How Does Candida Albicans Live?

What is Candida Albicans?

Candida is a genus of yeasts, many species of which can be found living in humans and most other mammals. In most cases, candida (usually Candida albicans in mammals) is commensal, which means it lives with the other flora in the gut without causing any particular harm. Changes in environment, such as a sudden lack of balance between yeast and bacteria in the body, will sometimes trigger the harmless single-celled candida albicans to become a multicellular invader. This manifests in several different ways, including diaper and skin rashes, thrush, nailbed infections, and yeast infections. When the yeast overgrows, it is referred to as candidiasis.

Reproduction and Cultivation

Candida albicans reproduce in two ways: one in hyphal form in which they split into fragments and create new yeast-like forms (mycelia), and the other by budding and forming an ellipsoidal bud. The yeast lives in the oral and vaginal cavities and the digestive tract, colonizing on mucosal surfaces. Keeping the fungus from growing out of control are the probiotic bacteria, also known as "good" bacteria. Candida albicans is typically reduced in number due to the commensal balance of this bacteria and fungus in the body, but recent trends of using antibiotics, immunosuppressive treatments, long-term catheterization, and the longer lifespan of immunologically compromised individuals has stopped the limitation of candida albicans. Since antibiotics and these other treatments kill bacteria, but do not differentiate between probiotics and pathogens, they throw the balance in the favor of the fungus. Candida albicans feeds on simple sugar and if unopposed by probiotic bacteria it can grow unchecked. An abundance of Candida albicans is known as candidiasis.

Natural Treatments

There is a large contingency of alternative medical practitioners that believe many diseases are caused by excess Candida in the system. They cite the symptoms of "systemic candidiasis" as: chronic fatigue, chronic infections, extreme mood swings, diarrhea, short-term memory loss, lymphatic swelling, night sweats, insomnia and increased food allergies. To deal with this full-system problem, treatment requires six to 12 months of natural therapy to restore balance to the body. They recommend products that restore the body's probiotic bacteria such as acidophilus and bifido bacteria to prevent the growth of candida. A few more recommendations are oil of oregano capsules, glutamine capsules, grapefruit seed extract and wormwood. They also believe that a diet low in sugars will help to deprive the candida of its food source. When the candida begins to respond to treatment it will start to die off, which will cause multiple symptoms in the body for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. These symptoms are headaches, nausea, gas, severe energy loss, blurry vision and sugar cravings.