Your Health: Candidiasis

Candida albicans is a fungus found in the intestinal tract of the body. Normally, this fungus lives in a healthy balance with the other bacteria and yeasts found throughout the body. However, when the ph balance (acid and alkaline) gets out of balance, the conditions in the intestinal tract change and create the perfect environment for this fungus to multiply very quickly. As a result, the immune system is weakened and its ability to maintain the fungus and bacteria balance is compromised. Candidiasis or candida, a yeast infection, is the outcome of this imbalance. These yeast infections can range from an occasional occurrence to a chronic illness.

There are many different factors that cause yeast infections. They include food allergies, diets high in carbohydrates, excessive consumption of sugar, antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy, and diabetes. If a person is diagnosed with chronic candida, it is recommended that they also be checked for diabetes since this illness makes it more conducive for the growth of this fungus and will increase the risk of repeated infections. While candida is most often thought to be a female illness, current studies are showing that it is not gender specific. Both men and women are susceptible to these infections. In women the first indicators of the infection show up in the vaginal area, and with men, it surfaces on the skin such as in the webs of the hands, toes, and in the skin folds. It should be noted that candida is not sexually transmitted, dispelling many of the myths as to how a person gets it. Yet, while not sexually transmitted, it is not uncommon for a mother to pass the infection to her newborn, or for the newborn to get it from baby formulas that are high in sugar. Candida in newborns surfaces as diaper rash.

Candida is most often associated with yeast infections in the intestinal tract, the bladder, and the vagina. Yet, for some people this yeast infection can become systemic, meaning that it travels to other parts of the body through the blood stream and will surface in multiple places simultaneously. Systemic infections can occur in cases of diabetes and AIDS. When candida becomes systemic, it can surface in the mouth, ears and nasal areas, as well as the genitals, feet and hands.

The general medical community has not yet accepted that candida can be at the root cause of many illnesses and can surface as a variety of symptoms, whereas, many holistic practitioners believe otherwise. Illnesses believed to be associated with candida include chronic sinusitis, intense itching and crusty build-ups in the ears, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, abdominal pain, muscle and joint inflammation, nagging cough, arthritis, depression, thyroid disorders, respiratory inflammation, and even migraine headaches. Many holistic practitioners believe that high levels of metals such as mercury and lead also increase the susceptibility to candida. Even many dentists are now supporting the removal of amalgam fillings because they contain mercury, believing that the removal will minimize the potential for infections.

Energy Analysis

Energetically, candidiasis reflects emotional distress around relationships, and specifically around the relationship with mother. If the relationship with the mother lacked the nurturing and support needed, it is not uncommon for a person to turn sour (acidic) on themselves and to find that the sweetness (alkaline) of life that comes from being loved is missing. As a result, they will become disgusted and bitter (ph imbalance) toward themselves and create destructive behavior to support their feelings of inadequacy; behavior such as eating disorders, binge eating, and addictions. There is also an increased susceptibility to depression. Since the relationship with our mother is so critical to our overall emotional development, when the strong connection is lacking it affects our lives in many ways. Examples being when there is the tendency to deny oneself from having loving relationships or preventing oneself from creating relationships that can provide a loving space. There can also be a deep conflict around intimacy resulting in the creation of behavior that supports the belief that we are not worthy of being loved. After all, how can others love us if our own mother could not? If the mother was overbearing and overly critical, then a person becomes unsure of themselves and will tend to doubt their abilities to make good decisions, and will have a difficult time taking charge of their life. The most destructive outcome emotionally and energetically is that the person will harbor strong feelings of guilt supporting the belief that they were somehow responsible for their mother not loving them. The stress created from this kind of situation causes the physical body to have a difficult time staying in sync, and will cause the chemistry of the body to get out of balance. Whenever there are strong feelings of not being loved, the immune system becomes weak and the susceptibility to infection increases significantly.

