I’ve Heard That Word ‘Candida’ Before…

Candida is a bacteria that everyone has in their intestines, though it’s problematic when there is too much of it: an overgrowth. Candida feeds on sugar, which includes alcohol & grain products in addition to the sweet stuff. The gas that our bodies run on is glucose, so everything we eat is converted into it. It’s when we have more fuel than our body needs that problems can arise.

Symptoms of a candida overgrowth are incredibly varied and vague which makes it very difficult to pin down as the root cause of your ills. Everything from headaches, fatigue & difficulty concentrating to varying infections: vaginal, skin, nail, urinary. Depression, and autoimmune issues such as lupus, psoriasis and hashimoto’s (thyroid) can be diagnosed by a doctor, but you may never know what caused it in the first place. Because this bacteria lives on sugar, regardless of any other symptoms you may have it’s likely that you’ll crave sweets and carbs like bread & pasta. Ridding the body of excess candida involves an exceptionally strict diet for months on end- it’s very difficult. This is definitely a case of:

The word ‘antibiotic’ literally translates to ‘anti:against’ and ‘bio:life’, meaning they kill all of the bacteria. If you absolutely must take them, it is incredibly important to supplement with probiotics to recolonize your good bacteria after everything has been wiped out (though don’t take them at the same time). Choose a probiotic supplement with as many different kinds of bacteria as you can- variety is the spice of life, no? You also want to look for one with an ‘enteric coating’ which will withstand the harsh environment in your stomach. (Did you know that your stomach acid can dissolve razor blades? Pretty strong stuff!) Not much of the probiotic content of your yogurt is going to make it past the digestive juices of your stomach no matter what the dairy companies tell you.

1000 different kinds of bacteria numbering around 100 trillion make your intestines their home. This makes for between 2-6 pounds of bacteria in your gut- while some of these are good & some bad, this is weight you don’t want to lose! Research is showing that there is actually a larger number of neurons in the digestive system than in the spinal cord. You have a second brain in your gut! Needless to say, there’s a whole lot more going on between your hips than we tend to think about. Show your digestive system a bit of love today & make some smart decisions about food. If you need some help with those decisions, feel free to contact our office for more information about the services our in house Registered Holistic Nutritionist offers.

Have a healthy day!