Diagnosing Candida

Diagnosing Candida is not a simple matter. Even if Candida levels are assessed via the blood or stool, it is impossible to know how tolerant one is to Candida and its by-products. A person with a strong constitution may be capable of hosting large populations of Candida fungus with minimal symptoms, while another person may suffer greatly from a mild overgrowth of candida.

Candida may be a contributing factor in some illnesses and it may be the cause of others. However it almost always accompanies intestinal, immune, degenerative or toxicity related illnesses, adding an additional recovery challenge or even preventing recovery. Either way, reducing one's level of Candida will aid in healing by removing the suppressive impact of the candida yeast and fungus and the constant strain caused by their toxic by-products.

Recovery from moderate to severe Candida overgrowth requires a whole lifestyle healing regimen. This Whole lifestyle Approach may not be welcomed without an absolute diagnosis of Candida overgrowth. There are several available tests available for Candida. Unfortunately, they all have limited accuracy and none of them are able to decipher what level of candida overgrowth is a problem for you specifically.

1.  Candida anti-body blood testing may reveal if you have developed highly specific types of allergic responses to any level of Candida (normal to high range). Other types of immune responses and consequences in other body systems are also possible reactions to increased candida levels but the candida anti body blood tests will not reveal these.

2.  Electro-dermal testing by a naturopath or clinician may tell you if Candida overgrowth is the most stressful problem that you are currently facing. If you have another serious illness or consequential illnesses related to the Candida, the electro dermal test will show these as higher priority than your response the candida and your results for the candida testing may be deceptively low. However, this test still has some usefulness when used by a holistic thinking practioner in combination with a review of an updated Candida symptom assessment questionnaire.

3.  Stool testing will tell you if your levels of yeast fall within a "normal" range, which reflects an average of what is normal for other people but may not necessarily indicate a level of yeast that is "normal" for your body.

4.  Detailed Questionnaires are often used to identify candida-related health symptoms and history.

Having a high initial score on a symptoms questionnaire does not mean that yeast is the explanation for all of your symptoms, although it does raise the likelihood that yeast is a major contributing factor to your illness. Throughout your recovery you will need to be your own “private investigator” in order to uncover any additional contributing factors affecting your health. Some of them may be imbalances caused by candida overgrowth and may self correct as you recover from CRC. Other problems may need specific intervention. Some of the most common health problems associated with Candida overgrowth include environmental and food allergies, emotional stress, parasites, viruses, heavy metal toxicity and hormonal or endocrine imbalances. None of these are necessarily exclusive to each other and many are commonly found concurrently.

No matter how well or sick you are, no matter what the cause, cleansing the colon, supporting the immune system and detoxifying the whole body with the help of food therapy will help free up your body’s resources to speed healing and/or sustain your good health. In fact, for many people, this approach has resulted in dramatic health improvements and relief from years of chronic ill health.

The majority of North Americans suffer from some degree of intestinal flora imbalance due to our poor diet, reliance on medications and high stress levels. Restoring normal, healthy, intestinal bacteria and reducing pathogenic micro-organisms will enhance digestion, while improving nutrient assimilation and overall general resilience.