Candida Overgrowth And Celiac Connection

[esthesio-vivi]

I'm an otherwise healthy 24 year old, and I've been suffering with a chronic Candida overgrowth for over a year and a half. At the time of my self-diagnosis I decided I was also allergic to wheat. My health has been in shambles this entire time, but about three weeks ago I decided that I am GLUTEN intolerant/maybe Celiac. Since then have stopped eating gluten all together, and this has definately helped me feel better.

I have been on a regimen of Diflucan for about four months, and I have been on a strict yeast-free/sugar-free diet. The issue is, I am still suffering from horrible yeast infections constantly. From everything I've read I should at least be able to manage it this way so it doesn't get out of control, but I don't believe it's working.

It's absurd! I don't know how they could still be flourishing. In two days I'll be going to the doc to get some tests done. What do I need to get tested to see what could be making the Candida thrive? Could I have some hormone or enzyme deficiency?

I know they both have similar symptoms, and they both cause leaky gut. Is it possible eating Gluten actually caused my Candidiasis?

[Guest cassidy]

Based on my research, here is how I understand it. If you are gluten intolerant/celiac eating gluten causing a big strain on your system. Since your system is compromised nasty things like candida have an easier chance of taking over.

My doctor put me on nystatin for 3 months. I took 2 1/2 months of it. My mother (also a celiac) decided that she had a candida issue as well. She tried threelac and was feeling better before me. So the last month on nystatin I took threelac as well. I didn't eat much sugar but I ate rice, fruit, veggies, rice crackers and I still got better. Now, I feel great. I'm off all the medicine and I can eat sugar and whatever I want without problems.

My guess would be that you have damage that needs to heal. It takes 6-12 months for gluten damage to heal, so during that time I think you would get progressively better. I would think that you need a really strong probiotic and maybe kefir if you can tolerate dairy. I really thought the threelac worked very well, you could take that with diflucan.

Hope you feel better. At least you have finally figured it out and should be on your way to recovery

[lindalee]

I was watching an old show that I had taped on Enzime (sp) defiency- She said yeast is an enzime defiency-www.valeriesaxion.com-from undigested food, allergies,paracites, bloating, arthritis, osteo, inadequate protein digestion which leads to hypoglicemia, lower immune system, skin problems (hives, rashes, eczema,etc): she basically says enzymes help you digest better, feel better and look better. Hope this helps. LL

[Rice Cakes]

C.D. causes iron malabsorption which causes us to leave iron in the gut, which is encouraging to Candida. Once it grows into an area it can be difficult to get rid of.

[2kids4me]

I know they both have similar symptoms, and they both cause leaky gut. Is it possible eating Gluten actually caused my Candidiasis?

Candida is an "opportunist" infection - yeast is normally found in the body - in small numbers. Infections, stress, autoimmune disorders create the environment that yeast loves - and it overgrows - thus causing infection. There are umteen different causes of this from antibiotics to illness to hormone imbalance. ...and yes, once it happens you have to correct and/or find the underlying cause PLUS treat the yeast infection - not an easy task. If you treat only the yeast overgrowth but not the illness behind it, then the underlying illness/issue will lead to another yeast infection because the environment is still "ripe for yeast". Think of an undiagnosed Type 2 diabetic or the undiagnosed celiac - going in repeatedly to the doctor to be treated for yeast problem - until they diagnose the diabetes or celiac - the yeast will create havoc as it will also alter the normal population of good bacteria in the gut. Its like a merry go round til you get to the bottom of it. See below that it is medically recognized that chronic candida infections occur commonly with other disorders - celiac is one of them. Even in vet medicine - when we see a nasty yeast infection in the ear of a dog - there is something else we need to address besides just the ears - we check the overall health when we see that. It could be as simple as anatomy (floppy ears) or that the dog spent the past week swimming in a swamp or that the dog has an illness that made him prone to it.

