Feminine Health Reviews Expert Reviews of Women's Products.
The topic of acidity/alkalinity and Candida overgrowth always results in great confusion. Your body’s typical pH reading should be 7.4 (slightly alkaline), but there are very good reasons why you need to actually make your gut more acidic to kill the Candida yeast. How does this make sense? Well, what one part of your body needs may be completely different from what another part needs. We see this in pH levels – your blood needs to be slightly alkaline, whereas your digestive system needs stomach acids to function correctly.
Maintaining the correct pH in your gut is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your Candida overgrowth. The Candida yeast likes an alkaline environment, which is often brought about by a course of antibiotics or an excessively alkaline diet. One of the aims of the Candida Diet is to restore your gut acidity to the correct levels. The right dietary changes and a course of good probiotics will do just that.
How should you take Vitamin B for Candida?
Candida is a yeast-like fungus that can infect your mouth, stomach, urinary tract and vagina. Candida infections are associated with certain drugs, a weakened immune system and nutrient deficiencies, which include B-12 and folate. Some complementary and alternative treatment options include taking a B-complex supplement. However, this alone is not enough to treat an active infection. You should consult your doctor before taking supplements to treat or prevent candida infections.
Candida normally live in your body and do not cause problems unless allowed to overgrow. Candida is commonly known for causing vaginal yeast infections in women. About 75 percent of women will get a vaginal infection at one time or another, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. You are at an increased risk of getting a candida infection if you have a weakened immune system.
How does Vitamin B for Candida work?
Vitamins like B Vitamins can help maintain a balanced gut pH too. Vitamin C is otherwise known as ascorbic acid, and is also an excellent supplement for boosting your adrenal glands and immune system. You can take vitamin C in quite large quantities and its a very useful complement to a Candida treatment plan. Vitamin B (or more specifically B6 and B12) helps with the production of hydrochloric acid in the gut. A general B-complex vitamin will do the job.
Diet is an incredibly important part of any Candida treatment plan, and you should make probiotic foods like kefir and yogurt a part of your daily routine. The good bacteria found in these probiotic foods secrete lactic acid and acetic acid into your gut, increasing the acidity. If you’re worried about the bacteria making it through your digestive system, don’t be – a 2006 study found that the live bacteria in yogurt do indeed make it all the way through.
Lastly, there are a few things you need to avoid. We’ve already mentioned antibiotics, but you should also steer clear off things like antacids and acid blockers. Anything that reduces your gut acidity can help the Candida yeast to flourish. If you’re taking alkaline waters it is also recommended that you stop until you have beaten your Candida overgrowth.
