Heavy (Transition) Metals and Candida

 Please be honest...did you ever think that there may be a connection between Candida (and here especially the dangerous form Candida albicans) and heavy metals or better transition metals?

And yet that connection is very strong. We actually could say that the effective elimination of metals from our body may be difficult unless Candida, or Candida overgrowth, is being addressed at the same time.

In the following I would like to alert you to some relevant web sites and copy excerpts from these web sites.

Here is what Gill Jacobs has to say on the topic:

 http://foodsmatter.com/Conditions/Candida/Heavy%20Metals%20in%20Candida.html

With all the myriad of information out there on candida overgrowth and how to treat it, you could be forgiven for overlooking one key factor which could prevent resolution and a return to full health: removal of amalgam fillings and heavy metal toxicity.

Of course, following an anti-candida diet is still necessary, together with taking probiotics, good antifungals, and boosting the immune system. But you could save a great deal of time, and money, if you considered heavy metals as a fundamental barrier to getting well early in your treatment, rather than as an afterthought when nothing else worked. The National Candida Society has many members who attribute at least part of their recovery to mercury removal, and many practitioners are coming to realise the pivotal role that heavy metals play in candida overgrowth.

The following article may explain some of the ‘problems’ your patient may encounter when the ‘treatment’ starts to take effect.

http://www.modernherbalist.com/heavymetal.html

Heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, platinum, arsenic and lead in our environment collect in our cells and when present in elevated concentrations, suppress our cell's normal ability to utilize oxygen. Reduction of cellular respiration often triggers increased yeast proliferation to compensate for this reduction in energy production. Yeast overgrowth in bodies challenged by high toxic metal levels, can be understood as the body's desperate attempt to protect itself against the ravaging effects of heavy metal poisoning. In such cases, the heavy metal load on the system must be reduced to free the system of long-term yeast overgrowth. Individuals with high levels of heavy metals are likely to suffer if attempting to clear yeast / fungal overgrowth, before first addressing their elevated heavy metal levels effectively. When yeast is attacked in such cases, the underlying heavy metal toxicity may cause symptoms of considerable unwellness. Such symptoms and signs are most often misinterpreted as yeast die-off reactions. 

A German web site states that Dr. Thomas Rau, M.D. discovered the connection between Candia and heavy metal poisoning. In the following I have translated some sentences from the site.

http://www.horusmedia.de/1997-pilze/pilze.php

The deeper or underlying cause of Candida overgrowth is an undetected heavy metal poisoning. This finding is opening up new ways for the therapeutic approach.

‘Dangerous Candida yeast overgrowth in our intestinal tract is making us sick from the inside out  in a very underhanded way and hence must be completely eradicated’. This dramatic picture of Candida is widespread…and is entirely wrong in accordance with the latest findings of integrated or holistic medicine. The yeast turns out to be a rather friendly helper for the body under normal circumstances. And yet Candida related diseases displaying a multitude of symptoms (e.g. asthma, chronic sinusitis, rheumatism, digestive problems, headaches, difficulties to concentrate, jitters and depression) are spreading like wild fire. But they have a underlying and until recently unrecognised cause: chronic heavy metal poisoning. Heavy metals were detected in the body of Candida sufferers in unusually large amounts.

The article goes on to state that amalgam fillings may be the source of mercury which

has been found in large quantities in Candida sufferers and that the ‘Candida problem’ is really an ‘Amalgam problem’ and that disease symptoms which are blamed on Candida are really symptoms of heavy metal poisoning.

In the meantime we are investigating the ‘Metal/Candida Connection’ further and I will keep you informed about our own findings (with the help of darkfield microscopy etc.).

Any comments about your own observations and findings would be greatly appreciated.

As always with best wishes for your health and happiness

Hans

23.07.2007