Many diseases can occur more commonly together - diabetics have increased chance of being hypothyroid, celiac and hypothyroidism can occur in the same individual, there are known genetic links for all autoimmune disease and if one family member has one - then relatives are in a higher risk group. See the following sites for autoimmune disease with common links:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

The syndrome of multiple endocrine organ involvement (and other organs that don't have hormones, like the skin) is called by several names, including: autoimmune endocrine failure syndrome,

autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome,

autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, and

immunoendocrinopathy syndrome.

This syndrome might include any or most of the following disorders:

type 1 or autoimmune (1) Diabetes

Vitiligo (white patches on the skin that lack pigmentation)

premature menopause

Addison's disease (adrenal gland failure)

Pernicious Anemia

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland function), and thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland).

Alopecia Totalis (loss of body hair)

Parathyroid gland failure

Pituitary gland failure

Candidia infections of the skin and mucus membranes

Two varieties of the syndrome have been described:

Type I

Type 1 Diabetes

Vitiligo

premature menopause

Addison's disease

Pernicious Anemia

Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis

Parathyroid gland failure

Alopecia

Pituitary gland failure

Candidia infections of the skin and mucus membranes

Malabsorption syndrome

Chronic Active Hepatitis

Type II

Type 1 Diabetes

Vitiligo

premature menopause

Addison's disease

Pernicious Anemia

Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis

Parathyroid gland failure

Alopecia

Myasthenia gravis

Parkinson disease

Celiac disease

If someone has several of these conditions, or if one member of a family has one of these conditions, and another family member has another, it's very likely that they may have antibodies (2) against other endocrine tissues. (And, if a biopsy of affected tissue were obtained, it will show lymphocytic infiltration (3).

and yes you can have a condition from the subset of Type 1 and another in Type 2 . My chidlren do not fit into either category completely, the endocrinologist feels there should be a third catergory for children as she sees different "combos' of autoimmune disorders than listed here

[lindalee]

C.D. causes iron malabsorption which causes us to leave iron in the gut, which is encouraging to Candida. Once it grows into an area it can be difficult to get rid of.

Rice Cakes, I have been wondering about what happens to the iron. Could you explain? Thanks, LL

[chericovenant]

I'm an otherwise healthy 24 year old, and I've been suffering with a chronic Candida overgrowth for over a year and a half. At the time of my self-diagnosis I decided I was also allergic to wheat. My health has been in shambles this entire time, but about three weeks ago I decided that I am GLUTEN intolerant/maybe Celiac. Since then have stopped eating gluten all together, and this has definately helped me feel better.

I have been on a regimen of Diflucan for about four months, and I have been on a strict yeast-free/sugar-free diet. The issue is, I am still suffering from horrible yeast infections constantly. From everything I've read I should at least be able to manage it this way so it doesn't get out of control, but I don't believe it's working.

It's absurd! I don't know how they could still be flourishing. In two days I'll be going to the doc to get some tests done. What do I need to get tested to see what could be making the Candida thrive? Could I have some hormone or enzyme deficiency?

I know they both have similar symptoms, and they both cause leaky gut. Is it possible eating Gluten actually caused my Candidiasis?

