#Yeast overgrowth plus#

About 60 to 80 percent of our immune system lives in our gut. In addition to leaky gut, the other overarching problem associated with Candida is a suppressed immune system. Leaky gut disrupts your body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients (causing nutrition deficiencies), and can lead to health issues beyond digestive concerns, including autoimmunity and thyroid dysfunction. When the body overproduces Candida, it breaks down the wall of the intestine, causing leaky gut and releasing toxic byproducts into your body. What are the symptoms of Candida overgrowth? STRESS: A high-stress lifestyle can also cause Candida to overpower the good bacteria in your microbiome. ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES: Yeast likes high estrogen conditions, so we see a correlation between birth control use and yeast overgrowth. Steroids can also cause a yeast overgrowth, as can acid-blocking pills (you need enough acid to kill bacteria and parasites on your food, some yeast, as well as viruses). As can C-sections, which affect a baby’s microbiome. A mom’s microbiome also affects her baby’s developing microbiome-so if a mother takes antibiotics while pregnant, or had yeast infections, that can contribute to yeast overgrowth in the child. beer and wine), is also problematic.ĪNTIBIOTICS & OTHER MEDICATIONS: Taking even one round of antibiotics can kill too much of your body’s good bacteria and throw off the balance of your microbiome. Alcohol, which tends to involve a lot of yeast, sugar, and carbs (i.e. There are a number of factors that can contribute to Candida-the major ones are:ĭIET: A diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods makes it easy for yeast to multiply and thrive-these are the foods yeast lives off of. Lab work (more below) can distinguish which type of yeast infection you might have. The symptoms of different kinds of yeast infections overlap greatly (although some lead to infections in different parts of the body) and the vast majority of treatment is the same. Like, say, adrenal fatigue, which also has pervasive, seemingly vague symptoms, this level of Candida overgrowth is not really recognized by conventional medicine. About 90 percent of the patients I see (people who are sick, have autoimmunity disorders, leaky gut, etc.) have Candida overgrowth that while not fatal, is extremely disruptive to their health.

Conventional medicine only recognizes the systemic and often fatal form of Candida overgrowth known as Candidemia, which is when Candida invades the blood.

But the signs of Candida overgrowth can be subtler. a vaginal yeast infection in a woman, or a nail fungus. People generally equate Candida with a systemic overgrowth-i.e. The problem occurs when there is too much Candida in relation to your body’s good bacteria, and it overpowers the bacteria, which can lead to leaky gut and a host of other digestive issues, as well as fungal infections, mood swings, and brain fog (see below for a more complete symptom list).

#Yeast overgrowth plus#

I think of the microbiome (clusters of mainly bacteria, plus other organisms, found in our skin, nose, mouth, gut, urinary tract) as a rainforest: When everything is in balance, the body is in harmony and runs smoothly. Its job is to aid with digestion and nutrient absorption-which it does when it’s in balance with the good bacteria in your microbiome. A lot of people use the terms “yeast overgrowth” and “Candida” interchangeably, and there are hundreds of different types of yeast, but the most common form of yeast infection is known as Candida albicans.Ĭandida lives throughout our bodies in small amounts: in our oral cavity, digestive tract, gut microbiome, and vaginal tract. What is Candida-where does it live in the body, and how does it differ from other fungus and yeast infections?Ĭandida is a fungus (which is a form of yeast). Below, Myers outlines her Candida cleanse, along with the basics of diagnosing an overgrowth and healing from it. Encouragingly, though, treating an overgrowth is largely a matter of diet. While we typically think of a vaginal yeast infection when we think of a yeast issue in the body, the signs of a Candida overgrowth can be much subtler and ambiguous-e.g., fatigue, bloating, eczema, dandruff, sugar cravings, a bad memory.

Myers says nine out of ten patients she sees have an overgrowth of Candida (a form of yeast), and she estimates that nearly half of women have some form of Candida imbalance, with the body producing too much yeast (we need a certain amount of it) and overpowering the good bacteria. Some of them are more well-known that others, for instance, thyroid dysfunction others, like Candida, are not as widely understood. Amy Myers’s Austin-based practice is largely devoted to solving women’s health issues that are common but extremely difficult to treat.