Signs you need to #DetoxYourLife: Candida Overgrowth.
What is Candida? We all have it – it’s a type of yeast necessary for our gut ecosystem that normally lives in small amounts in places like your mouth and belly, or on your skin without causing any problems, but when the veggie hits the fan and we get imbalanced it can multiply and grow out of control.
Signs you may have Candida overgrowth:
- Fatigue
- Chronic yeast infections
- Recurring urinary tract infections
- Nail / toe fungus
- White coating on tongue
- Sugar cravings
- Sinus infections: Common symptoms include a runny nose, nasal congestion, loss of smell and headaches. A study by the Mayo Clinic looked at a group of 210 individuals with chronic sinus infections and found that 96% of them had fungi in their mucus. Yikes!
- Digestive issues including constipation, diarrhea, nausea, gas, cramps and bloating. Studies indicate that overgrowth of Candida is also associated with several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
- Skin rashes or acne that flares up in response to consuming sugar
Things to note about clearing up Candida overgrowth:
You must find out the root cause to effectively address it. For me it was mercury poisoning. For others it may be a poor diet, or even an imbalance caused by medication. Steroid drugs like Prednisone can actually promote Candida overgrowth. And undergoing the process of antibiotic therapy, steroid therapy, or chemotherapy also increase the chance of a candida overgrowth.
Know this: If you are on a no sugar diet for years you are approaching it wrong! It took me a month and a half of targeted detox to clear it up. You do need a period of restricting sugars – Absolutely no refined sugar or flour should be allowed – but low glycemic index fruit can be fine in moderation.
Don’t try to use probiotics as a bandaid. There’s a place for them in gut healing but we have to clear out the core issue first and then “reseed” or repopulate the gut with good bacteria. In addition to a regular probiotic, a strain called Saccharomyces Boulardii is particularly effective against Candida.
If you or someone you know thinks you may have candida, holla at your girl. There’s testing that you need to do to confirm it’s presence, and getting a detox protocol that is tailored to your situation is ideal. -XO