One of the common root causes I find to clients’ Hashimoto’s not going completely into remission is Yeast (Candidia) overgrowth. This is a root cause that needs to be explored if you think you have done everything to reverse your thyroid condition, but have not resolved it completely.
Candida albicans
Candida albicans are tiny yeast organisms that exist in high numbers throughout your body, though generally don’t cause you any harm. In fact, Candida yeast actually assists with digestions and nutrient absorption. When there is an overgrowth of this type of yeast, however, then you can begin to experience less-than-ideal symptoms.
Unbalancing The Scale
Candida yeast thrives in unbalanced environments. Similarly, when your brain notices that your body is out of whack, it acts accordingly. Yeast overgrowth can affect the entire neurological system with its imbalances, which leaves you with severe mood disorders such as dramatic mood swings, anxiety and even depression.
You May Feel Extra Sleepy
One of the most sufferable symptoms of Candida overgrowth is the constant fatigue that people feel. This fatigue is not simply cured by getting an extra few hours of sleep or taking an extra rest. Instead, it can last longer than six months and will eventually prevent you from completely regular daily tasks with a cloud of chronic exhaustion, joint pain and overall blood fogginess.
More Than an Upset Stomach
Yeast and other bacteria is found in your gut at all times, since they are partly responsible for nutrient absorption and digestion. However, an overgrowth of Candida affects the efficiency of the digestive system. In large numbers, Candida breaks down the walls of the digestive tract, allowing toxins such as acetaldehyde (a known carcinogen) to enter the bloodstream. Similarly, an overgrowth of Candida can increase the chances of leaky gut syndrome, which also allows toxins and partially digestive food particles into the bloodstream.
A Toxic Bod
As a result of leaky gut syndrome, Candida yeast has an effect on the liver. When too many toxins are released into the bloodstream via broken down intestinal walls, the liver must work overtime to cleanse these toxins. As a result, an overloaded liver cannot do the same high-quality job that a regular-working liver can, which results in a high number of toxins floating throughout your body.
The Entire Body
The culmination of stress, gastrointestinal issues and an overburdened liver triggers a negative response in the immune system. This negative response is reflected as chronic inflammation of the entire body, including weight gain, skin rashes, brain fog and eventually, autoimmune disease. These symptoms are severe enough to cause pain, prevent the efficiency of regular daily tasks and cause harm to your body in the long run.
But How Did I Get These Yeast Overgrowths?
There are a few lifestyle factors that affect the growth of Candida yeast. The first cause is a poor diet; diets that are high in sugar, acid, fermented foods and alcohol encourage yeast growth. Yeast thrives in high-sugar and acidic environments.
The overuse or misuse of antibiotics is another cause of the overgrowth of yeast. Some antibiotics, or simply the overuse of antibiotics, clear away “good” yeast and allows Candida yeast to prevail. It is crucial to use antibiotics as directed and perhaps try a more natural remedy for infections in the future to reduce the use of antibiotics.
In addition to antibiotics, oral contraceptives or birth control pills also have an effect on the growth of yeast. Birth control pills allow for an estrogen dominance throughout the body (which simply means that there is more estrogen than progesterone present in the body), which stimulates Candida growth in other places besides the gut.
Lastly, Candida growth is encouraged by stress. If your body’s mental health is out of balance and your body is under great stress, then this could result in a Candida yeast overgrowth. Unfortunately, the imbalance or disturbance in the gut and the rest of your body can affect your brain’s proper capacity, therefore leaving your body in a constant cycle of stress and yeast growth.
How Can I Prevent Overgrowth?
Though the overgrowth of Candida yeast running rampant in your body may seem severely inconvenient, there are several ways to reduce the risk of developing an overgrowth. Consuming probiotics in the form of food or in supplements may help to increase the number of “good bacteria” and discourage more growth of this “bad” bacteria.
The most important way to decrease the amount of Candida in your body is simply to clean up your diet. Improving your diet means ridding your meals of acidic foods and beverages, consuming lots of green vegetables, consuming less starch and sugar and drinking plenty of water. Eliminating or reducing alcohol consumption is also largely beneficial to your gut health.
The most common way that I use for testing Candidia overgrowth in patients is by using an Organic Acid Test.
References:
Is This The Cause Of All Your Health Problems?
5 Signs You’re Suffering From Candida Overgrowth – And What You Can Do About It
10 Signs You Have Candida Overgrowth & What To Do About It
9 Candida Symptoms & 3 Steps To Treat Them
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