Candida and Fungal Problems

Yeasts are not just harmless micro-organisms causing trivial problems.

What is Candida?

In modern Medicine, yeasts are often viewed as harmless micro-organisms causing only trivial problems such as genital thrush, fungal nails and some irritating skin rashes. Fungal infections are well-documented complications of various common medicines including steroids, antibiotics and female hormones. These respond well to brief courses of anti-fungal ointments, pessaries or tablets.

Since the early fifties, doctors made the observation that some patients' otherwise unexplained symptoms would clear when they were prescribed antifungal medications. In medical textbooks, these symptoms fit the description of intestinal candidiasis, yet laboratory tests often fail to confirm such infection.

Today there are specific tests to confirm if fungi, candida or others, are active and potentially harmful. Antifungals are usually effective along with a diet devoid of foods known to act as yeast promoters, such as yeast and sugar (including fruit sugar).

An additional issue involving Candida and other fungi such as the ones causing dandruff, athlete's foot and fungal nails, is a type of delayed immune reactivity, actually mimicking immediate allergy, presenting itself as urticaria or angio-oedema. The diagnosis of this phenomenon is possible with blood tests measuring levels of some antibodies. The treatment is usually effective.

Problems Possibly Associated With Fungal Activity

Cardiovascular: Palpitations, hypertension.
Digestive: Indigestion, heartburn, gastritis, oesophagitis, flatulence, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhoea, anal irritation.
Ear/Nose/Throat: Catarrh, giddiness, dizziness, sore throat, ear irritation or discharge.
Eyes: Visual problems, more common in diabetics.
Gynaecological: Vaginal thrush, pelvic inflammation, polycystic ovaries, abnormal cervical smears, endometriosis, sub-fertility, heavy or irregular periods, premenstrual syndrome.
Metabolic: Craving for sweets, weight problems.
Muscle/joints: Joint aches and pains, muscle tenderness, gout, recurrent back pains, and cramps.
Neurological: Migraine, headaches, blackouts.
Psychological: Poor memory and concentration, chronic fatigue, irritability, anxiety, depression, PMT.
Skin: Skin rashes, eczema, acne, psoriasis, fungal nails, seborrhoic dermatitis of the scalp.
Urinary Tract: Non-bacterial cystitis, frequency, urgency.

The symptoms caused by active yeasts are similar to those caused by delayed food allergy or food intolerance and some other factors. Candida should not be blamed for everything!

Treatment for Candida

We use specific laboratory tests to confirm if there is a fungal activity and/or an immune reaction to a fungus. If so, there is a good choice of safe, anti-fungal medicines which are prescribed over varying lengths of time, depending on the severity of the problem. After the treatment, we repeat the tests to confirm that the yeast infection has abated and then show you how to remain free of its influence.

SPECIALIST TIPS AND NOTES

Candida albicans is known to produce 92 different mycotoxins, when it is active. The problem with Candida is that sometimes it is inactive and harmless; when active, it can cause a multitude of symptoms; sometimes other unspecified fungi can cause similar symptoms, even in the absence of candida!
Systemic Candidiasis is usually detected with specialist investigations when it has reached very advanced stages. It is a common postmortem finding following long term treatment with oral steroids and cytotoxic medications for HIV and cancer.
Vaginal thrush is the most common gynaecological infection in the western world; its association with wider health issues is not established but often suspected. Some people with abnormal yeast activity in the intestine have the capacity to convert sugars to high levels of ethanol, a type of alcohol, which can make them unsafe to drive. Long term use of steroids and courses of antibiotics increase the risk of abnormal fermentation, fungal type, in the gut.