Candidiasis and Thrush

Candidiasis or thrush is a fungal infection, of which Candida Albicans is the most common. It is normally present in your mouth and intestines. Its job is to aid with digestion and nutrient absorption but, when it overgrows, it can damage the wall of the intestine, releasing toxic waste into your body; candida is therefore considered a major cause of leaky gut.

Candidiasis often presents as oral thrush and vaginitis, right through to systemic and potentially life-threatening diseases. Candida infections of the latter category are also referred to as candidemia and are usually confined to severely immunocompromised persons, such as cancer, transplant, and AIDS patients as well as surgical patients.

The healthy bacteria in your gut that aids digestive processes usually keep your candida levels in balance as a symbiosis between different bacteria/ fungal entities is achieved naturally.

So, in normally healthy people, Candida overgrowth is most commonly associated with antibiotic therapy that kills these friendly bacteria in the gut. However, there are other culprits:

• Refined carbohydrates and sugar (they both feed yeast)
• Alcohol
• Birth control pills (i.e. hormones)
• Stress

When overgrowth of candida is high, it may spread through the blood resulting in systemic Candiasis. Symptoms of this condition vary but may include migraine headaches, depression, urinary dysfunction, intestinal gas and allergies. Once it is in the body tissues, candida may cause the production of antibodies. Antibodies react against microorganisms (viruses, yeast, parasites, and bacteria) and allow them to be killed by the white blood cells. IgM, IgG or IgA. IgM antibodies usually indicate an infection.

You can get a test for IgG, IgA, and IgM candida anti-bodies. High levels indicate a high level of candida overgrowth. Another less accurate but easy test is to spit in to a glass and leave the contents to settle. If tendrils grow, the level is likely to not be that high. If thick tree trunks grow, it is worth going ahead and getting lab tests done to identify levels.

Other tests that are proven to be effective are stool testing and Urine testing.

Candida Symptoms

What sorts of symptoms suggest systemic candida?

1 Athlete’s foot or toenail fungus

2. Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia

3. Digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhoea.

4. Concentration problems poor memory, ADD, ADHD ,brain fog

5. Eczema, psoriasis, hives, and other skin rashes

6. Mood swings, anxiety, and or depression

7. White/black patches in the mouth

8. Vaginal infections/ vaginal itching

9. Allergies or itchy ears

Sweet Cures has learned that certain things help more than others to gradually reduce levels of candida over several months. Although this seems a long time, it is believed that gradual elimination prevents a toxic overload on the body and naturally leads the body back to balance.

Candida Diet

To help fight Candida A., we have seen that the following helps:

1. Cut out sugar and (white) carbohydrate intake and moderate complex carbohydrates.

2. Take good quality probiotics; they will help by providing friendly bacteria that compete with the fungal spores. (25 to 100 billion daily is the suggested amount).

3. Take Coconut milk and cook with coconut oil; they provide Caprylic acid and Lauric acid. Caprylic and Lauric Acid basically damages the yeast cell wall, causing it to die. They target candida and do not affect anything else.

4. A little bicarb in a sitz bath is soothing, as is natural yoghurt or coconut oil on the delicate outside tissues.

5. Oil of oregano can be very effective as a temporary measure for a couple of days, but not long term as it will affect good bacteria at the same time.

6. The main aim should be to change to a nutrient packed diet that excludes sugars and white carbs, whilst meanwhile avoiding fermented drinks and foods and adding green vegetables, coconut milk,and quality probiotics.

DMannose and Candida

Sweet Cures is frequently asked, “Will taking DMannose affect my candida problem?”

The answer is an emphatic NO.

DMannose will not make Candida worse, nor will it make it better (only in that if you are able to avoid antibiotics, you will also avoid the subsequent dysbiosis that often follows antibiotic therapy, allowing you to repopulate the gut with important bacteria (probiotics)) giving Candida “opposition”).