Candida Test UK
Are you looking to test for Candida overgrowth in the gut?
Nutrition and Vitality and our sister company Ibs-solutions.co.uk provide at home Candida Tests all over the UK and abroad as well as helping patients with the treatment of Candida.
Does the NHS test for Candida?
Candida testing is not currently offered by the NHS. If you are looking to test for Candida and receive treatnent for Candida, please contact us here.
We all have small amounts of Candida Albicans in our bodies. It is in the skin, genitals and our digestive tract and does not cause a problem at all at small volumes.
Do Doctors recognise Candida?
Doctors only recognise Candida as a symptom of major immune system breakdown, such as that found in Aids or severely immunocompromised patients.
What causes Candida to overgrow?
Immune conditions like diabetes, or drugs like steroids, antibiotics or oral contraceptives can all trigger Candida overgrowth, in addition to lifestyle choices like smoking or eating too much sugar. Many IBS patients also have an underlying Candida Albicans yeast or fungal overgrowth, and food intolerances often come hand-in-hand with an overgrowth of Candida Albicans.
How can I test for Candida at home?
If you are wondering how to test for candida overgrowth in the gut and would like to order a Candida stool or Candida blood test or book a consultation with a Candida specialist please call us on 0345 1297996 or e-mail us.
We work with patients in London and all over the UK and Europe.
How to test for Yeast in Stool?
The first key step in treating Candida is to find out whether you actually have Candida. There are a wide range of conditions linked to Candida overgrowth, and having the symptoms isn’t enough evidence to diagnose you with it. You need to take a test that detects the yeast in stool.
What are the most reliable tests for Candida?
There are several tests that can be conducted to test for Candida. These include stool, urine and blood tests. You can also contact us by phone, or email.
What is the Candida Spit test?
The test involves spitting into a glass of water first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. Advocates claim that if the saliva forms stringy legs, sinks, or appears cloudy, it indicates Candida overgrowth.
Why is the Candida Spit test unreliable?
No Scientific Basis: There is no scientific evidence or peer-reviewed studies supporting the idea that saliva behavior in water correlates with Candida overgrowth in the body.
Saliva Properties: The appearance of saliva in water depends on factors like dehydration, mucus content, or protein levels in saliva, not necessarily Candida.
Candida Is Naturally Present: Candida is a normal part of the human microbiome. Its presence in saliva doesn’t necessarily indicate overgrowth or systemic infection.
Misleading Results: People with normal levels of Candida may see stringy or cloudy results due to other factors, leading to unnecessary concern or inappropriate self-diagnosis.
Candida stool test
How to test for Candida overgrowth in the gut?
Stool tests are our most popular tests as in addition to candida and yeast they are able to look at other pathogens.
These tests can be offered as stand-alone tests or can be used for patients who also wish to look at pathogens such as bad bacteria, viruses, salmonella, shigella and parasites
In many cases stool tests can reveal your specific strain of yeast as well as the most effective anti-fungals to take to treat the yeast overgrowth.
If yeast is cultured your report will include a sensitivity panel that shows which natural or pharmaceutical agents are effective against any strains that are detected.
They are conducted after submitting one, two or three stool samples on separate days. The stool test is also able to reveal levels of friendly gut flora.
In some cases you may find that yeast is not viable via stool and you may wish to conduct a urine test.
When should you consider a Stool test for Candida Overgrowth
Stool tests are non-invasive and relatively easy to perform, making them more comfortable for patients compared to procedures like endoscopy or colonoscopy.
Our candida stool tests can also detect the presence of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites), gut flora composition, digestion markers, and inflammation levels.
Stool tests are able to detect a range of gastrointestinal conditions, including infections, malabsorption disorders, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and dysbiosis.
Stool tests often provide insights into how well the digestive system is functioning, which can be crucial for functional medicine.
Candida Urine Tests – Organic Acid Urine Test
The candida overgrowth urine test is very sensitive and looks at a marker called Arabinose.
This test is conducted by using your first urine sample of the day. The test is very easy to conduct. The candida urine test will indicate the severity of the fungal infection however it is unable to detect your specific strain of yeast or anti-fungals needed to eradicate the overgrowth. We often recommend this test if:
We suspect you have candida but your stool test was negative for yeast- this may be due to yeast not being viable
You are unable to perform the stool samples due to constipation
What are the symptoms and conditions associated with Candida and Yeast Overgrowth?
An overgrowth of yeast may cause toxic by-products to cause a number of unpleasant symptoms.
