Symptoms Of Candida

Many people suffer from the symptoms of candida, but have no idea that their suffering is the result of this yeast overgrowing in the body.  Candida is a yeast that is naturally present in the body in several areas where it is part of the body's natural ecology.  These include the intestines and vagina.  An imbalance, however, can turn this normally harmless yeast into a ramped fungal overgrowth.  Most people have heard about "vaginal yeast infections" and yeast overgrowth in the mouth, called thrush.  The signs of vaginal candida include itching and burning in the vagina, and the infamous "white vaginal discharge".  Thrush is the name of the condition where candida is overgrown in the mouth.  It presents as a thick, white, felt like covering on the tongue and throat.  Thrush is common in young children, but can also manifest in adults as well.  These are the two forms of candida yeast overgrowth that most people are familiar with.  What most people don't know is that candida can overgrow inside the body causing distress, without ever invading the mouth or vagina.  When this happens, a person can experience the symptoms of candida that are not as well know as its signs.

These symptoms of candida can mimic other conditions and often a person goes for some time before the true cause of their misery is revealed and treated effectively.  These symptoms include incredible fatigue, chronic sinus and ear infections, puffy eye lids, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, foamy stools, dark circles under the eyes, flu like symptoms, muscle and joint pain, chills or sweats, lethargy, loss of coordination (ataxia), dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, burning or tingling in the arms and legs, shortness of breath, eczema and other various rashes on the skin, jock itch, menstrual complications, brain fog and lowered sex drive.  These symptoms of candida are the ones that are the most reported and documented among people with chronic yeast overgrowth and systemic candidiasis.  This long laundry list collection of symptoms is a result of the toxic by products the yeast produces and the effect of those toxins on various organ systems within the body.  The symptoms of candida vary from person to person, and the symptom set can rotate in a person as the yeast moves to different areas of that person's body.  Its easy to understand why the symptoms of candida are often mistaken for other aliments, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and even lupus. 

Perhaps more scary and even more confusing are the psychological symptoms of candida that a person can experience.  These can include anxiety, depression and even cross over into a set of psychiatric symptoms which include personality changes, mood swings, panic attacks, out bursts of anger, severe crying spells, obsessive thoughts and behaviors, irritability, paranoia and even schizophrenic like behaviors.  The brain is one of the organs that is most sensitive and therefore most affected by the  toxic by products of candida, called mycotoxins.  Initially many patients are thought to have a psychiatric problem.  Effective treatment of the candida overgrowth, however, reverses the symptoms of candida, including the psychological ones and the person is restored to health.

Learn more about the symptoms of candida here.