Candida claims are bunk, it's a misdiagnosis of Malnutrition

I've always been a little skeptical about this whole "Chronic Candida" thing pushed by segments of the alternative medicine community, claiming that Candida goes far beyond causing simple yeast infections, like oral thrush and vaginitis, and instead can become chronic, or routinely systemic and cause just about every known symptom to man!

I've personally known some people who thought they had it, but never seemed to be able to heal from it no matter what expensive supplements or restrictive diets they tried, just like so many people here at CureZone.

And I'm not the only one. Conventional medicine thinks the diagnosis is bunk along with respected complimentary medical doctor, Dr. Andrew Weil:

"Your patient has bought into the scientifically unfounded notion that Candida albicans, a species of yeast that normally lives harmlessly in the gastrointestinal tract and vagina, can routinely become a serious systemic infection responsible for a host of ailments. Systemic candidiasis is said to cause fatigue, depression, anxiety, skin eruptions, and immune system malfunction.
Diagnoses of systemic candidiasis usually have no scientific basis, and most of the recommended treatments for it waste time and money. Anyone with yeast growing in the blood or vital organs would be critically ill in an intensive care unit. Despite this medical reality, systemic candidiasis remains a popular diagnosis in some segments of the alternative medicine community."

I never really looked at the symptoms of "Chronic Candida" until of late when a thread here showed that the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue are exactly the same as the symptoms of Starvation/Anorexia and after that peaked my interest, I found that Hypoglycemia, a condition common in AF and Candida sufferers, can be caused by calorie-restriction too. Interestingly, AF is not accepted as a valid medical diagnosis by conventional medicine and there's been controversy in the past about Hypoglycemia being a real condition or not.

Since "Chronic Candida" is not an accepted medical condition, I didn't really know where to start to look for all the symptoms and condition attributed to it. After all, who came up with all the alleged symptoms?!! So I just started with the list by CZ's resident Candida "expert":

"Here is our list of 100 Common Candida Symptoms associated with systemic fungal candida:"
http://www.candidaplan.com/new/what_is_candida/symptoms.php


Whoa, not just a 100 symptoms, but a 100 common symptoms? DAMN! And at the bottom of his list, you can buy the doctor's book in which he will list even more symptoms! With all those symptoms, who doesn't have Chronic Candida?! Talk about your red flag.

But it doesn't take long to see that all the symptoms attributed to so-called "Chronic Candida" are practically a mirror of Malnutrition and Anorexia symptoms and it perfectly explains why there are so many symptoms and conditions attributed to Candida.

Shared symptoms of "Chronic Candida" & Malnutrition/Anorexia (calorie-restriction):
Acne, Allergies, Anemia, Anxiety, Arthritis, Attention deficit/Hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), Bad breath, Bleeding gums, Bloating, Blood Sugar imbalances (Hypoglycemia), Body Odor , Brain Fog, Constipation, Depression, Diarrhea, Digestive problems, Dizziness, Dry hair, Dry or rough skin, Eczema, Edema, Electrolyte imbalance, Fatigue, Flatulence/gas, Food cravings, Gum disease, Headaches, Heart palpitations/irregular heartbeat, Hormonal imbalances, Impaired immune system (frequent colds, flu, or other infections), Impotency, Insomnia, Intolerance of cold, Irritability, Itching and burning eyes, Joint pain, Lack of energy & weakness, Low libido, Memory problems, Menstrual problems (PMS, missing periods), Metallic taste in mouth, Mood swings, Muscle aches stiffness or weakness, Nervousness, Nervous system disorders, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Poor coordination, Poor memory, Prostate enlargement, Sinus trouble, Sugar cravings, Thyroid dysfunction (Hypothyroid), Tingling in hands and feet, Weight loss.

Other symptoms of Malnutrition (most of them I see a lot of people at CZ complain about):
abnormal blood counts, absorption issues, appetite loss, bluish discoloration of the fingers, breathing difficulties, brittle nails, continuous thirst, dehydration, fainting, hair thinning or loss, loss of taste and smell, low blood pressure, metabolism issues, osteoporosis, pale skin, puffy face, tooth decay/cavities, yellowish skin, slow wound healing, soft downy hair covering the body

(Symptom resources listed at bottom)


Due note that both the conditions of Hypoglycemia and Low Blood Pressure can be induced by calorie-restriction and have very similar symptoms with each other and to the alleged set of symptoms of both "Chronic Candida" and Adrenal Fatigue:

Low blood pressure symptoms: Blurred vision, Cold clammy pale skin, Depression, Dizziness, Fainting, Fatigue, Lack of concentration, Lightheadedness, Nausea, Rapid shallow breathing, Thirst

