Candida-Related Complex And Colon Therapy
By Wendy McPhail, CT, CCN
Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus. It exists in most people in limited amounts in the digestive tract from the mouth to the rectum. It loves dark, moist places, as all fungi do. In healthy people, candida albicans exists in small colonies and is kept in check by beneficial bacteria.

Problems arise when, due to a variety of causes, the body’s defenses weaken. When this happens, the controls that usually limit candida’s growth are removed and the organism can spread to areas where it normally wouldn’t. A combination of factors can cause the disruption in the normal balance of candida and beneficial bacteria, including: drugs, especially immunosuppressant medications such as antibiotics and corticosteroids; a diet high in sugar and starch including fruits, breads, pasta and breakfast cereal, alcoholic beverages and other food containing yeast; oral contraceptives; stress or exhaustion; and mold in the environment.
Candida causes different reactions in different people and can be related to other conditions, such as allergies, depression and chemical sensitivities. Those are major reasons that Candida-Related Complex has not been accepted by much of the medical community. Looking at one’s medical history, listing symptoms on a yeast/fungal questionnaire, changing the diet and taking natural antifungals will quickly reveal fungal involvement in health problems. This is a rare instance in which treatment is also the main means of diagnosis. 

What are some symptoms? Candida can affect all systems of the body: digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, reproductive, urinary, endocrine and musculoskeletal. The toxins secreted by candida affect each system, and each system affects the others. Someone suffering with candida usually experiences a combination of fatigue, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression and headaches, combined with poor dietary habits, chronic stress and little or no tolerance for exercise. Abdominal bloating is a frequent problem and is linked to the types of food ingested. Food high in sugar and starch and also beer and wine will trigger bloating. Often the patient has a history of treatment with drugs for recurrent infections such as sinusitis, earaches, urinary tract infections, vaginal infections, bronchitis and more. 
I have developed a three-part approach to treating candida problems that has produced very good results. 

1. Part I is diet and lifestyle changes. For some this includes removal of all grains (sources of starch and sugar) from the diet for a time. Many people are also intolerant to the gluten and mycotoxic mold found in nuts, grains and seeds. Lifestyle changes can include reconsidering stressful relationships or employment, increasing exercise, learning proper breathing, dry-skin brushing, castor oil packs and more.
2. Part II is a fiber/antifungal mix recipe. This mix will thicken intestinally and move through the small intestine and colon like a broom. Natural antifungals in this mix must be rotated regularly to keep fungus from surviving.
3. Part III is regular colon cleansing along with the above two steps, followed eventually by liver cleansing.

I have also greatly appreciated and utilized oxygen or ozone therapy to invigorate the body and immune system while my three-part program is being followed. Further detoxification by opening the pores using a medical-grade ozone sauna invigorates the blood and lymph system and hastens recovery. 

Candida has become a buzz word in our natural health workshops and programs but very few people understand the organism’s tenacity and will to live. The immune system is key to recovery, but it is severely compromised by the more than 72 paralyzing toxins produced by a fungal infection. Taking many herbs or supplements when the systems are already overwhelmed usually lands the sufferer in bed, or deeper in despair. Fungal infection is not usually the root cause of a disease condition, but it’s always a player, the opportunist that proliferates at such levels that it often disguises the primary cause of the illness.

Wendy McPhail, CT, CCN is the owner of Nethersprings Colon Hydrotherapy located at 910 E. Florida Ave. Ste C2, Hemet, CA  92543. You can reach her at (951)764-8685 or
www.nethersprings.com