Category Archives: Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms Vary Widely But Can Include Vaginal Thrush Or Discharge, Athlete’s Foot Or Jock Itch, Toe Nail Fungus, Psoriasis Or Eczema, Diaper Rash And Many More Signs And Symptoms. This Page Covers The Common And Rare Signs And Symptoms Of A Candida Yeast Infection.

Questions & Answers, Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Presenting Features Of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) describes a condition in which a type of white blood cell (mast cells) releases chemicals into the body. These chemicals have a variety of effects, including increasing the permeability of blood vessels. This increased permeability leads to swelling, congestion, inflammation, and pruritus (itching).

Chemicals from mast cells can also increase mucus production. When histamine is released, it stimulates mucus production leading to problems with sneezing, congestion, sinus blockage, and post-nasal drip.

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Another set of chemicals released by mast cells are called cytokines. Interleukins are a type of cytokines that can be either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. Some interleukins stimulate the contraction of smooth muscle. One of the possible results of the muscle contraction is cramping pain in the digestive tract. It can also lead to problems with the bowels or bladder. Due to the discomfort caused by the smooth muscle contraction, some people mistakenly believe they must have a gut bug. They are worried about Candida or parasites when, in fact, it is MCAS causing their problem.

Other typical signs and symptoms of mast cell activation syndrome include the following:

  • Skin rash and hives (very common)
  • Swelling and edema
  • Flushing, itching, and prickling of the skin
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Wheezing and shortness of breath
  • Heart palpitations and tachycardia
  • Anxiety
  • Poor concentration
  • Low blood pressure
  • Fatigue
  • Low blood pressure
  • Dizziness, fainting
  • Red eyes

The large number of symptoms associated with MCAS means that it can be easy to confuse it with other health conditions. I recall thinking that a patient had adrenal fatigue, when in fact is was MCAS.

Treatment of MCAS often requires a change to both the diet and the physical environment. I discuss MCAS treatment in greater detail in a subsequent article.

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Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Gut Inflammation: Using Your Diet As Treatment

One way to know whether your gut is inflamed or not is to do a stool test. Inflammatory markers can sometimes be found with blood tests, but testing the stool for these markers is more accurate. Both lysozyme and calprotectin are markers of gut inflammation.

Intestinal inflammation occurs in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s diseases. Both of these conditions are a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis only affects the colon. Crohn’s Disease can be active anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the rectum.

If you have inflammatory bowel disease, you should do food allergy testing. Identify any significant allergies and remove those foods from your diet. I suggest doing IgE and IgG serum-based food allergy testing.

If there are foods that you know cause a flare in your intestinal symptoms, then you also need to stay away from them. Alcohol, caffeine, heavy foods like fatty pork, take-out food, candy, and soda drinks, should all be avoided if you have inflamed intestines. I recommend avoiding eggs for at least a few weeks. I also tell my clients to stop eating dairy products and a variety of other foods, including bananas, oranges, peanuts, soy, and legumes.

Foods that you should be eating with IBD are cooling, soothing, anti-inflammatory foods. For example, oily, omega-3 rich fish species are good for an inflamed bowel. I also recommend including lighter meats like fish and chicken in your diet. If you’re a vegan, you can have tempeh, a cultured form of tofu. Although I generally say to avoid soy in the diet, tempeh is suitable for vegans with an inflamed bowel.

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Be careful with nuts, seeds, and certain grains if you have IBD.

Often people with IBD lose weight when the disease flares. You don’t want to lose too much weight and end up deconditioned with reduced muscle mass. Including carbs in your diet can give you energy and prevent excessive weight loss. Quinoa and brown rice are both suitable for people with IBD.

Other anti-inflammatory foods to include in our diet include blueberries, pomegranates, garlic, ginger, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, spinach, and kale.

Foods that are high in vitamin A are good for the mucous membrane lining the intestines. Sources of vitamin A include carrots and sweet potatoes. Foods that contain vitamin E, such a wheatgerm, are also good for an inflamed bowel. In general, it is a good idea to include foods high in fat-soluble vitamins in your diet if you have IBD. Fatty fish, flaxseed oil, and walnut all contain fat-soluble vitamins.

Drink green tea but avoid alcohol, coffee, and regular tea if your bowels are inflamed.

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Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Gut Inflammation: What Role Does Lifestyle Play?

Lifestyle plays a crucial role in gut inflammation. As a start, look at what your job – does it give you enough time to relax and eat regular, healthy meals?

I’ve noticed that many of my clients eat in a hurry. They rush through their meals – sometimes even skipping meals altogether. I’ve had clients who skip breakfast or eat their supper too late in the day. Eating too late is a big, big mistake many people make. Instead of eating supper around 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm, they’re having it or 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm. People get distracted by their computer and can’t be bothered to eat for hours. And, when they do eat, they eat in front of Facebook. Irregular eating patterns can contribute to gut inflammation. I’ve seen this with people who go on fasts or extreme diets. I don’t recommend those kinds of eating regimes at all.