There is secondary factor that energetically contributes to the formation of candida. That factor is the struggle to find and sustain balance in one's life. The demands on our time have increased so much so that many people are feeling out of control and are constantly being challenged to juggle the demands of the family with the demands of a career. When we focus all of our attention on work, then our personal life suffers and consequently our deep emotional needs are not met and the stabilizing affects that come from the loving connection we have with our family begins to slip away. And at the same time, so does our health. The energy of love supports the immune system and the lack of love weakens it.

Chakra System Analysis

Candida represents energetic tension in the energy flows between the 4th and 2nd chakras. The 3rd chakra being caught in the middle attempts to restore some sort of balance and finds itself often struggling in the process. The outcome of this struggle is the creation of stress which causes the adrenals to become over stimulated. This over stimulation increases the amount of stress hormones in the body and ultimately results in the immune system becoming weakened.

4th Chakra
The 4th chakra site in the physical body is the chest area and includes the heart, lungs, breasts, the upper spine, shoulders, and the thymus gland of the endocrine system. The thymus gland which is an essential part of the immune system network contributes to the formation and regulation of the B-cells found in the immune system. These B-cells monitor the blood and cellular growth looking for any invading virus, bacteria or cellular mutation which could cause illness to occur. Current research in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology shows that this gland's effectiveness to help fight off infection and assist in maintaining a healthy ph balance in the blood, digestive system, and lymphatic system is adversely impacted by stress hormones, and specifically by the stress hormone cortisol. When the natural levels of cortisol become imbalanced, the ability of the immune system to maintain a healthy balance between the bacteria and yeasts throughout the body becomes compromised. The 4th chakra, energetically, is the assemblage point where all of the energy that flows throughout the body converges and is regulated, and where vibrational frequency differences are harmonized. Emotionally, the 4th chakra is the love chakra and represents the intimate relationship we have with ourselves. Its energy is directly impacted by how much we love who we are and by our level of self-esteem. If we hold love toward ourselves in our heart and our self esteem is high, then our energy flows without constriction and remains vital and strong. Consequently, our entire physical body experiences an overall sense of well being and our immune system remains effective and healthy. However, if we are unhappy with our selves or are holding on to the belief that we are not worthy of being loved, then our perception of who we are sours, our enthusiasm for life diminishes, and we become bitter because we are not able to find the love we desire.

2nd Chakra
The 2nd chakra site in the physical body is the lower abdomen, lumbar and sacral spine and includes the pancreas, lower digestive system, urinary system and reproductive glands. Emotionally, the pancreas represents the sweetness of life and helps in maintaining the ph balance by neutralizing acidity with alkalinity. This chakra represents the desire for relationships with other people and reflects how those relationships are affecting us physically and emotionally. It is in this chakra that we will find any specific emotional issues around the relationship we have with our mother and/or father. The 2nd chakra?s energy mirrors how our childhood conditioning is affecting our perception of relationships and love, and influences how comfortable we are in expressing that love. If our love connection with either or both parents as a child was strained or not positive, or lacking in emotional nurturing, or void of the caring, then there will be energetic imbalances in this chakra and emotional dysfunction. Emotionally, the 2nd chakra is tied to the needs of the human ego and to how we love and how we accept the love of others. It is the chakra where we hold feelings of guilt and fear of abandonment, and harbor strong negative beliefs about our inability to make choices in our lives. It is also the worry chakra and is where we hold fears around lack of money, lack of time, and lack of emotional control over others.