I also have Candida and gluten sensitivities. I never use to be gluten intolerant, but after 6 years of horrible Candida problems, I now have a sensitivity to it. So I don't think gluten problems cause Candida overgrowth. It is the other way around. Candida is known for causing lots of food sensitivities and gluten is only one of them. I think I read somewhere that the yeast has an amino structure similar to wheat so that your body may be using up all its resource that are needed to digest wheat when you are fighting yeast problems. That's my theory, but it would need more research to back up that claim. Anyway, concerning your yeast thriving inspite of your diet, I have discovered that I must have two other things under control in addition to a sugar and gluten free diet to keep me in good health. The first thing is that my estrogen can not be high in proportion to my progesterone. I had read somewhere that the yeast feed off excess estrogen like they do candy. I had a saliva test done (blood tests are not accurate) and it showed I was estrogen dominant. So I now use progesterone cream even though I am not at all near menopause. I also have to watch eating things with a lot of soy because that raises estrogen. The second thing is that sugar can also be released into the blood stream when a person is under stress and the yeast can feed off that sugar. So you must keep your stress to nil, which I have only been able to do by going into the Bible and reading it to change my perspective, transform my mind, and remove my fears. I would also look into whether you might not be diabetic. Diabetics have a high blood sugar content and often suffer from yeast problems. I imagine that even with hypoglycemia there is a sugar high before there is a sugar low. So when you eat always include some form of protein to keep blood sugar down. As for the type of carbs to eat, I find that the best carbs for me are whole grains, especially amaranth, quinoa, and millet, and of course any variety of rice (but I would avoid processed white rice). In addition, I take probiotics regularly and use Candex (can get at most health food stores and kills Candida in a way that does not allow them to become resistant to you). After a year and a half on this program, my yeast problem is about 80% gone. I cured myself once before on another regiment and the yeast came back stronger than ever because as soon as I was better I began eating sugar. You can't do this. You must stay on your diet several years after you think you are better to allow the good bacteria to really outgrow the yeast. Hope this helps!

[BRUMI1968]

Hi. From what I understand, you need to go on a specific diet for a short period of time to kill off the yeast. What I did was called the Body Ecology Diet. You might want to check it out from the library because it sounds like it might really help you.

Conceptually, you need to attack on ALL fronts simulteneously. Putting good bacteria/yeast into your system isn't going to work if there are bad bacteria/yeast taking up all the space. Thus, you have to starve them out.

this means:

no grains

no sugar

no fruits

no sweet veggies (carrots, peas, sweet potato)

no starchy veggies (potatoes, winter squash, carrots)

no vinegar

no mushrooms

no cheese

no beer (gluten-free, of course)

Even the sugar in fruit is going to feed the yeast.

As they die off, you might feel like death warmed over - I know I did. After one week of doing this, I actually had to have a dose of something to pick me up, so I had an almond shake with rice and almonds. It worked as a pick-me-up.

Lifelong changes should include:

no sugar

only eat fruit on empty stomach (or it ferments and feeds yeast)

That's what I remember. I felt a lot better after doing the diet, and still do a modified version of it now. Again, the name of the book is: THE BODY ECOLOGY DIET, and I highly recommend it.

[esthesio-vivi]

OMG! thank you all so much for all of this information. It would take me forever to do this much research, and I'm sure if I tried, my eyes would be so glazed over I wouldn't even be able to pick out what would help me.

I have been doing research of my own since the start of my troubles, and I have for the most part gotten through the worst of it (Candida) I believe. It's the infections that still persist, other than that (though up and down) my energy and mind have been mostly intact with (what I think is) careful dieting.

It's the underlying health problems I'm wondering about, and I guess how long I have to live/eat like this to really get over it. At the age of 24, to be suffering from something like this for two years seems like an eternity. It's hard to remember that this stuff doesn't just go away like a virus. That's ingrained into what my idea of illness is.

Freshly health insuranced, my appointment is tomorrow!... can't wait to go over the list of lovely symptoms I've been experiencing. I will be taking your suggestions of underlying causes and encourage my doctor to take them into consideration. It's hard to know if he's Candida/Celiac savvy, so it might be a challenge. I've also definately suspected thyroid, and diabetes... so may the testing begin!

Thanks again!!

[lindalee]

OMG! thank you all so much for all of this information. It would take me forever to do this much research, and I'm sure if I tried, my eyes would be so glazed over I wouldn't even be able to pick out what would help me.

I have been doing research of my own since the start of my troubles, and I have for the most part gotten through the worst of it (Candida) I believe. It's the infections that still persist, other than that (though up and down) my energy and mind have been mostly intact with (what I think is) careful dieting.