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Think about how you can incorporate healthy eating into your daily life. I think it’s essential to eat roughly around the same time each day, give or take an hour. When you do eat, sit down, take your time, relax, and chew your food correctly. I recommend saving the newspapers and screens for after your meals. Ideally, you can eat outside at a beautiful table. I recommend staying away from alcohol if you want to reduce gut inflammation.

There is no point in eating healthy food if you don’t have the time to eat it properly. You need the time to chew properly and have your “rest and digest” system (your parasympathetic nervous system) up and running.

Relationships can also impact your gut health. What type of relationship issues have you got personally or professionally? Are these affecting your eating?

As you can see, several factors can increase or decrease gut inflammation. An overall healthy lifestyle can make a big difference to the health of your digestive system.

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Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Understanding Gut Inflammation

Gut inflammation is something I often see in the clinic. There are several common causes of gut inflammation, including leaky gut, intestinal bugs, medications, and lifestyle factors.

I’ve done several videos on leaky gut that are available on YouTube. A leaky gut occurs when the gap between intestinal wall cells get bigger than normal.

If we use the analogy of a garden, alcohol is like pouring gasoline on the plants. You might get away with a few drops of gasoline here or there on a couple of weeds to kill them, but if you’re going to be pouring gas on the lawn all the time, you’re going to end up wiping it all out.

Antibiotics, on the other hand, are like napalm. You’re going to destroy the weeds and the plants you want to keep.

One of the best ways of determining what is causing leaky gut is a comprehensive stool analysis (CSA). The CSA will let you know if your problem is Candida, harmful bacteria, too little beneficial bacteria, a parasite like Blastocystis, or a combination. A CSA is a good starting point if you have a dysfunctional gut.

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Some people do permeability tests. I don’t tend to do those anymore because, in my opinion, most people have leaky gut to some degree. A permeability test will tell you what you already know, your gut is leaky, but it wont’ tell you WHY it is leaky.

Bacteria associated with gut inflammation include klebsiella, pseudomonas, and Citrobacter. Those are the three key species that I regularly see in stool tests in people with gut inflammation. The problems these clients have get even worse when there is a positive yeast culture in the stool, especially if the level is over one plus. If we get a two or three plus Candida and elevated harmful bacteria, there is often also a low beneficial bacteria count.

If you are regularly in the “fight or flight” mode, the high cortisol and adrenaline levels will contribute to gut inflammation. Stress, whether it’s short term/high grade or long-term/low grade, will invariably lead to inflammatory problems throughout the body, including in the digestive system.

Sleep disturbance also leads to inflammation, including in the gut.

Regular pharmaceutical medications are linked to gut inflammation. Pain drugs are some of the worst ones to take for digestive health because they tend to be used chronically.

If you are concerned about the possibility of gut inflammation, see your healthcare provider. Your doctor can do some blood tests for inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein.

Be sure to watch my videos on foods to eat to avoid gut inflammation and how lifestyle can impact gut inflammation.

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Questions & Answers, Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

How I Became A Candida Expert

I got Candida back in the ’80s. There wasn’t a lot of help around at that time. Doctors were hostile to the whole idea of a male having Candida, and many of them still are today.

When I had Candida, I had jock itch and Candida on my skin. I also had poor immune function and a bad chest infection. When I think back, it was probably Aspergillus.

I was working at a flour mill at the time and had been very sick and depressed. I lived in a crappy little home that was prone to flooding. There was black mold growing on the walls. Back in the 80’s, nobody paid any attention to black mold. I was sick continually, probably for about a good six months, until I started to seek help.

There was nobody that could help me apart from the odd naturopath, that had read some articles on Candida. It’s something I had to work through myself. It took about a year to recover.

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When I was sick with Candida, I certainly didn’t get any encouragement or hope from any healthcare professionals. I had to do all the research myself to find out how to get better. I began to ask myself, “How can I help other people?” I became a naturopath, and the rest is history. I wrote the book Candida Crusher in 2013, and I continue to work in the field to this day.

If you need a diagnosis and treatment plan, seek professional help from someone experienced in treating digestive disorders such as Candida, parasite, and irritable bowel syndrome. Going to a medical doctor isn’t going to give you any answers for most functional gut disorders. In many cases, you’ll get a prescription for an antibiotic, which will create more problems. Don’t go down that path. Look for a functional medicine doctor or a naturopathic doctor.

For diagnosis, I recommend getting a comprehensive stool analysis that includes parasitology and yeast culture. Get a professional to help you interpret the stool test results.

The treatment plan depends on the practitioner. If you follow the Candida Crusher treatment plan, you’re going to be using a method that tens of thousands of people have found helpful.

Check out the information on yeastinfection.org, including the quiz. Please have a look at the over thousand videos on my YouTube channel. I’ve created lots of information to educate people about gut health. The Candida Crusher book is also full of valuable information.

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