Candida Help

The key reasons why you may have Candida

In previous articles I’ve talked about the possible signs  that you may have candida. In this article I want to talk more in depth about the reasons why candida might be making you ill and what you can do to help your symptoms.

 

A delightful 40 year old lady came to my clinic recently complaining of a number of symptoms ranging from thrush, fatigue, IBS, cystitis, brain fog, difficulty concentrating and depression, headaches and  even itchy skin.

 

When I asked her more details about her diet she told me that she was addicted to sugar and she used cakes and biscuits to give her energy during the day as she felt so tired. She had on-going symptoms of thrush and she said it was particularly bad after her periods. She had repeated bouts of urinary tract infections and had taken multiple courses of antibiotics. When she was 17 she had acne and was prescribed a pill called Dianette. When she came to see me she said she felt teary but told me she had never been depressed in her life.

 

After talking to Mary, I suspected that she had a yeast overgrowth such as candida albicans.

 

So what are the causes of Candida and Thrush?

 

1. Antibiotics disrupt gut flora
   

 

Have you been taking  antibiotics? The broad-spectrum antibiotics that Mary had taken, wiped out all of her healthy gut bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. This lack of friendly bacteria in turn caused disruption between the normal balance of her intestinal flora and lead to an overgrowth of yeasts and possibly bacteria, and parasites. It is really important to re-populate your gut with friendly bacteria after you take antibiotics or you can end up with an imbalance of bad bacteria or an overgrowth of yeast. This in turn can lead to cravings, bloating, thrush, fatigue and IBS. As if that is not enough, you may then up with food intolerances, a leaky gut, inflammation, IBS, and depression.

 

2. Sugar causes yeast to grow
   

 

Are you eating lots of sugar?  Too much sugar in the form of cakes, biscuits, maple syrup, alcohol, fruit and fruit juice can cause yeast to grow and make you sick. Many of my clients tell me that they eat  a high sugar diet because they have terrible cravings for sugar. This is interesting because the yeast actually causes you to have cravings. You will be making it grow and proliferate. So be very wary of eating sugar as you will be feeding the yeast every time you eat it. Most patients feels so tired that they are actually using sugar to get them through the day.

 

3. Birth Control Pills contain Estrogen
   

Are you taking the birth control pill? Unfortunately the pill plays havoc with our hormones and it can also cause a yeast overgrowth. The pill normally contains a hormone called Estrogen that can cause candida.

 

4. Stress

Are you very stressed? During times of stress our immune system is very low and opportunistic infections, bacteria or yeast can suddenly manage to get hold of us. If you have been under persistent stress you  find that your adrenal glands have been affected. They will have been pumping out cortisol, our stress hormone to help you battle your daily stressors. However over time your cortisol will become depleted, your immune system will brake down and you may find yourself on the couch unable to function properly. In fact you may have what we call adrenal fatigue or adrenal burnout. This is turn can cause food intolerances and an underactive thyroid.

 

5. Steroids, Asthma inhalers, Acne medication

Are you taking medication or have you taken it in the past? Steroids, asthma inhalers, cortisone and medication for acne can cause major changes to your system and again your opportunistic yeast will have the chance to grow and proliferate.

 

6. Alcohol

Are you a binge drinker? Or do you drink wine, beer or spirits most weeks?

Unfortunately alcohol also feeds your yeast so every time you consume your alcohol you are much more  likely to have thrush, brain fog and other digestive problems associated with thrush.

Acne medication can cause major changes to your system and again your opportunistic yeast will have the chance to grow and proliferate.

 

Why do GP’s ignore yeast overgrowth?

 

Most of the patients who come to see me tell me that their GP’s don’t believe in a yeast overgrowth.

 

It seems that Medical Doctors are trained to believe in AIDS related Candida. Many of my patients have told me that when they tell their GP’s that they have thrush, their GP’s ask them to have an AIDS test and most are really quite offended by this. GP’s do tend to treat women with thrush with anti-fungal medication (which  doesn’t seem to work). A yeast overgrowth caused by antibiotics or sugar or a dampened immune system is not is not part of the medical curriculum in the UK and so Doctors assume that it is not a true problem. Moreover most GPs in the UK never recommend probiotics to re-populate your gut with healthy gut bacteria when they prescribe antibiotics. Why? Again, I suspect this is not covered in the medical curriculum.

 

I should also say that many patients who come to see me tend to self-diagnose and believe that they have a yeast-overgrowth when actually they don’t. There is still a lot of research that is needed but I can tell you from clinical practice that this is a very real problem and that patients feel a lot better after following an anti-candida diet and taking the correct anti-fungals.

 

 So what are the common symptoms of Candida and Thrush

 

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Thrush
• Loose bowels
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Food cravings for sugar and yeast
• Food intolerances
• Pain
• Itching
• hives
• Cystitis
• Prostrate problems

 

 

 

If you wish to book an appointment with Victoria Tyler call 0345 129 7996 or e-mail help@nutritionandvitality.co.uk