Candida overgrowth in the intestinal tract is quite common and can result from several dietary and lifestyle factors.
These include stress, a diet high in refined carbohydrates, diabetes, gut inflammation, and some medications like antibiotics, oral contraceptives, proton pump inhibitors and steroids.
Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth:
In a healthy gut microbiome, Candida is present but is held in check by beneficial bacteria. When an imbalance occurs, the Candida albicans fungus can take over in the gut. And this fungal overgrowth thrives on sugars and carbohydrates.
Typical symptoms include:
Diarrhea or constipation
Abdominal pain
Bloating and gas
Mucus discharge in stools
Fever
Fatigue
What Causes Candida Overgrowth?
Diet and lifestyle are both important areas to evaluate when addressing Candida overgrowth.
Diet: Candida albicans thrives on sugar and carbohydrates. Following an anti-inflammatory, low carb diet works to starve the candida.
Stress: Reducing stress can’t be overemphasized. Chronic stress has a proven negative impact of gut flora and on the immune system. And 70% of your immune system lives in your gut.
Medications: Antibiotics, while sometimes necessary, can kill off beneficial bacteria in the gut, leaving it vulnerable to candida overgrowth. Proton pump inhibitors (often taken for acid reflux) and steroids likewise negatively alter the gut microbiome, giving candida the opportunity to take over. And oral contraceptives disrupt your body’s natural balance of estrogen and progesterone, fostering Candida overgrowth.
Excess Alcohol: Alcohol is an irritant to the gut lining and suppresses your immune system. This exacerbates the overgrowth of Candida.
“Treatment is threefold: The Anti-Candida Diet starves the overgrowth, the antifungals kill the yeast, and probiotics can help reestablish a healthy gut flora and restore balance. ”
Diagnosis & Treatment
How do you know if you have Candida overgrowth? Diagnosis is most often made with a blood test, but sometimes via stool analysis.
Treatment often involves a combination of prescription antifungals, natural antifungal herbs, temporary dietary modification and probiotics. If you’ve had a stool analysis, your results may include evaluation of how effective specific prescriptions and botanical antifungals are likely to be for you.
In terms of the diet, this is a temporary elimination of sugars and moderate to high carbohydrate foods. The purpose of these eliminations is to starve the existing Candida while the prescription and/or natural antifungals kill them off. There are specific foods to eliminate in the initial 1-4 weeks with the Anti-Candida Diet. When there has been noticeable improvement, typically between weeks 4-6, some moderate carb foods can be reintroduced. As long as healing continues and symptoms abate, higher carb foods are reintroduced typically around weeks 10-12.
While the Anti-Candida Diet starves the overgrowth and the antifungals kills the yeast, probiotics can help reestablish a healthy gut flora and restore balance.
Can Nutritional Support Help?
Absolutely! If you suspect you have Candida overgrowth but haven’t been tested, we can use a detailed questionnaire to determine if you should move forward with testing.
Once a diagnosis is made for Candida and treatment is underway, the yeast begin to die off. As they do, these bacteria release compounds that are toxic to the body and must be eliminated. As your body’s detoxification systems work to process and get rid of these substances, some unpleasant – but temporary – side effects may be noticeable. The most common are:
Abdominal pain
Nausea and gas
Constipation and/or diarrhea
Fatigue
Brain fog
Headache
Intense cravings for sweets
Skin rashes
Joint pain
Each person’s experience is different in number and degree of “die off” symptoms. As a holistic nutritionist, I can guide you to the right support to help eliminate these toxins that cause these temporary symptoms, easing the discomfort of the healing process in addition to helping successfully navigate the Anti-Candida Diet eliminations and reintroductions.
If you’ve been diagnosed with Candida overgrowth or suspect you may have it, reach out now.
To get started, book a free 30-minute nutritional consultation with me and we’ll make a plan to successfully work through the treatment and restore you to symptom-free.
