Many of you reading this have heard of the term “Candida” as it refers to a yeast overgrowth in your digestive tract. It’s actually a fungus that is present on the skin, in the gut, in the mouth and all over the body. It’s supposed to be there in normal levels. We only start to experience problems when we have an overgrowth.
Candida issues show up in all areas of the body… Skin infections, thrush in the mouth, vaginal yeast infections, itchy scalp, compromised digestion. It’s all dependent on where you have the overgrowth. Typically, it’s not an isolated issue. Meaning, that if you experience regular yeast infections, always notice a white coating on your tongue or yeast in one area of your body, you probably have an overgrowth other places.
It’s tempting to treat the issue in isolation by using a cream or something similar. That approach treats the symptoms, but doesn’t address the underlying cause of imbalance in your body.
Yeast LOVES sugar, so most people who have a yeast overgrowth are consuming a diet high in sugars and carbohydrates (that turn to sugar). That is the number one place to start if you know or suspect an issue with yeast. Cut back on sugar in all forms. Even fruits for a short time. I recommend loading up on veggies and cutting back to 1 serving of low sugar fruit, like berries, each day to help with yeast or candida overgrowth.
Sometimes it can be hard to know what’s going on in your digestive microbiome. Many of the clients I work with have no idea that yeast is an issue for them until we do some testing. I love the organic acids test for this. There are several markers for yeast that show up elevated if that is an issue for someone. If other digestive issues are suspected, a deeper dive into digestion with a comprehensive stool test will tell us about yeast, bacterial balance and things like parasites, viruses, bacteria and other things that can be out of balance in our gut microbiome. Good digestive health is truly the foundation of overall good health.
Why should you be concerned about a yeast overgrowth in your digestive system? Because your gut health is foundational to your overall health. Imbalances in the digestive system can cause not only digestive issues, but things like brain fog, anxiety, depression, mood swings, skin problems, and a host of other nasty things that you might not have connected with candida. I also like to address this with my clients to help
facilitate a low sugar/ low carbohydrate lifestyle. So many of us (myself included!) know the importance of cutting back on carbs and sugar, but struggle to actually do this. Often, this struggle is made worse because yeast craves sugar. It’s a vicious cycle where the more we have, the more we crave, and then we eat more, etc. Helping get candida under control really helps reduce our cravings for carbs and sugar. This means we can transition to a healthier way of eating without relying on will power alone to power through.
So, what do you do if you suspect candida is an issue? The first thing is to cut back on sugar as I mentioned above. Fill up on healthy, whole foods like healthy sources of fat found in nuts, avocados and naturally raised meats. Eat lots of veggies and temporarily cut back on fruit until this is resolved. The next step is to consider supplements that help kill of the excess candida. Things like Oil of Oregano, Caprylic Acid and Grapefruit seed extract are some of my favorites. The interesting thing is that not all of our bodies respond the same way to these supplements. One of my favorite comprehensive stool tests reacts your body’s samples with the supplements I listed above to see which one will work best for you. Sometimes people have tried things that aren’t the best fit for them. This is where some professional help and testing can be of great benefit.
I hope you have found this helpful. If you are wondering if you have this issue and want more information on personalized healthcare, please click here to set up a FREE call to determine if we are a good fit to work together.
To your health!
Dr. Jeni
