Are you wondering how to get rid of Candida overgrowth? First, let's define Candida overgrowth and how it impacts the body. Then I'll teach you the three methods to getting rid of it!
What Is Candida Overgrowth?
Candida albicans is a yeast that grows naturally on your skin and in your gastrointestinal tract. Candida is normally kept in check by "friendly" gut flora, but it can sometimes multiply uncontrollably.
The ensuing infections can cause discomfort and inflammation throughout the body, including the skin, intestines, and genitals. Candida overgrowth is most commonly seen on the skin, mouth, and in vaginal infections.
An intestinal Candida overgrowth can inflame and damage the intestines' walls, generating toxic metabolites that can lead to a variety of health difficulties, from digestive disorders to depression.
What Causes Candida?
Candida overgrowth can result from a high-sugar diet, antibiotics, prolonged stress, the contraceptive pill, chemical exposure, or diabetes. Typically, multiple of these dietary and lifestyle factors combine to cause an overgrowth.
Antibiotics are likely the most common cause of Candida overgrowth. A single course of antibiotics can eliminate many of the healthy and friendly bacteria that live in your stomach. This can render your body defenseless to hazardous bacteria and fungus, such as the rapidly developing Candida yeast.
What Are the Symptoms of Candida?
Overgrowth symptoms:
Fatigue, brain fog, stomach difficulties, sinus infections, reoccurring yeast infections, moderate depression, joint pain, and many other symptoms may occur. All of these can be attributed to an imbalance in the gut flora.
Here are some of the more prevalent Candida overgrowth symptoms. You may only have a few of these, or you may have the majority of them.
1. Fatigue
The gut is where nutrients are digested, metabolized, and absorbed. If Candida's colonies have grown to the point that they disrupt this balance, your digestion may suffer. Foods can travel through your intestines without being adequately broken down, meaning you won't absorb the nutrients they contain. Over time, this might cause exhaustion since your body isn't getting enough food.
Candida overgrowth is linked to nutrient deficits, including vital fatty acids, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, and B6. Low levels in any of these minerals, particularly magnesium, can lead to weariness.
2. Brain Fog
Candida's metabolic processes produce a diverse range of compounds, many of which are poisonous to humans. These include the neurotoxic acetaldehyde, which induces hangovers. The liver may get overworked as it struggles to digest higher levels of acetaldehyde.
The accumulation of acetaldehyde, ethanol, and other toxins in your body can slow down different functions, particularly those involving your nervous system and brain. Common symptoms include confusion, memory problems, and difficulty concentrating.
3. Digestive Issues
Candida overgrowth can both cause and result from inadequate gut flora. This can have a significant impact on how your body digests food while also decreasing your immunity.
Good bacteria that live in your gut are an important part of your digestive system, responsible for the breakdown of carbohydrates, fibers, and some sugars. When a healthy gut microbiome is overrun by an opportunistic infection such as Candida albicans, the small and large intestines can begin to operate abnormally.
Candida-related digestive difficulties may include diarrhea, gas, bloating, constipation, cramps, nausea, and other symptoms. Researchers have connected Candida overgrowth with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, gastric ulcers, and duodenal ul
4. RECURRING YEAST INFECTIONS
Repeated vaginal yeast infections are an indication that something is amiss with your microbiota. More than 75% of women will develop a vaginal yeast infection at some point in their life, and over 40% will have two or more. The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection vary from person to person, but they may include itching, swelling, white discharge, and pain during intercourse.
5. ORAL THRUSH
The same environmental conditions that produce intestine overgrowth can also result in an oral Candida infection. Antibiotics and a high-sugar diet alter the ecology in both your stomach and your mouth, making both more inviting to the Candida fungus. White lumps or lesions on your tongue, throat, or other parts of your mouth are warning signs.
3 Steps to Get Rid of a Candida Overgrowth
A Candida treatment strategy must include three components: a reduced sugar diet, natural antifungals, and healthy probiotics. These three substances help deny Candida albicans of its food, keep it from invading your gut, and reestablish a healthy balance of beneficial microorganisms. Avoiding inflammatory foods can also help you recover your intestinal health.
Here are three steps for getting rid of Candida overgrowth.
