Candida Albicans is a very common type of yeast infection found in the mouth, intestinal tract and vagina – it can affect skin and other mucous membranes. If the immune system is functioning optimally, this type of yeast infection is rarely serious. However, if the immune system is not functioning properly, the candida infection can migrate to other areas of the body, including the blood and membranes around the heart or brain.
It was quite a few years ago that I discovered I had candida and the only symptom I had was intense, chronic fatigue. I remember it well: I was studying for my second degree in complementary medicine and I vividly remember dragging myself out of bed each morning to get to work and at weekends when I was doing my studies and research for my thesis, I forced myself to study. I spent many hours in bed each and every weekend. Even now, thinking but, I don’t know who I got through that period. And I don’t know how I managed to obtain a First Class Honours.
Through my thirst for knowledge to understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling, I found help via a therapist in South Africa who was to become my mentor. Through email communication she diagnosed adrenal fatigue and Candida. This, in fact, started my desire to set up this website and to inform people of what I had learnt and what I had experienced so that through my knowledge and experience, I could help others.
Candida is a fungus that aids with nutrient absorption and digestion, when in proper levels in the body – in fact, we all have candida to a certain extent. It’s when it overproduces, however, that the typical candida symptoms may appear. 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, causing leaky gut syndrome. Fortunately, I didn’t get leaky gut, but my candida was systemic. It took a few months to get rid of it and even now I have to keep it in check.
When the body’s natural pH balance is upset, the candida can grow out of control, creating a systemic problem. Good healthy bacteria and a properly functioning immune system are essential when fighting this stubborn infection.
Some symptoms of candida:
- Exhaustion
- Cravings for sugar
- Bad breath
- White coat on tongue
- Brain fog
- Hormone imbalance
- Joint pain
- Loss of sex drive
- Chronic sinus and allergy issues
- Digestive problems (gas and bloating)
- Weak immune system
- UIT
I’ll let you into a secret: one easy, and not so well known way to identify whether or not you have Candida is upon waking, before eating or brushing your teeth fill a glass tumbler with water. Spit into the water and wait a minute or so. If the spittle sits on the top of the water, the likelihood his you’re candida-free. If, however, the spittle starts to grow ‘legs’ growing down to the bottom of the glass, Candida is present.