Common Causes Of Candida
There are a number of reasons for candida overgrowth. The two most common factors are excessive antibiotic use and a high-sugar diet, but other factors can contribute to its growth as well.
While antibiotics help remove the bad bacteria that cause illness, they also remove the good bacteria living in our guts. If someone already has higher-than-normal levels of candida, a round of strong antibiotics can give them a candida fungal infection. Individuals with uncontrolled diabetes are also more likely to experience an overgrowth of candida. They may also find the condition harder to treat.
Even though the link is not entirely clear, a compromised immune system may be to blame. In fact, anyone who has a weakened immune system is more susceptible to developing a candida overgrowth. Another reason diabetics are more at risk of suffering from candida may be because the disease typically causes high blood sugar. Because sugar is candidas main fuel source, blood sugar levels can play a part in causing a candida overgrowth.
There are a number of reasons for candida overgrowth. The two most common factors are excessive antibiotic use and a high-sugar diet.
What about food and drink? Both can be triggers, under the right circumstances. A diet high in sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods can influence candida growth. Excessive alcohol intake can also be a culprit. This is because candida loves the sugar in alcohol.
How To Bring Candida Back In Line
After six years of freedom from candida-related issues, Delaney began suffering from chronic yeast infections. Her doctor prescribed several rounds of an antifungal drug, which would tamp down the infection for a week or so. But it always came roaring back.
Honestly, I didnt want to change my patterns, and I wasnt ready to give up sugar again, she explains. But then I realized I had to change things up or Id never get rid of . Sure enough, when she returned to the same protocol shed followed years earlier, the issue resolved.
If recurrent yeast infections, unexplained fatigue, eczema, food sensitivities, brain fog, or nonspecific gut issues, such as gas, bloating, or constipation, are a problem for you, it may be worth trying a few tricks known to counter candida overgrowth.
There is a lot you can do with self-diagnosis, says Plotnikoff. But if these dont work, seek the guidance of a health practitioner.
To combat candida, experts recommend these four DIY strategies.
Treating Localized Candida Infections
Once youve sorted out your gut health, you can take a look at some natural ways to treat localized infections. Examples of these infections are vaginal yeast infections or nail fungus.
How To Treat Vaginal Candida Infections
Here are some natural treatments that you can use to treat vaginal yeast infections. If you suffer from recurring yeast infections, remember that fixing your gut health is a good way to prevent them.
How To Treat Male Yeast Infections
The natural treatments here are similar to those used for vaginal Candida, although adapted for male yeast infections.
- Antifungal baths Run a hot bath and add a few drops of tea tree oil or oregano oil. Start with a small amount and gradually increase it over the course of a few days.
- Yogurt Rub some plain yogurt on the affected area. Make sure that you buy plain yogurt that contains active cultures.
- Coconut oil Rub some coconut oil on the affected area. Extra virgin or virgin coconut oil is best. It contains three natural antifungals, including caprylic acid, and is an effective antifungal .
- Apple cider vinegar Purchase some cotton swabs and swab the affected area with apple cider vinegar.
How To Treat Topical Candida Infections
Here are some natural treatments that you can use to treat fungal infections on your skin and nails.
How To Treat Oral Thrush
The best natural treatment for oral thrush is coconut oil. It contains three different antifungal compounds, including caprylic acid and lauric acid.
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Problems With The Typical Candida Diet
The traditional Candida diet includes nightshade vegetables , legumes, certain dairy products, and gluten-free grains. Many people have sensitivities to these foods. If you suspect you have a sensitivity to these foods, I recommend doing a 30-day elimination diet and then reintroducing these foods one at a time and track your symptoms.
I recommend following an anti-Candida diet for anyone with Candida overgrowth. In addition to removing toxic and inflammatory foods, an anti-Candida diet focuses on increasing your intake of foods known to be strong Candida killers, which I will talk about in a minute.
When To Seek Medical Help
If you are struggling and unsure how to get rid of candida overgrowth, consider seeking medical help. If you have symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, or are immunocompromised, speak with your doctor. Breastfeeding mothers whose babies have thrush should also speak with their ob-gyns. Your doctor may want to prescribe antifungal medications.
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How To Get Rid Of Candida Overgrowthfor Good
Digestive Health, Wellness, Womens Health |
Research shows that about 138 million women worldwide 9 million in the United States are affected by chronic yeast/fungal overgrowth as a result of candida. Candida is a form of yeast/fungus that is present in everyone, in the mouth and intestinal tract. Ideally it exists in harmony in your gut along with the trillions of other bacteria that aid in digestion and nutrient absorption, but when candida begins to multiply out of control and overtake your good bacteria, troublesome symptoms and health issues result.
How To Get Rid Of Candida
1. Do a Cleanse
The candida cleanse helps to rid the body of excess candida through the flushing of the digestive tract, and the introduction of healthy candida fighters found in fermented foods.
