26 May Wheat: Bread to Cause Problems, Part Three
CANDIDA
Reoccurring infections? Unexplained digestive upset? Just don’t feel right? Candida is the cause of many health issues.
Manifestations such as digestive issues or infections in toenails, urinary tract, or the mouth may seem to be totally unrelated but can all have the same cause; a yeast by the name of Candida Albicans, commonly known as Candida.
Candida is naturally found in all people but becomes a problem when its numbers increase to a point that the immune system can no longer keep under control.
Factors that lead to the increase of candida in the body are many but the key factor is a compromised immune system. Other factors include multiple antibiotic use, poor diet, stress, steroid use, oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), asthma puffers, weakened digestion etc.. With these triggers, candida thrives with one of the outcomes being infection in the affected area.
Signs and symptoms depend on which part of the body is affected. They include fungal toe infections, creamy white coatings on the tongue, genital itching and discharges, skin problems, fatigue, bloating, digestive issues, reoccurring immune dysfunction, feelings of heaviness, mental dullness, oedema, excess of mucus, sluggishness, weakness, fatigue, bad breath, sweet and bread cravings, reoccurring fungal infections, multiple allergies, poor digestion etc..
Candida starts out as a small fungus but if given the right environmental factors it can grow out of control and move throughout the body. For example Candida in the digestive tract can pierce through the intestinal wall and then wind its way through the body like a vine attaching to various other systems causing further damage.
Bread and wheat (refer to previous blogs on wheat: Part 1 and Part 2) can contribute to candida growth and distribution in a couple of ways:
1) The sugar content and yeast in bread accelerates candida growth,
2) The gluten component of wheat even in non-gluten sensitive people opens up the gap junctions in the intestinal wall, which causes leaky gut and also allows candida to easily pass through into the blood stream and grow wherever it goes.
If you are suffering from reoccurring urinary tract infections, fungal and yeast infections, or reoccurring digestive issues without a known cause, we can run tests to check if candida is the underlying cause of your ongoing health issues so that we can make the first step towards returning you back to health.
