Many of us have heard the terms, “yeast infection” or “fungal infection” and many of us have suffered the undesirable symptoms attached, but, many of us don’t fully understand what causes them and why. Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus (or yeast) that is found naturally in colonies within our mouth, intestines, the vagina, our skin and other mucus membranes.
This typically harmless microscopic organism aids with nutrient absorption and digestion and lives peacefully when our bodies are functioning at an optimal .. . However, if your inner ecosystem becomes unbalanced and your immunity weakens, you may be susceptible to a yeast overgrowth, which leads to a very unpleasant “fungal (or yeast) infection”, aka Candida.
What are the symptoms?
Many people who suffer from Candida have a very convincing pokerface. The healthiest-looking sick person in the room, a candida sufferer will often appear to look in tip-top condition on the outside but are totally unaware that a serious infection lies deep within. The symptoms of Candida often mimic other illnesses, so it can be difficult to diagnose without testing. This yeast infection will often present itself in different ways, in different people but the most common symptoms are: Bad breath Bloating, belching, intestinal gas, and/or abdominal pain Constipation or diarrhea Sinus infection Fatigue and chronic fatigue Frequent mood swings Hormonal imbalance Insomnia Loss of sexual desire or feeling Muscle aches and weakness Pain and/or swelling in joints Poor memory or brain fog Oral thrush Recurrent, troublesome vaginal itching, burning, or discharge and UTI infections When you body’s natural pH balance is disrupted, the candida can grow out of control and migrate to other areas of the body, including the blood and membranes around the heart or brain. In the digestive tract, left unchecked, it breaks down the walls of the intestinal lining and penetrates into the bloodstream. This releases by-product toxins and other toxins from your system and can lead to leaky gut syndrome.
What’s the cause?
A single-cell organism, Candida reproduces asexually and thrives on some of the body's byproducts such as dead tissue and sugars from food. Unless its environment is altered and its source of food is eliminated, it quickly monopolizes entire body systems, resulting in those unwanted symptoms listed above. In a perfect world, the good bacteria present in our gut would keep Candida overgrowth under control and this type of infection wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately we have been exposed to many unhealthy lifestyle constituents that are damaging our valuable gut flora and consequently contributing to the increase of serious fungal infections.
These include: Antibiotics Poor food quality Overconsumption of sugar and processed, refined foods Overconsumption of alcohol and coffee Chronic, prolonged stress Birth Control Pills Mercury exposure from dental fillings, vaccines, & tattoos. Many of these factors relate to weakened immunity and adrenals, depleted mineral levels that are important to maintain a slightly alkaline blood environment and reduced microflora.
Candida and Autism
According to studies, roughly 75 percent of women will get a vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime. But in fact, these are merely "symptoms" of an infection that is actually present in her bloodstream and If she should become pregnant, her unborn baby may also be at risk. More of us should be concerned that an entire generation of young women who are of childbearing age are uneducated on the causes of Candida and of its potential impact on their children. Few women are taught that when they become pregnant their immune system will be naturally suppressed. This is nature's way of ensuring that the mother's own immune system will not attack her baby. Furthermore, progesterone levels rise during pregnancy, which is natural and very good because this hormone is essential for retaining the fetus. However, along with elevated progesterone, blood sugar also increases. Both blood sugar and progesterone play an important role in your developing baby's brain, yet this increased blood sugar (along with ever-increasing stress and a diet of sugary, processed foods) sets the stage for a systemic yeast infection to become even more acute. Fungal (or yeast) infections have long been associated with the development of autism in the womb when the fetus becomes exposed to the fungus. Various research has shown that autistic children have a significantly reduced healthy gut flora than that of non-autistic children and are often far more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, behavioral problems and inflammation because of certain genetic vulnerabilities. With 67 children being diagnosed each day, more and more children are at risk for being on the autism spectrum because the severity of Candida is not being communicated. Some women who never have vaginal infections believe they are free of the problem when indeed they will have differing symptoms manifesting in other ways.
How to prevent Candida
Few doctors will explain that antibiotics, a high sugar diet, stress and drugs like cortisone will destroy your inner ecosystem cost you about 80% of your immunity. Indeed you will soon be back for that next course of antibiotics and drugs! The good news is, these yeast infections are easily treatable without the use of antibiotics or prescription drugs.
- Candida Cleanse
- The Candida Diet
- Re-build your Gut Flora