1. Recurring Yeast Infections and UTI’s
If you keep getting urinary tract infections, it’s a sign that there is something wrong with your microbiome. Candida thrives on gut biome imbalances and starts multiplying once given a chance.
Bacteria like E. coli is the most common cause of UTI’s. Although not widespread, Candida can also lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI).
UTIs are a very common infection in women, with 40% of women in the United States developing one at some point throughout their lifetime. The infection occurs in women with or without comorbidities, such as age, diabetes or a weakened immune system (1).
Male yeast infection is less common but possible.
The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection are itching, burning, and a creamy white vaginal discharge.
But what about a man? When men do have symptoms, they may experience itching or burning on the tip of the penis or under the foreskin, redness, soreness, discharge, and pain during urination.
The symptoms of a UTI include a strong urge to urinate, frequent urination with an empty bladder, pain or burning during urination, cloudy urine, and blood in the urine.
One thing to note is that Candida albicans can spread to other parts of your body.
Even though your vaginal infection might have disappeared, you may continue to experience reinfection in the same area until you eliminate the cause of Candida Overgrowth.
2. Oral Thrush
The mouth is particularly vulnerable to Candidiasis, with oral thrush being incredibly common. In its mild form, it is often undiagnosed until it becomes quite severe. An intestinal Candida infection often occurs at the same time as oral thrush.
It’s most common in newborns, older adults, and people with a weakened immune system.
People who do not regularly brush their teeth or have removable dentures are also more likely to develop the infection (2).
The common symptoms are:
-Red lesions in the mouth that bleed easily
-White patches on the tongue, inner cheeks, and sometimes on the roof of the mouth
-Cracking at the corners of the mouth
-Pain when swallowing
-Loss of taste
-Dry mouth
If you only have a mild case of oral thrush, you might see only a thin white coating on your tongue. You can use a tongue scraper to remove it, but it will likely come back quickly.
In more extreme circumstances, it can spread to the esophagus and lead to pain or difficulty swallowing.
3. Joint Pain
Candida albicans can cause joint pain because they produce toxic byproducts.
Acetaldehyde isn’t the only metabolite that Candida albicans creates that can lead to negative symptoms. Uric acid is another toxin produced by Candida albicans that affects joints.
If uric acid accumulates to high levels and kidneys can keep up filtering it out, it may cause gout.
Gout is a painful condition when tiny sharp crystals form around the joints. These crystals can lead to inflammation, stiffness, and pain in the joints (3).
It can cause repeated pain attacks until the problem is solved. In the long run, too much uric acid can damage your tendons and joints.
Much less common is Candida Arthritis (4). This condition typically is a result of long-term Candida Overgrowth.
Although bone and joint infections are not especially prevalent, they can still be complicated to treat. Additionally, you will often need medications that can only be given to you by a doctor (5).
4. Tiredness and Depression
Candida albicans diminish nutrient absorption by good gut bacteria. Rather than aiding symbiotic gut flora, Candida robs them of essential nutrients for its own growth.
This results in nutritional deficiencies of:
- vitamin B6 (6)
- magnesium
- essential fatty acids
Vitamin B6 aids in the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. This vitamin is also necessary for the creation of red blood cells and neurotransmitters. There are 3 main neurotransmitters in the brain, they are dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.
Serotonin is a mood booster, largely found in the gut. Candida Overgrowth has the ability to suppress Serotonin levels, resulting in a low mood.
Low levels of Dopamine are associated with symptoms of depression (7). Acetaldehyde, Candida’s toxic metabolite, binds with dopamine. Thus, it brings Dopamine to low levels.
Fatigue is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency brought by Candidiasis (8). Magnesium is involved in the majority of the body’s metabolic reactions, making it an essential nutrient. One of its most important roles is in energy production, so low magnesium levels can result in fatigue or feeling tired.
Magnesium also helps calm the brain. It regulates the nervous system, keeping us from feeling overly anxious or hyperactive during normal activities. In other words, magnesium can help us feel more relaxed during everyday life.
Candida albicans can also lead to deficiencies in essential fatty acids. This is because Candida inhibits the production of enzymes needed to convert short-chain fatty acids into longer chain fatty acids. This results in a deficiency of:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Omega-9 fatty acids
These essential fatty acids have been shown to be important in the treatment of depression. In one study, patients with major depressive disorder who were treated with omega-3 fatty acids had a significant reduction in symptoms compared to those who were treated with placebo (9).
These are the 3 most common nutrient deficiencies caused by Candida Yeast Overgrowth, but the list is non-exhaustive and includes deficiencies of iron, vitamin A, B12 among others.
5. Chronic Sinusitis
In the past, doctors believed that bacterial infections were the primary cause of all chronic sinus problems. However, newer research has found that this may not be accurate. Although bacteria are primarily responsible for acute (short-term) sinus issues, many cases of chronic (long-term) sinusitis may actually be fungal infections.
According to Mayo Clinic researchers, the main cause of most chronic sinus infections is an immune system response to fungus. Using new methods of collecting and testing, the scientists discovered fungus in 96% of the patients’ mucus! (10)
Despite this discovery, doctors continue to prescribe antibiotics as the first choice of treatment.
While antibiotics are effective at treating acute (short-term) sinusitis, they work only temporarily for long-term chronic sinusitis sufferers. This is because acute sinusitis is mostly caused by bacterial infection. Whereas, chronic sinusitis is caused by a fungal infection as demonstrated in the study. Antibiotics can worsen the symptoms of chronic sinusitis because they wipe off any bacteria in your body, good or bad, and allow the fungus to proliferate even further.
Antifungal medications can help with chronic sinusitis symptoms, but they won’t resolve them once and for all. To prevent sinusitis from recurring, the gut flora imbalance needs to be addressed. If the imbalance is caused by Candida Yeast Overgrowth, it can be corrected with an anti-candida diet and the right supplements, which are antifungals and probiotics.
6. Digestive Issues
If you have digestive issues that your doctors are not able to address, you may want to suspect Candida Overgrowth. It’s a problem caused by gut flora imbalances that cause create a wide range of symptoms such as:
- Bloating and flatulence (lots of gas)
- Indigestion (food sitting in the stomach) and heartburn (caused by particular food groups)
- Alternating, persistent constipation and diarrhea
- Cravings for sweets, bread and high-carb foods
Candida Overgrowth is often accompanied by other gut diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and various types of gastric ulcers (11).
