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What Is The Candida Breast Cancer Connection?
Did you know that there is a connection between candida and breast cancer? A large percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer also have (or have recently had) an overgrowth of candida albicans, a fungus. It may seem weird but read on and I will explain.
My Own Story With Candida
I had systemic candida the year prior to my breast cancer diagnosis. I never thought much about it until I delved a little deeper into what might have caused my breast cancer.
I believe my house was the initial causative factor, as odd as that may sound, because I didn’t have any of the other risk factors for candida. In the winter when it would rain hard, our house gutters would overflow and some of the eaves that jutted out all around the house would turn black with mold on the underside because they were constantly wet. Environmental mold is definitely a causative factor for candida.
Getting rid of the mold was difficult and getting rid of my systemic candida proved to be just as difficult! Following the anti-candida diet was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I had to in order to get well. I believe that the candida undermined my immune system to a huge degree and could have been what let cancer in the door initially.
As a breast cancer coach, I speak to many women with breast cancer and can confirm that I have been told by quite a few that a problem with candida preceded their breast cancer diagnosis.
The Problem With Candida
It has been estimated that approximately 80% of the American population has a problem with candida.1 Candida albicans is a fungus that lives in the mucosa of the digestive tract. It is normally kept in balance by beneficial gut bacteria, but an overgrowth can develop in the body as a result of many things (see below for more information on what can cause an overgrowth).
Candida tends to attack the entire digestive tract from one end to the other and some of the symptoms include a burning in the stomach, especially after eating something sweet or vinegary, lethargy, brain fog, mood swings, little bumps on the roof of your mouth, a coated tongue, and a few other unsavory things including vaginal yeast infections.
Candida albicans thrives (much like cancer) in an environment of acidity and low oxygen and produces toxic chemicals that can feed and stimulate cancer cells and weaken the immune system – it is disastrous for the immune system.
Many natural therapists – and even a few doctors I’ve run across – believe that cancer really began as a fungal infection, that the immune system has interpreted the fungal overgrowth as an extraneous foreign body and this stimulates the formation of a cyst in order to encapsulate the invader, as a protective mechanism. This is an oversimplification for what is a quite complicated process but you get the picture.
Go to any alternative cancer clinic and they will tell you that in order for the cancer patient to heal, their candida and fungal problems must first be addressed.
What Conditions Promote Candida Overgrowth?
Candida can become rampant due to many things and this is not an exhaustive list: poor diet (especially too much sugar), an overabundance of stress, acidity, overuse of antibiotics and other prescription drugs, too much alcohol, contraceptive pills, hormonal imbalances, amalgam dental fillings, chlorinated water, environmental molds, diabetes and a few other medical conditions.
The traditional treatments for cancer don’t help either. Chemotherapy and steroids serve to heighten the effect of a candida overgrowth.
The Antibiotic Connection
Antibiotic drugs kill the good bacteria in the gut, which can lead to an overgrowth of candida. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported a study in 2004 on 10,000 women who took over 500 days of antibiotics in a 17-year period. These women had twice the risk of breast cancer as those who took no antibiotics. Women taking just one dose of antibiotics also had an increased risk 1.5 times greater than those who did not. 2
A 2008 Finnish study followed over 3 million people aged 30-79 years, with no history of cancer, and found that antibiotic use did increase the relative risk of getting all sorts of cancers, including breast. 3
How To Tell If You Have Candida
A simple test to do is the saliva test. I will forewarn and say this is NOT conclusive, but it can certainly give you an idea of whether or not you may need to seek treatment for candida.
A small percentage of people with candida CAN still test negative with this particular method, but most people with chronic candida infestations will have a positive result with this test. Give it a try.
The Saliva Test:
Prior to putting anything in your mouth first thing in the morning, get a clear glass and fill it with ordinary water (or better yet, have this glass of water available before you go to bed so that it’s there waiting for you and you don’t forget it). Get together a good sample of saliva and spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so, and do this up to an hour.
What you’ll see, if you have a problem with candida, is stringy bits of saliva traveling down into the water from the saliva that is floating on top. Or cloudy looking saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass. You may also see cloudy blobs which appear to be suspended in the water.
If there are no strings and your saliva is still floating after at least an hour, you may have no candida problem.
If you think you have a problem with candida overgrowth, make sure you see a naturopath for a treatment plan which includes the anti-candida diet, and can include special herbs, essential oils and homeopathics which will knock it out of your body pronto!
