Dr. Christopher Lepisto: Hi, I'm Doctor Christopher Lepisto, I'm practicing naturopathic physician in Colorado and graduate of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. Before coming to Colorado, I lived and worked in New Zealand, where I became interested in the amazing healing properties of indigenous herbal medicines, especially the horopito plant.
The plant has been proven to maintain the balance of microflora in the human body. Microflora are microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, that play a role in several bodily functions, including the digestion and absorption of food. Healthy people already have small amounts of bacteria and fungi in their bodies.
The flora are already in our intestines and categorized into two groups: beneficial, those which protect our bodies; and unbeneficial, those that cause infection. Each microorganism is a natural member of our digestive tract, but sometimes they can become harmful like Candida when it gets out of balance.
This story today is a bit like the rabbits and the wolves. What happens if you kill off the wolves? Well, the rabbits go crazy and that's what Candida can do. It is an opportunist and it will take advantage of any scenario to overgrow.
What is Candida albincans? Typically, it is a yeast found in small amounts in the human digestive tract. Bacteria that are already in our bodies will normally keep this amount in check. When the balance in the body is disturbed, overgrowth of Candida albincans can cause infections. This is identified by distinctive, beefy red rash on the skin and a white, pasty residue that it can generate on the tongue and in the mouth, which would be called oral thrush.
The causes of Candida infections are number one, the main one, antibiotics use. Antibiotics kill off bacteria in the body that normally inhibit the overgrowth of the Candida. Long-term illness can also predispose somebody to Candida infection. This would be people with diabetes, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems. Poor diet is also a known contributor. Processed foods, sweets, those foods that contain high amounts of carbohydrates and alcoholic beverages will all promote Candida overgrowth. In fact, it's a bit like direct food for the Candida.
The typical areas of infection are first of all the mouth. This is seen as the oral thrush. It's very common in children. It's the white thick coating that you see on the tongue. It's also found in the genitals especially in woman as vaginal yeast infection. We also find Candida overgrowing in warm, moist skin folds such as the armpits, stomach and feet. And then the final place that we know Candida overgrows is what we call the intestinal reservoir.
There was a study done in the Journal of American Medicine that demonstrated that every single woman with a yeast infection also had a concurrent intestinal reservoir of overgrowing Candida. Approximately, 75% of women will suffer yeast infection at sometime in their life. And a full 45% of those will suffer it more than once. It's extremely common in women. Now, this is more likely if the woman is taking antibiotics or birth control or has been doing excessive douching. This disrupts the normal bacteria that's found in the vagina. It's also more likely if the woman is pregnant, menstruating or has diabetes. What we find the Candida doing is actually changing the nature of vaginal secretions, making the yeast infection more likely.
Now, conventional treatments for Candida have a high risk of severe side effects. Amphotericin B in particular has some known correlations with liver toxicity. It also increases the urinary excretion of magnesium, a known important mineral for healthy heart and muscle function. Bacteria will also become resistant to antibiotic treatments if they are used excessively.
As a naturopathic doctor, I feel Candida is best treated through a natural approach of balancing the fungi without the use of pharmaceuticals. I have found that horopito, as found in the brand Kolorex has demonstrated the ability to eliminate Candida, without side effects. I'm Dr. Christopher Lepisto. Thanks for joining me today to hear about Candida and Kolorex.
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