Symptoms
of Candidiasis are generally intermittent and appear
unrelated. Also, as Candida affects almost all the body
systems, the symptoms too are wide-ranging. This
multi-symptomatic nature of Candida is why conventional
medicine has a hard time coming to an accurate
diagnosis of Candida. From a holistic medicine
point of view, Candida is a natural consequence of
natural dysbiosis and the symptoms associated with
Candida overlap and are similar to all degenerative
diseases with an underlying condition of intestinal
dysbiosis. So, healing requires treating the imbalance
rather than focusing on Candida
alone.
Anyone
can become harmfully infected by Candida, as it is a
part of the normal flora of the human body. Those
particularly at risk women on birth control pills, those
taking steroids, cancer and HIV patients and those
taking antibiotics frequently. Individuals with a poor
diet, poor personal hygiene habits are also likely to
develop symptoms of Candida overgrowth. Stress, too, is
an important risk factor to
consider.
In
patients having a history of combination of many
possible Candida symptoms, diagnosis of Candida may be
suspected. Most common symptoms generally include
abdominal pain with bloating, constipation, diarrhea,
allergic symptoms and fatigue. If the onset of symptoms
followed taking antibiotics, birth-control pills or
steroids, or during a stressful period a diagnosis of
Candidiasis may well be confirmed. It is possible to
identify Candida from stool samples sent to specialized
laboratories. However, this does not always reveal the
true picture.
Alcohol
and its breakdown products like acetaldehyde in blood
may also be an indicator of the presence of Candida. A
Candida immune complex assay test detects the presence
of antibodies. Unfortunately, there is no
standardization making it difficult to interpret the
results. In practice, the most useful test is, perhaps,
the therapeutic trial of a recognized anti-Candida
regime for one to two months although this may also give
false negative results.
Before
starting the anti-Candida diet it may be helpful to
complete a Candida questionnaire which will give a score
of the Candida rating. It can also chart the progress if
the questionnaire is completed every six months or so.
If the symptoms worsen for a few days after taking
antifungals due to “die-off” reaction, then the
diagnosis of Candidiasis may be pretty much
confirmed.
A simple home saliva test performed first thing in the morning is a good indicator of Candida infection. Fill a clear glass with water. Work up a bit of saliva and spit it into the glass of water. Check the glass every 15 minutes for an hour or so. Strings traveling down into the water from the saliva floating at the top or cloudy saliva that sinks to the bottom of the glass confirms the presence of Candida overgrowth.
