Ayurveda: Pacifiying Candida

From an Ayurvedic perspective, the premier etiology of candida is agnimandya, or deficient digestive efficiency. Improper functioning of Samana vayu, (a subdivision of Vata dosha) along with deficient Pachakagni (digestive fire) cause a systemic malfunctioning of the digestive process. The result of this deficient digestion is the production of ama, undigested and partially digested food materials that becomes enlodged in the alimentary canal and ultimately migrates throughout the body. Accumulations of intestinal ama result in the defective processing of food into utilizable nutrients needed for the proper nourishment of the tissues. Ama is absorbed into the subtle channels of the body known as srotas, creating toxicity and are the basis for the initiation of the disease process. As ama accumulates in the small and large intestines, it will putrefy and ferment, thus inhibiting the normal flora to proliferate and finally resulting in the change of proportionate populations of normal intestinal flora. It is because of this variation from the normal flora balance that a Candidiasis occurs.

The next stage of a candida infestation is a result of the migration and absorption of ama into different parts of the body.

Ayurveda recommends a holistic approach to restoring balance that includes diet, lifestyle management and herbal medication. It is a life-changing protocol that requires patience, discipline and a full commitment to one’s health to restore balance and stay in balance, but the results are well worth the effort.

Candida infections can be chronic and stubborn in nature, and if not treated, can possibly spread systemically. The disorder is influenced by a multitude of factors including an imbalanced digestive tract, low agni, ama, low ojas, hygiene, diet, lifestyle factors and past or current use of antibiotics.

While primarily a kapha disorder, it can include the other doshas as well, and many times the condition is caused by two doshas, rendering it a more difficult problem to treat successfully.

Treatments include increasing and regulating agni, modifying one’s diet to decrease sugars, yeast, and fermented foods and addressing hygiene and lifestyle issues that only Floor care hygiene services can handle.

The three most important strategies in the treatment of candidiasis are, first, to reduce the individual’s toxic load, secondly to ensure the integrity of the digestive agni and finally to build ojas (immunity) back into the body. This enables the body to rid itself of this pathological yeast permanently.