Candida Question

[jasonD2]

Hi- I was wondering how you can be absolutely sure candida has been eliminated from your gut. I tested at a +2 on a stool culture (which is considered light) and was on a anticandida regimen for 3 months and pumped myself full of probiotics. im not sure if thats what caused my leaky gut but i would like to think my system is balanced out now. anyone have any experience with this? thanks a bunch

[moldlady]

Hi- I was wondering how you can be absolutely sure candida has been eliminated from your gut. I tested at a +2 on a stool culture (which is considered light) and was on a anticandida regimen for 3 months and pumped myself full of probiotics. im not sure if thats what caused my leaky gut but i would like to think my system is balanced out now. anyone have any experience with this? thanks a bunch

Jason,

I wish it were that easy. If one has celiac problems it takes time to heal the gut. If one has heavy metal issues that gut lining will take years to heal even if you detox.

You may be one of the lucky ones in that staying off the gluten and pumping with human probiotics for another solid month might work for you.

You will never completely rid the body of fungus, but a healthy body will keep it in check.

Good luck,

moldlady

[Rachel--24]

Are you still symptomatic and suffering from multiple food intolerances?? It sounded like you werent feeling better yet based on your previous threads.

If you're not any better I would guess that your issues have not yet been resolved.

The stool tests for candida arent the most reliable method of testing. I think I had 4 stool tests with only one of them showing a mild overgrowth. Candida issues were never really dismissed based on these results because it was fairly obvious that I had a problem with yeast/molds.

I eventually had a blood test and the practitioner who ordered it predicted the antibody levels would be extremely high. She was right and the results were one of the highest she'd seen.

Candida overgrowth occurs when the immune system is under stress. If there are underlying issues which continue to put a burden on your immune system the candida problem will persist despite treatment. It can be controlled with diet and antifungals but if it continues to come back when treatment is stopped...it means that something is allowing for that to happen.

Other things besides candida overgrowth can cause or contribute to leaky gut. Parasites are a big culprit and usually when there is candida overgrowth there are parasites as well...and vice versa. Unfortunately, parasite testing is very inadequate so they can be particularly difficult to diagnose. There are over 1000 different parasites but in the US only about 50 are tested for....and usually Dr.'s are just checking for a handful of them. There is not always evidence present in the stool even when parasites are a problem.

You cant ever eliminate candida completely because it belongs in the body...it has a purpose...its only when it overgrows that it can become pathogenic and cause problems. This doesnt usually happen in healthy individuals...its mainly a problem for those who have a weakened immune system for whatever reason. If its a chronic situation despite treatment then I would suggest looking into other factors which may be allowing for the overgrowth to persist.

Chronic candida is basically a symptom....its an indication that something isnt right in the body. Candida is opportunistic so it will thrive in an environment which is unhealthy for us...but favorable for the yeast. If the immune system is not capable of keeping it in check and the conditions are favorable for its growth...it will take off.

The key to recovery from chronic candida (and I dont know that yours is chronic) is to identify what is putting such a stress on your immune system to begin with.

The underlying cause in my case was heavy metals (mainly mercury) which allowed for parasites, yeast (after antibiotics), and other infections to go unchecked. Each thing causing an even greater burden on my immune system until it became too much to bear and I became symptomatic and intolerant to most foods.