Characteristics of Candida Overgrowth

Candidiasis is the overgrowth of the yeast Candida Albicans.  Normally this yeast/fungus lives in healthy balance with other bacteria and yeasts in the body; however, certain conditions can cause it to multiply, weakening the immune system and causing problems throughout the body.  

Symptoms of candidiasis include constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, bloating, abdominal pain, headaches, rectal itching, poor memory and poor concentration, mood swings and irritability, PMS, fatigue and drowsiness, joint and muscle pain, food and chemical sensitivities, depression and anxiety, and sugar and alcohol cravings.  This is not an exhaustive list. 

It’s almost always advisable to consult a nutrition consultant so that an individual treatment program can be devised.  If that’s not possible, buy a good cookery health book or two on Candida and follow the following diet and health supplement program.  Do not be surprised if you sometimes feel worse before you feel better once you are on a program– this can be a sign of Candida ‘die-off’, and can often be avoided by working closely with an experienced nutrition consultant.

The following Candida questionnaire was designed by Dr William G Crook and was first published in The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough.  It lists factors in your medical history that promote the growth of Candida Albicans, and symptoms commonly found in individuals with yeast-connected illnesses.

• Have you taken antibiotics for acne for 1 month or longer?

• Have you been pregnant 2 or more times?

• Have you, at any time in your life, taken other antibiotics for respiratory, urinary or other infections (for 2 months or longer, or in shorter courses,4 or more times in a 1 year period?

• Have you, at any time in your life, been bothered by persistent thrush or prostatitis(men), or by other problems affecting your reproductive organs?

• Have you taken birth control pills for more than 2 years?

• Have you taken cortisone steroid type drugs for more than 2 weeks?

• Does exposure to perfumes or other chemicals provoke moderate to severe symptoms?

• Have you had athlete's foot, ringworm, "jock itch", or other chronic fungal infections of the skin or nails?

• Do you crave sugar?

• Do you crave breads?

• Do you crave alcoholic beverages?

• Does tobacco smoke really bother you?                    

• Feeling of being "drained" 

• Poor memory 

• Feeling "spacey" or unreal 

• Inability to make decisions 

• Numbness, burning or tingling 

• Insomnia 

• Muscle aches 

• Muscle weakness or paralysis 

• Pain and/or swelling in joints      

• Abdominal pain

• Constipation 

• Diarrhea 

• Bloating, belching or intestinal gas 

• Troublesome vaginal burning, itching or discharge 

• Prostatitis (men) 

• Impotence 

• Loss of sexual desire or feeling 

• Endometriosis (women) or infertility 

• Cramps and/or other menstrual irregularities 

• Premenstrual syndrome 

• Attacks of anxiety or crying 

• Cold hands or feet and/or chilliness

• Shaking or irritable when hungry 

• Drowsiness     

• Irritability and jitteriness 

• Inability to concentrate 

• Frequent mood swings 

• Headaches 

• Dizziness/loss of balance 

• Pressure above ears (feeling of head swelling? 

• Tendency to bruise easily 

• Chronic rashes or itching 

• Numbness, tingling 

• Indigestion or heartburn 

• Food sensitivity or intolerance 

• Mucus in stools 

• Rectal itching 

• Dry mouth or throat 

• Rash or blisters in mouth 

• Bad breath                              

• Foot hair or body odor not relieved by washing 

• Nasal congestion or post-nasal drip 

• Nasal itching 

• Sore throat 

• Laryngitis, loss of voice 

• Cough or recurrent bronchitis 

• Pain or tightness in chest 

• Wheezing or shortness of breath          

• Urinary urgency or frequency issues? 

• Burning on urination? 

• Spots in front of eyes or erratic vision?

• Burning or tearing of eyes?

• Recurrent infections or fluid in ears ?

• Ear pain or deafness ?

Nutrition - Diet Recommendations Candida Overgrowth

• If possible, consult a nutrition consultant.  

• Eat vegetables, fish, beans, lentils, seeds, millet, buckwheat and some oats.

• Eat skinless and preferably organic chicken and turkey.

• Eat linseeds (flaxseed) every day, with water. 

• Drink at least 1/2 gallon (~1½ liters) of spring or filtered water per day. 

• Avoid all breads, grains, yeast, sugar and alcohol.  These all feed the yeast. 

• Avoid cheeses, fermented foods, wheat, pickles, vinegar and mushrooms. 

• Avoid oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes for at least one month.  Avoid oranges and orange juice until Candida is totally under control. 

• Avoid mould in damp rooms and kitchens and bathrooms.  Get someone else to clean damp mould in the bathroom or wear a mask. 

• Avoid antibiotics and steroid hormones if possible, under your Doctor’s advice. 

• If you are pregnant, or think you may be, it would be inadvisable to to take anti-fungal supplements. If you are planning a pregnancy, it would be advisable to deal with Candidiasis first.

• Consider mercury toxicity poisoning, food sensitivities, hypoglycemia, adrenal stress, leaky gut, parasites.

Health Supplements that may help Candida

Vitawave - Liquid vitamins, amino acids and herbs

Evening Primrose Oil - Essential fatty acids

CleanStart - Cleanse Program

Pau D'Arco - Anti-fungal herb

Caprylimune - Contains Caprylic acid to help kill off candida -- Immune system builder

Bifidophilus - probiotic supplement

Food Enzymes - digestion aid

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