Yeast infections are terrible things. If you’ve ever had one, you know how awful it can be. There’s a common misconception that “yeast” only affects women – but that couldn’t be further from the truth! The dangers of yeast can affect people of all backgrounds and ages!
Candida albicans is a single-celled yeast (similar to fungus) that is just one of several hundred species of microorganisms living in your gut. Another species, Candida glabrata can also raise its ugly head.
Normally Candida poses no threat to your health. It’s kept in check by your beneficial gut bacteria. However, when the balance of your natural gut flora becomes upset (because of poor diet, medication, or prolonged stress), Candida can run riot throughout your body.
The most common time this happens is when you’ve taken repeated or long-term antibiotics. Since these drugs are unable to differentiate between “good” and “bad” bacteria, they kill everything. With your gut soldiers out of commission, Candida can take a firm hold and get out of control surprisingly quickly.
A yeast infection is very often part of a bigger problem. One that is wholly misunderstood and overlooked. Mold sensitivity. People who suffer from this condition tend to get thrush, athlete’s foot, jock itch, and toenails that turn yellow, thicken, and become disfigured. It might be linked to food allergies, chemical intolerance, or mercury overload.
Signs of Yeast Overgrowth
You are not alone! Many people suffer from perplexing conditions that are never resolved because Candida is an outstanding mimic. It can cause a wide range of baffling symptoms that might be diagnosed as something else entirely.
- Chronic fatigue
- Pain
- Abdominal bloating
- Weight gain
- Irritable bowel syndrome
Worst of all, Candida can cause severe mental disturbance. So much that a patient may be treated for depression, bi-polar disease, or other disorders with powerful psychiatric drugs that aren’t going to solve the problem.
Doctors rarely check for the dangers of yeast. Unlucky patients aren’t treated properly and never truly get “well” because they’re not given the anti-fungal (with an inner-environment approach) their bodies desperately need.
Yeast issues are a physical – not a psychiatric – condition.
It’s scandalous that conventional medicine refuses to recognize Candida as a serious medical condition. It’s barely recognized at all outside thrush (which affects newborns). Yet, Candida becomes a serious menace when the human immune system is compromised.
Mold Sensitivity Explained
We consume a lot of molds inadvertently – not just in cheese and mushrooms. Bread alone is a shocking avenue of exposure and we consume more pre-prepared milled flour products than ever before in human history.
In 1980, eleven major fungi were found in flour milled in the United Kingdom. It’s far from an isolated or rare occurrence. Mold contamination of animal feeds can lead to further exposure. Both molds and toxins (along with antibiotics, hormones, and sedatives) pass into dairy produce, meat, eggs, bacon, and poultry.
Since the main port of entry for mold is the mouth, the digestive tract tends to be the most affected. Darkness and moisture within the gut suit these organisms very well. Add to that the fact that our immune systems are already under siege from everything else we’re exposed to and, not surprisingly, we have a formula for trouble of epidemic proportions.
This is how gut conditions have become so commonplace in the last few decades. We’ve invited copious amounts of mold and yeast into our bodies and disrupted our beneficial gut flora with over-exposure to antibiotics (through prescriptions, products, and our food supply).
What Causes Yeast Growth?
Conventional doctors refuse to acknowledge how much our immune systems are damaged by junk food, pesticides, heavy metal poisoning, emotional stress, and medications.
As a result, Candida has now reached epidemic proportions.
While both genders (and all ages) are at risk for yeast infections, females have a higher risk and incidence. It’s important to know what causes outbreaks of yeast overgrowth. Here are three of the most common culprits.
- Panty liners. Many gynecologists advise against using panty liners if you’re prone to yeast or urinary tract infections. Yeast thrives in warm moist environments and panty liners block air from circulating. In this area of your body, using materials and fabrics as close to natural as possible is critical.
- Low estrogen. Hormone levels naturally rise and fall through the course of your menstrual cycle. Shortly before the beginning of your period, your estrogen levels drop. Your chance of a yeast infection increases during this time so adding probiotic yogurt to your diet can help lower your risk of yeast overgrowth.
- Sugar consumption. Sugar causes countless problems, regardless of gender. Sugar and yeast go hand in hand. Loading your plate with fresh fruit in the morning may be causing a blood sugar spike, stimulating yeast in your body. Lowering sugar and carbohydrate intake can help lower the growth of yeast.
In the past 80 years, there have been over 28,000 studies on Candida. The dangers of yeast have been linked to disorders and diseases as diverse as sinusitis, fibromyalgia, and spastic colon. Yeast has been flying under the radar for quite some time now and sugar has been the pilot!
The Sugar and Yeast Connection
Then there are the large amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates populations of developed nations consume in their diets. It’s nearly impossible to avoid sugar in our modern diet but there are steps you can take to get the “right” kinds of sugars into your body. There’s nothing wrong with having some fruit. The natural sugars found in moderate servings are healthy and necessary for your body to function.
However, processed sugars – found in soda, fruit juices, sport drinks, energy drinks, pre-prepared foods, baked goods, or almost anything from the snack food aisle – are what you must avoid. The average soft drink contains as much as twelve teaspoons of sugar per can! Even without the added worry of stimulating yeast growth, that much sugar is dangerous to your health!
Controlling yeast (as with most things regarding your health) comes down to making good decisions. Always read the labels, buy organic whenever possible, and be mindful of what you’re putting into your body. A little sugar now and then isn’t a bad thing.
The problem is that we’re getting far too much according to obesity and diabetes statistics! All that sugar isn’t just putting on the pounds and causing your blood sugar to rage out of control. It’s also stimulating the dangers of yeast even more!
Making healthy diet and lifestyle choices is critical to control yeast overgrowth.
For more information about food intolerances, mold exposure, and how to protect your vital gut microbiome, you need to read my book Diet Wise right now! In it, I give you the tools to protect your gut – and your overall health – in simple, easy to understand terminology.
Every person is different and what your body needs – or can tolerate – is unique to you.
Diet Wise will give you the step-by-step keys to finding the right food combinations for you and you alone. To feel better, look great, and extend your health span, you need a personalized eating plan!