Candida: Restoring Balance with Ayurveda
By Shreelata Suresh
Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus that lives in the mouth
and throat, the intestinal tract and the genital tract. Normally,
the population of candida is in healthy balance with other intestinal
flora. However, sometimes its population explodes because of
various factors such as an improper diet, bursts of intense stress
or ongoing low-grade stress that isn't managed effectively combined
with poor sleep/exercise routines or antibiotics or oral contraceptives.
Any dietary or lifestyle imbalances that compromise natural immunity
can result in the yeast getting out of control and escaping the
bounds of its normal abodes to other parts of the body.
An out-of-control population of the yeast has been linked to
a multitude of seemingly unrelated symptoms including abdominal
bloating and gas, coated tongue, nausea, fatigue, respiratory
system imbalance, frequent UTIs, genital area infections, skin
problems, spaciness and inability to focus and emotional imbalance.
If left uncorrected, the different systems of the body become
sluggish and ama-clogged, creating an even more favorable environment
for the growth of the yeast fungi and setting up a vicious cycle
of poor health.
Ayurvedic healers recommend a holistic approach to restoring
balance that includes diet, lifestyle recommendations and herbs
and spices. It takes patience, discipline and a full commitment
to one's health to restore balance and stay in balance, but the
results are well worth the effort.
If you are pregnant or lactating or experiencing mental, emotional
or physical symptoms, it is best to consult a physician who can
recommend an individual program for balance after an assessment.
Here are some suggestions for restoring balance:
Dietary
Dont's
Avoid sweet, heavy, cold foods. Sugars create an environment
that facilitates the growth of yeast. Sweet, heavy, cold foods
overtax an already weakened digestive system and create mote
internal toxins. Fruit juices and very sweet fruits such as grapes
should also be avoided.
Avoid
leftovers. Even if refrigerated, leftovers are conducive
to growth of mold and bacteria and they are harder to digest
than fresh foods, prepared fresh and eaten immediately.
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and carbonated beverages.
Avoid processed and junk foods and refined flours. Reduce white
rice.
Avoid yeasted breads and pastas, aged cheeses, mushrooms and
peanuts.
Avoid
fermented foods such as vinegar and products that contain
fermented foods as ingredients.
Include
the following in your daily diet
Eat
plenty of vegetables. Include small portions of bitter and
pungent vegetables such as bitter greens, bitter gourd, tender
fenugreek sprouts and daikon radish in combination with tridoshic
vegetables such as zucchini, loki squash, asparagus, carrot,
green beans and tender greens. Avoid or minimize nightshades,
which tend to clog the channels of the body, except for small
amounts of cayenne if you can tolerate it, used in combination
with other spices and herbs. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli
and Brussels sprouts in small quantities, chopped small and cooked
with digestion-enhancing spices, are also helpful. Ayurvedic
healers recommend briefly steam-cooking vegetables, covered,
rather than eating them raw, to improve digestibility.
Start
the day with the hot lemon treatment. Squeeze the juice
of a medium-sized lemon into a cup of hot water and drink it
first thing in the morning. The acidic nature and antibacterial
properties of lemon help discourage yeast proliferation and the
hot drink helps regularity, which is crucial to keep the digestive
system free of toxin build-up.
A
blend of equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil can be used
as a dressing on vegetables for enhanced digestion and support
for the liver. About a tablespoon of a blend of fresh ginger
juice, lemon and a little rock salt taken a half an hour before
a meal aids digestion.
Fresh
fruit can be healthy sources of the sweet taste. Once balance
is restored, one helping of dosha-appropriate fruit can
be eaten during the day. Fruits that contain an element of the
bitter,
such as grapefruit or papaya, are excellent choices. Pomegranate
helps enhance digestion. Avoid melons and extremely sweet fruit
such as grapes.
Whole
grains and small dhals (beans) offer sustenance and fiber.
Reduce the intake of white rice. Choose instead from oats and
oatmeal, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, barley and rye. Whole-wheat
flatbreads, especially with some psyllium added to the dough,
enhance the elimination of wastes from the digestive tract. Mung
dhal is easier to digest than larger beans, especially when cooked
with herbs and spices, while being nutritious. Try khicharee,
a one-dish meal made with mung dhal, vegetables and either brown
rice or cracked wheat.