References:
1. The Hidden Epidemic: Candida Overgrowth – http://www.examiner.com/article/the-hidden-epidemic-candida-overgrowth-2
2. Antibiotic Use in Relation to the Risk of Breast Cancer – http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=198216
3. Antibiotic use predicts an increased risk of cancer – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18704945
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You are so inspirational! Thanks for thinking of us all x
Yes, I have felt all along that my digestive tract is the culprit. But knowing how and when it acts up is always a challenge. Just how much do I need to clean up my diet is always on my mind. I think I eat pretty clean but still know that it is always just underneath the surface waiting to become a problem. I’ve been tested for food allergies but sometimes they are the culprit and sometimes not.
Carol,
If your digestive tract is creating problems for you, it really is an advantage to work with a health professional of your choice to get the problem under control. We are only as healthy as our guts are, after all! If you are not absorbing nutrients, this puts you at a great disadvantage. Also, about 75-80% of your immune system is in your gut, so this is an area that you really do need to work on healing. If you’d like my help, just shout! I believe you have my coaching information.
Warmest regards,
Marnie Clark
Hi Marie,
Thank you for writing this great article, I think there needs to be much more awareness on thus subject.
I’ve recently had a candida/heat rash under both breasts because of the summer heat . I also have eaten much more sugar in the past few months and I do remember from last year, that right about the time I got breast rashes, it was after eating more sugar. However, this year, my right breast has become itchy and painful with some shooting pains, including the nipple, and I’ve never had this before. I’m assuming it’s correlating with the yeast rash and the rash under right breast lasted longer than the left. I have sweated alot because of my work, so I’m thinking that the sweat caused the candida from rash to get into my nipple. I of course, googled and found Inflammatory breast cancer and have been worried. The next day after , I threw sodas and most everything with sugar away, and have started an anti candida way of living because of this. I’m also now taking probiotics , taking caprilic acid . Also, I ve been doing iodine painting on my breasts which have helped tremendously and although there is a small amount of tenderness in my right breast, 99% of the itching has gone and rarely any if at all shooting pains. I’ll be continuing most of this just to be healthy and hopefully prevent any cancer in the future.
Although I know that you can’t give medical advice, I’m wondering if you could give your opinion on some things.
I don’t want to run to the doctor just yet, because my symptoms are lessening and Ive never had the orange peel rash, or inverted nipple etc. I know the only thing my doctor would do at this point would either give me antifungal or antibiotics. I know I don’t want to take antibiotics for a candida infection, but do you think for a mild case of candida mastitis I should consider continuing the natural treatments, or should I get on something like Diflucan asap, or apply a topical antifungal? I’ve heard that these can cause the yeast to come back even more once discontinued, but I’m also concerned that if I don’t get rid of this fully and quickly, it could turn into cancer later. I’ve only had this for two weeks. (The underneath breast rash for about 3-4 wks). Also, I’m due for a mammogram and am unsure if a mammogram would spread any fungal infection or set me up for cancer if I got this done now.
When I get overheated or come out of the shower, I still have a blotchy red/pink rash on my right breast, but it goes away. Could this mean cancer, or is it possible that is related to the candida still there (there hasn’t been any red streaks etc).
I know this is alot, and any insight you have would be very appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi there – great question. I’ve just sent you some info via email.
All the best,
Marnie
would love to know your response…in a similar boat. Thanks.
Daisy,
I assume you are referring to the message from TC. If that’s not the case, let me know. Here’s exactly what I told her (after apologizing for taking so long to reply):
I will have to assume that you still have this problem, though with the passage of time it may have improved. One thing I do know about candida is that it takes a long time to get out of your system. I do think you should go see a doctor and have them take a look at the affected area. Many doctors don’t know a thing about candida, however, and how problematic it can be. Hopefully yours won’t be in that category! Another thing you should be checked for is inflammatory breast cancer. Just so you are aware.
The mammogram you are anticipating having should not spread the fungal infection.
Candida can be healed naturally – it is, in fact, the best way to go about it. In addition to the specfic diet you’ve no doubt read about, there are many essential oils that can assist with Candida, see my article about that: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/essential-oils-candida-albicans/
A great resource for people wanting to know more about inflammatory breast cancer is this website:
http://www.ibcresearch.org/symptoms/
This is another one: https://www.eraseibc.org/ibc-symptoms/
I think both of those websites will be able to answer more questions for you about this particular type of breast cancer, but what is important is that when you go to the doctor you will need to insist that they rule out inflammatory breast cancer. Make sure they know (or find out) how to diagnose it and are able to rule it out if possible. I do think seeing a doctor would be a very good thing for you to do.
Stay in touch, and if I can help let me know.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
I used Candidstat and it helped! My naturopath recommended it.
Hi Sierra,
Is that the one from Pure Formulas – CandidaStat? Did it work well for you? Thanks for commenting.
All the best,
Marnie Clark