Many of us have experienced it. Tiredness or even exhaustion and, at the same time, stomach pain and unease in the digestive system. Few of us perhaps would draw a direct line between the two; many of us would probably think that a feeling of lethargy and indigestion and a more than usual amount of gassiness occurring together was a coincidence. But there’s a good chance they’re not. There’s a good chance we may be experiencing the effects of candida overgrowth.

Candida albicans is a single-celled organism that likes to live on our skin and in our digestive tract, especially our intestines. If allowed to remain in the latter unchecked the result can be candida overgrowth, which often sees the tiny yeast-like organisms create multiple different types of toxin (more than a hundred, in fact), all of which can be absorbed through the intestinal wall and spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Needless to say, when this happens it can cause us harm.

Indeed, it appears that infections due to the presence of candida in our bodies are rising – estimates suggest that around 25,000 people in the United States alone develop them each year. Yet, despite this, the efficacy of medication prescribed to treat these infections is slipping as they’re becoming increasingly drug-resistant¹.

Candida overgrowth – causes and symptoms

Naturally, for people who manage good, balanced diets, exercise regularly and get an appropriate amount of rest, intestinal issues don’t tend to crop up very often and candida overgrowth doesn’t often affect them. This is because their candida levels are successfully regulated by their immune systems and the presence of other microbes (‘good bacteria’) in their digestive systems.

So it’s when somebody’s immune system becomes suppressed that candida over-grows, causing an imbalance in the intestines and, as mentioned, enabling it to spread elsewhere in the body². In addition to poor diets (with an overabundance of carbohydrates and high sugars), the onset of diabetes, stress, pregnancy and even the use of antibiotics and birth control medication can help cause candida overgrowth³. Symptoms sufferers may experience commonly include abdominal pains, indigestion and excessive gas; irritability, tiredness and trouble concentrating; anxiety and mood swings; cravings for sugars and breads; skin infections, eczema, psoriasis and acne; and oral or vaginal thrush⁴.

Treatment suggestions

So what can we do about it if too much candida’s taken up residence in our bowels and is spreading to other parts of our bodies? If traditional medication is proving less and less effective a weapon to fight its overgrowth, what can we turn to?

Some experts have recommended consuming lavender oil, colloidal silver or garlic; however, research for these natural remedies have so far proved rather inconclusive. For many experts, the smart money’s instead on supplements for candida, not least because they contain naturally-derived ingredients (indeed, research has suggested that for sufferers from thrush who’ve undergone repeat treatment from antibiotics but still experience a recurrence of symptoms, probiotics can be very helpful⁵⁾.

And, at The Finchley Clinic, we have many supplements available that we recommend trying to combat candida – it goes without saying that, of course, some may work better for some people than others, but we highly recommend all of the following:

• Threelac or Fivelac – essential probiotics for candida symptoms
• one of our Liquid Oxygen products – again, highly recommended
• Active Digestive Enzymes– can help with gas, bloating and poor food absorption
• Thyme Formula or Thyme Formula A – botanical anti-fungal food supplement
• Wild Endive Formula – reduces candida toxins and prevents die-off
• Colosan (120 capsules) – excellent for colon cleansing
• Bio-Kult (120 capsules) – probiotics that contains 14 strains of viable, friendly bacteria
• Colostrum Plus – works to maintain the immune system, soothes leaky gut, reduces food allergies and aids with gas and wind problems
• Marshmallow Formula – may help those with leaky gut, food intolerance and gut inflammation issues.

 

References:

¹ Hickman, M. A. et al. “The ‘obligate diploid’ Candida albicans forms mating-competent haploids”. Nature. 494.

² O’Meara, T. R. et al. “Global analysis of fungal morphology exposes mechanisms of host cell escape”. Nature Communications. 6 (6741).

³ Ecandidacom. (2016). Ecandidacom. Retrieved 4 July, 2016, from http://www.ecandida.com/candida-albicans

⁴ Ghthealthcom. (2016). Ghthealthcom. Retrieved 4 July, 2016, from http://www.ghthealth.com

⁵ Richardson, A. “Natural remedies for the treatment and prevention of vaginal thrush infection”. bodykind blog. 05/082009.