1. Adrenal and Thyroid gland dysfunction:
Symptoms include cold hands or feet, low blood sugar, low body temperature, light headedness if you stand too fast, fatigue, inability to loose weight.
2. Gastrointestinal problems:
Symptoms include bad breath, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, dry mouth, white coating on the tongue, gas, heartburn, indigestion, IBS, inflammation, obesity or excessive weight loss. It has been shown that Candida overgrowth is a major player in inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and gastric ulcers.1
3. Emotional and Mental imbalance
Symptoms include ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, fatigue, foggy brain, frequent mood swings, inability to concentrate, hyperactivity, insomnia, joint pain, low energy, mental confusion, muscle pain, muscle weakness, nervousness, poor memory, feeling of tingling and numbness.
4. Allergies and immune system weakness
Symptoms include acne, blurred vision, recurrent bronchitis, chemical sensitivities, coughing, earaches, hay fever, headaches, hives, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, sinusitis and sore throats.
5. Skin problems
Symptoms include acne, anal itch, athletes foot, dandruff, dermatitis, dry skin, eczema, excessive perspiration, nail fungal infection, impetigo, jock itch and even psoriasis.
6. Genitourinary problems
Symptoms include recurrent bladder infections, recurrent urinary tract infections, burning sensation when urinating, cramps, cystitis (bladder inflammation), endometriosis (irregular or painful menstruation), impotency, infertility, irregular menstrual cycle, painful intercourse, prostatisis, recurrent vaginal yeast infections, vaginal burning, itching or discharge, fluid retention.
Not all listed symptoms will occur in all people, however, if you have many of theses symptoms you should be tested for Candida overgrowth.
What is Candida albicans? Candida is a yeast that normally lives in our mouth, throat, intestines, and genitourinary tract. There is a healthy balance between beneficial bacteria and beneficial yeast in our body. However, if given the opportunity Candida will grow out of control.
There are many things that allow Candida to grow out of control. Common causes include recurrent antibiotic use, high carbohydrate/sugar diet, immune deficiency, toxic metals and chemicals, excessive stress, hormone imbalance, use of birth control pills, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, alcohol consumption, use of steroids, and genetic disorders.
How does it cause all of these symptoms? Simply put, toxic overload. Candida produces 80 known toxic substances including ethanol, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. This in turn produces massive amounts of inflammation that leads to many clinical symptoms.
If you suspect you have a Candida overgrowth there are a few steps to correcting the problem.
1. Get tested to confirm this is the correct problem. Simply following some internet protocol for Candida and reducing its levels could cause a bacterial overgrowth problem.
2. Find the cause of the overgrowth and remove it.
3. Supplement with products that help restore balance to the yeast and bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
4. Eat a proper diet and exercise.
5. Support proper digestion and absorption. Candida will interfere with absorption of vitamins and minerals.
6. Strengthen your immune system.
7. Do a proper systemic and cellular detoxification program. I am not talking about a liver cleanse, a bowel cleanse or a juice fast. You must get the toxins out of you body.
If you suspect a Candida overgrowth problem and would like us to help you regain your health please give us a call at 801-798-2515.
Article written by Dr. Steven E. Davis, chiropractic physican
Reference
1. Kumamoto CA. Inflammation and gastrointestinal Candida colonization. Current opinion in microbiology. 2011;14(4):386-391. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2011.07.015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/#R26