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What is Candida?

Candida is controversial. The medical profession denies its existence, except in very limited cases, making it very difficult (probably impossible) to get a medical diagnosis of Candida even when an overgrowth has been confirmed by a laboratory test. Despite this situation, public awareness of Candida has continued to grow, helped no doubt by the long list of celebrities who, quite unperturbed by its lack of medical status, assert that they have had it.

Candida is the popular term for candidiasis (candida overgrowth) - a condition first identified by American physicians in the 1970s. Moderate amounts of candida live in every one of us without causing any harm, but when given free rein to grow unchecked, e.g. by wiping out the surrounding bacteria with broad-spectrum antibiotics, Candida can change into its fungal form and spore through the intestinal wall into the rest of the body. Once through, it rampages around the body producing a multitude of symptoms.

Common symptoms of Candida

There are too many symptoms to list them all here. A minority of suffers have numerous symptoms; the vast majority have thrush + a few others; not every sufferer has thrush.

Group 1: The damage to the intestinal wall allows undesirable toxins to permeate into the bloodstream. This condition called ‘leaky gut syndrome’ often leads to:

  • food allergies
  • foggy brain
  • migraines
  • muscle aches

Group 2: Once through to the rest of the body, candida has the ability to disrupt the endocrine system causing symptoms such as:

  • thrush
  • fungal infections of the nails/skin e.g. athlete’s foot
  • cystitis
  • weight gain or weight loss
  • PMS
  • menstrual irregularities
  • joint pains
  • ear infections
  • asthma
  • chronic tiredness
  • hayfever
  • allergies
  • sinusitis
  • sensitivity to perfume, tobacco smoke and petrol

Group 3: Symptoms in the intestines include:

  • bloatedness
  • diarrhoea and/or constipation
  • flatulence
  • itchy anus

In addition, candida involvement has been implicated in some cases of other llnesses e.g. ME/CFS, Endometriosis.

Causes of Candida

The popular perception is that candida is the consequence of antibiotics usage.The medical profession dismisses this as fantasy, saying that antibiotics could not have that effect in a healthy individual. But it may be that antibiotics act as the ‘final straw’ where health has already been compromised, most probably by one or more of the following:

  • use of the contraceptive pill or HRT
  • use of natural progesterone cream
  • use of other steroids (hydrocortisone, beconase, prednisolone etc.)
  • use of immuno-suppressive drugs
  • repeated use of broad-spectrum antibiotics e.g. for acne
  • dental mercury amalgam poisoning
  • other heavy metal poisoning e.g. lead, cadmium
  • chemical poisoning from the home, garden, workplace etc.
  • hormonal changes e.g. puberty, pregnancy, menopause
  • stress - usually as a contributory factor

Read how these factors can compromise health by disrupting the regulation of the body in our 10-page article Is Candida an Endocrine Disorder? that shows how these factors can block oestrogen receptors, giving rise to high levels of progesterone. It has been known for decades that Candida flourishes in the presence of progesterone which explains why so many women get outbreaks of thrush when pre-menstrual.

Candida is not just the result of a faltering hormonal system, as it in turn aggravates the situation by binding to hormones, making them incapable of arriving at their target sites. At this point new symptoms appear, adding to the misery.

Diagnosing and treating Candida

Many ‘symptoms of candida’ are in fact symptoms of the hormonal disruption that underlies Candida - and underlies other conditions too e.g. low blood sugar. For this reason, medical advice should be sought to eliminate other, potentially more serious, conditions. Guesswork is unnecessary anyway, the Tests page has details of laboratory tests that can be carried out on samples (of blood etc.) delivered by post from anywhere in the UK.

Self-help treatment is beset with pitfalls for the unwary. Too many sufferers who 'go it alone' spend months on a highly-restrictive diet without improvement because they fail to appreciate the need to:

  • address the root cause of their symptoms
  • deal with complicating factors, and
  • eliminate food allergies / heal their 'leaky gut' to prevent further allergies developing

For this reason, in addition to the information and support we provide, we encourage members to seek professional help from practitioners who have expertise in:

  • diagnosis
  • interpreting test results
  • identifying and treating underlying causes
  • identifying and treating complicating factors that jeopardise recovery
  • tailoring treatments
  • monitoring progress

The Clinics page of our website has a listing of candida specialists including naturopaths, nutritionists, homoeopaths, medical herbalists, acupuncturists, kinesiologists and doctors.
 

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