You really have two options for a cleanse: a liquids-only cleanse or a more gentle cleanse with food. You may also opt the most thorough gut reboot: starting with the step one cleanse and then move to the step two cleanse. The whole process will set the stage for starting the candida diet as well!
Option One: Liquids-Only Candida Cleanse
Start by making a vegetable broth from organic onions, garlic, celery, kale, sea salt and pure water. Let simmer and strain. Discard the vegetables and refrigerate the broth.
Throughout the day, sip on the warm broth its imperative that you drink lots of water to help your body expel all the toxins in your system. While this is not a long-term cleanse, it can be repeated as needed every few weeks. It can also be used as a jumpstart to the food cleanse below.
Option Two: Steamed Vegetables
Mostly, eat fresh, organic vegetables that have been steamed. For this cleanse stage, keep away from any starchy vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes and white potatoes, which may contribute to sugar levels and feed the candida. Continue to drink plenty of pure water, a minimum of 72 ounces per day, to help flush the candida and byproducts from your system.
2. Follow a Candida Diet
3. Add Supplements, Essential Oils and Coconut Oil
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Stop Feeding The Candida
A fire cannot spread or even maintain its heat without fuel. Remove the fuel, and the fire will naturally die down.
Here’s a quick snapshot of food categories to avoid as part of this process:
- Grains and starches
As revealed in 8 Signs you Have A Candida Infection, Candida absolutely loves sugar. If you are familiar with how bread is made, you know that adding sugar is a must for the yeast to eat and grow otherwise, your bread will not rise at all. Candida yeast is no different. If it senses sugar, it thinks it is time to grow and multiply.
Be honest with yourself, and examine your eating habits. Eliminate all simple sugars. If youve been suffering from Candida for a long time, it is also wise to avoid fruit during a Candida cleanse. Fruit can be a valuable source of nutrients. But in the beginning, we are extinguishing the fire, not rebuilding the house.
Fruit has a high sugar content, so avoiding it until youve gotten control over the Candida is best. Doing this will help starve the Candida while giving your gut microbiome the advantage to take back territory it lost to the Candida over time.
Avoid grains and starchy foods like potatoes. These are too quickly digested and can act like sugar in the body and to the Candida. Also avoid beans, soy, and legumes. These can be gut-irritating foods, and we do not want to add any extra stress to the digestive tract.
Remember, you want to put out the fire, not fuel it.
What Is A Candida Overgrowth
Candida is a type of yeast or fungus that occurs naturally in the gut to aid digestion and the absorption of nutrients. Usually the amount of candida present in the digestive tract is controlled by the so-called good bacteria that exist there. However, if the good bacteria are compromised or the balance of good and bad bacteria is otherwise upset, for example, through illness, certain medications, extreme stress or your diet, the levels of candida can overgrow causing an infection called candidiasis. This can lead to a diverse range of symptoms, from brain fog and fatigue, to yeast or fungal infections, low mood, skin conditions, allergies and all sorts of digestive problems.
Candida is the most common form of fungal infections in humans and is usually pretty straightforward to treat. However, if left the infection can spread, eventually entering the bloodstream and causing more serious complications, so its important to seek medical help if you recognise any of the symptoms and suspect candida overgrowth may be to blame.
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Follow A Candida Diet
Following a Candida diet is one of the best ways to cure Candida naturally and permanently.
What is a Candida diet?
A Candida diet is aholistic, anti-inflammatory, low-sugar diet that aids good gut health while eliminating the sugars that feed Candida.
How to Starve the Yeast
One of the most common causes of Candida overgrowth is a diet full of sugary, processed foods.
In order to cure Candida, youll need to start by eliminating parts of your diet that feed the yeast, like the following:
- Refined carbohydrates
- Excessive alcohol intake
- High caffeine intake
Cutting out things like beer, wine, vinegar, mushrooms, sugar, some dairy products, certain refined carbs, and processed foods can also help starve yeast.
The key to starving yeast is to eliminate foods that have yeast in them, as well as foods that yeast feeds on.
Once youve eliminated those foods, youll follow the Candida Diet to help keep the Candida away.
Use the Candida Diet to Help Keep Candida Away
After youve limited and eliminated foods that promote yeast growth from your diet, youll want to promote gut health and boost your immunity.
To do this, eat a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet.
The Candida Diet involves eating foods such as:
- Non-starchy vegetables
- Foods high in probiotics like fermented foods and cultured dairy products
How Will Following a Candida Diet Help Cure Candida?
