What causes Candida and fungal overgrowth?

With Covid-19 rampaging with full force all over the world, you can't blame people getting wary of catching something new.    

A few episodes ago, Kiran Krishnan from Microbiome Labs, sat down with me and did a deep dive on Candida and Fungal overgrowth (check out his episode on the Less Stressed Life podcast!) 

I think one of the main concerns usually aired about Candida and Fungal overgrowth is if it's something contagious.  

No, it's not!

Everyone has candida. It lives in practically every crevice of your body - although 98% of the time, it lives on mucosal surfaces like your mouth, eyes, nose, and lungs, to name a few.  

Having candida present in your body is not really alarming if the population remains controlled. 

The problem arises when fungus starts reproducing. How do you know if you're experiencing candida and fungal overgrowth? There are two main ways to tell.

First, when there is an overgrowth, which produces alcohol derivatives, and later on ingests, the effect is comparable to the things you feel when you're drunk. Mind fog, confusion, these are just some of the possible things you can experience. The second and more severe effect of overgrowth is a blood infection.  

 The uncontrollable population of candida and fungus activates systemic immune-inflammatory responses, which leads to hospitalization. 

So, you've read the two main effects of candida overgrowth, but the question remains, what causes the proliferation of this species?

The trifecta of candida and fungal overgrowth causes are: 

1. Immunosuppression
2. Microbial disruption
3. A combination of both (which is seen with heavy metal toxicity)

 Immunosuppression. People who are on antibiotics and antibacterial protocols are highly vulnerable to candida overgrowth. Remember that in taking these kinds of medicine, the bad bacteria get wiped out along with the good bacteria in the body. Another unknown fact is if you are relatively healthy but live with someone who is immunocompromised because of antibiotics or antibacterial, your immune system also takes a hit from these treatments. The intimacy of the relationship with someone on antibiotics does not matter. As long as you live under one roof, your immune system also gets affected.  

Diet. "You are what you eat" goes a famous saying, and we're discovering how true this is. The food you consume greatly influences your microbiomes. Going back to previous episodes about how the gut and immune system are connected, you'll understand the importance of short term food restriction and in consuming a wide variety of food to maintain your gut health. 

Heavy Metal toxicity.  It is a combination of microbiome disruption and immunosuppression. Unlike the first two, which are easily noticeable, heavy metal toxicity happens right under our noses without too much scrutiny. The environment you live in has a substantial effect on heavy metal toxicity. The wipes you use on your kitchen counter, the weed killer your neighbor uses on his backyard, or the traces of mercury found in some fish, like tuna. 

These are three things that cause fungal and candida overgrowth in the body. You may be thinking how easy it is for candida to become prevalent given the situation of the world is, and it shows, given the increasing number of people who are experiencing the symptoms of candida overgrowth.  

Now that you've read the causes and the two main signs of candida and fungal overgrowth, the question is, what can we do now?

Scroll down to listen to this episode to find out how you can address fungal overgrowth with lifestyle and dietary changes as well as Undecylenic acid.

Transcript: 

• Snippet (00:00) 
• The Eczema relief diet and cookbook promo (00:20)
• Intro (2:20)
• Christa Biegler introduces  Kiran Krishnan (2:39)
• High-quality nerds to talk intelligently about the microbiome (04:23)
• Research collaborations with Dr. Frankel and Dr. Steve Amani, etc. (05:00)
• Mycobiome (06:36)
• Candida (7:50)
• Where Candida can be found (08:31)
• Forms of Candida  (9:51)
• What happens when Candida overgrows (11:28) 
• How Candida affects the body (11:33)
• What does it look like in the eyes (08:31)
• Candida species and where they in the body (13:51)
• Yeast fermentation (15:22)
• Reasons for candida overgrowth aside from immunosuppression (16:33)
• Testing for Fungus (22:06)
• Lifestyle as a reason for Candida overgrowth (24:10)
• Products used for both bacterial and fungal overgrowth. (25:15)
• Pathogenic condominium (26:22)
• How Undecylenic acid attack Candida (30:01) 
• Why Undecylenic acid is uncommon in Candida Treatment (32:21)
• Why Candida products are not that famous (34:51)
• How long has Undecylenic acid been around and being used (36:51)
• 2 Types of Candida Reproduction (39:10)
• Undecylenic acid and Propolis to treat Candida (39:40)
• Spore based bacteria breaks down pathogen biofilms (41:54)
• The skin reflects what is going on in the circulatory system(42:54)
• Cosmetic issues vs Internal problems (22:18)
• A case study from John Hopkins University about sharing a microbiome cloud (44:45)
• A new product in measuring the index of microbiomes in your environment (46:43)
• A study on the chronological predictability of studying microbiota (47:00)
• Molds in the environment and the connection to fungal growth in your body (51:00)
• Hypertoxins that result in systemic inflammatory effects  (51:31)
• Microbiome products (54:14)
• Outro (56:30)

Resources  mentioned in the episode:

Microbiome Labs 

Mega Mycoblance Dietary Supplement