Millions of Americans each year suffer from painful inflammatory conditions in which they are told there is no cure.  As a result, many suffer daily with chronic inflammation which seems to only worsen over time.  Many will opt for pharmaceutical drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in order to help combat this condition.

Unfortunately, research has shown that NSAIDs are extremely ineffective at combating inflammatory conditions in the body and there is huge risk of developing health problems when using these drugs such as high blood pressure (1).

In order to effectively combat inflammation in the body, diet must be addressed.  Many are unaware that poor diet, intestinal inflammation, and fungal overgrowth’s such as candida are the main cause of inflammation in the body.  Those suffering from candida overgrowth in the gut will almost always be overwhelmed with toxicity and poor digestive health.  When this occurs, symptoms such as chronic inflammation are not uncommon.

If you haven’t done so already, please go to our candida homepage for a full explanation on candida.  It would be helpful to educate yourself on this fungus so that you have a better understanding of what you’re dealing with.

With that said, let’s get into how candida can contribute to inflammatory conditions in the body and possible solutions to correct the problem.

Why You Should Never try to Stop Inflammation

As mentioned before, many will begin to take drugs such as NSAIDs in order to help combat inflammation in the body.  However, this is one of the worse things you can do.  Whenever you’re experiencing high amounts of inflammation in the body it’s important to understand that this is your body’s way of protecting itself.

We need to realize that all inflammation is a product of the body’s mitochondria.  Symptoms such as the inflammation are a result of the body attempting to detoxify itself of toxic substances.  When we take drugs which prevent inflammation, we are effectively shutting down this detoxification process.

It’s for this reason that we do not recommend anti-inflammatory drugs to be used by anyone suffering from chronic inflammation.  Instead, we have found that changing diet can be extremely effective at removing body toxicity which in return can stop symptoms such a chronic inflammation.

How Candida Contributes to Inflammation

For those unaware, candida releases over 70 different toxic byproducts into the body.  Some of these toxic byproducts include ethanol, gliotoxin, ammonia, and acetaldehyde.  It should be mentioned that many of these toxins effect the body both mentally and physically.

For example, research has shown that acetaldehyde is a potent neurotoxin that may be a key contributor in those with Parkinson’s (2).  Also, gliotoxin has been shown to disrupt the function of the liver by damaging liver cells (3).

To put it simply, these toxic byproducts that are released by candida can cause serious damage to the human body. When candida goes unaddressed for long periods of time, the body begins collapse from the high levels of toxicity.

Again, it’s important to understand that inflammation is a symptom of your body trying to remove toxicity from the body.  It’s a byproduct of the body attempting to detoxify itself from toxic substances.  The more inflammation that you have, the more toxicity there is present in the body.

Inhibit Candida to Reduce Inflammation

In our experience, the only true way to effectively reduce inflammation in the body is to inhibit the growth of candida.  To be fair, toxicity can occur outside of candida, but in our experience, once candida is gone and the gut is healed, symptoms such as inflammation tend to disappear or lessen significantly.

This is because when we inhibit the growth of candida, we are effectively lowering toxicity in the body.  The less candida you have in your body, the less toxic byproducts will be present.

For those unaware, candida operates on a sugar metabolism.  This means it takes sugars from the diet, ferments them, and then releases its toxic byproducts into the body.  It does this all while slowly taking over the gut and causing all types of inflammation in the intestines.

It’s for this reason that many who suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions often consume a diet high in sugar and starchy carbohydrates.  This type of diet provides the perfect fuel for candida to thrive and multiply in the body.

If you’re suffering from inflammation and consume a high sugar and carbohydrate diet, it’s imperative that you remove these foods immediately.  Just by simply removing these types of foods alone can have a dramatic effect on improving inflammation in the body.

Follow an Anti-Candida Diet to Reduce Inflammation

We highly recommend that if you suffer from chronic inflammation, that you begin to follow an anti-candida diet protocol.  Our candida diet protocol can be perfect for those looking to reduce candida levels in the body and combating inflammation. 

The best part of all, our protocol is completely free!  There is no need for you spend money in order to access this information.  We’ve laid out our protocol in three easy to follow phases which will help you inhibit the growth of candida, improve gut health, and return optimal health to the body.

Though difficult in the beginning, our candida diet protocol can be a real game changer for anyone dealing with chronic inflammation due to candida overgrowth.

The Problem with Grain Products

As you begin to change your diet, you may notice that grains are not recommended for those suffering from candida.  This is because grains products, in particular wheat, contains anti-nutrients such as phytates which can irritate the gut lining, cause intestinal inflammation, and bind to minerals in the gut (4).

This is extremely taxing on those suffering from chronic inflammation due to candida.  As mentioned before, if you suffer from a candida overgrowth, your gut will already be inflamed due to the high amounts of toxins being released by this pathogenic fungus.

The last thing individuals suffering from candida overgrowth want to do is further irritate the gut with outside food sources.  Unfortunately, wheat products need to be excluded for some time until candida levels reduce and the gut is properly healed.  That being said, there are some grain type products that are low in phytates and will not further irritate the gut lining.  In fact, we’ve incorporated many of these safe grain products in our Crush Candida Recipe Cook Book.

With that said, if you must have grains that are high in phytates such as wheat, we highly recommend you make your own sourdough bread.  Sourdough bread contains little to no phytates and only small amounts of gluten due to the fermentation process.  Interestingly, the fermentation process can significantly reduce both gluten and gut irritating anti-nutrients found in grains (5).

As a result, sourdough breads can be a good option for those suffering with candida issues.

Natural Ways to Reduce Inflammation

Unlike drugs which work to only reduce inflammation and not correct the problem causing the inflammation, the natural remedies below help to reduce the source (candida) which naturally causes inflammation to go down.

It’s important to understand that without a proper change in diet, these natural remedies will be of little to no use to you.  However, they can work wonders and expedite the elimination of candida in those following a correct diet.

1. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV is a powerful anti-inflammatory due to its anti-fungal properties which naturally combat against candida.  It’s also a great source of malic acid which can help reduce fatigue and speed up faster recovery in the body (6).  To take, put two tablespoons of raw ACV in a liter of spring or filtered water and drink throughout the day.

2. Bitter Herbs and Foods

Foods and herbs that are bitter will naturally simulate the vagus nerve on the back on the tongue which signals to gut and brain to produce more stomach acid.  This increase in stomach acid naturally helps neutralize pathogenic bacteria and fungus such as candida.  In fact, many with candida overgrowth suffer from chronically low stomach acid levels.

Also, bitter herbs and foods almost always contain anti-fungal properties which can help fight against candida.  We personally like extracts of Chinese Bitters or Swedish Bitters.  Simply placing a few drops of either of these extracts on your tongue can stimulate the production of stomach acid.  For best results, take before meals in order to help facilitate in digestion.