Most of us using this group have a leaky bowel and suffer from symptoms associated with this condition. I have done a lactulose/mannitol test which confirmed my severe leaky bowel.

It is commonly believed that Candida causes a leaky bowel by virtue of the yeast morphing into the pathogenic hyphal form and 'burrowing' into, and poking 'holes' in the small intestinal wall, thus allowing toxins and other allergens to enter the bloodstream through gaps in the epithelium.

What if this is not true? Is there any proof Candida causes leaky bowel? What if leaky bowel is caused by bacterial pathogens in the small bowel, and not Candida?

Am I saying intestinal Candida is not a problem for some people? No. What I am suggesting is that the underlying problem may be bacterial, not fungal. I most certainly have a problem with yeast. I am very allergic to yeast, especially since I took Antibiotics last year. So having too much yeast in my bowel worsens my symptoms because yeast allergens and toxins leak through my leaky bowel into my bloodstream. But perhaps my yeast problem is secondary to my small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) which has caused my leaky bowel.

If leaky gut was caused by Candida, then the best way to treat leaky bowel would be to take several antifungals such as nystatin, amphotericin, fluconazole, lamisil, itraconazole, ketoconazole, lufenuron etc. Theoretically, this should enable one to eradicate Candida causing the leaky bowel, leading to a full recovery. But you know what? I don't know one person who has done multiple antifungals therapy who has eradicated all leaky gut associated symptoms. I am aware of half a dozen or so people who have tried, on this forum and others, but to the best of knowledge, none have succeeded. I've been taking oral amphotericin for the last 3 months and have not noticed any improvement in my symptoms.

But symptoms generally do improve when people reduce Sugar intake and follow some sort of Candida diet. But guess what guys, the same diet works to control the bad bacteria usually involved in SIBO. Just as Candida ferments sugars, so do bacteria like Streptoccus, one of the most common bacteria implicated in SIBO.

I have kept a record of people in this forum who claim to have been cured of candidiasis, or at least achieved remission. Guess what? None credit prescription antifungals! Several credit Grapefruit-Seed-Extract for their success. But Grapefruit-Seed-Extract is a very powerful killer of bacteria and is widely used by naturopaths to treat SIBO. So did these people 'cure' themselves by killing the bad bacteria in their small bowel, thus enabling their leaky bowels to heal?

Another popular and effective treatment for candidiasis is Threelac. In fact Threelac is the only medication or supplement that I have personally taken that has significantly improved my symptoms. The bacteria in Threelac is supposed to 'eat' the yeast. Now I've done a test of Threelac, where I added it to a jar of Sugar water and yeast. I found that yeast fermentation actually increased after adding Threelac. So much for Threelac's 'yeast eating' qualities! One of the bacteria in Threelac is Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria known to kill other bacteria. So perhaps Threelac works by killing bacteria in the small bowel, not yeast. By killing the bad bacteria, the leaky bowel is allowed to recover, and then the yeast toxins and allergens no longer reach the bloodstream, so the patient feels better. It seems like Threelac has killed the evil Candida, but in actual fact it may have killed the evil bacteria.

I can make a similar argument for most of the herbal 'antifungals', foods and supplements that are effective in combating yeast. They all also kill bacteria, so how do you know it isn't the bacteria that you kill that does the good. Perhaps killing the yeast just gives you endless die-off as the cells are destroyed resulting in huge amounts of yeast allergens into the bloodstream via your leaky bowel. Turmeric is credited as helping some recover from candidiasis. But I tested turmeric like I tested Threelac. Like Threelac, turmeric also increased yeast fermentation. Same for SF722.

Now I'm not saying yeast isn't a problem. If you have a leaky bowel then yeast is a problem. In fact a leaky bowel plus intestinal yeast may lead to the immune system responding in an unproductive way when bombarded with yeast toxins and allergens. It may well send the immune system into Th2 mode. This may well result in local Candida infections in various parts of the body. So, yes, Candida is a problem, but the underlying problem may be the bad bacteria in your small intestine causing your leaky bowel.

The whole Candida theory started with the work by Dr Orion Truss. He noticed that people who had chronic health problems afer Antibiotics recovered when given Lugol's solution, an Iodine medicine. He concluded that the Iodine must have killed Candida. Well Iodine does kill Candida, but it also kills just about every strain of bacteria. It is just as plausible that his patients recovered because the Lugol's solution killed pathogenic fermentative small intestinal bacteria such as Streptococcus, which had caused leaky bowel, and thus Candida allergy symptoms. It is well known that Antibiotics often cause SIBO. This happens because the antibiotics kill some bacteria and not others, so if the good bacteria are killed and a virulent bad bacteria remain, you get Antibiotic induced SIBO and leaky gut, which Lugol's solution would effectively treat.

This is a new theory of mine I'm just throwing out there for comment. I may be totally wrong. It is particularly relevant to my situation right now as I try to decide whether to begin a long process of systemic antifungals or not. I am now thinking not.