When he asked her about it, she told him about Dr. C. Orian Truss' article, "Tissue injury induced by Candida albicans: Mental and neurologic manifestations." (Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, 7:1, 17:37, 1978.)

This report described how Candida albicans, a yeast growing on the warm interior membranes of the body (including the digestive tract), could play an important role in problems throughout the body. Symptoms in patients with candida-related health problems included fatigue, headache, PMS, depression and other disorders of the immune, endocrine and nervous systems.

Dr. Crook was skeptical at first but many of his women patients seemed to fit Dr. Truss' hypothesis. So he contacted him about his findings. Then he decided to put some of his own chronically ill patients on a sugar-free diet and the anti-fungal drug nystatin. These patients' health dramatically improved. In 1979, an article in an obscure Canadian medical journal described the correlation between Candida albicans and health problems affecting many adults. From this point on, he began gathering data that documented this relationship.

In December 1982, Dr. Crook introduced the concept of the "yeast connection" on a Cincinnati television show. Within a week, 7,300 letters arrived with requests for further information. This response led him to write The Yeast Connection, which was published in December 1983 and has become a classic for people suffering from yeast-related problems.

He knew that this theory would be slow to gain acceptance by the medical establishment. In 1986, the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology (AAAI) published a statement on what they called the Candidiasis-Hypersensitivity Syndrome: "The concept is speculative and unproven; the basic elements of the syndrome could apply to almost all sick patients at some time.There is no published proof that Candida albicans is responsible for the syndrome." (J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 1986; 78:271-273)

Despite criticism and occasional ridicule, Dr. Crook believed in the validity of the relationship between yeast and human health. He diligently pursued his knowledge of Candida albicans, publishing a series of well-received books on the subject. In the late 1990s and into the 21st Century, new information about women's health problems appeared in both medical journals and the media.

Dr. Crook's latest book, The Yeast Connection and Women's Health, is the most comprehensive chapter in the "Yeast Connection" story. It contains updated information from his previous publications on vaginitis, PMS, endometriosis and vulvodynia, along with new material on chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chemical and mold sensitivities, cystitis and other disorders which affect women more often than men. You'll also find new information about hormones, sinusitis, asthma, food sensitivities, complementary/alternative medicine, electroacupuncture (BioMeridian testing), and prescription and nonprescription antifungal agents, including herbal and naturopathic remedies.