I borrowed the title of this article from an old song by Tina Turner because I enjoy putting new spins on old songs. How often have you heard the word "love" used when someone talks about his or her favorite foods? For example: "I just love cakes and pastries," or, "I just love fine wines" (or special microbrew blends). Someone might also say he or she loves chocolate, soda, ice cream, cheese, pizza, and so on. Maybe these same people also struggle with their weight, which is not uncommon. In fact, people who feel they can't live without certain foods are also often both addicted to and allergic to them. Let's examine this twin dilemma of addiction and allergy. Allergy can be characterized by symptoms stemming from too many undigested proteins in the blood. These proteins set up a chain-reaction from the immune system that causes inflammation and edema. We have all seen the swollen eyes and runny noses of those who suffer from seasonal allergies. Certainly, allergy sufferers are not addicted to irritating pollens that make them sneeze, so how does this relate to being addicted and allergic to certain foods? There is another secret and deeply hidden reason people crave certain foods: Candida albicans. Most women associate the word Candida with vaginal yeast infections. In fact, many think that's all there is to Candida: a temporary, uncomfortable, set of vaginal symptoms. They also mistakenly think only women experience Candida. This yeast-like organism has a lot more to it than that. It is present in everyone, not just women. We usually see thrush in the mouths of babies after treatment with antibiotics. Thrush is oral Candida. Men often say they don't care about sweets, but maybe they love special beers. Perhaps they also occasionally get "jock itch," nail fungus, or athlete's foot, which are all due to yeast. A Question of Balance Normally, Candida inhabits the gut, nasal, and oral cavities, and when it's in balance with other healthy microorganisms, it causes no problems. However, when people become out of balance, it can take over and turn into a monster. How do we get out of balance? Antibiotics are one big culprit. We take them not only as medicine, but also in our meat, eggs, and milk products, since the animals we consume are fed high doses of antibiotics. Even pescatar-ians (vegetarians who eat fish) are exposed to antibiotics if they eat farm-raised fish because fish farms are heavily dosed with antibiotics as well. Antibiotics mow down and clear-cut all the good bacteria in the body while eliminating the bad ones. This allows Candida, which is not affected by antibiotics, to multiply faster, outnumbering the good bacteria that once kept it in check. However, that's not the only way Candida can take over. Chlorinated city water depletes beneficial microorganisms, as do certain pharmaceutical drugs, such as corti-costeroids (prescribed for asthma and lung conditions) and birth control pills. Those with compromised immune systems have an even greater susceptibility to Candida. Gut Reactions Alan Levin, a prominent University of California im-munologist, estimates that one in three Americans is adversely affected by Candida overgrowth. What happens when the gut becomes overrun with this yeast-like organism? I believe the Candida sets up a self-propagating system. I propose that it causes the host to crave the very foods that will feed it. Anyone who has started a Cond/c/o-control diet knows that the only things they can think about for a few days (at least) are the very foods they love but are not supposed to eat. Doesn't this make you wonder who (or what) really loves those foods? Researchers are beginning to call the gut the "second brain." That's because the gut acts separately from the brain in the head, but it also communicates with it constantly. No other body system is quite like this. Foods that Candida loves are the very foods mentioned at the beginning of this article. It loves simple sugars like chocolate, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), beer, wine, alcohol, cakes, cookies, breads, ice cream, starchy vegetables, aged cheeses, and so on. It loves anything that will help feed and nourish it—not you! This explanation may help us see where the addiction to sweet and yeasty foods comes from, but where does the second part of the equation, the allergy, come from? When Candida gets the foods it loves, it throws a big party and multiplies. As it grows, it creates its own trash or waste products. These waste products are released as proteins into the bloodstream that the body must now eliminate. If the body's avenues of elimination are not working properly, the waste products build up and cause inflammation and allergic reactions. The problems Candida causes for the host are numerous. As Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, states, "Symptoms ranging from migraines to infertility, endometriosis, psoriasis, PMS, depression, fibromyalgia, digestive disorders, and many other seemingly unrelated health problems have been attributed to yeast overgrowth. And evidence-based results show that treating the yeast overgrowth often alleviates these symptoms." Remember how I mentioned that those who begin a Cand/da-control diet often can think of nothing else but the foods they are not supposed to have? Those unhappy circumstances can be greatly alleviated if homeopathy is also used during the program. In my experience, a nutritious, whole-food, low-sugar, Cond/do-control diet in addition to proper homeopathic medicines can get Candida back under control without stress and cravings. It can make Candida "get back to where it once belonged" (yet another song lyric). And where it belongs is not running your life! So I ask again, "What's love got to do with it?" Ask yourself who loves those foods—you or the Candida? Dr. Frank King, nationally recognized researcher, author, and lecturer, is the founder and president of King Bio, an FDA-registered homeopathic manufacturing company. Dr. King is dedicated to completing chiropractic destiny with homeopathy. Attend The Healing Revolution Summit, July 18-20, 2014, in Asheville, N.C., and learn how to easily incorporate Contemporary Homeopathy into your practice. Learn more: www.SafeCareRx.com, call 866-298-2740, or e-mail: [email protected].
