Candidiasis, Yeast Infections, Cold, Damp Diets and Traditional Chinese Medicine

The following is an excerpt from Hot and Cold Health (available on Amazon) by R. G. Heft (Acupuncture Physician FL 1992- 2002).

      Candidiasis is a yeast-like infection caused by the proliferation of a normally occurring yeast-like fungus, Candida albicans. It is a cold, damp pathology with a variety of symptoms, primary and secondary. Poor diet, antibiotics, infection, chronic disease and or old age, infirmity are often the cause.

        Primary symptoms:  thrush (mouth), white spots on tongue or inside the mouth, cheeks; skin (rash, fungal infections and itching), toenail and fingernail fungus, and vagina (vaginitis, yeast infection, discharge);

        Secondary symptoms:   abdominal pain, heartburn, bad breath, loose stools, diarrhea, constipation, colitis, rectal itching, headaches, PMS, cough, sore throat, clogged nose and sinuses; extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, numbness, tingling in the extremities, arthritis, memory loss, mood swings, kidney & bladder infections, prostatitis                                     

         The primary symptoms define the energetic, cold, damp and deficient nature of Candidiasis. Candidiasis, fungal infections and bacteria require a host, medium, to grow, thrive. Many fungi and bacteria thrive in dampness, cold and hot. Thrush, diaper, groin rash, fungus, yeast infection are all damp, watery and gooey. The secondary symptoms indicate overall cause: dysfunctional, diseased organ systems. In TCM, five organ systems control all structure and function. Weak digestion, elimination, respiration and immunity via excessively cold, damp and deficient diets (long-term low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets) and or environmental cold, damp, tend to provide the breeding ground for cold, damp diseases, bacteria and fungi.

         The body digests food and transforms nutrients into blood, tissue and energy. There are only two kinds of nutrients: building and cleansing. Protein and fat (meat, eggs, chicken, cheese, etc.) build, fuel and heat. Water, minerals, sugar (fruit, vegetables and grains) reduce, cleanse cool and moisten.

         Long-term low protein, low fat (cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, beans, nuts and seeds) and high carbohydrate (raw vegetables, salads, fruits, juices, cold drinks, etc.) diets, in the extreme, tend to cool, weaken and dampen digestion and elimination producing abdominal pain, heartburn, bad breath, loose stools, diarrhea, constipation, colitis and or rectal itching. Weak digestion and or low protein, low fat diets, in the extreme, also thin and weaken the blood, which in turn produces extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, numbness, tingling in the extremities, arthritis and or headaches.

         Long-term low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets, in the extreme also tend to cool and dampen the body, especially the lungs, throat mouth, sinuses, nose, uterus and vagina with excess water, mucous, phlegm, cysts.

         Digestive energy, heat (three meals a day) naturally heats the body, just as a car engine heats a car. Digestive energy, heat naturally rises moves up and out into the chest, lungs, lower abdomen, vagina, uterus, etc. The lungs are naturally moist. Moisture facilitates the exchange of gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc.) between the body and the environment. Too much moisture (excess mucous, phlegm) tends to reduce the exchange while disrupting, shortening and irritating the lungs, throat, sinuses, breath (sore throat, cough, clogged nose, sinuses). Weak digestion, less energy, heat also tends to cool and moisten the uterus and, vagina (white discharges). .

         The body is naturally hot. Human beings are warm blooded. Normal body temperature (energy production) is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature, above or below 98.6, in the extreme, tends to weaken, cool and moisten the body.

         Cold condenses. The best example is nature, i.e. the cold temperatures of winter that cool harden and condense water in the air, into rain, snow and ice. In the body, colder temperatures increase the formation, thickening of fluids (mucous, phlegm) in the lungs, sinuses, mouth (coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath, asthma, sinusitis, sleep apnea, etc.), uterus, vagina (white vaginal discharges, vaginitis, yeast infections) and toes and fingernail (fungus). Dampness (excess, stagnant water) is the breeding ground for Candidiasis, yeast infections, thrush (mouth), white spots on tongue or inside the mouth, cheeks; skin (rash, fungal infections and itching), toenail and fingernail fungus and vaginal (vaginitis, yeast infection, discharge etc.

         Women and children tend to be more susceptible to cold, damp, mucous, phlegm, Candidiasis, more so than men (high protein, high fat, spicy, etc.). Many women tend to eat low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets. Milk, yogurt and cottage cheese tend to be cold, damp. Women also menstruate, lose blood three to seven days every month, for thirty plus years, from the first menses to the last, menopause. Menstruation weakens and cools. Children are naturally cold as they are still developing.  

