Many people go through life with symptoms like fatigue, recurrent yeast infections, irritable bowel syndrome, itching, inability to loose weight, infertility, bloating, skin rashes, and headaches. As wide ranged as those symptoms sound, they often all have the same cause – a fungus named Candida Albicans.
Sadly, Candida is often misdiagnosed. I find that I am usually the last resort for a lot of my clients. They have been to numerous doctors who have told them they have IBS, and will treat them with some type of drug that just Band-Aids the symptoms. Candida is a serious bacteria overgrowth in the gut that can cause some serious long-term damage. I have been testing clients for candida and putting them on a protocol that ultimately changes their lives.
I’m going to explain exactly what it is, how it develops, and how to treat it.
You are not alone when you want to stick your face in a bag of sugar. It could just be the bacteria screaming!!!
What is Candida?
Candida Albans is a pathogen that takes advantage of a disruption in the balance of microorganisms in your gut. This balance of ‘gut flora’ is a crucial part of your immune system and digestive health, but it can easily be lost during periods of stress, a poor diet that is high in carbs and sugar, after a course of antibiotics, or even from hormone imbalances. When this balance is broken, the colonies of Candida Albicans are able to expand rapidly until they control a large portion of your gut, eventually growing roots like a tree into your intestinal wall.
Candida Albicans releases up to 79 different byproducts, including uric acid and a powerful neurotoxin named acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde causes chronic headaches and brain fog, and it was recently classified as a potential carcinogen by the International Agency for research cancer. Uric acid can cause joint pain and lead to gout if an excess builds up. In turn, the changes in your gut flora can lead to digestive problems, intolerance to certain food, yeast infections, and oral thrush.
Studies show that 70% of us have candida in our gut. However, most of the time Candida is completely harmless. It exists in small colonies and is kept under control by the other microorganisms in your gut. Candida only becomes a problem when we do something to change that homeostasis.
Three Common Causes Of Candida Overgrowth
A COURSE OF ANTIBIOTICS
This is for sure most common cause of Candida overgrowth. Antibiotics are lifesavers, but they also come with serious side effects. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are often prescribed for illnesses that would quickly clear up with a little rest. However, with people not being able to miss a day of work or taking care of the kids, they go for the antibiotics not knowing it will have some major consequences for our digestive and immune systems.
Broad-spectrum antibiotics do exactly what they are designed to do – kill bacteria. The problem is that not all the bacteria in your body are harmful. Many of these bacteria play a significant role in digesting your food and maintaining good vitality and healthy immune system.
When antibiotics kill so many of these beneficial bacteria, candida is ready to take advantage. Because the colonies of Candida Albicans no longer face competition for the space and nutrients in your gut, they can quickly multiply and start to grow roots. As they grow, the amount of toxic byproducts they release grows too. This is how those Candida symptoms like chronic headaches and fatigue begin to develop.
QUICK TIP: when you think you may have to take antibiotics get a good quality saccharomyces boulardii supplement. It will help protect the gut from killing off all the good bacteria. You just need to take the supplement as soon as you know you may start antibiotics and 4 days after you can stop. I recommend for everyone to have a bottle on hand in the fridge.
EATING A HIGH-SUGAR DIET
Can diet alone lead to a Candida overgrowth? Yes, especially if a high-sugar diet is eaten for a long period of time. The modern Western diet is full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Just read some labels on the common foods you eat such as Ketchup, pasta sauce, almond butter, yogurt, salad dressing, breakfast meats, bacon, cough drops and BBQ. Sugar is everywhere you look. Sugar is exactly what Candida Albicans needs to thrive. It feeds off the sugar you eat; so, when you get that uncontrollable craving you may not be crazy, it is your candida talking. With some of my clients, it is like a drug addiction the desire is so strong. It is not normal to crave sugar to that extent.
Of course it’s important to note that it takes a long term, high-sugar diet to cause a Candida overgrowth. If you have a healthy diet already, eating one cookie a week will not cause Candida overgrowth.
A LONG PERIOD OF STRESS
Anyone who has suffered from stress will know that it can cause physical changes to your body. Stress may be one of the major causes of disease in today’s society. There are a couple of different ways in which stress can contribute to a Candida.
Stress raises your blood sugar; your body senses the stress and makes lots of energy available for whatever happens next. Unlike the caveman days, today, stress rarely comes from physical danger. (It’s more likely to be from your boss shouting at you!), but the reaction your body has on blood sugar is the same. Secondly, your immune system is weakened by stress as your body’s resources are diverted elsewhere. Your vitality is low and you cannot fight the infection with your body’s own defenses.
The Three Elements You Need In Your Candida Treatment
Personally I run a lab on all of my clients before I treat them to make sure there is no other infection such as SIBO or a parasite. I can also check to see how far along the candida has gotten, whether it is a low grade infection or dividing, which means it has roots.
The first thing you must change is your diet to exclude as many sugars, fermented foods, or any food high in mold. NO aged cheese, vinegar, sugar, fermented food or drink, alcohol, mushrooms, peanuts, pistachios, and limit root vegetables for minimum of 8 weeks on your protocol.
Second, you should take an anti-fungal to kill off as much of the Candida as possible. I like to run a food sensitivity test on the client just to make sure we are not adding any fuel to the fire with the herbs we use. For example, if I have someone who is reactive to oregano and walnuts, one of the big herbs used to kill candida, I will have to find an alternative supplement.
Third, you should choose a good probiotic to replenish your gut flora and prevent the Candida from coming back. I usually use a megaspore along with a good probiotic. I also recommend doing some kind of liver support to help with any die-off from killing the bacteria.
Lastly, you MUST heal your gut. Many practitioners skip this step, and it will cause clients to fall right back into the same boat. Depending on the client I use a variety of supplements and food based treatments to heal the gut. One that I love is bone broth and aloe Vera. So, there you have it. If you want to learn more about candida or have any questions please ask away. I have had candida, parasites, IBS, you name it, so I have been through all of this and I have found the holistic approach to be the most effective.
Sick and tired of being sick and tired? Have you tried everything to reach your health goals and nothing is working? Are you ready to get to the bottom of your health? Do you want to optimize your health and feel the best you ever have in years? Book a complimentary discovery call today and get and plan tailored just for you!!
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Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach, NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, ACSM Wellness and Nutrition Coach, and Metabolic Typing