The main symptoms of Candida include:
- Digestive problems including:
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Gas
- Brain fog
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Headaches
- Sugar Cravings
- Cravings for Bread
- Vaginal Thrush/ Cystitis
- Recurrent Vaginitis
- Skin issues, Psoriasis, Eczema, Acne, Atopic Dermatits
- Athletes food
- Fungal toe-nails
- Bladder issues
- Sinus problems
- Post nasal drip
- Low Sex Drive
How Is Candida Overgrowth Diagnosed?
For a reliable diagnosis, consult a healthcare professional. Diagnostic methods include:
- Comprehensive Stool Analysis: To assess fungal levels in the gut.
- Blood Tests: Measure antibodies (IgG, IgA, IgM) against Candida.
- Urine Organic Acids Test: Looks for specific markers like D-arabinitol, indicating fungal overgrowth.
- Swabs or Cultures: For localized Candida infections (e.g., oral or vaginal).
Candida Blood Tests
A candida antibody test can detect a current or previous fungal infection by testing for three different candida antibodies in your blood. The antibody test will measure IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to candida in your blood.
These candida antibody tests can also be conducted as part of our food intolerance test panel and will look at IgG antibodies. This test is useful if you also wish to screen or food intolerances. The test also looks at 93 foods.
We recommend candida antibody tests are conducted in conjunction with stool tests or urine tests and not as stand-alone tests.
What causes Candida to overgrow?
- Antibiotics
- High Sugar Diet
- High Yeast diet, Marmite. Soya Sauce
- High Starch Diet
- Steroids
- Contraceptive pill
- Low immune system
- Chronic stress
We all have Candida Albicans, and in small amounts, it is perfectly normal. However, Candida may grow and proliferate and cause a variety of digestive problems.
One of the main causes are antibiotics. Antibiotics can have an appalling effect on the gut killing off multiple strains of friendly gut flora.
Many patients who have had multiple courses of antibiotics (for acne or tonsillitis or cystitis) may find that this repeated use of antibiotics will cause Candida to grow and proliferate.
If you are also consuming a diet high in sugar or eating foods that contain yeast such as bread or Marmite or drinking alcohol such as beer or wine, it may also proliferate.
What is Candida?
Candidiasis is a type of yeast or fungal infection. In fact there are over 20 species of types of species of Candida and we can test for all of these.
The reason why we always hear of Candida Albicans is because this is by far the most common type.
How is Candida treated?
Candida is treated with anti-fungals as well as dietary changes. Most diets aim to remove sugar, cakes, biscuits and yeast found in bread and marmite and stock cubes. Alcohol, particularly, beer, lager or wine must also be removed.
How is Candida treated?
Candida is treated with anti-fungals as well as dietary changes. Most diets aim to remove sugar, cakes, biscuits and yeast found in bread and marmite and stock cubes. Alcohol, particularly, beer, lager or wine must also be removed.
How can I book a consultation with a Candida Specialist?
If you would like to book a consultation with a candida specialist, please contact us on 0345 1297996. Our clinic is based in Harley Street London but we can also help patients all over the UK via zoom. During the consultation we will review your symptoms, recommend appropriate tests and give you detailed dietary and anti-fungal advice.
Have any questions? Call us now!
0345 1297996
FAQ
What are the symptoms of Candida and Yeast infections?
- Cystitis or thrush
- Athlete’s foot and chronic fungal infections
- Craving sugar or bread
- Abdominal bloating, fluctuating constipation or diarrhoea
- ‘dopey’ feeling or inability to think clearly?
- Aches and pains in the joints?
Do antibiotics cause Candida?
If you have taken repeated courses of antibiotics as a child or as an adult you are likely to have developed some yeast – related problems. The reason for this is that repetitive use of antibiotics can eradicate all of your healthy gut bacteria. Low levels of healthy gut bacteria in turn may result in high levels of yeast as the latter has a chance to grow. The yeast becomes opportunistic and will be able to grow and in large quantities can be quite toxic.
Does sugar cause Candida to grow?
If you consume a diet rich in sugar, bread, cakes, biscuits or alcohol this may also cause yeast to grow. You may have consumed a high sugar diet as a child and continued to do so as an adult.
How can I treat Candida?
You will need to talk to a skilled professional who can best advise you on anti-fungal supplements and diet. You can call us on 0345 1297996.
You may be advised to follow a strict diet and eliminate all sugar and yeast. You will also need to take some anti-fungals such as Caprylic acid, or grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil and some probiotics. The timing and dosage of the anti-fungals is key as if you take too many you may make yourself feel very poorly. As the yeast dies off there you may experience a die-off reaction that can lead to headaches, fatigue and depression. It is recommended that you see a good nutritionist to help you. If you would like to book a consultation with a candida specialist please see our Candida consultations.