Re: Is candida the cause or the result ?

Thanks for replying.

There is so little knowledge about Candida but so awful a lot of "treatments and cures" to get rid of candida. I have tried to starve Candida but it didn't make any difference. Now when I supplement with zinc and selenium I can eat sweets but not get any flare ups. But getting rid of it is another story.

What about copper bio-unavailability. Copy from the source(http://www.arltma.com/CandidaDoc.htm)

Copper Bio-Unavailability A Major Cause of Candida Infection
    The most commonly observed mineral imbalance we find in many patients with Candida infection is termed bio-unavailable copper.
    Bio-unavailable copper is indicated on a tissue mineral test by a copper level above 3.0 mg/% or below 1.0 mgs/%. Other mineral indicators of a candida overgrowth are an elevated calcium level, elevated calcium/magnesium ratio, (greater than 10/1) or a low sodium/potassium ratio (less than 2.3/1).
    Bio-unavailability means there is an excess of copper stored in various tissues and organs. While in excess, it is not able to be accessed.
    When copper is bio-unavailable, it cannot serve its normal function as a fungicide. Copper is involved in enzymes in cellular oxidative (aerobic) metabolism, and this appears to be the reason for its anti-fungal action.
    The causes of copper bio-unavailability are several, however the principal one is adrenal gland insufficiency, exhaustion or burnout. Inadequate secretion of adrenal glucocorticoid hormones prevents adequate synthesis of the major copper-binding protein, ceruloplasmin.
    Adrenal exhaustion results from stress, which results in a depletion of various nutrients such as manganese, zinc, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, vitamin A, etc., which are vital for optimal adrenal gland activity.
    Depletion of nutrients occurs due to:•    antibiotics and other medications which deplete copper reserves,
•    inadequate diet,
•    increased demand for nutrients due to stress, air pollution, illness, toxic metals, etc.,
•    poor absorption and/or utilization of nutrients due to food sensitivity, inadequate digestive function, etc.


Zinc Deficiency
    Zinc metabolism is closely related to Candida because 1) the zinc/copper balance is critical, and 2) zinc is required for many essential enzyme systems, including production of digestive enzymes and synthesis of all body proteins.
    A zinc imbalance is indicated on a tissue mineral chart by a zinc level less than 12.0 mgs/% or greater than 20.0 mgs/%, or a zinc/copper ratio greater than 12.0 mgs/%. A phosphorus level greater than 16 or less than 12 may also indicate a zinc imbalance.
    Deficiency of zinc is common for several reasons:•   
Use of superphosphate fertilizers and hybrid crops have contributed to widespread zinc deficiency in all foods.
•   
Processing and refining further depletes foods of their zinc content. For example, zinc loss occurs in the conversion of whole wheat to white flour, in the conversion of sugar cane to white sugar, and in spraying of frozen and canned vegetables with EDTA to retain color.
•   
Foods, relatively low in zinc, such as chicken and fish are being increasingly substituted for higher-zinc foods such as beef and red meats. Soy protein, commonly substituted for beef, is low in zinc.
•   
Stress of any type results in zinc depletion.
•   
Zinc deficiency is accentuated if copper exposure is high, because of a copper-zinc antagonism. Copper exposure is higher today for several reasons:
–    Birth control pills raise tissue copper levels by raising estrogen levels.
–    Copper is absorbed from the Copper-7 intrauterine device.
–   
Water remaining in copper pipes, and consumption of high-copper foods such as soy, avocado, and chocolate are sources of copper.
–    Stress causes copper levels to increase, by causing a zinc deficiency.

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