1. The Anti-Candida Diet
The Anti-Candida diet is low-sugar, anti-inflammatory, and supports intestinal health. The diet consists of non-starchy vegetables, some low-sugar fruits, non-glutinous grains, fermented foods, and healthy proteins.
The diet promotes eating more anti-inflammatory foods that can help reverse inflammation. This includes veggies, nutritious proteins and lipids, and fermented meals. Bone broth, for example, includes gelatin, which can help protect the gut wall. It contains glutamine, which has been found to decrease the inflammation and oxidative stress that causes intestinal permeability.
Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and yogurt, naturally contain a lot of probiotic microorganisms. Label terms to check for include "live cultures," "probiotic," and "unpasteurized." These are good indicators that the product contains live bacteria. The best foods are unsweetened yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kvass, pickles, olives, and apple cider vinegar.
Avoid anything with added sweets, high-sugar fruits, or gluten-containing grains. Reduce your consumption of alcohol and caffeine, as they can increase intestinal inflammation and destabilize your blood sugar. This is because Candida utilizes sugar to promote cellular growth and transition into its pathogenic, fungal form, which is more likely to spread throughout your gut and abroad. It also uses sugar to produce biofilms, which allow it to evade your immune system. Candida albicans forms biofilms to protect itself.
2. Probiotics
The next step in overcoming Candida overgrowth is to consume high-quality probiotics. More than 70% of your immune system is located in your gut, therefore your digestive tract (and the bacteria that live within it) play a critical role in the prevention of infection and disease. The cells that line your gut interact with both your innate and adaptive immune systems, making it your body's first line of defense against external invaders.
According to research, a healthy microbiome boosts the function of your immune system and aids your body's defense against viruses. Probiotics have been found to protect against E. Coli, reduce the frequency and duration of respiratory infections, lessen the risk of urinary tract infections, and prevent or treat infectious diarrhea caused by sickness or bacteria.
Probiotics have been proven to inhibit Candida albicans from building biofilms and colonies in the stomach. Probiotics can help restore your immune system and strengthen your body's natural defenses against Candida albicans. This is necessary not only to eliminate your Candida overgrowth, but also to prevent Candida and other illnesses from reoccurring in the future.
3. Antifungals
Finally, antifungals can aid with Candida overgrowth. Antifungal medications are well-absorbed and have a powerful antifungal impact, although they do have some unpleasant side effects. Worse, yeasts and fungi evolve to and become resistant to the medicine, reducing its effectiveness dramatically.
There is a wide variety of natural antifungal herbs and foods that are equally effective in treating Candida infections, and in many cases, even better. Natural antifungals seldom cause resistance and have significantly fewer negative effects.
Here are some nice examples of natural antifungals.
CAPRYLIC ACID
Caprylic acid is an active component in coconut oil. It operates by interfering with Candida yeast's cell walls. Its short-chain fatty acids can easily enter the yeast cell wall, inhibiting growth and causing it to rupture. This efficiently kills the yeast cell.
Indeed, studies demonstrate that oral supplementation with caprylic acid lowers the symptoms of Candida faster and more efficiently than Diflucan.
OREGANO OIL
Oregano oil not only inhibits Candida albicans growth, but it also works as a potent prophylactic when taken on a daily basis. It contains two naturally occurring antibacterial agents, carvacrol and thymol. These medications operate by interacting with the water in your bloodstream, thereby dehydrating and eliminating Candida yeast cells.
Other investigations have found that the primary terpenoids in oregano—carvacrol, thymol, and eugenol—had significant antifungal action. These crucial phenols are effective in not only destroying planktonic cells but also the biofilms of Candida albicans, which are frequently resistant to numerous commercial antifungal medicines.
GARLIC
Garlic includes the potent antifungal agent ajoene, an organosulfur molecule that has been shown to kill a range of fungal infections. Several investigations have indicated that ajoene has substantial anticandidal activity and can inhibit the growth and spread of Candida albicans.
Scientists believe that ajoene works like other antifungals by damaging the cell walls of Candida yeast cells, preventing them from functioning normally.
Final Thoughts
Andida overgrowth can be caused by a variety of lifestyle and dietary variables. It is simple to fix at first, but if left untreated, it can become problematic. Just remember these three tips for getting rid of candidate overgrowth. Maintain a low-sugar diet, take natural antifungals, and consume healthy probiotics.
