Candida albicans, a fungus, (or yeast), is a part of our normal physiology.  It becomes a problem if it grows out of control.  Factors that allow it to proliferate include taking antibiotics, using birth control pills, alcoholism, steroid use, sugar binges, prolonged periods of stress. Clinical Manifestations There is a broad range of symptoms that have been associated with this syndrome. They can be classified in the following groups, although it is not clear how many or which of them are required to make a diagnosis nor is there scientific data linking these multiple clinical manifestations with Candida albicans overgrowth : Systemic- Fatigue, craving carbohydrates, itchy eyes, Athletes foot Gastrointestinal- Heartburn, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, acid reflux Respiratory allergy- Rhinitis- (stuffed, runny nose), sneezing and/or wheezing; recurrent sore throats, 'asthma', recurrent ear infections, 'allergies', repeated sinus infections Central nervous system. Anxiety, depression, memory deficits and/or loss of ability to concentrate- "brain fog" Menstrual abnormalities. Severe premenstrual tension and/or menstrual irregularities, endometriosis, infertility, vaginal yeast infections Other Systemic Symptoms-headache and/or irritability, bladder infections   The only way to test for candida definitively is through a blood or stool test, but  anecdotal tests can be found here: http://www.candidasupport.org/test_yeast.html  and http://www.adhdrelief.com/CandidaTest.html In September 1999, Johns Hopkins medical researchers confirmed that virtually all chronic sinus infections were due to fungus. Not all findings are that solid. As a matter of fact, few are. Rather, scientists seem confused and startled at their own discoveries with regard to fungus. Fungus makes poisonous byproducts called mycotoxins. Antibiotics are one class of mycotoxins. Without this knowledge, however, many questions are raised when researchers stumble onto this seemingly elementary fact. Recently, researchers have discovered that antibiotics are contributing to everything from 2nd heart attacks to breast cancer. It is our hope that someday when discoveries like these are made, logic will supercede confusion. (This paragraph is from www.knowthecause.com )  The Health Lyceum is equipped to expertly  guide you in  cleansing  your system of Candida. It is interesting to note that fungi remain excluded from most medical school curricula - just check the course schedule of any major medical school. Of course, classes on fungal mycotoxins-the harmful, chemical byproducts produced by fungi-are practically nonexistent. Finally, most laboratories remain incapable of performing rapid, accurate diagnostic tests for fungal diseases. From Doug Kaufmann- (www.knowthecause.com). "According to The Home Medical Encyclopedia, in 1963 about one-half of all Americans suffered from an "unrecognized" systemic fungal condition. My guess would be that far more Americans suffer from fungal infections today as antibiotics, hormone replacement therapies, and birth control pills continue to be consumed like candy. My point in bringing this to your attention is simple - doctors are not accurately diagnosing medical conditions. A case in point: A medical textbook used to educate Johns Hopkins medical students in 1957, Clinical and Immunologic Aspects of Fungous Diseases, declared that many fungal conditions look exactly like cancer! Whereas, we do not educate today's medical students on accurately detecting deeply imbedded fungal conditions and differentiating these from cancer, we certainly do teach them to diagnose cancer, and lots of it! Years ago, I published the book, The Germ That Causes Cancer. I feel that cancer is one of the most maligned and misunderstood diseases of the past millennium. There is also reason to believe it is one of the most misdiagnosed maladies. When my research kept providing clues as to the real etiology (root cause) of cancer, a chapter in a book or a newsletter just didn't seem to suffice. The purpose of this article is neither to malign nor replace your health care provider's recommendations. Rather, it is to gently introduce you to a concept that is so incredible that it almost defies logic: deep tissue fungal growth may be commonly diagnosed as cancer. The day I wrote this, a young lady phoned into my syndicated radio talk show. Her three-year-old daughter was diagnosed last year with leukemia. She believes antifungal drugs and natural immune system therapy has been responsible for saving her daughter's life. She is now telling others with cancer about her daughter's case. After hearing her story, a friend of hers with bone cancer asked her doctor for a prescriptive antifungal drug. To her delight, this medication, meant to eradicate fungus, was also eradicating her cancer. She dared not share this with her physician, telling him only that