Don’t let Candida get you down

If you have ever suffered from Candida you will understand the upheaval it causes to daily life.  Symptoms range from lack of energy and fatigue to bloating and weight gain.  It can affect people in different ways and the severity of symptoms can vary, but left untreated it can lead to a number of more serious health issues and degenerative diseases.

So what exactly is it?  Candida is a fungus, or to put it another way, a form of yeast.  We all carry small amounts in our digestive system as it plays an important role in the digestion process and helps the absorption of nutrients. However, being an opportunistic fungus, if it isn’t kept under control by other bacteria within our gut, it will overproduce.  It can also change its form from a normal yeast to a pathogenic (problematic) fungus that causes disease.  Think of a garden that gets taken over by weeds – Candida is the weed.  If your gut bacteria is balanced all is well and good, but if it’s given the opportunity to take control, you are in trouble.

Keeping Candida under control
There are a number of factors that can cause Candida to overproduce, primarily antibiotics.  In addition to destroying the bad bacteria that cause disease, antibiotics have the adverse effect of killing the good bacteria that is essential in maintaining a healthy digestive system.  Once the good bacteria are destroyed, the Candida is free to take over.  The oral contraceptive pill, Hormone Replacement Treatment and steroids such as corticosteroids can have a similar effect.   Other contributing factors include a continued diet that is rich in carbohydrates and sugar, or a prolonged period of stress.

How do you know when Candida has taken over?  One of the key symptoms is consistent cravings for sugar and carbohydrates.  Other early signs can vary, with the most common being fatigue, mood swings, a foggy brain, digestive problems (particularly constipation), vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) and cystitis.

Kath’s tips on taking control of Candida

• Look at your lifestyle and identify the potential cause.  Have you recently taken a course of antibiotics or are you taking oral contraceptives or HRT?  Is your diet high in sugar, carbohydrates or alcohol?  Are you stressed?  Eliminating one of more of these risk factors is a crucial step in regaining control of your Candida.
• Now that you have established the cause you can look at ways to treat it. Taking a probiotic is essential and I can test which combination you need. See my offer below to establish which probiotics are right for you or try these:
• The saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil are an excellent anti-microbial that will help fight candida and prevent further growth.
• Avoid sugar, alcohol and wheat as these will only encourage the Candida to grow.  Eat plenty of live yoghurt, Sauerkraut, organic salmon and fresh artichokes, asparagus, cabbage, cucumber and tomatoes as these will all help to get you back on track.
• When Candida dies off it produces a number of nasty toxins so it’s important to kill it off gradually.  A sudden die-off could make you feel even worse in the short term. It’s also important to support the liver during this process so that it can cope with this over production of these toxins.
• Be patient!  The process of eradicating Candida can take between four and nine months, depending on the severity of your condition and how you adapt to your new lifestyle.  It’s also important to be aware that Candida can reappear at an astonishing speed if you return to your old ways.  Address the factors that caused your Candida, support your immune system with the right supplements (which I will recommend) and stick to your lifestyle changes.  Control Candida and you will be in control of your life.
• If you would like support and guidance to get you back on track then book in to see me.