March 15, 2011 in Features Difficult to diagnose, yeast overgrowth can cause severe health problems Jessica Yadegaran Contra Costa Times

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  Common

candida symptoms

• Gas and bloating

• Lack of energy

• Foggy head

• Forgetfulness

• Nausea

• Skin rashes

Candida resources

• National Candida Center: Information center on causes, symptoms and cleansing and diet treatments for overgrowth ( nationalcandidacenter.com).

• The Candida Diet: A resource on foods to eat and avoid, plus recipes and a discussion forum (thecandidadiet.com).

Brad Crooker’s thirties were stressful. His hectic schedule as an actor and waiter was reflected in his poor diet – lots of muffins, cookies and other refined, on-the-go foods.

In addition to intestinal discomfort, he often found himself nauseous and fatigued. His symptoms were slowing him down.

“I was forgetful. sometimes I almost felt drunk,” recalls Crooker, now 56 and living in Danville, Calif. “I couldn’t function.”

A chiropractor Crooker was seeing for his back told him candida was likely the culprit. Candida is a yeast microorganism that lives in the body’s intestinal tract with other bacteria, such as healthful probiotics.

According to experts, the problem arises when an overgrowth of candida causes an infection, and a multitude of symptoms ensue.

Candida overgrowth is difficult to diagnose. A lack of significant medical studies means most Western doctors don’t recognize it as a condition, except when it appears as a recurring yeast infection in women.

Most sufferers turn to holistic health practitioners who use various techniques, such as measuring yeast levels in stool, to diagnose candida overgrowth and treat it with supplements, antifungal medications and, most important, a change in diet.

Candida diets vary. but the overarching idea is that because yeast is a fermenting organism, you should eliminate foods that convert into alcohol – sugar, certain fruits – and can flourish in the gut as a yeast overgrowth, explains Elson Haas.

Haas, a medical doctor and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, Calif., specializes in integrated medicine and is the author of seven books on health and nutrition.

“In addition to excessive sugars, the overuse of antibiotics and alcohol has caused us to kill off some of the vital microfloral in our intestinal tracts,” he says.

So, the best thing you can do is stop feeding the yeast what it thrives on and replenish with good bacteria, such as yogurt and probiotic supplements.

That means bread is out, too. Haas recommends a diet that is low in sugar, high in protein and includes low-glycemic vegetables.

To kill off an existing candida overgrowth, he uses prescription medications – such as fluconazole, an antifungal – and natural remedies such as castor bean oil extract and caprylic acid.

Crooker used some of those remedies. He switched to a diet of whole foods, including vegetables, yogurt, eggs and fish. And he stopped eating bread, cheese and alcohol.

It took about four months before he felt better.

“I went through withdrawals and started tasting yeast in my mouth at first,” Crooker recalls. “I was starving for those foods I gave up.

“But eventually, I felt better. I had energy, and I could think clearly.”

In some people, the toxins produced by the yeast overgrowth can be absorbed into the body and affect the brain’s function.

“That’s why people complain about feeling foggy and having memory issues,” Haas says. “Some people with candida overgrowth can even produce small alcohol levels in their blood.”

Pubali Ray Chaudhuri didn’t have that symptom, but she did have persistent intestinal bloating and discomfort whenever she ate sugar or aged cheeses.

She discovered her candida overgrowth in 2001, and found help through a naturopath who put her on a yeast-free diet and a round of nystatin, another antifungal medication.

“The diet was restrictive and interfered with a lot of things, like eating out,” says Ray Chaudhuri, 38, of Newark, Calif. “It was difficult, but it worked.”

Even though her overgrowth is gone, most fermented foods, including tofu and mushrooms, still cause her intestinal discomfort. so she sticks to what she calls “a modified version” of the Atkins diet, avoiding refined sugars and carbohydrates.

Not everyone who treats candida overgrowth believes diet is the culprit.

Holistic health practitioner Mitchell Corwin says metal toxicity – specifically, dental amalgam fillings – is the biggest contributor.

“If someone is complaining of symptoms associated with candida, one of the first things I do is look in their mouth,” says Corwin, a practicing chiropractor and kinesiologist for nearly 30 years who has offices in Berkeley and Pleasant Hill, Calif.

“Even one filling is enough to leach mercury into the body and cause heavy metal toxicity,” he says.

Corwin believes people with digestive issues such as lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome are also predisposed to the condition.

In its most severe forms, candida overgrowth can cause leaky gut syndrome, where microbes, undigested food, and waste can pass through an abnormally permeable gut wall, he says.

Most people can find relief by killing the existing overgrowth and avoiding a long list of yeast-ridden foods.

Priscilla Regalado of Richmond, Calif., has been on a candida diet for years. It has helped curb the gas, bloating, nausea and body itching she used to experience.

“I used to be doubled over in pain,” she says.

These days, she avoids most fruits and high-glycemic vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes.

But she has one rule: she comes off the diet during Christmas time.

“Some people choose to stay on those diets all of their life,” Regalado says. “I just can’t do that.”

Psoriasis is an auto-immune skin disease that occurs when skin cells grow rapidly. When our immune system gives faulty signals, new skin cells form too quickly. The body does not shed these extra cells and as a result they pile up on the skin’s surface and form thick, itchy and dry red patches that are often painful.

Since psoriasis, being a metabolic disease, has no cure, treatment is done to control the symptoms. Traditional medicines have number of side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, liver and kidney damage, fever, and joint and muscle pain.

Consuming a Psoriasis diet can help to stop the symptoms from aggravating. since diet alone may not help to eliminate the symptoms and because traditional medicines have lots of side effects, there are many natural products available that can help to prevent the symptoms when used in combination with a psoriasis diet.

Since psoriasis is caused by malfunctioning of immune system, a healthy diet can help to prevent symptoms from worsening. Poor diet can worsen the condition as well. Certain foods can aggravate the symptoms. So eliminating them from your diet is necessary.

Foods like soda, spicy and oily foods, junk foods, red wine, acidic food, berries, and tomatoes should be avoided or at least reduced in your diet. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water in a day at the least; and also reduce the quantity of sugar and fat in your diet.

A cleansing fasting routine with the help of vegetable and fruits juice such as that of cucumber, carrot, beet and grapes can help to prevent the symptoms from flaring up. But juice of citrus fruit should not be included. Use warm water enema during the fast to cleanse the bowel. It should be continued for two weeks.

After the completion of juice fasting, there is need to adopt a diet from three main food groups including nuts, seeds and grains. Include lots of vegetables and fruits in your breakfast along with raw seeds and nuts like sunflower sees, sesame seed, pumpkin seed and handful of nuts. At lunch, eat green vegetables, sprouts and salads; steamed vegetables and whole wheat bread will be a better option for dinner.

If you find improvement in your condition include yogurt, home made cottage cheese, and skimmed milk in your diet. Eggs, butter and cream milk should be avoided. thus, a healthy diet and exercise will help to control the symptoms of psoriasis quite well.