Candida And Celiac

[imaahs]

Has anyone ever had Candida overgrowth and thought it was Celiac?

[sweeeeet]

Right now I am not quite sure what I have. I mean, celiac runs in my family, three other members have it. But when I went to a doctor and had about 10 tests done, I did NOT have celiac and she said, You just need to eat healthier. LOL!

I do have very similar symptoms to celiac. I thought "well, here we go, I am one of them, now, gotta give up pizza, sandwiches, bagels, coffee cakes, etc." But then when I got the negative result, I thought it might be a candida overgrowth, so I have been on probiotics and modified my diet and eliminated gluten, starches, flours, crackers, pretzels, pasta, all my fave foods. I have eliminated my bloating and distended stomach quite considerably but I still have IBS, brain fog, and get rashes on my chest and stomach. So I gave up lactose and feel a bit better but not by much

I dunno, honestly.

[ravenwoodglass]

From what I have seen on the board I don't think it is unusual to have both. Sweeeet, if your doctor was going off your blood work to tell you that you definately don't have celiac you need to keep in mind that false negatives on blood work are not uncommon.

Hopefully someone who has the candida issue will reply soon and be a bit more helpful.

[suebright]

Has anyone ever had Candida overgrowth and thought it was Celiac?

Hi there. I am 57 and have been gluten free since may this year after realising I was celiac from years of ill health that was getting progressively worse. Things got really bad after a course of Barley green concentrated food supplement and I was losing a kg every day. Did some research, found this forum and have been getting better slowly ever since. I was diagnosed with ME abd Fibromyalgia but have struggled with Candida foe most of my life. Unfortunately the symptoms of Celiac and Candida are awful, and if left untreated lead to bad mental and physical illness. The symptoms over lap a lot. Candida causes depression, anxiety irritability, brain fog, memory loss, fatigue indigestion, bloating. IBS, constipation, diarroea, muscle pain, chemical sensitivity, dizziness, loss of balance, insomnia, nightmares, crazy psycho stuff, sinus problems,chest pains, bad circulation, migraine, loss of feeling in limbs, vision problems, and general break down.

I was diagnosed with Rikketsia and given antibiotics for 2 years which sent the candida into major overdrive, so I have had to limit my foods to veg, salad, fish, chicken and seeds. I got a lot of help from Erica Whites book called The Beat Candida Cook Book, and I have been taking coconut oil to get the Caprylic Acid it contains to stop the yeast overgrowth. Its a rocky road because it makes you feel awful during the die off period, and it can take a long time to get it back into control.

The diet is very strict, no fruit, or potatos or anything fermented, no sugar, yeast refined grains,{quinoa is Ok} No dairy no nuts, no smoked or cured meat no preservatives or spices, and of course no gluten because of the celiac.

I am definately getting better though, and have energy and signs that my mind is slowly coming back after a life time of disability and mental illness. I can walk for 30 minutes each day, and can function at home after being bed bound for 2 years and in a wheel chair for a long time and unable to work since 1995.

So, its been quite a journey but putting the pieces together concerning how the celiac and the candida work together has been the way out.

I keep reading all the posts to try to get as much help as possible and keep a strict watch on everything I eat. I eat every 2 hours and do the low FODMAP diet, and it has really helped.

Hope you can work out what is best to keep you comfortable and feeling better step by step.

Suebright.

[RiceGuy]

I also grew up with both Celiac and candida. The symptoms do overlap a lot, but never did I hear any doctor mention either.

You could take caprylic acid capsules, and use coconut oil in place of butter, margarine, shortening, etc, and take other candida-fighting supplements. They probably won't hurt, even if you don't have a candida overgrowth. Just don't make the mistake of putting off a diagnosis of Celiac just because you don't want to give up some favorite foods. It only seems like a big thing until you are feeling better. Then you wish you'd known all along.

If you don't have a formal diagnosis, and desire such before trying a gluten-free diet, just keep in mind that all the tests you can get often give false negatives. Positive response to a gluten-free diet is the best test there is. Again, it's really not difficult once you get into it, especially as you begin feeling so much better. Like many, I self-diagnosed. I didn't present the range of symptoms which most doctors expect, which is probably why none of the doctors I'd been to ever knew what was going on.

Besides, you really don't have to give up pizza or pasta, etc. Only the ones containing gluten. These things and more are available gluten-free. If a gluten-free diet wasn't worth it, I highly doubt this board would even exist.

