254 Diet Wise
small intestine and a later one caused by the bacteria in the colon.
The short-chain fatty acids in the stool and urinary metabolite
panel also referred to should help in firmly establishing that something is
definitely wrong.
The problem with Candida diets
Candida was really just a hook to hang things on. Do not believe
what you read in the media and on the Web, unless the author specifically
acknowledges this lack of real understanding. I will attempt to summarize
just what we do know about so-called Candida and dysbiosis and also
put an end to some of the nonsense and falsehoods, spread principally
by unqualified medical practitioners. Many of these enthusiastic amateurs
have set themselves up as ‘Candida experts’ and are making belligerent
claims they cannot justify and treating individuals with techniques that are
sometimes worthless or – at worst – downright dangerous.
Some of the confusion about Candida comes from the fact that a
number of widely circulated ‘anti-candida diets’ do have beneficial effects,
at least at first. What isn’t understood is that the mechanism at work is often
that of eliminating a food allergy and not eradicating the candida at all. I saw
one diet in Sweden which asked patients to exclude dairy produce as part
of an anti-Candida regime; a naturopath in Britain says ‘no grains.’ There
is absolutely no rationale for these omissions in the fight against Candida,
but these methods ensure that a great many people who are dairy or wheat
allergic will ‘miraculously’ get better. This creates the false impression that
the patients did indeed have Candida.
Another incorrect datum that has gained much currency is
that once you have Candida you are stuck with it. One hears of people
who are supposed to have had it for years. Again, the amateur meddlers’
fundamental lack of knowledge is to blame. Because they are not able to
prescribe proper antifungal drugs – and indeed, to protect their own shaky
position as unlicensed ‘experts’ some even say that it is undesirable to take
antifungals – they are not able to effect proper eradication. This means that
many sufferers are denied the full treatment that they need, treatment that
would enable them to overcome their condition.
Patients also add to the confusion. Many times I have been
confronted with an individual who claimed that every time they ate a certain
food, the “Candida” ran riot and swept through their bodies within minutes.