Category: Candida Crusher FAQ Videos

Good day there, Eric Bakker, naturopath here, author from Candida Crusher. Here’s another question.

Eric, could my excessive drinking be the reason I’m getting yeast infections?

Well, have a good think about it. Alcohol is, in my opinion, one of the chief reasons why people maintain yeast infections. Have a think about that; one of the key reasons why people maintain it.

I’ve seen thousands of people with yeast infections over a long period of time, and I find that if a person is resistant about stopping alcohol, it could well be one of the major factors why they can’t get rid of their Candida yeast infection. But not only that, it could also be one of the major reasons why they can’t save enough money or they can’t get rid of their pot belly or why a lot of women are what I call in the BBC, the big bum club. And they’re women who often like eating bread, drinking wine, guys who would like a six pack, maybe some pizza when they’re watching football.

So we all like our own particular type of poison; there’s no doubt about it. We all like alcohol, but some of us like alcohol a little bit too much. Some of us drink too much; we know that. Some of us are alcoholics. My stepfather was an alcoholic. He drank a bottle of whiskey a day for 20 years. Well, that’s a real problem.

So this is something I’d like you to think about. How I define a person who has a drinking problem is I would look at their want and need for drinking. So let’s just say four or five o’clock comes around, if you’re starting to think in your own mind, oh, I’m looking forward to that glass of wine; I really want that beer. And this is a repetitive thought you have; it may well be a problem. Because it’s not the quantity of alcohol you drink, it’s the fact that you want that drink. That’s the problem; it’s the fact that you want it.

This could be chocolate. This could be alcohol. This could be a cookie. Or like in my dad’s case, it could be ice cream. And some folks may eat five or six scoops of ice cream per day and not see it being a problem. So it’s the desire for that particular sweet food that will determine whether you’ve got a problem or not. It’s an addiction. The addiction needs dealing with. And there are reasons why you have that addiction. Maybe you’re not happy.

I’ve written about eating for emotional comfort in my book. There are many of these sorts of things I’ve written about in my book to help you determine whether you’re eating for emotional comfort or you’ve got an addictive personality. And these are the key things that underpin a yeast infection in many cases.

I’ve not read about a lot of these in many books, but I’ve seen these things in a lot of patients and that’s why I’ve written about them. So in Candida Crusher, you can read all about addictions, emotional reasons for eating, and many other of these factors. If you think that you drink too much, you probably do.

So a good thing for you to do is to stop all alcohol for a little while and to see how your digestion goes, how your jock itch goes, or your vaginal infection. And that’s the key time to treat when you finally sever that addiction.

I’d like you to tackle it slowly, and I use a particular type of approach in my clinic called warm turkey. Warm turkey means you slowly lead into something and take it out. Cold turkey means, wham, you stop doing it and that can be pretty hard. I’m going to talk a lot more about warm turkey in another video.

So I hope that answered your question. Thank you.

Hi there, Eric Bakker, naturopath, author of Candida Crusher with another question. This is a guy’s question.

Eric, do men have symptoms when they contract a yeast infection?

That’s a good question. In fact, some doctors don’t even believe that men can have yeast infections. And I’ve heard on a few occasions when a male patient said to me, my doctor doesn’t believe I’ve got a yeast infection because he said I haven’t got a vagina, how can I have a yeast infection?

Men obviously haven’t got a vagina, well, we know that, but how are men manifesting signs and symptoms of a Candida yeast infection?

In Chapter 3 of my book, you can read all about this in great detail. I’ve written quite a lot on the different bodily systems in yeast infections, but I’ve also written a section on how to recognize a male yeast infection patient, how to recognize the female, and how to recognize the child.

So when you read about the male, you’ll start seeing things like lots of gas, bloating, burping. Men often do these things, and sometimes men do them way more than they should. Itching, itching different parts of the body; it could be ears or scalp or any part of the body could be recurrently itching. A common thing that I find with males is itching the groin area. And I’ve written about this in my book and don’t laugh, it’s true. If you go to a bar or grill, you know one of these areas where people drink a lot of alcohol, and you’ll see guys there itching themselves, and sometimes they don’t even know about it. They’ll do it subconsciously. Females tend to be more discrete.

