Candida is so common, but what the heck is it?
It was only when I went to England for six months in 2012-2013 to be taken care of by family, that I began to learn about candida and it's connection to CFS and general tiredness. I had a friend who had been on the other side of the world, suffering similar symptoms and had been diagnosed with candida by her naturopath. After reading the book that my friend had read about candida and the candida diet to eliminate it (written by a woman who had unknowingly had candida for most of her life, making her constantly ill and leading to her onset of CFS) I rolled my eyes, kicked the couch and sighed.
It looked like I not only had a classic case of the old chronic fatigue, but a candida infection to keep it company. It's likely that the candida infection came first and left untreated, lead to my CFS too. (Though I did have glandular fever at age 10, so it was probably a combination of contributing factors that weakened the immune system).The diet was not fun, I'm not going to lie. But the difference it made to my health within a period of 3-4 weeks amazed me. Eating out (even in a cosmopolitan city of options like London) was not easy.
I remember one day we both caught the tube to Canary Wharf and sat by the water with a hot lemon and water and a tiny jar of seeds. It was grim, guys. My friend tried to encourage me by telling me that it's what all the celebrities were doing. Despite hearing this, I persisted with the diet and began to gain strength and spend up to five hours out of the house without fading away after just leaving.
Enough suspense already.
What IS Candida??
It's a huge topic with a lot of material on it, but the following are some of the things that I have read about it.
- Candida Albicans is a yeast, related to molds, mildew and fungus.
- A small amount already lives in our mouth and gut, to help us digest our food and absorb the nutrients
- The population of Candida Albicans can get out of control in the gut after say, a course of antibiotics has killed off a lot of the good bacteria in the lining of your gut as well as the bad bacteria. (The good and bad bacteria make up our gut flora).
- The balance of gut flora are really important for our digestive health and the immune system
- We need the right balance of each kinds of bacteria to keep the Candida Albicans under control
- When it overproduces it can create microscopic holes in the walls of out intestines, causing undigested food particles (toxic) to enter the blood stream- this is leaky gut syndrome, which can lead to many things that you do not want guys, but I'll post about that later (yay)
- Symptoms of candida can present anywhere inside (digestive system, energy levels, emotions etc) or on (athletes foot, eczema, itchy scalp etc) the body
- Because a fungal infection is a living organism, it grows when you feed it - namely yeasts and sugars feed it
- Candida releases toxins in the body that weaken our immune systems and cause us to feel sick and tired
- Untreated candida leads to the immune system being weakened, and consequently can then be linked to the onset of CFS. Dr Anne Macintyre, author of M.E : How To Live With It, predicted that around two thirds of those with CFS were being made sicker by an underlying Candida infection. She also writes that a bad Candida infection can even be fatal if you have Cancer or Aids.
What are the symptoms of a candida overgrowth?
- tiredness, persistent fatigue or drowsiness
- difficulty concentrating and remembering
- mood swings, anxiety, tearfulness
- dizziness
- headaches
- spots in front of the eyes
- bloating, gas, constipation, acid reflux
- acne, athletes foot, eczema, hives, cysts, fungal rash
- white coating on tongue, unpleasant breath, bleeding gums
- sinus congestion, constant cough, sore throat, hayfever symptoms, flu symptoms
- itchy or sore eyes, ringing in ears, ear infections
- recurring urinary tract infections, PMS, menstrual irregularities
- frequent colds & flu, food intolerance, allergies
- muscle and joint pain/stiffness
- inability to lose weight, water retention
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| ... my pre-Candida diet days. |
What causes it?
When we get sick and take a course of antibiotics, they kill of the bad bacteria we're trying to fight, but also the good bacteria that lives in the gut. We need this good gut flora to produce vitamins and assist in our digestion process, so it's really important. As I have been learning, anything to do with the health of the gut is really important to our overall health, as it is the root of much of our health.
Common causes of yeast overgrowth:
- antibiotics, particularly 'broad spectrum' antibiotics
- diets high in processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugar (cakes, biscuits, bread, cereals, soft drinks etc)
- history of/current frequent alcohol consumption
- birth control pills
- high stress levels over a prolonged period
- lack of exercise
How do I know if I have it?
There are questionnaires online (such as this one this one for starters) that can help see the chances of a Candida overgrowth. If you can answer yes to several of the common causes of Candida overgrowth, then your chances of being affected are higher. After reading the symptom lists and answering yes to most of the common causes, I started the diet and my response to it made it clear to me that it was very likely a large factor in my illness.
How do I treat it?
By following the candida diet- free of all sugar and full of meat, fish, non-starchy vegetables and brown rice. Coconut oil and unheated olive oil are particularly good to have when killing off the candida overgrowth, as is garlic, due to it's antibiotic properties that kill the 'bad' guys, but not the 'good'.
Complete lists of all foods to avoid and to consume are available online, such as here. Cutting down on the foods before eliminating them can help the process to be easier, by avoiding the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms that are experienced when going cold turkey.
Die off
As the yeast cells are starved and begin to die rapidly, a 'die-off' reaction or 'Herxheimer reaction' can be experienced. Pretty much there can be an increase/worsening of the symptoms of Candida (flu-like symptoms, nausea, muscle and joint pain etc). When they die, yeast cells release 79 different toxins. Drinking lots of water can help flush these toxins out, and taking milk thistle or drinking dandelion tea can aid the liver in processing them. Taking vitamin C twice a day will support the immune system. Rest and sleep will also help too.
Antifungals and probiotics
These are the other two aspects of the treatment and both are important.Antifungals help to kill the yeast cells. You can buy antifungal capsules or pick an option like coconut oil which contains the antifungal, caprylic acid. I used garlic. Add it finely chopped in a salad (raw) or chop and swallow like a pill.
Probiotics put good bacteria back in to the gut and strengthen the immune system. Probiotics can also be bought in capsule form, different ones containing different strains and ingredients. Probiotic foods such as kefir and homemade yoghurt are also an option, but make sure they're suitable for use when on the Candida diet.
Note that both, particularly antifungals, can cause die-off reactions, so it is wise to take both sparingly to begin with, gradually increasing dosage.
There is often a naturopath working on the shop floor at organic food stores (like Commonsense Organics in Wellington and Huckleberry Farms in Auckland) and they are good to talk to and often in the know about Candida! Otherwise, maybe ask around about a good one that is local? Or at least do some reading if you think there might be a chance that you are a hospitable host of the dreaded yeast!
Candida-friendly recipes are on the way! Trust me, when you decide to cut the coffee and chocolate for the health benefits, you need some recipe inspiration.
DISCLAIMER- I am not a qualified practitioner of any kind, the information on this blog has come from my own personal research for my own health. I'm by no means suggesting that you are sick or dying of anything that I write about, just sharing information that I have myself found useful.