It's the underlying health problems I'm wondering about, and I guess how long I have to live/eat like this to really get over it. At the age of 24, to be suffering from something like this for two years seems like an eternity. It's hard to remember that this stuff doesn't just go away like a virus. That's ingrained into what my idea of illness is.

Freshly health insuranced, my appointment is tomorrow!... can't wait to go over the list of lovely symptoms I've been experiencing. I will be taking your suggestions of underlying causes and encourage my doctor to take them into consideration. It's hard to know if he's Candida/Celiac savvy, so it might be a challenge. I've also definately suspected thyroid, and diabetes... so may the testing begin!

Thanks again!!

Esthesio, I hope all goes well for you tomorrow and you have a really good doctor! Your art and photos are lovely LL

[Lymetoo]

I've wondered the same thing. I have a long history of illness.....many of which took a long time to be diagnosed.

Chronic illness compromises the immune system, and mine is shot full of holes! So....I've struggled with candida for about 6 yrs..... I've probably had gluten intolerance for at least 26 yrs....not good, since I haven't been gluten free until 2 wks ago!

Anyway, I've been hoping that going gluten free will help the candida issues. One can hope!

Here is a plan I use to get the candida under control. Maybe it will help you also:

Candida diet and elimination:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

"Successful control and elminiation of a Candida Albicans overgrowth requires a multifaceted program as described below. Failure to follow ALL the steps simultaneously will result in slow progress and will lengthen healing time significantly. The program should be tailored to the individual and must balance the need to eliminate the Candida and deprive it of its food source while insuring proper nutrition for the individual."

Five Steps to Candida Elimination:

1. You must starve it into submission by eliminating its food source.

2. You must kill it with anti-fungal herbs and supplements. [e.g....garlic, onion, caprylic acid, Pau D'Arco capsules or tea, clove, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, tea tree oil, Echinacea, Goldenseal, black walnut, MSM, barberry root, uva ursi, neem leaf, biotin]

3. You must reestablish the proper balance and quantity of probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. [...multi-strain lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus capsules with FOS should be taken between meals to maximize repopulation of the digestive tract by beneficial bacteria.]

4. You must reestablish proper levels of all B vitamins (yeast free) and utilize other immune enhancing supplements to boost immune system function. [e.g ... B complex vitamins (yeast free), biotin, beta 1-3 glucan, colostrum, maitake mushroom, vitamins A, C, E, zinc and selenium]

5. You must cleanse and heal the digestive tract to promote proper elimination of toxins and Candida and assimilation of nutrients. [e.g...chlorophyll, MSM, omega 3 fatty acids found in flax seed and salmon oils, GLA found in borage, evening primrose and black currant oils. Pantothenic acid, digestive enzymes between meals]

========================

I"ve recently discovered THERALAC [not threelac].....It is AWESOME. For the first time, I've been able to tell a difference in a product like that. It's a probiotic. The acidic stomach does not destroy the probiotic.....very important.

www.theralac.com

[esthesio-vivi]

I tried Threelac for a time, and I believed it helped, but once it took care of the worst of the yeast I found that I was reacting badly to the natural citrus flavoring. For once I was wishing it was artificial, as I am allergic to all citrus fruits. I was sad that I couldn't continue with it. I'm still wondering if it exists in some form without the flavoring.

So for me it's useless as a supplement to keep the lurking yeasties at bay, unless I'm dying. For now Diflucan and probiotics will have to do. I am looking into other supplements though, such as Psyllium, Bentonite, and Caproyl/Caprylic acid. Any thoughts?

[marciab]

I have a very sensitive stomach too and systemic candida, I think. I've been treating it with Pau d Arco tea, garlic (occasionally) and kefir (natural probiotic) so I've stopped getting the obvious symtom.

How do you know if you have systemic candida ? The symptom list is overwhelming and so similar to other symtpom lists.

I was going to suggest that you try kefir even if dairy is a problem for you. They say most people can digest kefir because of the process it goes through. I started with 1 sip a day and now I am up to 12 - 16 oz a day. I get the plain Helios kefir from my health food store. It is gluten free of course.

