Tag:

candida

The Immune-Boosting Benefits of Alkaline Structured Silver

by Catherine 7:37 pm

Dr. Gordon Pedersen on Medicinal Silver As a Tool for Treating Mold Illness, Candida, and Yeast

Most of us who suffer from mold- or environmentally-triggered illness are familiar with the uses of medicinal silver and silver solutions as natural treatment options for bacteria and yeast. Silver has long-been considered a holistic intervention for infections to be used instead of antibiotics. It has also been touted in the mold illness community for its usefulness against biofilms in nasal washes for the treatment of MARCoNs and fungal sinus infections. But, even though its health benefits have been studied and known for centuries, for some reason, silver seems to still be underappreciated and often pushed aside in favor of the latest buzzed-about supplement or treatment modality. I’ll admit, I had actually sort of forgotten about silver and its benefits myself. I always keep a bottle of Silver Sol on-hand, but hadn’t really needed it or considered using it lately. But, when some familiar Candida symptoms (post-meal discomfort, bloating, indigestion, and brain fog) started to crop up again for me recently, I soon rediscovered silver in a very new light.

7:37 pm 8 comments

Mold in the News Treatment & Recovery Wellness

Mold In The News: Candida Auris

by Catherine 5:34 pm

How to Confront a “Super Fungus” In An Increasingly Pathogen-Friendly World

From time to time, I try to use this blog as an opportunity to introduce and discuss the latest news topics concerning mold/fungus and human health that come onto the scene and temporarily dominate mainstream media platforms. These stories seem to pop-up overnight, consume headlines and social media feeds, and then disappear without warning or explanation, leaving all of us wondering if we still need to be concerned and vigilant. This is going to be one of those posts, because it is important to me to formally address the news of the “recently-discovered,” rapidly-emerging fungal pathogen, or “Super Fungus,” Candida auris.

Before I get into the details, I want to be clear as to why I decided to write about Candida auris when the topic has already been covered ad nauseam: It is my opinion that most current stories on Candida auris generate a climate of increased fear and confusion surrounding how and why the pathogen spreads, our inability to eliminate it with standard antifungal drugs and treatment, and the high fatality rates of those infected. And while, those are definitely some of the hard facts about this fungus, Candida and other fungal infections have been around for centuries causing sickness and high mortality rates for systemic infection, but for some reason, just haven’t been given the focus, the importance, or the same “billing” as their bacterial and viral counterparts. This has been especially true in the medical community. For example, just think about how many times you have walked out of a doctor’s office with a prescription for a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Did they take a culture and identify the specific pathogen before writing the prescription? On the other hand, how many times has a doctor mentioned the possibility of fungal source when you have been sick or has prescribed an antifungal? Not many, right? Thus, I thought it might be helpful for me clear things up and to demystify Candida auris by focusing only on information that is evidence- and scientific-study based, so that I can bring you an easy-to-digest, and hopefully relatable take on the story. I also believe that when anything fungal is causing acute sickness to humans, especially at the magnitude of Candida auris, I would be missing the mark not to discuss some basic connections between the emergence of an increasingly virulent yeast and why we are becoming so vulnerable to it.

5:34 pm 0 comment

Mold Prevention Products Wellness

The Candida Overgrowth-Mold Connection: Clean Your Environment to Clean Your System

by Catherine 3:20 am

Mold in Your Environment May Be at the Root of Your Digestive Issues

My “Why Am I STILL Sick” post generated LOTS of reader questions. Each reader wanted specific answers about a particular piece of their personal illness puzzle. Unfortunately, I am not able to give individual medical advice to anyone about their symptoms or health struggles, because I am not a licensed medical doctor or health practitioner. While I do have my own experience and our success story to back what I write about and share on the blog, I am still not qualified to weigh in on the symptoms of others. What I CAN do to continue to help, though, is to dive a little deeper into some of the main categories that readers wrote to me about that seem to be hindering their treatment progress.

Since GI and digestive issues seem to be a large pain point for many mold illness sufferers, I thought I could start there. (I am definitely versed and familiar with GI symptoms as I suffered greatly with ulcerative colitis as one of my main health fallout pieces from the mold.) In order to do that, I have to address the main culprit for most digestive issues as they relate to mold and mold illness: Candida (yeast) overgrowth.

Let me start by saying that I know that fungus in the gut is different from fungus in the air and on your things. I also know that you do not necessarily get Candida overgrowth by living in a moldy home. In other words, by inhaling mold spores, you do not acquire Candida overgrowth, leaky gut, etc. But, the two are DEFINITELY linked (the Mold/Candida connection) and related. Here is why:

First, we ALL have Candida living in our bodies to some degree. It is confined to our mouths and digestive systems to help break down food and aid in digestion. Usually, the “good” bacteria also living in our gut keep Candida levels in check, maintaining a balanced, diverse, and healthy microbiome. But, when our immune systems become compromised, like when we are exposed to mold in our indoor environments, or have had chronic infections and have been taking too many courses of antibiotics that kill off all of the good bacteria, or when we drink too much alcohol or eat the typical Western diet, high in sugars and carbohydrates that feed the sugar-loving Candida, or when we drink chlorinated water than kills the good bacteria, but not the yeast, the level of Candida gets higher and higher until it takes over and migrates beyond our digestive systems.

3:20 am 0 comment