the antifungal medication was for a "yeast" infection. When she could no longer get the antifungal medication, the cancer immediately grew back. Her physician contended that a few antifungal pills surely should have cured her yeast infection. It is my contention, however, that the reason this medication worked was because she did have a yeast infection… not a vaginal infection for which this medication was prescribed, but a fungal infection of the bone that may have been mimicking bone cancer. These are well documented in scientific literature. As you read these articles, you will see that many cancer patients find the true fungal link to their cancer only to succumb to heart disease or immune deficiency caused by traditional cancer treatment. If this case were an isolated event, it might be referred to as "coincidental." I have been able to plead with doctors of advanced cancer patients to at least try antifungal drugs for their patients. Afterwards, simply amazing reports have come forth. Several of these have been published in The Germ That Causes Cancer. Unfortunately, many researchers and physicians do not share my passion. Getting a physician to prescribe simple antifungal drugs for a deadly disease is often impossible. The mentality seems to be, "if cancer were fungus, we'd have learned that in medical school." Couple this with what the medical industry refers to as "the standard of care", and real problems evolve. That "standard" rejects anything but chemotherapy, radiation or surgery for cancer patients. Even if physicians wanted to try antifungal therapy for their patients, doing so would, perhaps, be perceived as being at odds with the "standard of care". A few months ago, cancer specialists declared that 30 to 50 percent of breast cancers were linked to diet and were therefore preventable. Despite this revelation, diet is still not even remotely considered as one of the "standards of care" for cancer patients. This is intolerable. Hundreds of cancer survivors have documented their remarkable disease reversals which occurred while adhering to specific diets. Those diets seem to universally be yeast and sugar free. And is it any wonder? You see, in 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize in science for his discovery that cancer cells rapidly proliferated in the presence of fermented sugar. (Ironically, so do fungal cells!) Albert Einstein once state, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Certainly, I would never accuse our stethoscoped brethren of having mediocre minds; the contrary is quite true. As stated earlier, physicians are beholden to an industry in which the "standard of care" is their roadmap. Cancer failures point to a "standard" which can only be regarded as, at best, hit-and-miss, and at worse, an accomplice to such failures. With few exceptions, doctors are good, caring, intelligent individuals. Surely they will not indefinitely support decades-old therapy modalities that so frequently fail. Physicians must unite in an effort to learn why mediocrity prevails in medicine today. If a conspiracy exists against natural immune building therapies and dietary cancer control in favor of cytotoxic, (cell poisoning ), life-threatening "standards of care," physicians must expose such abominations without fear of retaliation. Physicians must take back their continuing medical education, (CME), which is most often created by drug companies who can arguably and quite naturally be biased. Moreover, the FDA must investigate whether this should be allowable at all. Shouldn't our healers and their watchdog organization be concerned about these clear conflicts of interest? In truth, every organization who promotes a particular philosophy has bias. Bias isn't the problem. Instead, it's the monopoly of ideas in our health care system with which I take issue. Physicians have medicine as their tool. It's a valuable tool, and should be used when needed. Chiropractors and nurses and herbalists and nutritionists and naturopaths all have tools, as well. (So do mycologists!) But the tools of the latter practitioners are considered suspect, while the tools of the physicians, laden with side-effects, are considered the benchmark against which all other modalities are judged. Instead of relegating other treatments to the status of "alternative", why don't we give patients the opportunity to fully explore all possibilites, and choose any combination that is right for their situation? " From Doug Kaufmann at                                                                                   www.knowthecause.com                                                                           Doug 's insight regarding Breast Cancer- An open letter to Nancy G. Brinker Of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation Dear Mrs. Brinker, Last Friday, I heard an interview with a representative of your