I remember sitting down in the Naturopath’s office to get the results of my son’s test. I was hoping for an answer as to why he was so impulsive, moody, and flat out crazy.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell you I didn’t expect what came next.
The test results came back showing a large overgrowth of yeast in my son’s intestinal tract. In fact, the yeast was so prominent that we figured he probably caught it during delivery through the birth canal.
That means for five years it was doing its thing in his body before we fired back and killed off those little suckers.
FIVE YEARS!!
But by this time, the damage was so great that we were dealing with yeast and leaky gut in his body.
Now you’ve probably heard of candida before, which makes you automatically think of yeast and probably has you freaking out a little.
Well, let me explain a little more about it …
WHAT IS CANDIDA ALBICANS?
Candida Albican is a fungus. We all have a little in our gut and it helps with nutrient absorption and digestion.
Of course, it’s also the most common type of yeast infection when it overproduces (insert panic button here). It can show up as a vaginal or intestinal infection, or in the mouth.
Chronic overgrowth irritates your gut lining, putting little holes in it that allow unwanted particles to leak in or out. This is what’s known as “leaky gut syndrome” and is exactly what happened to my son. *face palm*
CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS
There are many things that can cause an imbalance in your gut bacteria, such as an environment that encourages overgrowth or one that suppresses the good bacteria.
Some common causes of a candida overgrowth are:
- Weak immune system
- Inflammation
- Regular intake of antibiotics
- Diet high in sugar or refined foods
- Lack of sleep
- Too much stress
- pH imbalance
- Birth (contracted through the birth canal)
Now what would be really great is if the symptoms were super clear cut so we knew right away when there was a problem, right? Well, that’s totally wishful thinking.
Unfortunately the symptoms are super common issues like:
- Fatigue (especially chronic fatigue)
- UTI’s
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Constipation
- Cramps
- Mood swings
- Bloating
- Flatulance
- Brain fog
- Sick often
- Hormonal imbalance
- Sinus infections
One symptomatic red flag to watch for is if you develop a new intolerance, allergy, or sensitivity to a food, especially dairy, eggs, corn, gluten, tomato, vinegar, or sugar.
HOW TO TREAT IT
If you’re wondering if you have candida, you can do a simple prick test through a nutritionist, or do a more comprehensive test through your Naturopath.
When it comes to treating it, I hate to sound like a broken record, but you have to heal your gut!
It’s important to flush out the bacteria with a detox and then to go on a specific anti-candida diet that helps to kill off the bacteria, heal your gut from any damage, and then build it back up.
A healthy bacterial balance internally and a well functioning immune system are essential for healing from candida and keeping it away.
Simple enough, right?
How about I help you out by giving you this simple anti-candida Kale Chip snack recipe to get you started.