I grew up with a dad who had a yeast infection for many years, and dad was always burping and bloating and farting. So those are three chief things that you’ll see with males. Guys who desire sweet foods, it’s a key link between a strong craving in a male and a yeast infection because these bugs need feeding. And as I write in my book, the bugs are calling your name; they’re calling your name. I want something to eat; I need something sweet. And, of course, what are you going to do? You’re going to have a beer or you’re going to have a piece of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream. All these things feed up that male yeast infection, and how is the body going to respond? (I believe he burped here).

So when we’ve got yeast inside our digestive tract, we’ve got what I call fermentative dysbiosis. There are many authors who write about this. Liz Lipski is a well-known author with her book, Digestive Wellness. There are many authors you can read about who’ve written about these particular types of problems.

I hope that answers your question about the male symptoms of a yeast infection. Thank you.

The digestion and absorption of nutrients is essential for the survival of all living organisms and is the intricate and particular task of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Enzymes secreted in the in the digestive system breakdown carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Most people don’t think about how their digestive tract is working and just assume their GI system will work to not only breakdown nutrients but also provide energy, release waste and even boost the immune system. The general public isn’t aware of the details involved in the digestion of various nutrients and how the breakdown of products crosses the cells that line the small intestine to reach the blood stream and are then used by other cells of the body (Goodman, 2010).

So if we are so unaware of how and when the digestive system and enzymes are functioning, then how do we know if the digestive enzymes are working?

Generally we produce enzymes from the foods we eat. Fermented food, for example, are probiotic foods and contain enzymes that are produced by bacteria and can aid in digestion. Some foods are high in amylase and help to breakdown starches and sugars. However, problems can occur when certain conditions such as: aging, illness, and/or certain medications can decrease our body’s production of digestive enzymes (“Digestive enzymes,” 2011). During this time the only way to make sure the body has enough enzymes is to supplement. Enzymes have been ingested by man for thousands of years and have been used to supplement the diet and aid in digestion decades (Overview, 2012). Whether or not a person is aware of how supplemental digestive enzymes are working depends on why they are taking the enzymes. For instance, many people with indigestion believe that they have an over active digestive system with too many active digestive enzymes; when in fact the opposite is true. In this case, it would be obvious that the supplemental enzymes were effective when the person experienced relief from heartburn and indigestion (“Digestive enzymes,” 2011).

The digestive system is furnished with a unique immune system for maintaining immunological homeo-stasis, if that efficient immune system is disrupted it can result in the development of diseases such as food allergy and intestinal inflammation. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that digestive enzymes play an important role in the regulation of gut immune responses and also in the development of intestinal immune diseases. Of course in this situation it would be evident that digestive enzymes are effective by a decrease in the symptoms of food allergy, such as a lactose intolerance or diarrhea from intestinal inflammation.

So in conclusion, many times the effectiveness of digestive enzymes cannot be determined easily. With certain conditions that are caused by a lack of enzymes there is testing that can be done to determine if the condition has been resolved. However, many times the determining factor of digestive enzyme’s effectiveness is relief from the symptoms that originally caused the condition (Lamichhane, Kiyono, & Kunisawa, 2013). How does the person feel since taking the enzymes or changing their diet to promote enzymatic production? It is always recommended to see a healthcare provider before beginning any supplementation regime, to assure there isn’t an underlying condition. Nevertheless, relief from symptoms can be the target goal and all the treatment that is necessary.

References
Digestive enzymes for optimum health. (2011). Retrieved from http://naturopathconnect.com/articles/magical-enzymes/
Goodman, B. (2010). Insights into digestion and absorption of major nutrients in humans. Retrieved from http://advan.physiology.org/content/34/2/44
Lamichhane, A., Kiyono, H., & Kunisawa, J. (2013). Nutritional components regulate the gut immune system and its association with intestinal immune disease development. Retrieved from doi:10.1111/jgh.12259
Orally administered enzyme food supplement safety overview. (2012). Washington D.C.: Enzyme Technical Association.