Candida: How to Recognize and Overcome Yeast Overgrowth
(a Surprisingly Common Chronic Illness)
by www.SixWise.com

Candida albicans is a single-cell fungi that lives, often harmlessly, on your skin and in your intestines (and, women, in your vagina). However, as part of the family of yeasts, candida cells can multiply rapidly and if your system is out of balance it can easily grow out of control.

According to the National Candida Centers, “The bacteria to yeast ration in a healthy person is about 10:1, so in a normal bowel everything lives in a nice ecological balance. The problem comes when your “inner ecology” gets off balance through a variety of causes … The bowel becomes vulnerable to other opportunistic’ microorganisms seeking a new home. With no healthy probiotics [good bacteria] to keep it under control, the growth of yeast takes off, multiplies and causes Candida Overgrowth yeast infection resulting in a multitude of symptoms.”

It’s estimated that as many as 80 million Americans may suffer from yeast-related problems, and about 70% of these are women. Signs and symptoms of yeast overgrowth are varied and can include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Vaginitis

• Food allergies

• Migraines

• Asthma

• Chronic fatigue syndrome

• PMS

• Fibromyalgia

• Yeast infections

• Cancer

• Weight gain

• Depression

• Fatigue

Candida Can Take Over Your Entire Body

Candida overgrowth, also called candidiasis, typically begins in the digestive system and then spreads to other areas of your body. If you have a yeast infection, for instance, it’s a sign that candida has already spread throughout your body. Further, candida overgrowth in your digestive tract can also be responsible for dysbiosis, which is an imbalance in your intestinal flora that can lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut syndrome.

Yeast overgrowth begins when the flora in your digestive tract become unbalanced. When this occurs, the “bad” bacteria overwhelm the good, and diseases, like candidiasis, develop.

When your gut is overwhelmed by candida, the yeast can actually burrow into your intestinal wall, which creates gaps in the membrane lining. These gaps, in turn, allow partially digested food particles along with the 180 toxic byproducts of yeast, to be absorbed by your bloodstream.

These toxins can then go on to create an allergic response that, according to YeastConnection.com (the Web site devoted to the work of Dr. William Crook, who wrote the book The Yeast Connection and was one of the first to recognize that yeast can cause illness), stimulates:

• Food cravings (especially for carbohydrates, yeast’s favorite food)

• Bloating

• Liver overload as it tries to deal with all these toxins

• Decreased thyroid function and metabolism because the liver is busy elsewhere

• Tremendous fluid retention to try to dilute the toxins

• Fat cells swelling as they trap toxins to try and protect the rest of the body

• Gas from yeast due to its normal metabolic functions

• Toxins that block thyroid hormone function

• Hormonal imbalance on all levels known as pseudohormones (false hormones) caused by environmental chemicals blocking receptor sites

• The stress of toxins, weight, and feeling awful create excessive release of cortisol, the chronic stress hormone, which has an added negative effect of making it nearly impossible to lose weight

In rare instances, candida can even enter your bloodstream resulting in a life-threatening condition called candidemia, which can harm your kidneys, liver, bones, muscles, joints, spleen and eyes and cause organ failure.

What Causes Yeast Overgrowth?

Since yeast overgrowth begins in your gut, the top contributing factors are typically those that also upset the balance of organisms in your digestive system. These include:

• Taking antibiotics, which kill both good and bad bacteria in your gut

• Eating lots of processed foods, especially sugar and refined carbs (which feed the yeast)

• Chronic stress and exposure to environmental toxins, which both lower your immune system’s ability to control candida

• Certain medications, including birth control pills, antacids, anti-inflammatories and corticosteroids, which promote the growth of yeast

• Excess alcohol, which kills good bacteria and increases the toxic load on your liver, which allows candida overgrowth

• Pregnancy and certain illnesses, such as diabetes, can also promote yeast growth, as can drinking tap water that contains chlorine.

If you suspect candida overgrowth is impacting your life, you should contact a health care practitioner who is knowledgeable about candidiasis. In the meantime, you can also take these online self tests to determine if candida overgrowth is likely:

• Candida Yeast Infection Self Exam from the National Candida Center

• “Are Your Health Problems Yeast Connected?” from YeastConnection.com

How to Treat and Overcome Candida

Candia overgrowth can take time and patience to overcome, especially if it is chronic -- but it can be done, and doing so will often dramatically improve your quality of life. The top steps to treat candida include:

1. Eat a healthier diet and avoid sugar. Your diet should focus on whole, unprocessed fresh foods, and should drastically limit, or even better eliminate, sugar and refined carbs. Remember, sugar is a favorite food for yeast, so the less you “feed,” it the better.

2. Restore balance to your intestinal microflora. If your intestinal balance has been upset, as is typically the case if you have candida overgrowth, a liquid extract of Active Horopito™ from New Zealand may provide the answer you are looking for.  Kolorex® Advanced Candida Care softgels contain a patented liquid extract of Active Horopito™ to help restore balance in your intestinal microflora.

Kolorex is a natural formula made with Horopito, a powerful anti-fungal herb that grows only in New Zealand and has been used since ancient times for its beneficial health properties. The leaves of Horopito contain polygodial, a substance that has demonstrated strong anti-fungal activity against candida.

3. Repopulate your digestive tract with good bacteria. A high-quality probiotic, such as Nature’s Sources AbsorbAid Probiotic -- a superlative probiotic supplement that provides clinical activities supporting systemic health and wellness through immune-system protection, allergy reduction and effective and enhanced nutrient absorption – is necessary to restore balance to your gastrointestinal tract and ultimately will replace the candida with good bacteria.

AbsorbAid Probiotic is an ideal choice for this purpose because it has 30 billion organisms per capsule, with two clinically effective and dominant genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus: L. acidophilus and L. salivarius in a 2:1 ratio and B. lactis and B. breve, also in a 2:1 ratio.  Each bacterial genus-species has its own specific metabolic activities, which lead to their effective inter-species synergism.

Nature’s Sources AbsorbAid Platinum, a vegetable-based digestive enzyme, is also beneficial for candida. It combines its effective ratio of proteases, amylases, lipases and cellulases with two “acid-tolerant” bacteria or a probiotic combination, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. AbsorbAid Platinum helps you to break down food groups and maximize nutrient absorption while alleviating digestive disturbances such as the gas and bloating that are common with candida overgrowth.

4. Avoid exposure to chemicals. This includes not only in your food and home and personal care products (perfume, paints, household cleaners, etc.), but also by avoiding unnecessary medications.

5. Nurture your emotional health. Stress can be a major factor in candida overgrowth, so use these tips to start relaxing more and tending to your emotional needs.

And remember, yeast multiply quickly so it’s very easy for them to quickly take a hold of your body. However, combining the tips above with the care of a knowledgeable health care practitioner (who specializes in candida overgrowth) will allow you to fight back against candida and ultimately restore balance to your body and your health.

Recommended Reading

What Your Tongue Says about Your Health: Nine "Tongue Signs" to Watch Out For

Athlete’s Foot: How to Get Rid of This Common and Incredibly Itchy Fungal Infection

Sources

YeastConnection.com

National Candida Center

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Candidiasis

Candida Overgrowth/Yeast Hypersensitivity