Candida albicans is a yeast or fungus which exists, perfectly beneficially along with many thousands of other organisms, in all health people.

However, in certain circumstances - usually when the population of bacteria in the gut has been disrupted by a major gastrointestinal upset, trauma of some kind or prolonged use of antibiotics - candida albicans can become rampant, taking over much of the gut and colonising other sites throughout the body. The first obvious indication of a candida infestation is usually either oral or vaginal thrush.

Infestation with candida albicans is recognised within mainstream conventional medicine - transplant patients on long term immunosuppressants often suffer from extreme cases of candidiasis while oral and vaginal thrush are routinely treated with anti fungal preparations - but that is about where it stops.

However, many people with long term, unresolved health problems have found that an undiagnosed infestation of candida may have triggered many of their problems and that a combination of diet and lifestyle changes combined with both herbal and anti-fungal preparations can be very helpful.

The articles in this section look at some of the less conventional approaches to treatment.

For further information in the UK contact The National Candida Society at www.candida-society.org.uk

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