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Candida Overgrowth: Is it Affecting Your Health?
Candida overgrowth, yeast infections, SIBO, parasites, fungal, H. pylori and bacterial infections are extremely common, yet they’re often overlooked and misdiagnosed as a root cause of digestive problems, weight loss resistance, anxiety, depression and mood disorders, skin conditions, autoimmune diseases, thyroid and other hormone imbalances, and even cancer!It’s estimated that more than 70% of men, women and children are infected with Candida overgrowth!
Candida overgrowth is rarely mentioned in mainstream medicine unless it manifests as a vaginal yeast infection or thrush. Candida is a medical term for a micro-organism found naturally in the body. Candida, a form of yeast-like fungus is present in all of us. In healthy individuals with a strong-functioning immune system, Candida is harmless. However, when the delicate balance of the intestinal environment changes, Candida multiplies out of control and negatively affects your health.
Candida overgrowth can be topical, systemic, or localized to certain areas of the body most commonly the feet, nail beds, vaginal tract, uretha, belly button, ear canal, mouth, skin folds, sinuses, and intestines.
“Cancer tumors are found to be fungal in nature.” —Tullio Simoncini, M.D., board certified oncologist and author of Cancer Is A Fungus
Candida produces approximately 180 different inflammatory toxins that can cause you to feel fatigued and sick! These toxins affect the central nervous system, sleep cycles, cognitive and neurological function, suppress the immune system, compromise your health, your weight, skin appearance, and how you think, feel, function, and look.
People with Candida who eat a lot of sugar can actually become drunk because Candida can ferment sugar and carbohydrates, and produce alcohol! Candida saturates the body with a toxic by-product call acetaldehyde. Excess acetaldehyde is similar to alcohol poisoning. Yeast by-products disrupt liver function.
Left untreated, Candida increases inflammation, causes leaky gut and devastating problems that can infect internal organs including the brain, thyroid, bowel, adrenal glands, bladder, kidneys and liver, uterus, lungs and esophagus.
Causes of Yeast and Candida Overgrowth
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Overuse of antibiotics
- Medications such as ulcer medications, antacids, PPIs, corticosteroids, NSAIDs and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Eating non-organic foods and factory-farmed animal protein that have been injected with massive amounts of antibiotics
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Oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy (HRT and BHRT)
- Nutritionally-void diets that are heavy in ultra-processed carbs, sugar, dairy products, beer, alcohol, chemical-laden foods, processed foods
- High stress lifestyles, depleted adrenals, adrenal fatigue, cortisol imbalances
- Excess estrogen (estrogen dominance)
- Hypoglycemia, blood sugar imbalances
- Damaged gut wall (leaky gut), disrupted microbiome and flora imbalances
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Hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid)
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Long-term exposure to environmental toxins, harmful chemicals, mercury amalgams, hormone-disrupting chemicals and heavy metal toxicity
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Pregnancy and caesarean birth can increase the risk of yeast infections and Candida overgrowth
- Intimacy with an infected partner
- Undergoing chemotherapy. Candida overgrowth is present in 90% of cancer patients.
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Sleep deficiency and too little rest
- Sluggish liver
- Weakened immunity and impaired immune function
Is Candida Overgrowth Affecting Your Health?
Candida overgrowth is a symptom of impaired gut function, immune dysfunction, and wake-up call that your body is out of balance.
Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth
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Hives, psoriasis, eczema, chronic acne or skin rashes, crusty scalp
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Athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch, nail fungus, dandruff or other chronic infections of the skin or nails
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Cravings for sugary sweets, bread, starchy carbohydrates, alcohol, corn chips, peanut butter
- Hypothyroid, depleted adrenals, estrogen dominance, and other hormone imbalances
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Itchy skin, ears, nose, vaginal or rectal itching (itchy-twitchy mess!)
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Sinusitis or chronic sinus infections; Over 90% of sinus problems are fungal related.
