Recently a 60-year-old man came to see me complaining of indigestion, depression, foggy brain and fatigue. He had consulted several leading gastroenterologists (intestinal specialists) and they had told him that they could not find a specific cause.

This man was very nice, sensible and intelligent but had suffered enormous stress over the last decade of his life. He did not have any other diseases and was of strong physique and good genetic inheritance.

The only medication he was taking was a low dose anti-depressant drug and two different types of powerful antacid drugs; he had been on these antacid drugs for over 10 years without a break! Fortunately, this patient had brought along to me photographs of his stomach and upper small intestine taken during his recent gastroscopy. These photographs showed many patches of the yeast Candida Albicans growing in his stomach and small intestine.

This is unusual and mostly seen in severe diabetics, people with HIV infection or those on a combination of antibiotic drugs and steroids and he had none of these causative factors operating in his case. Interestingly his specialist doctor had told him not to worry about it and had given him a course of the antifungal drug nystatin. After the nystatin drug, the symptoms still remained so the yeast infection was still present.

The only reason that could explain his chronic candida infection was a deficiency of the stomach acid called Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) caused by the two powerful antacid drugs he was taking. These drugs were stopping the production of HCL from his stomach. I was not surprised nor perplexed by his candida infection and the role of this infection in causing most of his symptoms. Candida is an opportunist and will grow in the body if conditions are right.

Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) is not only needed to digest our food, but it is also an excellent natural antibiotic that kills yeast and other undesirable organisms such as bacteria in the upper intestines and stomach. If you do not produce enough HCL from your stomach you are at a higher risk of intestinal and lung infections. Some people do not produce enough HCL as they age due to poor stomach function even if they are not taking antacid drugs. In such cases, we can give supplements of HCL in the form of Betaine HCL capsules to be taken in a dose of one to two capsules in the middle of every meal.

Candida infection can hide in the body for many years in nooks and crannies in the intestines, the lungs, the sinuses and in severe cases can produce tentacles that allow spread into the bloodstream. Candida is a yeast which ferments carbohydrates such as sugar or flour products into alcohol and blood alcohol levels can rise enough to cause you to feel “slightly drunk” – thus the foggy brain syndrome. It is usually not enough to be detected in a breath test for blood alcohol, although I have seen a case where one patient lost his driver’s license from a breath test reading. This patient had to follow a sugar-free diet to stay “sober” and I acted as an expert witness in his court case to get his driver’s license renewed.

Candida infection can cause the following symptoms –

  • Mental fogginess
  • Fatigue
  • Bloating and gas
  • Indigestion
  • Sinusitis
  • White coated tongue
  • Sticky white secretions in mouth and vagina
  • Itchy skin
  • Itchy anus
  • Red eyes

The antimicrobial formula Bacto Clear capsules contain herbs and essential oils that help to kill Candida and bad bacteria. Serrapeptase capsules help to break up the biofilm that is usually formed on the gut lining when bad gut bugs have been present for a long time.

My 60-year-old patient returned to see me 2 months after stopping the antacid drugs and his indigestion was 80% less. His mental fogginess had gone and his energy levels were much better. I had prescribed him my Livatone Plus to help his immune system overcome the candida infection.

There are often more natural alternatives to antacid drugs and I encourage you to read about them in my book titled Heal your Gut: An A to Z Guide.