3rd Chakra
The 3rd chakra site in the physical body is the solar plexus and includes the upper digestive system made up of the stomach, lower esophagus, liver, and gallbladder. This area also includes the kidneys, adrenals and spleen. The spleen which is the hub of immune system activity is the overseer of how effective the immune system is at maintaining the balance between bacteria and yeast in the digestive system and throughout the body, as well as monitoring the overall health and well being of the body's cells, systems and organs. The spleen is also responsible for the formation and regulation of the T-cells and the Natural Killer cells which prevent disease and illness from invading and compromising the health of the body. Energetically, the 3rd chakra is the personal power center, and its energy directly reflects our self-confidence, self-respect, and how we deal with issues around responsibility. Psychologically, the 3rd chakra becomes over-active if we are trying to juggle too many things at one time, or we are emotionally disgusted with ourselves, or are struggling because our environment is out of control, or we are mentally immobilized and in need of bringing stability back into our lives. Each one of these psychological issues creates some degree of stress, and stress is what chemically and energetically throws the body out of balance.

When there is energetic tension between the 4th and 2nd chakras the 3rd chakra feels like it is caught in a tug-of-war, and no matter which chakra wins, the 3rd will be end up truly being the looser.

Personality Color Susceptibility

The Orange personality color is the most susceptible to yeast infections such as candida and the typical cause has to do with the stress created by their relationships, specifically the relationship with their mother.
The Green personality is also susceptible to yeast infections, however, in their case the cause typically has to do with their struggle to find balance in their lives.
It is important to note that all four personality colors have an increased susceptibility to yeast infections following antibiotic therapy.

Case Study - James ( Orange)

James came to see me for three reasons;
  • He was tired of not feeling good,
  • He believed his health concerns were somehow tied to the deep insecurities he felt inside,
  • He sensed that all of his health issues were connected in some way.
James told me that throughout his entire lifetime he had struggled with minor health concerns, and while not necessarily serious in nature, they prevented him from doing the things he wanted to do. Health issues such as crustiness in the ears, repeated outbreaks of thrush, skin eruptions between his fingers and toes, digestive issues, respiratory infections, headaches and hypoglycemia were nagging problems. The hypoglycemia eventually became diabetes.

When I heard his health issues and evaluated his energy flows, my suspicion was that the root cause of all of his illnesses was candida and it had to do with emotional insecurities he was still carrying from his childhood. He said that he knew inside that something was not right and believed that somehow all of these health issues were related, but his doctor could find nothing to support his belief. James said that interestingly enough, he realized very early on in life that his health issues seemed to surface or worsened immediately following an emotional conversation or confrontation with his mother. He admitted that he had struggled most of his life with the fact that she did not seem to love him and harbored guilt feelings about how he could not seem to make her happy or do anything right by her standards. When I asked him about their relationship, he said that she had always been domineering and overly critical of him. So much so, that throughout much of his life she was always telling him what to do and criticizing him when he did not listen to her. Her overbearing nature eventually impacted the perception he had of himself and gravely affected his masculinity. He literally had become afraid of getting into a relationship because he was sure he would never end up being someone who anyone could love. I asked James if he thought his mother loved him and his answer was that he would never know because she had died recently. Then thinking more about the question he said that if love is based on caring, he can never recall her touching him or ever using the word love when expressing how she felt about him.
The conclusion we came to was that his illnesses were connected to his feelings of abandonment and the guilt he felt for not really understanding what love means or how it should be expressed. The energetic conclusion I came to was that he was suffering from systemic candida due to his diabetes which was an outgrowth of the relationship with his mother.

Treatment Options for Candidiasis

Conventional medicine
Alternative choices:
Psychotherapy Homeopathy Flower Essence
Aromatherapy Essential Oils Nutrition/diet
Supplements/vitamins Herbal remedies Massage

This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical care. As a medical intuitive, I do not dispense medical advice or advocate the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems. If your have a medical problem, see your physician or other licensed practitioner. It is my intent to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, psychological and spiritual well being and good health. Should you choose to use any of the options offered or implied in this information, I assume no responsibility for your actions.

Carol Ritberger, Ph.D.

* In my book, Your Personality, Your Health, there is an explanation of chakras and the chakra system and an assessment to assist you in determining your personality type by color.

© Copyright 2019 by Carol Ritberger, Ph.D., Medical Intuitive, and the Ritberger Media Group.