Candida
How often have you been under the weather and experienced symptoms across many different systems of your body?
When you have flu for example: your energy depletes, your sinuses block up, your temperature rises, your muscles ache, and your appetite vanishes but just as quickly as they appeared they can disappear.
And then sometimes they don’t.
When you start to experience chronic symptoms and the initial treatment from your doctor doesn’t seem to work, the mystery behind the origin of our disease often distresses us more than the actual symptoms.
This is often the case for someone experiencing candida overgrowth.
Candida is a species of yeast, which is a type of fungus. It naturally populates in the intestines and mouth where it assists with the digestion process and the absorption of nutrients. There are many species of candida but candida albicans is the primary species in our bodies.
Sometimes candida can overgrow and spill out into the bloodstream, infecting other parts of the body and causing conditions like oral thrush, nappy rash and vaginal yeast infections.
Most of the time, “healthy” probiotic bacteria will prevent candida from overgrowing.
Under some circumstances however – like eating a diet high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, consuming a lot of alcohol, fermented foods or even taking oral contraceptives or antibiotics - candida population will grow rapidly.
Candida overgrowth often affects the brain, skin, digestive system and moods of the people it afflicts. It can also affect autoimmune conditions concomitantly, making new symptoms appear or current symptoms worse. Asking a functional medicine practitioner such as a naturopath to investigate your condition can help create a better, clearer understanding of your condition and how to treat it.
Many sufferers report they have trouble concentrating, feel low on energy, and suffer from irritability and mood swings. They may also experience a range of skin complaints, including eczema, hives and psoriasis. Common digestive complaints include bloating, gas, bowel irregularities, and strong cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates.
The symptoms related to the skin and nervous system often occur due to long-term inflammation caused by the breakdown of the intestinal lining, which allows unwanted viruses, toxins and bacteria to pass into bloodstream. This creates a constant need for the immune system to “search and destroy” to defend your body from the invaders.
Our practitioners can arrange a stool test to investigate whether you are suffering from candida overgrowth.
We will use the results to formulate a treatment plan that encompasses diet, herbal medicine and essential oils to help you clear your symptoms and eradicate the overgrowth. The length of the treatment plan is usually dictated by the extent of overgrowth indicated by your test results.
What’s next?
If you have Candida, we can help.
Find the support you need with our naturopaths. Connect with us below, and we'll be in touch shortly.
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