firm, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, on WBAP radio in Dallas, Texas. As much as I and everyone else respects what you and your foundation are trying to do, I’m wondering if I could have offered assistance that might greatly enhance your understanding of the cause of breast cancer. By understanding what scientists are publishing about the cause of breast cancer, informed women will choose to heed the documentation and might both prevent, and quite possibly heal, their cancer. Your mission statement of “ending breast cancer forever” is a good one, yet it has not yet been realized. Curing any medical condition without knowledge of its etiology may help that one cured individual, but lacks the scientific credibility of challenge, reproducibility and clinical trials. It is my hope that the following facts might accelerate your understanding of why breast cancer occurs and, more importantly, why lifestyle choices, to a large degree, account for it: Fungal by-products called “mycotoxins” cause cancer. According to the American Cancer Society’s website, mycotoxins are “genotoxic carcinogens.” Mycotoxins are in our corn, grain and nut supply in America. According to World Health Organization (WHO) researchers, Penicillin, itself being a mycotoxin, should be scrutinized as a potential contributor to breast cancer. See #7 regarding antibiotics in general. In 2007, researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered that the antifungal drug, Sporanox, used to cure toenail fungus, also stopped cancer from metastasizing. That same year, German researchers discovered that yet another antifungal drug, Griseofulvin, forced cancer cells into death (apoptosis). Only last month, researchers discovered that Sporanox, an antifungal drug, slowed tumor growth in mice. In 2004, The Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) discovered that antibiotics increased the incidence and fatality rate of breast cancer. Antibiotics are mycotoxins. A large cancer website notes that alcohol of any kind increases the incidence of breast cancer. Alcohol is the mycotoxin produced by the Saccharomyces species (Brewers Yeast). The Cancer Epidemiology Journal stated in 2004 that a diet high in carbohydrates (sugar) increases the risk of breast cancer. America’s grain (carbohydrate) supply is “commonly contaminated” with mycotoxins, according to a 2002 publication in The Journal of The American Medical Association. The most widely used drug to prevent breast cancer recurrence or metastasis is Tamoxifen. In 2009, the journal, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, announced that Tamoxifen was a potent antifungal medication, in addition to its cancer inhibition properties. In 2007, The American Academy of Microbiology stated, “Fungi are the cause of many outbreaks of disease, but are mostly ignored. Fungi can cause a number of life-threatening diseases…many people, scientists among them, are largely unaware.” Since my return home from Vietnam in 1971, where I served as a Medical Corpsman, I have studied the intricacies of mycotoxin producing fungi. There remains little doubt that these maligned and misunderstood organisms are pathogenic to man and contribute widely to cancer and many other diseases. This is quite well documented within the scientific literature, yet fungi are overlooked as the etiology of any disease. Is fungus an indirect cause of cancer? Thirty-nine years ago, I was alone in my assertions that it did. As referenced above, an intelligent science seems to be validating such a link today. I know that your foundation has invested over $1,000,000,000 into breast cancer research during the past 25 years. I also know that pharmaceutical companies are the recipients of the vast majority of your donated funds. I even understand your thinking that surely these brilliant researchers will one day find “the pill for the cure.” In 25 years, they have not and, if the above referenced journals and researchers are correct, they never will. Breast cancer, like many other diseases, is lifestyle rather than medication dependent. As a matter of interest, certain medications may contribute to its etiology. I ask that you please consider, at very least, posting this valuable information on your website, which is viewed by many. It is my hope that your dedicated scientists will either dispel my work as erroneous (for reasons researched and stated) or seize an opportunity to redirect their thoughts toward pathogenic infectious agents (fungus) as the cause of breast cancer. At best, I would love the opportunity to meet with you or your representatives about this significant science, which previously seems to have been completely overlooked. I believe that there may be synergism in our talents and discoveries and look forward to continuing the education process for the many women worldwide with whom we both communicate. Sincerely, -Doug A. Kaufmann