<img height="1" width="1" alt="" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?ev=6048136207047&amp;cd[value]=0.01&amp;cd[currency]=USD&amp;noscript=1"> Candida Albicans Fungus: Necessity or Nightmare?
September 06, 2016
in Blogs
5 min reading time

Candida Fungus: Necessity or Nightmare?

Candida's are fungi that consist of several species. Candida Albicans is the best known form. In small amounts they are found in our intestinal system and together with other inhabitants of our gastrointestinal system form what is known as the intestinal flora. This maintains the immune system

As long as there is a healthy harmony between the various bacteria and fungi, our immune system works optimally. Fungi that enter our body and are harmful (e.g. through inhalation and food) then have no chance to attach themselves to the mucous membrane; because there is perfect harmony in the intestinal flora.

When there is a breakdown in cooperation, the immune system is compromised. As a result, the control system and the breakdown processes in the intestines are not working properly. When there is no balance, fungi and other hostile organisms can attach themselves to the mucous membrane and multiply rapidly.

What could cause the disruption?

Frequent use of antibiotics, long-term stress, eating lots of sugar, acidifying foods (lots of meat, coffee, etc.), and long-term medication can cause the pH level of the gastrointestinal tract to shift, giving hostile bacteria, parasites, and fungi more of a chance.

What complaints can you get from this?

As a result of the above phenomenon, more and more complaints build up. The complaints can consist of:

  • allergy,
  • frequent colds from which you are slow to recover,
  • tiredness,
  • eczema,
  • fungi on the skin and between the toes,
  • scaly nails,
  • itching,
  • vaginal fungus,
  • extreme fatigue
  • and dozens of other complaints.

The more chance the Candida gets to grow, the more the immune system breaks down. This is because toxins can penetrate the intestinal mucosa and enter the bloodstream (leaky gut syndrome). These toxins can put a strain on vital organs (such as the liver). This often plays a role in chronic and autoimmune diseases.

Candida is kept in check by enzymes, which are released via the pancreas. If, for some reason, the pancreas does not function optimally, the Candida`s and parasites can start to proliferate. Almost all patients who suffer from Candida overgrowth also suffer from hypoglycemia (reduced blood sugar levels).

Candida fungal infectioncandida schimmelinfectie

Candida is a fungal infection caused by yeast-like fungi. This yeast is present in almost everyone as a normal inhabitant of the skin, mouth, intestine and vagina and forms a certain balance with the bacteria present there. Due to various factors, this yeast can start to form threads and from that moment one speaks of a fungus. In some cases a Candida fungus infection is very stubborn and keeps reappearing. A Candida infection is a common and underestimated problem which can be responsible for months or even years of chronic complaints.

The Diagnosis

In time the Candida bacteria will have penetrated into the blood. Then the cause of your symptoms can be shown with the Candida test. The Candidate Test of Bloodvalue Test is composed by the clinical chemist of our lab and consists of three tests; Candida IgA, Candida IgG and Candida Antigen.

The Candida Cycle: Sugar Addiction

candida cyclusCandida is a fungal infection that originates from yeast. Sugar is the Candida fungus' biggest food source. That's why this proliferator keeps signaling to the brain that the body needs sugars. When you give in to this, it feeds the Candida, which then asks for more sugars in order to keep growing. This cycle stimulates excessive consumption of sugars, which can eventually result in an addiction to them.

Is Candida fungal infection contagious?

Although the yeast can be passed from one person to another (e.g. from mother to child or vice versa, between sexual partners), it is not really an infection in the traditional sense of the word. Candida is therefore not considered to be a contagious disease and certainly not a sexually transmitted disease. The partner of someone with a vaginal Candida infection therefore does not need to be treated unless he or she is also infected and has symptoms. For babies with thrush or when a breastfeeding mother has a Candida infection of the nipples, both mother and child should be treated because they can pass on the infection to each other.

Hereditary burdened with susceptibility to fungal infections?

