Candida Diets – Part 3

Candida Diets: Part III: Bacillus subtilis

In Candida Diets: Parts I-IV, we’re emphasizing balance. Balance is a key to many things in life. Too much or too little of anything can result in impaired performance. The human body is an excellent example of this. The balanced interplay between the 100 trillion bacteria of the intestinal tract and the 10 trillion human cells that make up the body creates a state of health.  Scientists continually state that this balance is, “essential” “vital” “necessary” “important” “crucial” and “critical” to our health. Anything that upsets this balance can create a long list of health issues.

Resolution of health issues can be difficult to achieve due to the complexity of the human body and the environment within which we live. The better we can comprehend the interplay of the various complex elements involved, the more direct the healing process can be. This is very true of Candida albicans

Candida is an organism that normally resides in the human body and plays a role in maintaining its overall health. Once its existence is threatened by exposure to antibiotics, it becomes a problematic, pathogenic fungal organism that wreaks havoc throughout the body. It has the ability to adapt to the various internal and external environments of the body instantly in order to ensure its own survival. These adaptive mechanisms have evolved over millions of years on this planet. As long as the intestinal flora is in balance, Candida stays in a balanced healthy state.

When we take antibiotics, we destroy this balanced state, and Candida converts to its fungal form and spreads throughout the body creating disease states. Antibiotics are unparalleled in their ability to cause and contribute to disease.

Bacillus subtilis is a species of bacteria that is used as the basis for several powerful antibiotics. It has demonstrated a very strong anti-bacterial action. It has also been used as the basis for antifungal medications due to its effect on fungus. There are now a few Internet products (Threelac, Syntol, Garden of Life, etc.) that use B. subtilis as a part of their formulas. When viewed from its effect against fungus, it can seem somewhat beneficial. When viewed from the overall perspective of balance and health and the harmful effect of B. subtilis on bacteria, its effect can be deemed disastrous.

B. subtilis is not a normal resident of the human body. It is primarily found in the environment. Although it is considered to be a strict aerobic organism, able to survive only in an oxygen-rich environment, it can enter a spore state that enables it to function in an anaerobic, oxygen-deprived state, such as the intestinal tract.

Although B. subtilis releases toxins and has been associated with cases of food poisoning, pneumonia, allergies, endocarditis, and septicemia, it’s not considered a frank human pathogen.

In working with thousands of Candida patients over the past 20 years, those who took products containing B. subtilis had good initial results that faded in a period of 2-3 weeks, but then had all of their symptoms and problems, and sometimes more, return. This is an effect that is similar to all antifungals and antibiotics.

Like antibiotics, B. subtilis can destroy bacteria and create other imbalances within the human ecosystem. No long-term studies have been done yet on this effect. Its ability to destroy fungal candida can lead to the development of anti-fungal resistant strains that then perpetuate and create greater problems.

By destroying bacteria and fungus in the body, B. subtilis sets in motion a strong inflammatory response as our bodies react to the hundreds of compounds that these organisms release into the surrounding tissues. This effect can be related to the more serious, but rare, conditions associated with B. subtilis. A lesser response might be the vomiting and nausea that can be associated with its consumption.

While most studies don’t yet show long-term effects, there are no studies that look at consuming this on a daily basis as advocated by a few companies as a treatment for candida.

For those who wish to follow the science, B subtilis doesn’t make sense as something that should be consumed as a treatment for any condition, when safer and more effective approaches are available. Like hydrogen peroxide, it can kill off large portions of beneficial bacteria and create additional imbalances.

Take back your health.    Live the life you create.   Dr. McCombs Candida Plan.