Candida albicans normally lives in the gastrointesintal and genital tracts. Candida infection occurs when the yeast overgrows or spreads. People with Candida overgrowth often experience fatigue and poor concentration. Yeast toxins enter the bloodstream through the intestinal lining. You can ask your practitioner to do a test for this toxin to make a diagnosis. You can also explore supplements and treatment options that diminish the risk of candida. 

What Are Common Symptoms of Candidiasis?

It is often difficult to diagnose Candida due to the wide variety of symptoms that are not consistent throughout all parts of the body. Candida can cause many different symptoms. Common symptoms include constipation, fatigue, rashes, tingling, burning, memory loss, athlete's foot, diarrhea, and headaches. Some people also experience PMS, prostatitis, diabetes, or hypothyroidism. Often, symptoms are conditional or situational, increasing with consumption of sugary or yeast-based foods, or intensifying in damp and mouldy areas. A candida infection of the intestinal tract (gastrointestinal candidiasis) can produce the same symptoms as Leaky Gut Syndrome and even co-exist with it. Candida skin infections cause white patches surrounded by red, irritated skin. Mucous membrane infections often appear the same way. Sometimes, these skin infections will produce discharge that is white and curd-like and smells yeasty.

What Are Candida Treatment Options?

Conventional treatment of Candida involves antifungal agents applied topically or taken orally. These medications take care of the current infection but do not address the root cause of why the infection occurred in the first place. Candida often returns, and eventually the strains become drug-resistant.

Dietary & Supplement Treatments

Dietary therapy depends upon the severity of the condition. It is aimed at starving out the yeast by removing its food source, sugar.

The most severe dietary restrictions involve a total elimination of all sugar, yeast and fungal products from the diet. This includes: fruit, aged cheese, alcohol, baked goods (including bread), chocolate, fermented foods, gluten containing grains, ham, honey and all sweeteners, nut butters, potatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, sprouts and vinegar.

Less severe cases restrict all of the above-mentioned products for a short period of time, and then allow some products back into the diet. Vegetables, fish and gluten free grains are the bulk of the diet. Fresh, live yogurt or other products containing live bacterial cultures can be added at a later time.

Am I At Risk for Developing Candida?

Candida can mimic many conditions. As a result, some practitioners may overdiagnose it or promote treatment as a cure-all. Be sure to discuss the potential of candidiasis with your healthcare provider to ensure that this is the root cause of your concerns. Of course, you can always go ahead with trying to treat it first to see if the treatment makes a difference for your symptoms if you prefer the do-it-yourself path. There are many risk factors for developing Candida overgrowth in the intestines. Some of the risks are common health concerns that create an environment in the body that allows yeast to grow out of control, while others are environmental factors. Here is a list of some (but not all) factors that can leave you predisposed to developing candidiasis:

  • Low Thyroid The lower body temperature caused by hypothyroid creates a suitable environment for the yeast to proliferate.
  • Diabetes or hypoglycemia,blood sugar fluctuations and cravings for sweet foods make sugar more available and can make it easier for the yeast to grow.
  • Antibiotic Use: The use of antibiotics can kill off the natural, "good" bacteria that help to keep yeast in check.
  • Stress: Extended stress can exhaust your adrenal glands, thus lowering your body temperature. Stress also reduces your immune system, thus preventing your body's natural response to infection.
  • Menopause or PMS These conditions cause hormonal fluctuations that can kill off the natural bacteria in the body and boost the growth of yeast.
  • Intestinal Toxicity Yeast can proliferate in a toxic colon with the accumulated waste matter.
  • Low Immunity A healthy immune system usually controls Candida growth. A weakened immune system allows the yeast to multiply unchecked.
  • Leaky Gut Small perforations in the intestinal lining can harbour yeast cells and provide them with a more direct source of nutrients.

Important Information: Die Off Reactions

When you initially go to kill off the yeast in your body, beware that you will likely feel pretty terrible for a few days. Each cell of Candida naturally produces toxins, and when a large number of the yeast cells suddenly die and burst, a massive amount of toxin can be released into the intestines, where they are easily absorbed. This can result in flu-like symptoms, similar to those experienced during a cleanse or detox. The symptoms will go away once the yeast is under control. They can be somewhat countered by drinking lots of filtered water and taking in lots of fibre.