1. Vaginal Yeast Infections

If you have had one or more vaginal yeast infections ever then you have experienced candida overgrowth.

Have experienced thick white vaginal discharge with a slightly different odor than usual, itching of the labia minora, vulva and around the opening of the vaginal canal. Frequently getting yeast infections is not normal and should not just happen because of hormonal fluctuations during your period. There is some truth to hormones influencing the candida as more women experience candida overgrowth then men but this has more to do with how estrogen influences blood sugar and less to do with you being destined to get yeast infections when you are on your period.

2. Sugar and Carbohydrate Cravings

No, you don't lack will power to stay on that diet, your best efforts are being sabotaged by these little fungi we call candida. According to recent microbiome research [1] "microbes can induce dysphoria that changes feeding behavior." What this means is that candida actually makes you sad and dissatisfied until you give it the food it needs to grow! Just let that soak in- all the years you thought you were a fat, lazy failure destined to binge eat ice cream for the rest of your life was actually not YOU at all it was a fungi living inside of you.

3. Weight Gain and Trouble Losing Weight

If you have tried all the diets and failed, take a moment (yes right now) and really think about your health and the effort you have put in to managing your weight.

• Have you tried your best to exercise but can't lose weight because you are so hungry?

• Have you gone on a strict low carb diet and gotten sick after the first week so you stopped?

• Do you go through binge eating cycles? Yes, even if you binge on carrots and hummus and fruit...

• Are you ALWAYS hungry and wanting sugary food?

• Do you NEED desert after dinner?

• Would you rather die then go without sweets and bread and beer?

• Do you feel like you can't stop eating until you are over full?

If you answered yes to 4 or more of these, you may have candida or an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut.

4. Constipation

Candida occurs when our gut flora is out of balance which means you are probably not pooping without the help of stimulants and laxatives. Coffee is delicious but if you are relying on it every morning to help stimulate peristalsis so that you can poop you should know that somethings probably not right in your gut. We should be going 1-3 times a day, easily without straining or the need for coffee, senna, or laxatives.

IBS, gas and bloating are more frequently observed in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO, but it is absolutely possible to have both candida and SIBO.

5. Allergies

Adult onset allergies are linked to Have you noticed you have itchy ears? Is the back of your throat a little itchy? Has a patch of eczema formed when you have no history of eczema? Have you found that you need to take Zyrtec or other antihistamines daily?

In a research study [2], rats were inoculated with candida and a round of antibiotics to help the colonization of the fungi. The inoculated rats and control rats were then exposed to proteins and other possible allergens. The rats that were inoculated with candida showed hypersensitivity to the allergens and the control rats did not. This is a ground breaking research study showing that having candida overgrowth causes allergic reaction to substances that were previously not histamine causing.

6. Depression and Anxiety

Its not all in your head, in fact its probably all in your gut.

It is been shown that people with major depressive disorder have a gut micobiome that causes symptoms of depression.[3] When the gut flora from people with major depressive disorder were transplanted into mice (yes they take a small sample of poop from a depressed person and implant it into the mouse's colon) the mice started to show signs of major depression.

This is because neurotransmitters, the feel good chemicals, are produced mainly in the gut. So happy gut, happy life.

7. Reoccurring Sinus Infections

The majority of chronic sinus infections is due to fungal infections. Fungi love the warm, dark, humid environment of the nasal cavities. Sinus infections can cause deferred tooth pain, extreme fatigue, post nasal drip and sinus pain. Fungal balls can form inside the sinus cavities which can be seen in a CT scan and may require surgery.

8. Brain Fog and Fatigue

Brain fog is just like it sounds, it feels difficult to think and concentrate. Imagine you have had a few drinks on a hot day after going on a long hike and now you have 15 minutes to sit down and read a important contract with legal jargon. If you have sever brain fog even reading this article and comprehending it is exhausting. This is because candida produce a byproduct of acetaldehyde a toxic molecule that can cause feelings of being drunk.

Candida overgrowth causes the body to be in overdrive, processing toxins and functioning in a high inflammation state which causes fatigue that is ever present even when you have had enough sleep.

9. Joint Pain

Candida can cause systemic inflammation which could lead to unexplained joint pain. According to research published in the journal, The Current Opinion of Microbiology, "low-level inflammation promotes fungal colonization and fungal colonization promotes further inflammation" [4] . This is a vicious cycle where any inflammation increases the chance for candida overgrowth which causes more inflammation. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints, but inflammation is not isolated to just joints ,it can show up in many areas including acne, eczema, fibromyalgia and much more.

10. White Coating on Your Tongue (Oral Thrush)

If you notice a thick white coating on your tongue when you wake up in the morning and most of it comes off but you notice that your tongue still appears a little white then you have a mild form of oral thrush. Oral thrush is a yeast infection in your mouth! Unlike a vaginal yeast infection this may not itch. When you digestive system is unable to control the level of candida it can appear almost anywhere in the body.

This list is by no means exhaustive, each body is different can the pathway that candida will overflow is different for every person which is why working with a knowledgeable functional medicine practitioner and health coach is key in finding long term success to eliminating candida.

[1] Alcock, Joe et al. “Is eating behavior manipulated by the gastrointestinal microbiota? Evolutionary pressures and potential mechanisms.” BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology vol. 36,10 (2014): 940-9. doi:10.1002/bies.201400071

[2] Schulze, Jürgen, and Ulrich Sonnenborn. “Yeasts in the gut: from commensals to infectious agents.” Deutsches Arzteblatt international vol. 106,51-52 (2009): 837-42. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2009.0837

[3] Winter, Gal, Hart, Robert A., Charlesworth, Richard P.G. and Sharpley, Christopher F.. "Gut microbiome and depression: what we know and what we need to know" Reviews in the Neurosciences, vol. 29, no. 6, 2018, pp. 629-643. https://doi.org/10.1515/revneuro-2017-0072

[4] Carol A Kumamoto, "Inflammation and gastrointestinal Candida colonization." Current Opinion in Microbiology, Volume 14, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 386-391, ISSN 1369-5274, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2011.07.015.