Pau d'Arco by Kenneth Jones

Author:Kenneth Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

ALLERGY SYNDROMES

One of the most popular uses for pau d’arco in North America has been the treatment of so-called allergy syndromes. Again, patients self-medicating with the bark were typically those who found little or no relief from conventional prescriptions and were often experiencing side effects. 23 Frequently, those using the bark are people who suffer from reactions to yeasts and molds, and especially to Candida albicans, a common fungus or “yeast” found in humans and animals that some physicians suspect is the underlying cause of food allergies, extreme sensitivity to chemicals in the environment, and disorders of the immune system. 24 - 28

One of what would eventually be many articles on this subject appeared in the popular health magazine Let’s Live in February 1984. Titled “Candida albicans: A Lingering Problem,” the article by Robert E. Foreman, Ph.D., described the symptoms as a “bewildering array,” with more than one occurring at the same time. Popularly known as candidiasis, this syndrome offers a horrific range of symptoms with about as many combinations as there are possible problems with an automobile. Foreman listed arthritis, asthma, cystitis, migraine and other headaches, immobility of the joints, gas and bloating, spastic colitis, oral thrush, lesions and skin rashes, and irregular bowel movements “ranging from severe chronic constipation . . . to frequent (as many as 15 per day) loose and sometimes uncontrolled movements.” He added lethargy, “hormonal irregularities,” chronic muscle pains, and a variety of mental and emotional states such as anxiety, depression (extremely common), poor memory, irritability, “and even cases diagnosed as schizophrenia.” 29

Currently, a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome might replace a previous diagnosis of yeast syndrome for many. 30 - 34 It is interesting to note that today there are herbal formulas containing pau d’arco used in chronic fatigue and in allergies. 35 One authority on yeast syndrome, William G. Crook, M.D., observes that many chronic fatigue syndrome patients have shown rapid improvement following treatment for yeast infections. 36

As with chronic fatigue syndrome, the main problem has been a consensus of diagnosis. 37 Partly due to Candida’s wide distribution in the body, tests have offered little accuracy. And while some promising work in developing tests that are accurate provides hope, 38,39 there are reports that when patients suspected of having yeast syndrome are treated as though they do (regardless of test results to the contrary), many of them have experienced dramatic improvement. 40 The most promising and accurate test for Candida complex available today is the CandiSphere Enzyme Immunoassay test (CEIA), which has shown a diagnostic accuracy of 92 percent. 41 Because in the past the confirmation or the rejection of the diagnosis has largely depended on patient response and nonresponse to anticandidiasis treatment, the would-be patient should seek a physician already familiar with the symptoms. 42 - 46

Yeast syndrome has become widely known, and it appears epidemic in proportion. Some frightening allergy states, such as “total allergy syndrome,” have been suspected as stemming from the same fungus. With this syndrome one becomes allergic to practically everything.

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