What organism lives normally in the body but when it gets out of balance can cause a range of symptoms varying from migraine to extreme exhaustion? Candida.

It is indeed the great pretender. Practically any symptom under the sun can be triggered by candida.

Most of you who are reading this are already familiar with this fungus that lives in the large bowel.

When given the right conditions it flourishes and takes over the neighbourhood.

It’s like having thugs in the area you live in — if there are only a few of them then you can keep a check on them, but if there’s too many then they cause a lot of havoc.

Similarly if the large bowel and then the small bowel are taken over by candida then you can expect trouble.

So what causes it to grow? There are many factors but the most common are:

lExcessive sugar and refined carbohydrate i.e. the western diet.

lAntibiotics — used as growth promoters in farming though moves have been taken to eliminate them. Also the over use of them for common colds.

lSteroids — or stair-rods as I heard them called. These include the pill and HRT.

lMercury leakage from amalgam fillings which seeps its way down the gut to destroy the good bacteria that keep the fungus in check.

lPoor digestion.

Once given a chance to thrive the fungus will grow in quantity and can dig deep into the wall of the bowel where the defenses of the immune system are weakened.

You can then develop food allergies/intolerances and a host of other symptoms.

Symptoms such as extreme menopausal flushes and tiredness, indigestion and bloating, anxiety and hypoglycaemic attacks.

If there is some illness waiting to present itself then candida can open the door for it.

So, how do you know if you have candida? There are a variety of tests. Skin prick, gut fermentation, antibodies, stool analysis and more but leading allergists reckon that if it sounds like candida then treat with an anti fungal program and wait for the results to confirm your suspicions.

There are a range of books about candida. Diet is the foundation upon which treatments are given.

Colonic Hydrotherapy or Irrigation is also useful in removing candida from the large bowel. The presence of candida can be confirmed during a session of colonic Hydrotherapy/Irrigation.