The diet helps cure Candida by
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Eliminate Foods That Feed Candida
- Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection
- Sugar upsets mineral relationships in the body
- Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
- Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
- Sugar can change the structure of protein
- Sugar can increase the bodys fluid retention
- Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances
- Sugar is an addictive substance and can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol
- High carbohydrates
How Does Candida Affects Us
When Candida Albicans is under control it poses no problem, but when it gets out of control it begins to overgrow causing numerous symptoms and health problems from the top of the head to the tips of the toes, from migraines to nail fungus. It can result in symptoms inside and outside . It can also cause problems with the mind and emotions.
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How To Get Rid Of Candida: 5 Dietary Changes To Consider
Candida overgrowth can result in many different symptoms that look different from the more commonly known vaginal yeast infection. Fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, and even chronic sinus infections can be signs of this sometimes stubborn condition. Still, there are many treatment options, and relief from candida is completely possible.
Candida Detox: What You Need To Know
Youve learnedhow to cure Candida naturally and permanently, but you may be experiencing some unpleasant side effects like
and youre wondering if this is cause for concern.
Dont stress. These are common side effects of a Candida detox, and it typically means that what youre doingis workingand dont worry, the symptoms typically only last about a week as your body adjusts to the changes.
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How Do You Know If You Have Systemic Candidiasis
Fungal overgrowth that is outside of the gut environment can, in some ways, be easier to detect and identify. A good example of this is thrush which has give-away signs such as a thick discharge in the case of vaginal thrush, and a white coating to the tongue and mouth in the case of oral thrush. Other fungal infections such as athletes foot also have obvious signs to look out for. Infections such as these can be linked to systemic Candidiasis, or they can just be stand-alone, localised infections. Having thrush or athletes foot certainly doesnt mean that you have systemic Candida, but having systemic Candida does raise the chance of developing localised yeast infections.
So, a propensity towards yeast infections at different body sites can be one possible symptom of Candidiasis. However, due to the many toxins that Candida produces, there are a whole raft of other possible symptoms that can occur. In fact, many health conditions are thought to have their basis in Candida overgrowth, including mental health disorders6 such as anxiety, confusion , chronic fatigue syndrome7, acne/eczema, headaches, skin rashes, allergic symptoms, joint pain15 and many other chronic health complaints.
The mycotoxins that the yeasts excrete can even cross the blood-brain barrier, which is how the mental symptoms such as confusion and anxiety can develop.
Treatment : The Candida Diet
This isa diet to not just discourage candida its the diet to help you rid your body of candida! This is also a great next step if you have already started with the candida cleanse.
1. The first step of the diet is to boost your immune system through the elimination of sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates. These items are contributing to the growth of the candida in your system.
2. Step two is to replace these foods with organic vegetables, including carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and asparagus.
According to ancient Chinese medicine, warm starchy vegetables support the spleen in clearing candida from the body. While I dont recommend these vegetables during the cleanse stage, the regular candida diet includes warming fall vegetables that nourish the spleen, such as sweet potatoes, yams, peas, mung beans, lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans, carrots, beets, corn, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, yellow squash, rutabaga and pumpkin. These should be the main sources of carbs that satisfy your cravings for sweets as well.
What about grains? Some grains like quinoa, barley, teff, sorghum and amaranth and a starch like corn can help to dry the overly damp gut, so one serving a day of those grains can work for most people with candida.
Also, keep fruit intake low as well as natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
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Fungal Genital Infection Treatments
Using an over-the-counter or prescription antifungal medication can effectively treat mild or moderate genital fungal infections.
OTC antifungals most often come in these forms:
Oral antifungal medications are also available by prescription.
A doctor might prescribe a longer course of medication for more complicated infections. This could be in the form of a cream, pill, or ointment.
How Do You Get Candida
Three significant circumstances typically cause Candida:
- Eating too much sugar and processed foods: Yeast loves to feed off sugars, and heavy carbs break down into sugars when digested. They also suppress the immune system and bring about inflammation in the body.
- Autoimmune conditions:Scientists have found that Candida and autoimmune diseases go together. Its possible that Candida is partly responsible for Leaky Gut.
- Overconsumption of antibiotics:Antibiotics kill the harmful bacteria in your body and the good bacteria. Too many antibiotics disrupt the natural biome in your gut, hence compromising your immune system.
Simply put, if your gut is healthy, its unlikely for your body to develop candidiosis. This is one of the many reasons why its important to maintain proper digestive health.
But how do you identify Candidiosis specifically in the gut? Lets review some of the symptoms commonly associated with the infection.
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Important Fungal Infection Terms
Candidiasis is the term for an infection from Candida yeast.
Invasive candidiasis is an infection inside your body. It can impact internal organs or other parts of your body.
Fungemia is the presence of yeast or fungus in the bloodstream. The most common type of this infection is Candidemia, when Candida yeast is in the bloodstream. This is the most common type of invasive candidiasis,
Fungal urinary tract infections are most commonly caused by species of Candida yeast. Fungal UTIs can affect the lower part of the urinary tract, including the bladder. It can even affect the kidneys.
