Candidia Infections, Yeast Infections, and Thrush

AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE ON CANDIDA / YEAST INFECTION / THRUSH

Candida treatment changes radically for each constitution or dosha in Ayurveda.

Candida is a fungus present in everyone's body. Usually the presence of candida is beneficial. They are a part of your normal flora and assist you in digesting glucose, sucrose and maltose.^[1] Candida also aids in nutrient digestion and absorption in the body.

However, certain conditions can lead to harmful overgrowth of candida. And, once candida has lodged in your tissues, this overgrowth can be hard to get rid of.

Frequent yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), fatigue & general malaise could indicate you have a persistent imbalance of candida in your digestive tract.

Signs & Symptoms of Candida

Candida is especially common in the gut, mouth, genitourinary tract and on the skin. Some of the most common signs of candida include itching, soreness, pain or burning in the infected area. Give your entire abdomen a massage. Do you notice pain or soreness anywhere below the belly button? You may have candida in your colon. Candida may be imbalanced without the presence of these symptoms as well.

Other symptoms of candida include indigestion, gas, bloating, frequent yeast infections, and frequent UTIs. Anything from anxiety to joint pain to inflammation to weight gain could be caused by candida overgrowth. The symptoms of candida overgrowth are often common to many disorders, making a diagnosis based on symptoms difficult. In Ayurveda, the symptoms of candida are very similar to the symptoms of 'ama' or toxins. That's because candida, like all of the microflora in your body, produce toxins. Under normal conditions, the toxic load is manageable by the liver and kidneys. Under conditions of overgrowth, these organs become stressed and overwhelmed, and symptoms start to appear. To protect these organs, it is essential to keep your levels of candida balanced. In addition, chronic inflammation due to candida can lead to cancer of the infected area.

The general signs and symptoms of toxicity (ama) by dosha include the following:

Vata Symptoms	Pitta Symptoms	Kapha Symptoms
Fatigue Anxiety Insomnia Dizziness Tinnitus Joint issue Gas Bloating Decreased immunity Weak digestion	Acne Inflammation Body odor Diarrhea	Weight gain Mucus or Congestion in Sinus Lungs Colon Stomach Nausea Fatigue Mucus in stool

Home Test for Candida

You can do a home spittle test which requires that you spit into room temp glass of water upon waking. Check the glass every 20 minutes for next hour.

Look for the following:

• Strings coming down through the water from the saliva at the top
• Cloudy saliva sitting at the bottom of the glass
• Opaque specks of saliva suspended in the water

This test presumes the presence of candida in the saliva, and that blood sugar levels are high enough to promote candida growth in the cup. While this technique may be a quick litmus test, it is not foolproof. If you suspect candida overgrowth, get it confirmed by doctor through lab testing.

Causes of Candida Overgrowth in the Gut

While there are over 20 species that can cause infection, Candida albicans is the most common culprit in cases of candida overgrowth. This species has adapted for growth in the GI tract and is commonly found there. The chemistry of your gut, competition from other gut bacteria, blood sugar levels, and the strength of your immune system all play key roles that keep candida in check, or lead to their proliferation. Whenever there is an imbalance in any of these areas, candida have the potential to multiply.

Candida is very adaptive. That's partly what makes it so pesky and virulent. It can exist in a low oxygen (hypoxic), oxygen free (anaerobic) or oxygen rich environments.

Antibiotics & Candida

Candida have an opportunity to grow prolifically after you take broad spectrum antibiotics which kill all bacteria in the body. In this scenario, candida escalate due to lack of competition. The bacteria that usually keep them in check are decimated, leaving tons of under occupied space in the gut and vagina. Most people probably know someone who had a vaginal yeast infection flare up after taking a round of antibiotics.^[2] While taking antibiotics, add fermented foods to your diet and use a good probiotic during and after your course of treatment.

Sometimes, eating meat and dairy that is not organic can lead to yeast infections. These meats often contain antibiotics in them. Over half of the antibiotics used in the US are used by the livestock industry. These medicines are then passed to you in the meat and dairy harvested from animals who have been treated.^[3]

Poor Diet

A poor diet results in a smorgasbord for candida, especially one high in sugar. Anyone who bakes homemade bread knows how excited candida gets in a high sugar environment. These bakers put candida in a bowl of warm water and sugar to activate them before kneading them into the dough as a leavening agent. Within minutes the candida starts bubbling furiously. To see this effect at home, simply mix together 1 tbsp of honey, a cup of lukewarm water, and a packet of baker's yeast from the grocery store.

In your body, candida also thrives on an abundance of sugar to reproduce and become pathogenic. Diets rich in sugars themselves, foods that contain sugar (it's used as a preservative in almost everything!) as well as foods that convert to sugars (refined grains, fruits, etc) all feed candida. As the sugary food makes its way down your GI tract, or as your blood sugar levels rise, the candida in your body become activated just like it does in the dough of a baker. You may even notice your symptoms worsen 2-3 hours after eating sugar.

Kapha individuals, and those with diabetes are particularly susceptible to an overgrowth because of the presence of chronic high blood sugar levels. One of the early warnings of Kapha imbalance is excess saliva (do you wake up in a puddle of drool?). Kapha types take heed and follow a Kapha pacifying diet avoiding sugar, wheat and dairy.

All three body types can help to prevent candida by eating a diet low in sugar. Favor root vegetables and whole grains as your carbohydrate sources instead of refined flours, sugars and corn syrup. Read the ingredients of everything you buy. Sugar creeps into the sneakiest places. Beyond low sugar, eat foods you know that you can easily digest since fermentation in the gut creates an environment where candida can thrive. In other words, if foods cause gas and bloating, they are likely to aggravate candida. Therefore favor easy to digest foods and avoid difficult ones.