It may be that there is a hereditary defect in which the T lymphocytes function poorly. Because the T lymphocytes function poorly, the body is less able to fight off fungal infections, including yeast infections. The ability to fight other infections is not affected. Persistent infections with the fungus Candida develop. They usually start in infancy, but sometimes in young adulthood. The fungus can lead to infections in the mouth (thrush) to infections of the scalp, skin, nails, mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes, gastrointestinal tract and genital tract. Severity varies: the condition can affect a nail or cause a disfiguring rash on the face and scalp. Hair loss may also occur. Sometimes hepatitis and chronic lung disease occur.

The link between a slow functioning parathyroid gland and susceptibility to Candida

Many patients with Candida infection also have hormonal disorders, such as insufficient parathyroid function (hypoparathyroidism). A parathyroid gland that functions too slowly can occur in several ways: The parathyroid glands may not have developed properly while growing in the womb. Sometimes the body can 'attack' its own parathyroid glands with antibodies. We call this an autoimmune disease. There is also a genetic disorder in which the parathyroid gland makes too little or no parathyroid hormone.

Hypoparathyroidism (a slow parathyroid gland) can cause many different symptoms:

  • tingling and/or cramps in hands, feet, mouth and throat
  • gloom
  • irritability
  • fatigue
  • confusion
  • impaired memory
  • tightness of the chest due to cramping of the airway muscles
  • heart disease
  • seizures
  • headache
  • dry skin
  • hair loss
  • crumbling nails
  • cataract

These problems are almost all caused by having far too little calcium in your blood. The parathyroid glands can be inadvertently, or due to side effects of a treatment, turned off. For example, during thyroid surgery, parathyroid glands can be accidentally damaged or removed. Radiation or chemotherapy for cancer can also cause the parathyroid glands to stop working. If the parathyroid glands are working too hard, they can be removed. This then causes hypoparathyroidism.

When there is little calcium in your blood, muscles can react extra violently. The doctor will therefore, for example, hit your patellar tendon with a hammer. The 'kick reflex' will then be extra strong. The family doctor can also tap just in front of your ear near the jawbone. The jaw muscles can then tighten firmly a number of times in succession. By a blood test you can find out how much calcium and phosphate is in your blood.

With hypoparathyroidism you have to take calcium tablets for life. If your blood contains very little calcium, you will first receive an infusion of calcium at the hospital. Then you will start taking calcium tablets. You also have to take vitamin D tablets. Vitamin D helps to keep the amount of calcium in your blood good.

Candida syndrome: infection in the gut

Candida Infection of the intestine is not recognized by mainstream medicine or the Gastrointestinal Foundation.

They merely acknowledge:

  • Candida infection in the mouth (thrush)
  • Candida infection of the oesophagus
  • Vaginal infection
  • Infection of the skin

The blood tests mentioned in this blog can be found in the specially compiled panel Candida Albicans and Slow Thyroid.

If you have complaints, it is wise to see your doctor. Even with complaints such as fatigue, fluctuating blood sugars and intestinal complaints, examination and possibly treatment by a regular doctor is necessary. Be careful with some strict anti-Candida diets; you can get shortages of certain nutrients which can make the symptoms worse.

We offer 3 candida tests:

  1. Blood test combined with the food test only measures Candida IgG antibodieshttps://bloodtesting.nl/imupro-complete-voedselintorantietest-incl-candida/
  2. First of all, candida overgrowth can be seen in the faeces, but this does not necessarily mean there is an infection:https://bloodtesting.nl/pds-ontlastingonderzoek-rp-met-candida/
  3. Blood test Candida Infection: If it goes too far and has penetrated into the bloodstream you can see if there is a candida infection with this test:https://bloodtesting.nl/candida-albicans-iga-igg-en-antigeen/

https://www.bloodtesting.nl/candida-albicans-igg.html

About the Author
Ellen is the founder of Blood Value Testing. She gained her experience with health examinations for companies, schools and government institutions at HumanCapitalCare arbo- en gezondheidsdienst. In 2009 she became director of Diagnostics Netherlands, a collaboration between all major general practitioner laboratories in the Netherlands. At the U- Diagnostics laboratory in Utrecht, she was responsible for blood testing at GPs. Until she founded Blood Values Test for individuals in 2013.
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