Well, it’s January. The holidays have passed and I hope you didn’t get sick.. or gain weight.. or get too stressed out.. Or, develop a yeast problem from your Grandma’s pies.. or three square meals a day of fudge, sugar cookies, or fruit cake.. Yeah, nix that last one.

So I have one word for you, Candida. By now you’ve heard this buzzword. It was all the rage in the 90s to “cleanse Candida from your body” and there are literally hundreds of products which claim to decrease or rid your body entirely of Candida. You may have tried some of them.. Without much success. It may be a good idea to understand what you’re up against.

Let’s cover the basics.. Candida is a naturally occurring yeast in our blood streams. Everyone has it, you’re supposed to have it, it’s a helpful yeast. If it wasn’t for this symbiotic relationship, which has evolved with us over time, we would probably all go into a diabetic coma at some point (that pie!). Candida helps regulate the amount of sugar in our blood. It’s pretty cool stuff! Just like plankton in the ocean, Candida will bloom to feed, and then die back once it’s run out of food. Once it’s job is finished, it retires. Just like the human body, if you overfeed Candida, they’ll turn into an eating machine. So those terrible sugar cravings you can’t seem to control.. Yep, it’s the sugar gobbler in your body demanding to be fed, it’s Candida.

But you don’t eat candy or drink soda.. Much.. Sugars are loaded up in mass numbers in soda. Even in “moderation” any HFCS or corn sugar sweetened treat is a Candida buffet playdate. What about the average organic diet? Sugars are found in sweet grains, “healthy” junk food like gluten free cookies, and refined carbs like frozen pizzas.. Don’t forget about dairy products either, Lactose is a pretty concentrated sugar source. Candida loves the modern American Diet. What happens when Candida has too much food? It blooms all day! That’s right.. it will just grow and grow and grow. It will totally take-over your blood stream.. Not such good news.

Candida is a necessary symbiotic yeast, but in excess it creates an acidic environment. Like any flora that’s out of balance, excess Candida can totally wreak havoc on the body. It causes skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, acne, and rashes. It can be the root of vaginal yeast overgrowth too. Candida can be related to many digestive complaints like loose stools, constipation, bloat, gas, burping, and excessive sugar/carb cravings.. It causes bad breath and a white coated tongue. Too much Candida can be responsible for mental fog, headaches, joint pain, physical fatigue, and depression. Yikes!

Do you have excess Candida? If you eat refined foods, chances are that you do. If you’ve tried a cleanse before you know that symptoms usually will get worse, then slightly improve, and (fingers crossed) you hope it stays that way. Usually however, it doesn’t. That’s because most people put themselves on a very strict “Candida Free diet” (so boring). You can use herbs that will correct the current excessive bloom in the blood, but not the root problem.

You see, Candida does live in the blood, but it loves your intestines. Think of the blood as the dance floor and your intestines as their nesting place. If you cleanse your blood, but not your small intestine, you’ve accomplished nothing.. You’ve skimmed the top of the pool and left the rest of the pond.

Yet with all of the products on the market, not many actually work. In fact, I’ve only found one that does. I’ll get to that soon.

There are cranberry based products, which flush your system via the kidneys. That just recirculates the yeast. You may urinate excessively, nothing else. There are enzyme based products, which claim to break down fungal cell walls.. But if the yeast isn’t dead (via diet starvation or other means) then they don’t work. Most people won’t tolerate a major diet change for very long. We’re talking bland, no sugar, raw low starch vegetables only.. No diary, no fruit, no grains.. So that doesn’t tend to work out!

To insure an enzyme based product works you need to pair it something that will destroy (yes, totally annihilate!) the excess Candida in your entire body. You can use a detoxifying herb like Goldenseal, but in my experience it’s too harsh. I don’t want my face to be broken out, the whole world need not know I’m cleansing!

So the answer my friend is Candida Freedom. Yes, I know that’s the answer.. The product I’m recommending to you is called Candida Freedom. It’s formulated by a small company that is practitioner owned, run, and based out of Georgia, USA. The product is in two parts, the killer, which is considered Lactic acid therapy, creates a very unfriendly environment to Candida. It turns their oasis of pleasure into a desert of pain. It’s very effective but totally gentle probiotic supplement. Nothing complicated, nothing crazy.

This information is taken from the website for Candida Freedom

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The Formula: 

Bacillus coagulans – A transient bacteria which is resistant to extreme

heat, light, oxygen and stomach acid. Provides an optimal environment

for growth and colonization of a wide variety of friendly bacteria necessary

for better digestion and stronger immunity.

Aloe vera – Assists in the repair of tissue damage done by bacterial and

fungal pathogens.

Alpha lipoic acid – Helps in areas of aging, inflammation and oxidation. Boosts cellular energy production. Assists in blood flow to the skin when applied topically.

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The second part of the Candida Freedom program is the Candida Digest, the enzyme based fungal dissolver. If you don’t want the detox symptoms, this is a must have. You can take them together, everyday, without any of the inconvenience related to cleansing.. and your skin won’t have a bunch of dead yeast on the surface.. Mmm, die off!

The best part about Candida Freedom is you do not have to change your diet! Yep, you can still eat those gluten free cookies. I don’t suggest it be a daily activity, but perhaps once a week you can cookie binge. I hope this information has made you happy. Make sure to drink lots of water or these products won’t work very well. The formulator recommends using the product for 4months for long term results. There’s also a soap, for all of those previously mentioned skin issues related to Candida.

You can find Candida Freedom products at most Whole Foods stores as well as independant retailers. It’s also available on Amazon.com

Want to read about real people’s success stories? Click here

Now go forth and control your yeast!

Christy Patton is Chakra Center’s savvy and experimental product reviewer. She is not a board certified medical doctor. This information is intended for educational purposes only.