Intestinal Candidiasis

Intestinal Candidiasis General Information

Intestinal Candidiasis is an infection caused by overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans. This fungus is normally encountered within the organism, as a member of the flora inhabiting the skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract and vagina. It lives in the mucosal membranes and typically does not cause any harm to the organism it inhabits. However, in some cases it may become pathogenic; generally when a number of factors favor its multiplication causing it to overcome the elements that usually limit its actions – in the case of gastrointestinal flora, the evolution of Candida is kept in check by a number of beneficial bacteria such as Acidophilus.

Among the factors that may trigger a case of Intestinal Candidiasis, the experts include prolonged antibiotic treatments which weaken the immune system or destroy the bacterial elements in the gastrointestinal flora, ulcer medications which lower the quantities of gastric and intestinal acids present in the system, steroid hormone treatment, oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement treatment, radiation, chemotherapy, organ transplant surgery, medical conditions which have a negative impact on the immune system, such as diabetes or AIDS / HIV, or diets containing large quantities of sugar or starch. Chronic stress has also been reported as a factor that may favor the appearance of this affection.

If you suspect that your diet contains too much sugar or starch, it is highly advised that you consult with your nutritionist in order to establish a healthy diet, greatly reducing or eliminating the risk of favoring the evolution of a possible Candida outbreak.

Intestinal Candidiasis Symptoms

Most cases of Intestinal Candidiasis are characterized by thrush, although this may not be present in all cases. There have been noted several cases where patients diagnosed with this affection did not present thrush, they did however present a number of other symptoms. These may be different from one case to another, and in each particular case the patient may present particular, possibly even unique symptoms.

In the initial stages of Intestinal Candidiasis, the fungus damages the intestinal wall allowing toxins to permeate the gastrointestinal membranes and enter the bloodstream. In this stage, symptoms such as muscle aches, migraines and food allergies are common. When the condition extends to the rest of the body and starts affecting other systems, such as the endocrine system, patients may experience joint pains, sinusitis, thrush, allergies (such as hay fever, but this my also extend to allergies to tobacco, perfume, smoke and others), asthma, chronic tiredness, infections throughout the body (from skin infections to infections of the ears, eyes and internal organs) and changes in weight. In women, the infection may also cause PMS and irregularities in the menstrual cycle. The symptoms limited to the gastrointestinal tract may include flatulence and bloatedness, coupled with either diarrhea or constipation. Gastric cramps may be present, although cases of patients experiencing this symptom are rare. The patient may also experience itching sensations in the anus area. Another symptom that may appear in cases of Intestinal Candidiasis is a compulsory need to consume food rich in sugar, as the fungus consumes the sugar reserves of the organism leading to sugar insufficiency.

Intestinal Candidiasis Treatment

In most cases of Intestinal Candidiasis, the treatment of choice is composed of three parts – the dietary component, antifungal medication and also a probiotic treatment, which helps in restoring the gastrointestinal bacteria that help keep Candida under control.

Regarding the antifungal medication, Intestinal Candidiasis is most commonly treated with antimycotic dugs such as topical Clotrimazole, topical Ketoconazole, Fluconazole or topical Nystatin. In severe cases, the specialized health care professional may choose to administer Amphotericin B, Voriconazole or Caspofungin; however these drugs are mainly used in hospitalized patients so that constant monitoring of the patient is possible.

It has been noted that Candida is able to develop a resistance to the drugs used to treat the infection. In such cases, a recurring form of the infection needs to be treated with a different drug. However, there have been cases where the infection recurred several times, building resistances to most of the antifungal drugs available. In such cases, it is highly advised that you seek emergency medical attention in order to obtain an efficient treatment for the infection. It is highly advised that in such cases you let the examining health care specialist know of your medical history, especially about the past occurrences of Intestinal Candidiasis so that he or she may be able to provide you with the treatment best suited to your case.

The second component of the Intestinal Candidiasis treatment consists in adopting a proper antifungal diet. This type of diet will mainly be aimed of reducing the intake of foods that contain the nutrients that the fungus feeds on, thus hindering its evolution and replication. The diet will avoid sugar rich foods, and at the same time it will severely limit the refined carbohydrate quantities. These are elements that the Candida fungus feeds on, producing a number of toxins that are then released into the organism (among the toxins produced, it also releases ethanol). By limiting or eliminating these elements from your diet, the fungus will run out of nutritional elements and will no longer be able to replicate, while at the same time it will stop producing and releasing the toxins into the organism.

The antifungal diet may also interdict the consumption of moldy or yeast foods. The reason for that is that once ingested, they may permeate the gastrointestinal walls and enter the bloodstream, and from there they may be transported to different other parts of the body and internal organs where they may cause an immune system reaction, aggravating the Intestinal Candidiasis with further complications. Natural products are also available for treating this fungal infection, and sometimes, coupled with a healthy diet, they may be sufficient to bring the fungus back under control without resorting to drug therapy. Examples of such products that may benefit a patient suffering from an infection with Candida are saturated fatty acids (commonly found in palm and coconut oils or castor bean oil), berberine (a substance that is found in the barberry herb and related plants, as well as in oregon grape root, goldenseal and the ancient Chinese remedy herb goldthread), oregano, garlic, colloidal silver, cellulose and plant tannins. It is advised that you consult with your nutritionist in order to obtain more information regarding foods that contain these ingredients.