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Unexplained depression, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, brain fog, fatigue
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Multiple food sensitivities
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Frequent headaches, joint and muscle pain, recurrent ear infections
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Heartburn, acid reflux, chronic indigestion, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation
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Extreme sensitivity to chemicals, perfumes, smoke, or other odors
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Bad breath, white-coated tongue or greenish color tongue in the morning
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Prostate problems
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Blood sugar imbalances, hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, diabetes
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Severe PMS, endometriosis, bladder infections, UTIs
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Autoimmune diseases including Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, lupus, and many others. Every autoimmune disorder has a link to intestinal dysbiosis, leaky gut, underlying infections, and gut pathogens.
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Weight loss resistance
Yes to 5 or more indicates a high probability of Candida overgrowth.
☑️ Download the Candida Questionnaire
Testing for Yeast and Candida. In addition to testing, it’s important factor in subjective indicators when assessing for an overgrowth of Candida and yeast.
A comprehensive PCR stool test provides an extensive look at the health and function of your overall gut health. It detects pathogenic organisms including bacterial and fungal infections, parasites and levels of yeast, evaluates microbiota, determines and measures major species of good and bad gut flora that reside in your gut, bacteria imbalances, intestinal pH, immune function, secretory IgA, short-chain fatty acids, and a number of other biomarkers of GI health.
The NutrEval and the Organic Acids Test (OAT) are two popular tests that I use in my practice for detecting and evaluating yeast metabolites and fungal markers, invasive Candida and mold toxicity, clostridia, dysbiosis and other pathogens. These tests provide an accurate assessment of what is going on metabolically in the body.
Not all practitioners treating yeast infections and Candida overgrowth have a complete picture of what is required for successful healing. It’s important to have a thorough understanding of the intricacies of Candida overgrowth and opportunistic infections, the individual’s unique biochemistry, and the most effective method of treating it before trying any particular off-the-shelf remedy. By randomly choosing products without understanding the true nature of this beast, you can actually hinder progress in eliminating yeast overgrowth and make things worse.
Get Rid of Candida for good!
The only way to beat Candida, yeast and other problematic infections is to change your lifestyle! Starve it’s fuel source and stop feeding it whether the root cause of the overgrowth is from chronic stress, excess estrogen, hypoglycemia, exhausted adrenals, compromised immune function and so forth — Remove inflammation, strengthen the digestive system, re-balance your body, lifestyle and environment, re-establish healthy gut flora and revolutionize your health with ongoing healthier diet, lifestyle and environmental changes. The immune system, the nervous system, the endocrine system, the soul (mind, will and emotions) and spirit must all be factored in to the healing process.
- Remove (inflammatory foods, inflammatory insults, environmental triggers and pathogens)
- Replace (unhealthy eating, lifestyle and environmental habits with healthier habits, support digestion with enzymes, HCL, bile support)
- Repair (heal leaky gut, remove infections with specific nutrients, herbs and natural anti-microbials)
- Restore and re-build a healthy terrain (prebiotic-rich foods, probiotics and gut healing nutrients)
- Re-balance and Revolutionize your body, soul (mind, will and emotions), and your life (maintain a healthy lifestyle after eradicating yeast and Candida infections to prevent re-infection, balance body chemistry with nutrients specific to your biochemistry, stabilize blood sugar, restore adrenal function, adopt healthier lifestyle choices permanently, explore unresolved emotions, old patterns and behaviors, create emotional peace, and live a happier, healthier life where infections do not have a chance to thrive or survive.)
The fungus, yeast and Candida overgrowth will continue to reappear if inflammatory problematic foods are not eliminated, blood sugar is unstable (high or low), and adrenal health is in chaos. It’s crucial to learn new behaviors, manage stress, limit exposure to mold environments and toxic chemicals, keep the liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, gallbladder, gut and the immune system strong, resilient and healthy, limit immune suppressors, and avoid anything that harms the GI tract. You can heal naturally from Candida overgrowth, bacterial, fungal and yeast infections, and restore your body back to health. I can help you do it the smart way!
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