Candida: are you or your child experiencing yeast overgrowth?
White coating on your tongue? Foggy feeling in your head? Mysterious skin rashes? Bloating and irregular digestive function? Always needing to eat something sweet? You could be suffering from yeast overgrowth.
What is Candida Albicans?
Candida albicans is the most common kind of yeast that co-exists with humans. Under optimal conditions, Candida plays a valuable role in our digestive systems, since we need small amounts of candida in our mouths and throughout our digestive system in order to fully digest our food. However, as anyone who’s ever baked bread knows, yeast likes to grow (it is a fungus, after all). When circumstances are ideal, our gut bacteria keeps intestinal yeast growth in check, creating a harmonious balance between bacteria and yeast. This delicate balance is, however, easily disturbed. For example, we can lose beneficial bacteria after taking a round of antibiotics, or power Candida’s growth by bingeing on sugar or alcohol. Estrogen dominance, birth control pills and stress can all multiply the amount of yeast in our systems. The result? Candida overgrowth.
Is systemic Candida the same as a yeast infection?
Most people are familiar with the different kinds of yeast infections. A Candida infection in the mouth is called oral thrush, and is marked by white, bumpy patches in the mouth and on the tongue, as well as difficulty swallowing. A vaginal yeast infection causes redness, swelling, and itchiness, and produces an unpleasant white discharge. These reactions are typically immediately noticeable – and very irritating. In contrast, a systemic Candida overgrowth can be much more subtle – although it’s impact may be more troublesome. When beneficial gut bacteria decrease and yeast multiplies, the overall effect on our bodies can be far-reaching.
How does systemic Candida overgrowth work?
When Candida grows unchecked, it can permeate into the lining of your intestine leading to ‘leaky gut’ syndrome. As the name suggests, leaky gut syndrome causes undigested food, bacteria, and toxins to ‘leak’ from your intestine into your bloodstream. When the immune system is faced with these unknown invaders, it kicks into overdrive trying to neutralize the threat in any way it can. This can lead to a number of symptoms ranging from inflammation and digestive upset, to autoimmune diseases. Candida overgrowth is often overlooked or misdiagnosed because the symptoms vary so greatly. If you’re experiencing autoimmune symptoms, wondering why your thinking has been foggy recently, or trying to figure out troublesome digestive and liver issues, it’s possible that a systemic Candida overgrowth could be the underlying problem.
What are the symptoms of systemic Candida?
1. Despite your best intentions, you have strong cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. (Candida wants to keep multiplying, so a taste of sugar will leave you wanting more!)
2. You feel itchy all over, especially, and sometimes embarrassingly, in the anal or vaginal areas. Acne or eczema may also be present.
3. Speaking of embarrassment, you may suffer from toenail fungal infections or unexplained itchy foot rashes.
4. Your digestion feels out of whack, with a lot of gassiness and bloating.
5. You experience mood swings and frustration for no obvious reason – or you frequently feel anxious or depressed, even though you are doing your best to look after your emotional well-being.
6. Unexplained joint pain makes it hard to keep up with your exercise routine, and that lack of exercise is only worsening your other symptoms. You want to work out, but it’s not easy! Some also experience headaches or migraines which can be debilitating.
Signs and symptoms of Candida yeast in children
In children, a range of signs and symptoms can exist when Candida yeast is present. In fact, these signs may form part of what is seen in children with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD, or autism). Such signs and symptoms may include: spacey inattentive behaviour, difficulty concentrating, upper respiratory infections, cravings for sugar and carbohydrates, gassy and bloated belly, toe-walking or flapping of hands, rashes and eczema and a variety of sleep problems.
Diagnostic testing for gut bacteria and yeast
Boxed Candida ‘kits’ may be popular, but in reality overcoming candida overgrowth and restoring a healthy balance of yeast and gut bacteria can be very challenging. Sometimes simply collecting clinical information in the visit plus our screening yeast questionnaire is sufficient to establish a yeast diagnosis. However, laboratory testing may be required to definitively diagnose and quantify the level of yeast infection. Tests may include comprehensive stool analysis, looking for blood yeast antibodies, or a urine organic acids test. Our office can work with you to develop a program that’s tailored specifically for you – starting with a complete assessment and treatment plan. Once we have a good picture of what’s really going on in your system, we can work on a plan to restore balance.
A holistic approach to managing Candida
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, as our holistic approach means taking an in-depth look at various aspects of your lifestyle.
– Specialized Candida diet
In general, the first step of treatment consists of dietary changes (you knew that was coming, right?). Together, we can work on a diet plan that works for you to ‘starve out’ the Candida. Dietary changes should be realistic and manageable over the long term. After all, we want to create a sustainable solution, not a quick-fix that may be too difficult to stick with.
– Say goodbye to sugary sweets
To get Candida under control, patients have greatest success by limiting all processed sweets from their diet. We also recommend cutting back on starchy carbohydrates. Low-sugar fruits such as berries are the best options for a sweet treat.
– … and alcohol
Eliminating all fermented or moldy foods and drinks, including alcohol, will help control Candida growth. This includes well-known fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kombucha, and also the less-obvious ones, like soy sauce or peanuts.
– Add extra fibre
Adding more fibre to your diet and drinking lots of water (2-3 litres a day is a good goal) can help improve your intestinal “transit time” so nothing lingers too long in your system.
– Carbs are allowed, in moderation
It’s important to note that carbohydrates aren’t necessarily completely forbidden on a Candida diet. Although processed flour can contribute to Candida overgrowth and slower bowel transit time, whole food carbohydrates such as soy, oat, hazelnut can add good fiber and minerals to your system. We can work together to look at your carb consumption and make any necessary adjustments.
The steps above can slow the growth of Candida which may improve some of your symptoms, but as always tackling one side of the issue isn’t enough. You also want to increase the number of good bacteria in your gut. An effective way to do this is by consuming more prebiotic foods and probiotics or “healthy bacteria.” A high quality supplement of the right kind of probiotic for you is usually recommended, as they can help to restore intestinal microbial balance.
Foods that kill Candida
Research has found that many substances aid in the killing off of stubborn overgrowth. Studies have found turmeric to be effective as well as coconut oil, herbal extracts can be very effective including berberine-containing herbs and several others. In order to determine the right solution for your body, help by your naturopathic doctor is recommended. Candida yeast can also develop a tough ‘biofilm’ lining to protect itself, which may require other supportive treatments. Candida yeast are known to release over 70 different toxins, so liver and immune support may also be required as part of the overall treatment. We can talk about the best treatment plan to eradicate this overgrowth and eliminate the problems Candida overgrowth can cause in your system.
The effect of stress on Candida
In addition to dietary changes, reducing your stress levels can help. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce more of the stress hormone cortisol, which over time will increase blood sugar. Since Candida feeds off sugar, stress can make us more vulnerable to Candida overgrowth. It’s not always easy to lower stress levels – life often gets in the way. However, we can change the way we react to stress through science-backed stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness, meditation and yoga.
Candida overgrowth is one of the more common reasons people seek holistic care. The good news is that we are experts in treating digestive issues. If you suspect that you may be experiencing an overgrowth of Candida, give us a call at 905-597-7201. Together we can make an effective plan to get you back on track.