Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Exercise And Candida: What To Consider

Some of my clients with Candida are also trying to lose weight at the same time. Part of their weight loss plan involves exercise. Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but I still like to ask my clients a few questions before they start physical training,

My question to anyone with gut problems who has decided to start exercising is this: Do have you enough energy to exercise and what’s your recovery like? You don’t want to be a person with some type of fatigue, especially adrenal fatigue or thyroid issue, trying to exercise with a Candida issue.

I recommend doing some blood work before you start a new exercise regime. Get a complete blood count, thyroid testing, liver and kidney function tests. It’s also important to have a physical exam that includes a blood pressure check.

If you want to be very thorough, I suggest doing a comprehensive stool analysis that examines three samples. The stool analysis results should comment on the levels of Candida, beneficial bacteria, harmful bacteria, and parasites. parasitology.

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If your physical exam and blood work aren’t concerning and if you are sleeping well and have good energy levels, I would give exercise a green light. If you’re health isn’t quite good enough to start an exercise routine, see a healthcare professional who can address your issues. Once your health has improved and you’re given the okay, gradually increasing your activity level makes sense.

Remember exercise can be a great help with stress. Reducing your stress can improve the function of your digestive and immune systems. In that way, exercise can actually contribute to your Candida treatment plan.

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Dysbiosis and Tinnitus: What’s The Connection?

Stool testing has shown some remarkable things in my patients with tinnitus. Patterns I’ve noticed include lack of beneficial bacteria, nasty bacteria like Citrobacter, multiple Candida strains, and in some cases, parasites. I’ve also seen bowel inflammation in my tinnitus clients.

I’m almost certain there’s a link between tinnitus and Candida, low levels of beneficial bacteria, harmful bacteria, or parasites.

There’s a significant connection between the small intestine and different parts of the brain.

We know this through the vagus nerve, a major nerve that connects parts of the brain to smaller nerves. The auricular nerve that affects the ear connects to the vagus nerve, which, in turn, is connected to the gut.

Sometimes I think of it this way: Your digestion isn’t working well, you’re having some brain-based problems, and the two systems connect via some “telephone” cable (i.e., nerves). Maybe there’s something wrong with the telephone cable or the connection on either end. It makes sense to me.

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In my opinion, “common sense is not common today.” We tend to think that tinnitus is some sort of problem confined to the head. But a fascinating fact is that many people with tinnitus have gut issues. If you have tinnitus and you’ve got digestive problems like burping, bloating, gas, flatulence, constipation, or diarrhea, my recommendation is to get your gut checked out. I would make the same recommendation if you’ve been on long-term medications or had repeated courses of antibiotics, especially tetracycline. A comprehensive stool analysis might be very helpful in sorting out the cause of your tinnitus.

If in doubt, just treat yourself for Candida or harmful bacteria. A good probiotic-enzyme formula might also be helpful. See what happens. The way I look at it, you’ve got nothing to lose.

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The Mental And Physical Benefits Of Meditation

The benefits of meditation are quite astounding. I’ve been practicing meditation for over 20 years. I think it’s fantastic. Whether you have a health condition or not, mindfulness meditation is going to provide a benefit.

Mindfulness meditation helps with stress and anxiety by inducing the calming alpha wave state. There are seven key neurotransmitters that benefit from meditation. It’s been repeatedly shown that people who meditate every day are calmer, more relaxed, more easy-going, and more productive.

Meditation down-regulates the sympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for the “fight or flight” response. At the same time, meditation upregulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS is in charge of the “rest and digest” response. By taking time for daily mindfulness sessions, digestion improves, including the output of digestive enzymes. Mindfulness meditation can also improve your circulatory system and immune system. By activating the PNS, blood pressure decreases, and the heart slows down.

Your cognitive function can also benefit from daily mindfulness. Short-term memory improves. Meditation is also associated with a reduced risk of neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Relationships and interpersonal skills improve with mindfulness. The area of the brain that is involved in fear and anxiety becomes less active, making conflict with others less likely. As an example, consider Buddhist monks. These monks have a regular meditation practice and are known for being pleasant, easy-going, and kind.