I understand douching can help with this too. I read a couple of posts here about it. Just do a search on d%$#@#$.

Which brings me to my question, does anyone know how much kefir should a person drink ? And is it safe to use as a d%$#@#$ ?

Marcia

[BostonCeliac]

I understand douching can help with this too. I read a couple of posts here about it. Just do a search on d%$#@#$.

I would NOT recommend douching -- this will make the yeast infection worse!! It throws off the PH levels in your body & is not natural... Unless you do it with water alone. But I thought the Kefir was a great suggestion, Whole Foods carries it.

I am heading towards a Celiac diagnosis (positive blood work, sister has it, endoscopy scheduled for Aug 16) and began because about 4 months ago I began having severe stomach pain, although I have been anemic for about 6 years, no other probelms until lately. One thing I've noticed is that in the past year I have had three yeast infections, and these are the first three of my life?! I'm wondering if it's related to the worsening of the probable celiac. What do you think???

Thanks!

[Rice Cakes]

Rice Cakes, I have been wondering about what happens to the iron. Could you explain? Thanks, LL

I am not a mycologist and so I am not familiar with the unusually large need fungi have for iron. It could be building a common structure, it could be helping to convert an environmental material into useful food.

[esthesio-vivi]

I have a very sensitive stomach too and systemic candida, I think. I've been treating it with Pau d Arco tea, garlic (occasionally) and kefir (natural probiotic) so I've stopped getting the obvious symtom.

How do you know if you have systemic candida ? The symptom list is overwhelming and so similar to other symtpom lists.

Marcia,

First.... to help you. This site revolves around a wholistic approach to candida and has lots of helpful info, even a pretty good candida forum. The link is to a Candida symptom assessment questionairre. Maybe it'll help you determine if it's what is causing your trouble.

Open Original Shared Link

And second....to further confuse you. This is a link is to an article about the similarity of Candidasis and Celiac disease... pretty amazing!

Open Original Shared Link

Oh, and this may seem silly, but here's a simple saliva test that could surprise you.

Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

[Lymetoo]

I tried Threelac for a time, and I believed it helped, but once it took care of the worst of the yeast I found that I was reacting badly to the natural citrus flavoring. For once I was wishing it was artificial, as I am allergic to all citrus fruits. I was sad that I couldn't continue with it. I'm still wondering if it exists in some form without the flavoring.

THERAlac is what you want. NO citrus flavoring or anything like that. Go to their website and read up on it. www.theralac.com

Caprylic acid works pretty good. Also these are good products:

Candex

Yeast Fighters

[taz sharratt]

I'm an otherwise healthy 24 year old, and I've been suffering with a chronic Candida overgrowth for over a year and a half. At the time of my self-diagnosis I decided I was also allergic to wheat. My health has been in shambles this entire time, but about three weeks ago I decided that I am GLUTEN intolerant/maybe Celiac. Since then have stopped eating gluten all together, and this has definately helped me feel better.

I have been on a regimen of Diflucan for about four months, and I have been on a strict yeast-free/sugar-free diet. The issue is, I am still suffering from horrible yeast infections constantly. From everything I've read I should at least be able to manage it this way so it doesn't get out of control, but I don't believe it's working.

It's absurd! I don't know how they could still be flourishing. In two days I'll be going to the doc to get some tests done. What do I need to get tested to see what could be making the Candida thrive? Could I have some hormone or enzyme deficiency?