Suppressed Immunity

Normally, a healthy immune system can keep candida in check.

Weak immunity can also lead to Candida outbreaks. When the immune system is severely compromised candida can even cross protective barriers and colonize almost any organ in the body, become systemic, and lead to a life threatening condition called candidiasis.^[5]

The immune system is weakened by poor diet as well as other conditions such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, lack of sleep, toxic exposure and stress. Steroids or other immunosuppressant drugs given to people with conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome can also result in candida overgrowth. Parasites such as blastocystis can release chemicals that directly suppress the immune system. Cancer, chemotherapy, AIDS can all cause an imbalance of candida. Stress releases cortisol which both suppresses the immune system and raises your blood sugar level, which feeds the candida. Long term stress weakens the adrenals which can also lead to a weakened immune system.^[6] A sugar rich diet, in addition to feeding bacteria, actually depresses your immune system also, increasing your vulnerability to a candida overgrowth.^[4]

To ensure robust immunity, eat a diet that suits your dosha. Address chronic inflammation immediately. Avoid exposure to toxins. Keep a strong routine and aim to get to bed by 10pm. Talk to your practitioner about which adaptogen herbs and stress relieving practices might be helpful for you.

Inflammation and Candida

Inflammation in particular has a special relationship with candida. The presence of candida slows the healing of inflammation and inflammation promotes candida growth. This dynamic can create a vicious cycle making it challenging to remedy the overgrowth.^[7] Many GI disorders and parasites can lead to inflammation that causes candida overgrowth. Foods that aggravate inflammation will also increase candida. Therefore it is best to avoid Pitta aggravating foods.

Hormones & Candida

Estrogen is a major ingredient in the pill and promotes the growth of yeast. Elevated estrogen levels due to being pregnant or on birth control increases your chances of a vaginal candida overgrowth - especially when coupled with a sugar rich diet and/or antibiotic use.^[8] If you have a candida overgrowth, consider other forms of birth control.

Treatment

While not always sufficient, a good place to begin in resolving a candida overgrowth is to improve digestion. Dosha specific herbs will also be useful in building digestive strength (agni). Then, address candida overgrowth by avoiding excess sugars and carbs. Next you'll want to clear toxins (ama) from the body with a mild laxative to encourage good elimination, a diuretic to flush fluids, and a vasodilator to improve circulation. Finally, an antimicrobial will help kill candida in weakened spaces and tissues, such as in a patch of scar tissue.

Therefore, an herb formula should contain digestives, hypoglycemics, laxatives, diuretics, vasodilators, and antimicrobials. Joyful Belly has used this strategy in creating Candida Cleanse Tea, designed to remedy candida imbalance in your gut.

Treatment by Dosha

Since your diet, herbs and approach may need to be more specific to your constitution, it is best to see a practitioner. Here are some general guidelines by dosha:

Vatas be warned against standard anti-candida diets as they will likely make your problems worse. These diets are too depleting for Vatas since they focus on lowering blood sugar. Instead Vata needs to focus on eating easy to digest foods, following a Vata pacifying diet and cleansing the colon with a medicated enema. Vatas should still avoid refined sugars and refined flours.

Pittas will need to reduce inflammation with a Pitta pacifying diet. Cleanse the liver, cool and detoxify the blood with herbs like bhumyamalaki and guduchi. Removal of candida may be necessary for the inflammation to heal. Candida in inflamed, defective or scar tissue is more difficult to eliminate without a strong antifungal.

Kaphas will benefit from the more traditional anti-candida diets which aim to lower blood sugar. For kapha, foods rich in insoluble fiber help scrape the intestine clean.

Use of Antimicrobials

Natural antimicrobials such as garlic, coconut oil, milk thistle, vitamin C and vidanga can help resolve an overgrowth. Candida albicans has been shown to be even more sensitive to certain essential oils than to the typical drugs prescribed to treat overgrowth when combined with an anti-candida diet. The most useful oils include lemongrass, myrrh, clove, lavender and oregano. Lavender and/or lemongrass is ideal for Vata types. Lemongrass, clove and/or lavender is recommended for Pitta. Kaphas can use myrrh, clove and/or oregano. Choose an oil appropriate for your dosha.

You can help to kill off the candida outbreak by adding a 1-3 drops of the essential oil to 1 teaspoon coconut oil (mix well) while eating a candida cleansing diet. To combat oral thrush, add three drops of essential oil to a tablespoon of coconut oil and swish around your mouth for about 20 minutes. Essential oils are powerful and therefore should only be taken internally for 10 days or less. Be sure the oils you use are pure, certified organic oils.

Recovery

After clearing the infection, it is important to repopulate the gut with good bacteria via a healthy diet for your dosha including inulin rich foods such as garlic, onion or jerusalem artichoke. Depending on your unique body type, fermented foods and probiotics may also be beneficial. Only a fraction of the microbiome is known, so even with a probiotic your gut may need some time to rebuild the full diversity you need for optimal digestive health.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_(fungus)
[2] https://draxe.com/candida-symptoms/
[3] https://www.thecandidadiet.com/causes.htm
[4] https://www.thecandidadiet.com/causes.htm
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/
[6] https://www.thecandidadiet.com/causes.htm
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3163673/
[8] https://draxe.com/candida-symptoms/

Images of Candida / Yeast Infection / Thrush

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