What is Candida?

Candida has been called many things, including Candidiasis, Candida Albicans, systemic yeast, intestinal yeast, or yeast overgrowth. No matter what you call it, Candida is a type of fungus that grows throughout your body. It is a bacteria that is found in healthy intestines, but becomes a problems when it is allowed to overgrow, or morph into a weed.

Let me explain…

We have billions of good and bad bacteria in our digestive system. The good bacteria are like the cops that keep the bad guys in check. Everyone has the bad bacteria floating around, but the good guys outnumber the bad in a healthy body. When your digestive system gets out of whack from poor diet, infection, or antibiotics, you don’t have enough good bacteria around to stop the bad guys from growing out of control. Once the bacteria grows into a weed, you have Candida.

Candida Symptoms

So how do you know you have Candida? There’s a laundry list of symptoms that match many other conditions as well, so it could be difficult to pin down, but if you have several of these symptoms, its likely you have Candida:

• Intense cravings for sugar and breads
• Itchy skin or hives
• Brain fog (trouble concentrating)
• Exhaustion and bouts of tiredness
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Food allergies
• Oral thrush
• Rectal itching
• Gas
• Stomach or intestinal cramping
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Acne
• Eczema
• Earaches
• Athlete’s Foot

Candida Testing

Medical Doctors Won’t Acknowledge Candida

The most difficult part of getting Candida is that most doctors won’t even acknowledge that it exists. They know about and readily treat vaginal yeast infections and oral thrush, but intestinal Candida is not a diagnosis that frequently comes from an MD.

You have to see a naturopathic physician in order to get a proper diagnosis, and the standard of care usually involves dietary changes, herbs, vitamins, and probiotics