Is Candida causing your Depression?What is Candida? Candida Albicans is a yeast that occurs naturally in the human body. It's meant to be there! Normally...and ideally!!...it lives in harmony with a variety of other microorganisms and actually performs a couple important functions in the body. The problem occurs when something upsets the balance of bacteria in the body and this allows the yeast organism to proliferate and take over all the healthy microorganisms. Candida normally resides in the intestinal tract, mouth, throat and genitals, however it can burrow holes in the intestinal tract, enter the blood stream and then make it's way into any organ of the body. To make matters worse it emits over 70 different toxins into the body. In addition, some people may even become allergic to the yeast itself. Once this hardy organism proliferates in the body, it wreacks havock in many ways and is the insitigator of many common maladies, conditions, syndromes and illnesses in our population. The Symptoms of Candida Candida presents itself very differently in every body. Unfortunately, despite being nearly at epidemic levels in our society, because of this, it usually goes unrecognised!! Did you know that it is responsible for many of the chronic illnesses in our society, including mental illnesses. Candida symptoms are vast and all encompassing and can completely incapacitate a person..... usually without the person realising it. Usually when a person is completely incapacitated, they do not realise that it is systemic Candida causing both their incapacitation, and their illness. Most people are unaware of Candida because firstly, its symptoms can change day to day, and secondly, most main stream doctors are uneducated about its impact on our health. People suffering from this condition often spend years going from doctor to doctor to doctor looking for an answer to their problems. They are usually quietly ridiculed and told they are making it up, it's in their head, their a hypochondriac or that it's stress or a psychiatric problem. It usually takes a long time and a lot of distress before ever discovering the real culprit. A big problem in consulting a practitioner is that the symptoms are often changeable from day to day...a result of the Candida moving around and through different systems in the body.Combine that with brain fog...and it becomes difficult to clearly and succinctly identify and communicate the problem. Candida sypmtoms vary hugely from person to person and from men to women. Women may associate the term "Candida" with vaginal yeast infections (also called vaginal Thrush) complete with vaginal itching, odor and sometimes discharge. This is Candida at a basic level. Men have their own set of Candida symptoms. Have a look at the list of symptoms below : * abdominal gas/pain * bloating/indigestion * headaches * migraines * excessive fatigue/constant fatigue * cravings for alcohol * brain "fog" - easily feel overwhelmed by mental tasks * anxiety * vaginitis/vaginal yeast infection * rashes on or around the sexual organs * anal itching * cravings for sweets * inability to think clearly or concentrate * hyperactivity * mood swings * diarrhea * constipation * red itching eyes * hyperactivity * itching * acne * eczema * depression from feeling low and "bogged down" all the time * skin rashes on the body (eczema, atopic dermatitis) * sinus inflammation/chronic sinus drainage which antibiotics don't help * joint pain with arthritis-like symptoms * pre-menstrual syndrome * dizziness * poor memory * persistent cough * earaches * low sex drive * muscle weakness * irritability * learning difficulties * sensitivity to fragrances and/or other chemicals * cognitive impairment * thrush * oral thrush (white film in mouth or on tongue) * athletes foot/fungus on the fingernail or toenails * sore throat * indigestion * acid reflux * chronic pain * hair loss * weight loss OR gain and the inability to change it. * urinary infections (again, not helped by antibiotics) It's huge isn't it! And it covers a lot of different body functions and systems. This is why diagnosis is tricky. One of the most well known forms of yeast overgrowth in the body is the vaginal yeast infection. This is the one commonly known about. What about depression? Did you know that yeast overgrowth, or Candida, can in fact play a role in just about any mental health condition or chronic illness you can think of. Now that's a huge realisation which may shift how you view and approach your depression. What if your depression is purely a symptom of Candida? Yeast overgrowth is considered to be a leading contributor in clinical depression, alcoholism, asthma, anxiety disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome,food allergies, multiple sclerosis, leaky gut syndrome, hormonal imbalances, menopause problems, addisons disease, attention deficit disorder, repeated urinary tract infections, chronic pain, multiple chemical sensitivites, digestive disturbances, lupus, migraines, crohns, autism, endometriosis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia syndrome, PMS, prostatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle and joint pain, and many many more. Interestingly, it is the brain which is the organ that is most frequently affected by Candida symptoms. Is your depression actually Candida??? Worth investigating. While your system is flooded with Candida, you will most likely be suffering from depression too. While the brain is most affected, Candida can also have profound negative effects on many bodily systems, including : * digestive * nervous * endocrine * cardiovascular * reproductive * lymphatic * respiratory * musculoskeletal * urinary