[num1habsfan]

I have always wondered if I had both due to all of my intolerances.

And oddly enough, I have had many times a candidial infection in my mouth/throat. Thankfully I have never had signs of it in my stomach (I have been scoped a few times in recent years).

I think for me the Celiac caused all of these other conditions. I am on an IBD diet meaning no red meat and very few fruits and veggies (never did get diagnosed, they can't find it in me), gluten-free of course, low-sodium...

[dilettantesteph]

Before being diagnosed with celiac, I had problems with candida and I was receiving treatment for it. It wouldn't go away. Then I got the celiac diagnosis. With the gluten free diet, all my candida problems went away (as well as all sorts of other problems).

[JAMR]

I began by getting rid of Candida, getting better and then having to start all over again with gluten. I now understand the process to work roughly like this. Gluten damages the lining of the small intestine making it permeable to other proteins. This general ill health in the gut makes it a good place for an opportunistic fungus like candida. Of course candida can arise in non celiacs but it apears quite common in celiacs due to opportunity to colonise a damaged gut. Likewise, intolerances to other foods like lactose, soy, corn etc can also arise due to the gut damage. My challenge has been twofold. Finding and eliminating a progression of intolerances, and also mkaig some poor decisions by eating too much of some other foods and my damaged gut and immune system developing intolerances to these - sugar, soy, cashew nuts and possibly corn/mightshades.

[dilettantesteph]

At times I have thought that I had an intolerance. Then when I tried another form of the food, like from my pesticide free garden, I found that I can eat it without issues. Same with nuts that I shell myself compared with shelled nuts. In my case, some of the intolerances that I thought I had were actually problems with gluten cc. I am one of those sensitive to very low levels of gluten.

[Coolclimates]

I've had problems with chronic yeast infections (the female kind) since I was 13. There have been times that I've had them for months at a time and couldn't get rid of them, no matter what medication I took. Since going gluten free 4 months ago, I haven't had another infection. However, i've had 2 UTIs (urinary tract infection) and most likely bacterial vaginoisis. I can't tell whether the yeast problems were a symptom of Celiac or what.

[WheatChef]

My aunt once was super worried that she had a candida overgrowth. Then she found out that she just had celiac disease. Then when the celiacs got treated, she found out she also had a candida overgrowth.

[undiagnosedillness]

For those of you who gave up sugar because of this can you give me some tips please??

I don't know if I can do it but I'd love to give up sugar to see if it helps my health problems, I tested positive to Candida and told too much sugar is the cause. I LOVE sugar

[jackay]

For those of you who gave up sugar because of this can you give me some tips please??

I don't know if I can do it but I'd love to give up sugar to see if it helps my health problems, I tested positive to Candida and told too much sugar is the cause. I LOVE sugar

How did you test positive for candida? Was it the spit test or was it a test your doctor ordered?

[RiceGuy]

For those of you who gave up sugar because of this can you give me some tips please??

I don't know if I can do it but I'd love to give up sugar to see if it helps my health problems, I tested positive to Candida and told too much sugar is the cause. I LOVE sugar

The best tip I think I could give is to use pure Stevia extract powder in place of sugar. It is completely natural, zero sugars, zero calories, zero carbs, and zero on the glycemic index. It does not feed yeasts at all. It will require a bit of getting accustomed to, as it is extremely sweet. Less than a teaspoon can replace an entire cup of sugar, depending upon how it is used. It is great in baking, and is very heat-stable. But, because of the potency, you can't just sprinkle it onto things like you would sugar. I'd recommend thinking of Stevia as a spice, rather than a sugar replacement, because that's how little it takes. I only recommend the pure extract powder, because it contains nothing else whatsoever. I like the brand that comes from Brazil. Most others seem to come from China. But if one brand doesn't suit you, try another. But again, give yourself time to acclimate, and get accustom to using it. There are kinds which are designed to be used 1:1 in place of sugar, but of course that requires additional ingredients (fillers).

There are sugar-alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol, but those aren't without certain side-effects.

Another thing which should help, would be to find other foods to enjoy, that aren't so sweetened. And remember, yeast overgrowth can cause sugar cravings. So to beat candida, you may need to beat sugar cravings. I can tell you it's certainly within reach. I derived willpower from an intense desire to feel better, and not allow the yeasty beasties to control me.

The candida killer supplements like caprylic acid can also be beneficial. That's what worked for me.