Candida Symptoms

Candida is controversial. The medical profession denies its existence, except in very limited cases, making it very difficult to get a medical diagnosis of candida. Candida is the popular term for candidiasis (yeast overgrowth) - a condition first identified by American physicians in the 1970s.

Candida is controversial. The medical profession denies its existence, except in very limited cases, making it very difficult to get a medical diagnosis of candida. Candida is the popular term for candidiasis (yeast overgrowth) – a condition first identified by American physicians in the 1970s.

Moderate amounts of candida (and other yeast) live in every one of us without causing any harm, but when given free rein to grow unchecked, e.g. by wiping out the surrounding bacteria with broad-spectrum antibiotics, candida can change into its fungal form and spore through the intestinal wall into the rest of the body. Once through, it rampages around the body producing a multitude of symptoms.

Common Candida symptoms

A minority of suffers have numerous symptoms; the vast majority have thrush + a few others; not every sufferer has thrush.

Group 1:
The damage to the intestinal wall allows undesirable toxins to permeate into the bloodstream. This condition called ‘leaky gut syndrome’ often leads to:
food allergies and intolerances
migraines
foggy brain
muscle aches

Group 2:
Once through to the rest of the body, candida has the ability to disrupt the endocrine system causing symptoms such as:
thrush
cystitis
• PMS
menstrual irregularities
joint pains
asthma
hayfever
sinusitis
fungal infections of the nails/skin e.g. athlete’s foot
weight gain or weight loss
ear infections
chronic tiredness
allergies
sensitivity to perfume, tobacco smoke and petrol

Group 3:

Symptoms in the intestines include:

bloatedness
flatulence
diarrhoea and/or constipation
itchy anus

In addition, candida involvement has been implicated in some cases of other illnesses e.g. ME/CFS, Endometriosis.

Contributory factors

The popular perception is that candida is the consequence of antibiotics usage.The medical profession dismisses this as fantasy, saying that antibiotics could not have that effect in a healthy individual. But it may be that antibiotics act as the ‘final straw’ where health has already been compromised, most probably by one or more of the following:
use of the contraceptive pill or HRT
use of natural progesterone cream
use of other steroids (hydrocortisone, prednisolone etc.)
use of immuno-suppressive drugs
repeated use of broad-spectrum antibiotics e.g. for acne
dental mercury amalgam poisoning
other heavy metal poisoning e.g. lead, cadmium
chemical poisoning from the home, garden, workplace etc.
stress
hormonal changes e.g. puberty, pregnancy, menopause