Drink
a tall glass of digestive lassi each day at lunch. Digestive
lassi is made by blending fresh plain yogurt (with active cultures)
with pure water and digestion-enhancing herbs and spices. Ayurvedic
healers highly recommend lassi as a way of replenishing healthy
intestinal flora without clogging the channels of the body. Try
fresh ginger root, rock salt, dry-roasted and ground cumin, fresh
cilantro and organic rosehips in a blend of 40% yogurt and 60%
pure water. Lassi and/or yogurt should not be consumed after
sundown.
Cook
with spices that enhance digestion and fight toxins. Turmeric, black pepper, dried ginger, cumin, cinnamon
and fenugreek are
good choices. Spices should be eaten cooked, not raw. Either
sauté them in a small amount of ghee or olive oil and
add to dishes or add during the last 10 minutes of the cooking
process. Black pepper, when eaten cooked, is a bio-availability
enhancer.
Cook
some dishes in small amounts of coconut oil or a blend
of coconut oil and ghee or olive oil. Coconut oil has antibacterial
and anti-fungal properties.
Drink
lots of warm water. Regular intake of warm water through
the day can help flush toxins out regularly through the urine
and perspiration and make it difficult for harmful bacteria or
yeast to sit around and breed.
One
final word on diet. Ayurvedic healers recommend really paying
attention to what specific foods do for your body and making
dietary choices that help the most for you as an individual.
A wide variety of healthy food choices is available and you can
pick the ones that you enjoy and that work for your physiology.
Keeping a food journal may be helpful, to help track what you
are eating and to hone in on the foods that work the best for
you. To stick to healthy eating patterns, your diet has to be
enjoyable and appealing.
Lifestyle choices
Deep
breathing
Breathing shallow reduces the quantity of life-supporting
prana you receive with each breath. Practice deep breathing
consciously until it becomes a habit.
Sleep
It is important to get an adequate amount of good quality
sleep each night to replenish energy levels and to give the self-defense
mechanisms of the body the opportunity to purify the system.
Make it a habit to go to bed before 10 p.m. and rise early.
Exercise
Exercise moderately everyday, choosing types of exercise
that are appropriate for your body type and needs for balance.
Exercise in the mornings and in the fresh air outdoors when you
can.
Massage
A daily warm oil self-massage can help support energy
levels, promote ease of falling asleep, support the health of
muscles and joints, help release toxins from the deeper layers
of the body for elimination and support mental and emotional
balance.
Stress management
Stress compromises your immune system. Practicing
relaxing yoga postures, meditation and rest-and-recharge time
can help you mange stress so that it does not become disruptive.
Seek help if you think support would be helpful in order to manage
stress.
Hygiene and topical help
Cleanse regularly but do not over-cleanse,
which can irritate the skin. Use natural gentle cleansers, fragrance-free
if you are sensitive even to natural essential oils or floral
waters. One hundred percent pure aloe and pure organic coconut
oil may help provide soothing topical comfort. Coconut oil has
antibacterial properties as well. Keep skin dry and aired as
much as possible. Wear organic cotton clothing and sleep on cotton
bed linens.
Cleansing Ayurvedic healers recommend a 45-day period of internal
cleansing with every change of seasons to help get rid of accumulated
ama (toxins).
Ayurvedic
herbal support
Amalaki
(Indian Gooseberry) helps enhance digestion, helps support
natural energy levels, helps support the sinuses and the respiratory
system and the health of the genito-urinary tract and is
a
rich source of Vitamin C that helps create an acidic environment
that inhibits the growth of the yeast.
Triphala is a digestive toner and helps regularity without
being harsh or habit-forming. Two the three tablets of Triphala
can
be taken about an hour before bed during the 45-day internal
cleansing period and one tablet once or twice a day all through
the year as maintenance support.
Trikatu is a blend of dried ginger, long pepper and pepper that
helps enhance digestion and facilitates the cleansing of toxins
from the physiology. Take in combination with the Amalaki to
counter any heating of the body.
Neem is a renowned ayurvedic antibacterial and antifungal. Take
Neem in conjunction with pure aloe or Amalaki for balanced support.
Ashwagandha
(Winter Cherry) helps support your physiology in
managing stress, helps promote good sleep and helps support natural
energy levels.
Note: This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended
to replace standard medical care or advice.
© Shreelata
Suresh
Shreelata
Suresh is a yoga instructor from the Bay Area of California.
She writes on yoga and ayurveda for various publications.
For more information on ayurveda and pure ayurvedic products,
please visit http://www.ayurbalance.com.
