening tests for those functional SNPs that serve as predictable markers for evaluation of genetic function. By determining their unique SNPs, individuals can make precise decisions about their diet and lifestyle, ultimately improving their overall health.
The Integrative Genomics screening process respects the privacy of every individual and has taken many precautions to create a process that allows individuals to maintain the highest level of confidentiality. All information provided by the individual taking the screening is kept on a secure server and all samples are identified by barcode only. This information is never shared with a third party. After the evaluation is completed and validated, all DNA sample material is destroyed. The end result of the analysis is a break down of which genetic “errors” you have inherited from your mother and your father. The research into the “errors” has determined what illness and vitamin-nutrient deficiencies arise from each individual genetic “error”.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!
My job as the Doctor, becomes studying the results of the blood work, the tissue mineral test and organix test, those are the tests that are telling me the bodies wants or needs now, ‘in present time”, to what the genetic test tells me the body requires based on your genetic needs. I like for comparisons. As an example, if the genetic test tells me that the person may be prone to Candida overgrowth, we will look for deficiencies of nutrients such as selenium, molybdenum, iron, copper or any nutrient being deficient that may predispose one to Candida.
If the genetic test tells us the person is predisposed to heart disease due to Co enzyme Q10 deficiency, I will look over the blood, tissue mineral and organix test for signs of Co-Q10 deficiency. Whatever disease, illness or deficiency the genetic test says is possible will be looked for in the tests that tell us what the body wants or is doing now. Any type of test that tells us what the body wants or is doing now can be compared to the genetic test in order to see if it is occurring. The ones I mention is this article are my preference.
The end result of this process would be to correct the imbalances that show in the present, particularly the ones that also may have a genetic link. Thereafter a maintenance program can be compiled of the nutrients that are needed to support the genetic weakness found. Having a genetic weakness is not necessarily a death sentence. The old saying “to be forewarned is to be forearmed”, never rang more true. If one has the knowledge what his genetic weakness are he can do something to compensate for it. Since illness can occur due to lack of vital nutrients, and since the genetic test tells us which nutrients your body has a greater need for, supplying those nutrients as supplements can help offset the illness you are genetically predisposed to. Since at this time in our planets technology there does not exist a way to easily change ones genetics, supporting your genetic weakness will be found in the future to play a vital role in health care.
For more information in this approach go to
The Anatomy and Progression of Allergies
By Michael Biamonte CCN
This is an article, I am going to take, you the reader, on a step by step “tour”, of how I believe that most Allergies develop. We will start at childhood and work forward. I will use a compilation of all the previously agreed upon and accepted data in the fields of Naturopathy and Clinical Nutrition.
An allergy whether it is to “airborne allergens” like pollens, molds dust etc, to foods or to chemical or metallic substances all have the same begins. An Allergic person does not have a weak immune system. In fact their immune system is hyperactive. It is in a constant alarm state of awareness or readiness, constantly ready to attack a foreign invader at the slightest provocation. The Allergic person’s immune system is truly hyperactive, so much so that it attacks things without careful enough examination of whether or not it is correct to do so.
The Allergy begins in the intestinal tract with the disruption of normal intestinal flora. Lactobacillus Acidophilus which inhabits the 40-60 foot long small intestine and Bifido Bacterium which inhabits the 6-8 foot long colon are the most abundant protective bacteria in the digestive tract. They help produce vitamins, help us digest and absorb nutrients from our foods and also protect us from harmful bacteria, parasites and yeasts which find their way into our digestive tract. When medication such as antibiotics, steroids, antacids, and immune suppressing drugs are taken these friendly protective organisms die-off. This condition is called “Dysbiosis”. “Dysbiosis” is a state of imbalance where the harmful micro-organisms achieve an abnormal dominance over the good organisms. This allows a build up of toxins produced by the organisms and also disrupts normal digestion. Due to this, stomach acid and enzymes produced by the pancreas that digest foods (particularly proteins) lessen. This leads to incomplete digestion of proteins. This is where the allergy really begins.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
The condition of Leaky Gut syndrome is formally known as “Intestinal Permeability”. In this condition, the harmful microorganism that make up “Dysbiosis”, harmful chemicals, drugs or toxic metals, and continued intestinal Allergic reactions damage the lining of the intestines. The Mucin lining is damaged. This is a protective barrier of proteins that are the first line of defense. Next microscopic damage occurs to the gut lining. This is not visible by a scope of any kind. This allows proteins, improperly digested foods chemicals and allergens that we breathe in to “fall through the cracks” and enter our blood stream. This condition underlies many auto immune diseases. It is the next stage of the chronic allergy state.
When proteins and other foods are not digested correctly and to the degree that the body wants them digested the body has difficulty recognizing them as food and handling them. It could be truly said that when protein and foods are not digested correctly the body then views them as foreign invaders and the immune system attacks them. This is the most basic form and explanation of a food allergy.
Also the “Parotid” gland has a functional role in preventing this abnormality. The Parotid gland is located in the area beneath ones tongue. It is the largest salivary gland. Its job other then the mere production of saliva is to “tag” or identify for the immune system foreign bodies that should be attacked as an invading germ or toxin versus a substance which should be welcomed as a nutrient. The Parotid gland may become under active and this identification process may slacken.
During this attack histamine is produced in the body. It is the liver’s job to reduce the histamine by detoxifying it. The Adrenal glands also produce antiflamatory hormones which further reduce the Allergic reactions. It becomes the job of the Liver and Adrenal glands to reduce the histamine produced by “mast cells” which are produced as part of the immune systems response to its attack. The Liver and Adrenal glands must also reduce the general inflammatory response that occurs due to immune system attacks.
If the liver and adrenal glands are not fully functioning or are themselves deficient in nutrients, then the histamine reaction and the inflammatory reaction cannot be reduced correctly. This prolongs the allergic reaction and may intensify it.
Technically, allergic reactions of this kind are occurring constantly. The difference between the allergic person and the non allergic could be argued to be the ability of the persons Adrenal and Liver function to “put out the fire” of the outbreak.
The Hyper immune Response
The Thymus gland is often referred to as the “Master Immune” gland. The Thymus and Adrenal glands have an antagonistic action on each other. When the Adrenal glands become under active due to long periods of exhausting stress the Thymus gland will tend to be overactive. It is the over activity of the thymus gland without the balancing effect of the Adrenal glands that ultimately produces the chronic state of an overactive Thymus gland.
The Allergic person does not have a weak immune system as stated earlier. The over activity of their immune system is as a direct result of the hyperactive state of their Thymus gland… It is the constant alarm state of the Thymus that ultimate powers much of the continuation of the Allergic state of being. The Thymus gland also stimulates and increases the activity of other parts of the immune system which are all part of the attack.
The Adrenal glands when properly functioning produce hormones of the Cortisol, Cortisone, Prednisone family which suppress and balance the excessive activity of the Thymus gland. This is in fact the theory behind treating auto immune conditions and conditions of excessive immune function like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Leukemia and other such illness with Prednisone. This is following the same basic law as described early of the Adrenals (which in turn produce prednisone) balancing the Thymus gland and its counterparts in the immune system.
So to help the Allergic person overcome their Allergies the following needs to occur.
Phase 0-2,the intestinal imbalance we call Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut syndrome, needs to be corrected, and normal flora and digestion restored.
Phase 3-4 would include restoring Parotid, Adrenal and Liver function and balancing the axis between the Adrenals and Thymus gland. This can be expected to take quite a few months to do maybe longer. But it is the only system that addresses each stage of the Anatomy of the Allergy and corrects all the underlying causes!