The genera Candida, species albicans was described by Christine Marie Berkhout. She described the fungus in her doctoral thesis, at the University of Utrecht in 1923. Over the years the classification of the genera and species has evolved. Obsolete names for this genus include Mycotorula and Torulopsis. The species has also been known in the past as Monilia albicans and Oidium albicans. The current classification is nomen conservandum, which means the name is authorized for use by the International Botanical Congress (IBC).
The full current classification is available at Candida albicans.
The genus Candida includes about 150 different species. However, only about six are considered as causing human infections. C. albicans is the most significant species. Other species responsible for human disease include C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, and C. lusitaniae.
Alternative medicine proponents also frequently diagnose people with "systemic candidiasis" using methods not deemed valid by mainstream, western medicine. This belief originated from a book published by Dr. William Crook which hypothesized that a variety of common symptoms such as fatigue, PMS, sexual dysfunction, asthma, psoriasis, digestive and urinary problems, multiple sclerosis, and muscle pain, could be caused by subclinical infections by Candida albicans; see . There are a variety of remedies available to treat these symptoms, Dr. Crook suggests, ranging from dietary modification to colonic irrigation. Mainstream western medicine has ignored these methods and they have not been tested using scientific analysis, and therefore are not considered valid by most in the mainstream western medical establishment; see also , for criticisms of these treatments. However, nutritionists have also proposed that these symptoms may be due to intestinal wall damage, known as leaky gut syndrome, due to Candida overgrowth or other effects.
A book giving such an alternative perspective on systemic candida infections is Lifeforce by Dr. Jeff McCombs, and much of its information can be found on its respective website, Lifeforce. The book and the website propose an explanation for what systemic candida is, what it does to the body, and how to eliminate the excess candida. Kevin Trudeau (the author of the controversial Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About) believes that Lifeforce contains the most complete candida protocol in the world.
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