There is even research showing that mindfulness meditation can reduce the risk of cancer by preventing genetic damage. Without getting too complicated, meditation helps maintain the length of telomeres, protein complexes at the end of DNA strands. The longer the telomere, the less likely the cell will experience a mutation leading to cancer.

Fortunately, medication isn’t a costly activity. You simply need to make time for it in your daily schedule and then watch the benefits accrue.

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Candida And Dysbiosis: Are They Causes Of Brain Fog?

When I see clients with brain fog, my very first recommendation is to check out their digestive health. Again, and again, I’m seeing very low levels of beneficial bacteria in patients with severe brain fog. Cognitive function tends to be particularly bad is a comprehensive stool analysis shows one or two cultures with Candida and almost no beneficial bacteria. Brain fog becomes worse if there are also issues with parasites, harmful bacteria, or high levels of inflammation.

A comprehensive, three sample, stool analysis is one of the best investigations to do if you are having severe problems with brain fog.

Many of the clients I see with brain fog has a history of multiple courses of antibiotics. I remember one client I saw who lead quite a healthy lifestyle but had taken antibiotics on several occasions for acne. He came to my office with terrible brain fog.

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I always ask my clients to look for possible causes of the brain fog. The kind of work that I do is a bit like a detective. You need to do your own detective work because you’re not seeing me. Think carefully about what you did and what you took before the brain fog developed? Did you take drugs? Did you drink a lot of alcohol? What kind of lifestyle did you have? What happened before the brain fog? Were you working with any toxic chemicals? You didn’t just wake up one day, “Hello, I’ve got brain fog. I was perfect yesterday.”

Generally, I find there’s a very powerful connection between the small intestine and the brain. Don’t forget that the most significant part of your immune system resides in about three inches of the small intestine. That small part of the duodenum has a very profound effect on what’s happening in your primary brain. A stool test will allow you to understand what needs to be addressed in your intestine. Treating any health condition, including brain fog, should be based on thorough investigations and not just speculation.

If you’ve got Candida, get it treated. If you’ve got a lack of beneficial bacteria, get it treated. Brain fog is a terrible condition, but it’s certainly treatable.

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Does Candida Cause Chronic Fatigue?

Many health conditions can cause ongoing fatigue. Some of the possible causes of fatigue that I think about immediately include toxins in the body, hormonal issues, and immune system dysfunction. Sleeping problems can also contribute to low energy levels. Chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity are other conditions that can cause energy levels to plummet.

To address this problem effectively, you need to identify the underlying cause. There are important questions to ask yourself when you are struggling with chronically low energy levels. There are also several investigations that I recommend to clients who complain of chronic fatigue.

Some of the questions I ask my clients include the following:

  • Have you been exposed to toxic chemicals?
  • Are you using drugs or alcohol?
  • Do you have good sleep patterns?
  • Do you have other symptoms like weight loss? Digestive symptoms?
  • What kind of diet do you eat?

One of the tests I find helpful in sorting out fatigue is the salivary cortisol test to assess adrenal function. Poor adrenal function can interfere with blood sugar, the immune system, sleep cycles, and energy levels.

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It is essential to check your thyroid function if you’re struggling with fatigue. Symptoms of an underactive thyroid include weight gain, hair loss, increased cholesterol, and fatigue. Thyroid tests I recommend include thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T3, T4, and thyroid antibody levels.

Other blood levels to measure are vitamin D, B12, and iron. A deficiency of these nutrients can leave you feeling tired all the time.

If the above blood work comes back normal, I recommend getting a comprehensive stool analysis. Candida, parasites, and problems with your intestinal bacteria can all contribute to fatigue. I particularly recommend a stool test if you have gut issues like bloating, gas,

indigestion, and food allergies. History of antibiotics use for a significant amount of time also justifies a stool test.

Significant fatigue needs investigation. That’s the bottom line. Then you need to act upon that information. Don’t make any rash decisions. Make decisions based on excellent and credible information. Using science to guide your treatment will give you the best possible outcome.

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