         The hotter middle diet, meal plan is recommended. Cooked foods, stews, soups, etc. in addition to spices (cardamom, cumin, coriander, fennel, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, etc.) not only warm the body but also help dry, eliminate excess damp, yeast. All sugar is cold, damp. Spices and bitter herbs are antibacterial, antifungal, etc. Bitter herbs are cold and used sparingly if digestion is weak. Black and white fungus, despite being fungi, dries, drains excess dampness in the lungs, vagina and intestines. They also help constipation and hypertension. Many Asian women eat fungi (includes mushrooms) regularly and do not develop yeast infections, unlike their American counterparts who eat little or no fungi but lots of dairy (milk, yogurt and cottage), raw vegetables (salads), tropical fruits, sugar and cold drinks (sodas, juices, smoothies, shakes, etc.). Check with your doctor before using, as eating fungus is thought to promote fungus. Pau d’arco tea is also effective in drying dampness (kapha). In Ayurveda, spices stimuate digestive fire (agni).  

        Candidiasis, yeast and fungal infections are chronic, long-lasting symptoms, diseases that take time, weeks, months and or years to develop, and consequently weeks, months and or years to cure, depending on severity.

            Questions?   email: rgheft@netzero.com

            Learn biology, diet and nutrition unless you want someone else (doctors, insurance companies, politicians) taking care of your health. It is the reason why I wrote my book.  You have very little to lose ($20 or less) and everything to gain.

Hot and Cold Health and Disease (new name, available on Amazon, old title, cover is pictured:    http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Cold-Health-Richard-Heft/dp/0974791709  on sale: $15.25

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I PHILOSOPHY AND DIET

Chapter 1 The Way of Thinking Chapter 2 Energetics of Food Chapter 3 Digestion, Spices and Chinese Herbs Chapter 4 Cooking Class

SECTION II BIOLOGY, EAST AND WEST

Chapter 5 Three Treasures Chapter 6 Blood and Body Fluids Chapter 7 Spleen Chapter 8 Stomach Small Intestine Chapter 9 Large Intestine and Urinary Bladder Chapter 10 Heart Chapter 11 Liver & Gall Bladder Chapter 12 Lungs Chapter 13 Kidneys Chapter 14 Disease and Diagnosis

SECTION III DISEASES A- Z

Chap 15 A Diseases AIDS 141 Alzheimer s 143 Anal fissure 143 Anemia 144 Anger 145 Aging 146 Anxiety 147 Arthritis 148 Asthma 152 ADD 154 Auto-immune 154 Chap 16 B Diseases Blood 157 Blood Pressure 158 Body Odor 159 Bones 161 Breast lumps 162 Bronchitis 164 Chap 17  C DiseasesCandidiasis 167 Canker Sores 169 Cellulite 171 Cholesterol 173 Chronic Fatigue 175 Circulation 176 Cirrhosis 178 Cold hands, feet 178 Cold (lungs) Constipation 180 Coughing 182 Crohn s 182 Chap 18 D DiseasesDepression 185 Detoxification 188 Diabetes 191 Diarrhea 193 Diuretics 195 Dizziness 195 Dysmenorrhea 196 Chap 19 E-F DiseasesEar Infections 197 Eczema 197 Edema 200 Endometriosis 202 Eyes 202 Fear 204 Fever 204 Fibrocystic Breasts 204 Fibroids 205 Fibromyalgia 205 Forgetfulness 207 Frigidity 208 Chap 20 G-H DiseasesGall Stones 209 GERD, GIRD 210 Gout 212 Hair Loss 213 Hearing Loss 215 Hepatitis 218 Herpes 220 Hot Flashes 220 Hysteria 221 Chap 21 I-J Diseases Infertility 223 Inflammation 223 Insomnia 224 Irritable Bowel 226 Itching 227 Jaundice 227 Chap 22 K-O Diseases Kidney Stones 229 Miscarriage 230 Mucous 231 M. Sclerosis 231 Nails 233 Nausea 235 Numbness 236 Obesity 237 Osteoporosis 238 Chap 23 P-R Diseases Pediatric 241 Perspiration 244 Plantar F. 244 Pregnancy 248 PMS 250 Prostate 251 Psoriasis 252 Rashes 252 Restless Leg 252 Chap 24 S-Z Diseases Sex 255 Shaking, tremors 257 Sinusitis 258 Skin Diseases 259 Sleep Apnea 261 Snoring 262 Sweaty hands 263 Teeth 264 Tumors 266 Urinary T. I. 267 Varicose Veins 269 Weight loss 270 Yeast infection 274 Chap 25 Case Histories 275

SECTION IV DAILY PRACTICES

 Chapter 26 The Way of Breathing, Chap 27 Exercise, Chap 28 Meditation 303, Chap 29 Spiritual Practices 307 Appendix 313 Bibliography 315 About the Author 317

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop, Don’t buy or read another nutritional book before reading this BOOK, July 11, 2009 By  D.L. (Texas) – See all my reviews This is a great book. Especially if you are female, and struggle with symptoms of cellulite, being over weight, sinusitis, and chronic fatique. Most female diets consist of diet cokes, energy bars, smoothies, and salads, not to mention ice cream, and other feel good foods.(at least mine did) Sooner or later,health problems with appear, and by switching to a hotter diet, one will begin to see the effects immediately. All of those symptoms were like connecting the dots, and I am now soooooooo relieved to have finally gotten a handle on what I should be eating, and getting rid of my chronic problems. This is a must read for anyone who wants to take responsibility for their own health!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D.L.