I know they both have similar symptoms, and they both cause leaky gut. Is it possible eating Gluten actually caused my Candidiasis?

i too have sufferd this way for years and it was only through the cronic thrush that i finally got an answer to why i kept getting it. as soon as i came off the gluten i stoped haveing thrush, the only thing i can think off is that i was also diagnosed as haveing a milk allergy, this may be your prob as celiac and milk intolerance have almost the same symptoms. cut out dairy for a while you may start to feel better, also being celiac you are prone to being lactose intolerant as the viilia arent working properly. ask your doctor for the test, it doesnt hurt, you just have to drink a glass of lactose and then do the breath test in to some balloons. hope this helps. sorry didnt read any other posts so excuse me if youve had this reply allready

[esthesio-vivi]

THERAlac is what you want. NO citrus flavoring or anything like that. Go to their website and read up on it. www.theralac.com

Har Harr.. I guess I should learn to read a little more closely. Sorry, I looked back and saw you emphasised the THERA the first time too. oops

ANYhow... thanks! It looks good. I'm excited... looks safely consumable for my intolerant tummy. YaY!

[marciab]

Esthesio

Thanks for the sites. I scanned them, but I've been a fog for a few days now, so I will go back to them when the fog lifts. I've been on a candida kill mission for about a week now, so I am hoping it is related.

The list of symptoms is so extensive ...

I'm pretty sure I saw on one of the sites that if you don't feel better after 8 weeks on the diet that you should check to see what else is causing the problems. Lovely, huh ??

What a topic Marcia

[lindalee]

Marcia,

First.... to help you. This site revolves around a wholistic approach to candida and has lots of helpful info, even a pretty good candida forum. The link is to a Candida symptom assessment questionairre. Maybe it'll help you determine if it's what is causing your trouble.

Open Original Shared Link

And second....to further confuse you. This is a link is to an article about the similarity of Candidasis and Celiac disease... pretty amazing!

Open Original Shared Link

Oh, and this may seem silly, but here's a simple saliva test that could surprise you.

[url=Open Original Shared Link[/

Good luck!

Thanks for this thread----my ears have been itching alot....LL

[Lymetoo]

Har Harr.. I guess I should learn to read a little more closely. Sorry, I looked back and saw you emphasised the THERA the first time too. oops

ANYhow... thanks! It looks good. I'm excited... looks safely consumable for my intolerant tummy. YaY!

Good! I can tell a big difference over the "PB8" I used for several years. Night and day difference!

Hope you get great results too!

[Guest adamssa]

If you had a moderate candida problem and you feel like you have it under control is it safe to eat sugar again, (went through the die off and all that) or should you stay away from it forever?

Sara

[BRUMI1968]

I think you can eat lower glycemic fruits ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. Otherwise they ferment and feed the yeast.

I think I added back fruit a bit premature, and am going to have to go off it again for a week to get back on track.

Good luck.

[esthesio-vivi]

If you had a moderate candida problem and you feel like you have it under control is it safe to eat sugar again, (went through the die off and all that) or should you stay away from it forever?

Sara

I've found that I cannot tolerate even small amounts of any type of sugar. Even though I've been over the die-off stage for a while, I can barely eat small amounts of fruit without it affecting me. Apparently I've got it pretty bad, but I do eat cranberries quite a bit, and Stevia ALOT which are both surprisingly quite diverse. Fresh or frozen Cranberries only have 4 grams of sugar in a cup, and are extremely potent tasting. I've devized a Cranberry salad dressing, and jelly which I love. Oh, and Stevia is a gift from God for us Candida plagued! These little tricks curb my appetite for fruit pretty well.

The Jelly is a 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries put in a food processor or blender with a 1/2 tsp of stevia extract powder and a 1/2 tsp xantham gum. I add a little water for desired consistency.

The salad dressing only works if you've got a juicer, it takes 1 Tbsp juiced ginger, 1 Tbsp of cranberry jelly, a pinch of sea salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil or water.

I also juice green veggies (zucchini, broccoli, kale, spinach etc.),1/4 inch of ginger root, add about an 1/4 cup R.W. Knudsens 100% cranberry juice, and five drops of pure liquid Stevia for breakfast. It's awesome for vitamins, and pH balance and tastes good.

This is just what I've developed after being dissatisfied with routine safe-foods. Hopefully someday I'll be back to eating my beloved fruits in an uncomplicated fashion

Hope I could give you some ideas.