Hypoglycemia symptoms: Anxiety, abnormal behavior, Blurred vision, Confusion, Fainting, Heart palpitations, Hunger, Shakiness, Sweating


One of the trademark symptoms of "Chronic Candida" are infections, especially Candida yeast infections, either oral, or vaginal in women. However, another trademark symptom is frequent colds or flu, an indication of a weakened immune system, which is also mentioned as a symptom of Candida. Well, if a people calorie-skimp long enough, they will develop malnutrition, which will cause their immune systems to weaken, leaving them more susceptible to things like yeast infections. Impaired immune systems are also risk factors of oral and vaginal yeast infections:

Wikipedia: A weakened or undeveloped immune system or metabolic illnesses such as diabetes are significant predisposing factors of candidiasis. Diseases or conditions linked to candidiasis include HIV/AIDS, mononucleosis, cancer treatments, steroids, stress, and nutrient deficiency.

webmd.com: About half of all anorexics have low white-blood-cell counts, and about a third are anemic. Both conditions can lower the immune system's resistance to disease, leaving a person vulnerable to infections.

nursingtimes.net: Who is affected by malnutrition?
- people with chronic (long-term) disorders - for example, eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia,
Typical adverse effects of malnutrition include: slower immune response which increases the risk of getting infections, and increases the length of time that it takes to recover from infection

mayoclinic.com:
Oral thrush - Risk factors: Having a compromised immune system
Yeast infection (vaginal) - Risk factors: Impaired immune system


Peeling Lips (Exfoliative Cheilitis) is another commonly discussed condition here at CZ. This condition can become infected with the Candida yeast, but its root cause has been linked to malnutrition and is considered a sign of an eating disorder, such as Anorexia or Bulimia:

Wikipedia: Although the sores of angular cheilitis may become infected by the fungus Candida albicans (thrush), or other pathogens, studies have linked the initial onset of angular cheilitis with nutritional deficiencies, namely riboflavin (vitamin B2) and iron deficiency anemia, which in turn may be evidence of poor diets or malnutrition (e.g. celiac disease). Zinc deficiency has also been associated with angular cheilitis. Angular cheilitis can also be a sign of anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa due both to malnutrition and as a side effect of constant vomiting.


This whole "Chronic Candida" diagnosis is nothing but a big misdiagnosis of Malnutrition, so instead of dropping a lot of cash on Candida-killing supplements and going on questionable restrictive low-carb diets for who knows how long to try to "starve" the problem away, you should probably start by making sure you're not calorie-restricting.


Find out if you're calorie-restricting or not with these free resources:
cronometer.com, fitday.com, myfitnesspal.com


Malnutrition can be caused by either under-eating (calorie-restriction), or the overeating of junk food (empty calories).


How many calories needed per day to be active:

Female: 14-18 = 2,400
Female: 19-30 = 2,400
Female: 31-50 = 2,200
Female: 51+ = 2,000-2,200

Male: 14-18 = 2,800-3,200
Male: 19-30 = 3,000
Male: 31-50 = 2,800-3,000
Male: 51+ = 2,400-2,800

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/healthy-weight-bas...



"According to the World Health Organization, a diet under 2100 calories for average men and under 1800 calories for average women is classified as a “Starvation diet.”
http://hbmag.com/the-calorie-myth/


Undernourishment or Chronic Hunger
"The average minimum energy requirement per person is about 1800 kcal per day."
http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/


How much food do you need?
"On average, the body needs more than 2,100 kilocalories per day per person to allow a normal, healthy life. Extra energy is needed during pregnancy and lactation."
http://www.wfp.org/hunger/what-is


"2,100 kcal is the average daily energy requirement of a ‘typical’ emergency affected population.  This has been estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is recognized in SPHERE."
http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/training/4.2/7.html




Signs and help for eating disorders:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

http://www.helpguide.org/topics/eating_disorders.htm


Symptoms resources for Candida:
http://www.candidamd.com/candida/symptoms.html

http://www.thecandidadiet.com/candidasymptoms.htm

http://candidaclinic.org/eliminating-systemic-candida/

http://www.candidaplan.com/new/what_is_candida/symptoms.php


Symptoms resources for Anorexia/Malnutrition:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606/DSECTION=symptoms

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/eatdis.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-deficiency-anemia/DS00325/DSECTION=s...

http://www.something-fishy.org/isf/mentalhealth.php
(E.D. & psychological illnesses)
http://www.something-fishy.org/dangers/vitamins.php
(E.D. & Nutrient deficiencies)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003050.htm
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