So as you are no doubt starting to see, Candida symptoms are tricky! They can vary hugely from one person to another and often move back and forth between systems within the same individual. One day you may experience symptoms in the musculoskeletal system and the next day it could be the digestive system, or the respiratory system, and so on. So imagine, before you realise that Candida is the culprit.....you have no comprehension of what is wrong with you...and that's scary! How do you deal with your Candida Symptoms? There are a variety of causes of candida, but the two leading contributors are a diet high in sugar and refined foods and the overuse of antibiotics. To start with, refraining from taking antibiotics unless it is absolutely necessary is a good idea! There are many other healthy alternatives to dealing with infections....alteratives that do not simultaneously clear up the infection AND weaken your system in other ways. Find an integrative medicine doctor or a naturopath, chinese medicine practitioner, kinesiologist, or other alternative practitioner to help you. There may be times when antibiotics can't be avoided. If you must take an antibiotic for some reason, you should always be sure to rebuild the natural gut flora and fauna that the antibiotics destroy. take an acidophilus This will help keep healthy bacteria present in your body. The second most important factor in reducing Candida symptoms is food. A diet high in sugar is a tasty haven for yeast, so.....to clear up your Candida and your depression, it is crucial to eliminate sugars and refined foods to reduce Candida overgrowth. In the beginning, even fruits and high carbohydrate foods may need to be eliminated and then reintroduced to the diet later as you get better. We have found that a very simple diet of meat, fish, vegetables and yogurt are what is best to stick with and small amounts of the whole, healthy carbohydrate brown rice. While this can sound incredibly restrictive, it's a matter of being creative. You can make soups, stir-frys, roasts, steamed, etc. If you need some ideas on what to eat, you may enjoy the Candida diet recipes page. The next issue with Candida, particularly when it has been long-term, is that you become nutritionally deficient. The Candida in your gut means you are not getting the goodness from your food....which just further adds to your depression and other symptoms. Correcting your deficiencies can help you in your battle over Candida symptoms. Bear in mind however, that if your gut is particularly weak, you will not absorb supplements either....so don't go wasting money on mountains of supplements until your gut is strong enough. We advise working with a Candida specialist throughout this process. One of the best products we have found in combatting Candida and its symptoms is a product called Threelac and it's sister product Fivelac (you move onto Fivelac once you have eased in on Threelac). We have seen absolutely amazing results from taking Threelac. It seems to work much more quickly and effectively than practitioner range dysbiosis powders and acidophilus and probiotics. This is not to say that these don't work...they too are great...however in cases of extreme Candida symptoms....we have seen the most remarkable shifts using Threelac. And when you are suffering with bad Candida symptoms, relief is a godsend....so find it in the best way for you. It's up to you how you decide to treat your Candida. Explore the options and see what works best for you. There are many other popular natural health approaches used in the treatment of Candida symptoms including oxygen based products like garlic, food grade hydrogen peroxide, grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil, caprylic acid, and taheebo tea, to name a few. There are also prescription medications such as Nystatin, Diflucan or Nizoral. These can be obtained by your local physican, but be aware of the risks involve too. Now.....are you reacting to your environment? Many Candida sufferers start reacting to toxins in their environment....from cleaning products, to car fumes, to perfumes...to name a few. It is therefore essential to keep your home environment healthy and not-toxic. Chemicals weaken the immune system and a weakened immune system means the yeast can proliferate. Replacing your chemicals with natural alternatives will help your body recover. On the drug topic....our preference is to try to stay away from drugs. However if you choose to go down this line, then Nystatin is a prescription drug that can be obtained from a physician. It is very helpful with yeast in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract and can be used as a douche if you are experiencing vaginal itching from yeast....or try yoghurt. Please be aware as you start to treat your Candida that there is a natural process which occurs called a die off. During this time you will experience a temporary worsening of symptoms. This can be completely overwhelming, particularly because you will feel that you are doing everything and you are getting worse! This is a normal part of the healing process. OK...so as you explore and research and look into your Candida, you will see that there are many different treatment approaches and products on the market. Feeling confused? Find yourself an experienced practitioner....but do your research too. Don't just randomly choose products and apply a hit and miss approach. It's really important that you have a thorough understanding of the complexities of Candida yourself and the most effective way to approach treatment before trying any particular remedy. Now for the big question....do you have Candida? After long study, most people end up diagnosing themselves as having Candida. We see this happen again and again. It usually comes after long frustration of trying to find answers to what's wrong with them and seeing numerous doctors. Eventually....all other possibilities become excluded and you are left with only one possible answer - it must be Candida! There are a variety of tests that practitioners use to diagnose yeast overgrowth, however, none of these tests a truly reliable. There are blood tests, stool tests, live blood cell tests, and so on. They may or may not detect an infection of Candidiasis. There is one very effective and totally affordable test is called the "spit test." Here's how you do it :
Simple Home Candida Test.
Let's look at food first!
Click here for The Candida Diet.
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