Spotting Yeast Infections
By Steven Horne, RH (AHG)

In the doctor's office patients who complain of yeast-related symptoms are not always taken seriously. Frequently doctors attribute their problems to stress or imagination. It wasn't until Dr. Orian Truss, an allergist from Birmingham, Alabama, connected fungus-related diseases to a large number of other disease symptoms that yeast's effect on the body was clearly understood.
Yeast sufferers with their many symptoms aren't hallucinating after all. Dr. Truss's research has demonstrated yeast influences the body in many ways.

How Yeast Affects the Body
As yeast fights for its survival, the toxins it gives off causes the red blood cell walls to stiffen. Consequently, they are unable to slip into tiny capillaries and supply oxygen to all body tissues and organs. Yeast toxins also cause white blood cells to become stiff and brittle, reducing their ability to absorb invading organisms. With a weak immune system, yeast can now attack a variety of body sites. However, this fungus seems to favor the urinary tact, prostate gland, gastrointestinal tract, mouth (thrush) and vagina.

Symptoms That Indicate Yeast Overgrowth
Allergic responses.
Since yeast weakens your immune system, your immune system is less able to distinguish between harmful and harmless substances. You may suffer from an increased number of allergic reactions as a result of yeast overgrowth. Therefore, you may have fewer allergy problems once your body's yeast supply is under control. You may still have the allergy, but bigger "doses" of the allergen are required to create a reaction. Symptoms to watch for include dizziness, diarrhea, congestion, hives, asthma, headaches, depression and weakness.

Digestion.
Any food with a high sugar content encourages yeast growth, and yeast in turn produces extra carbon dioxide. This can lead to gas, bloating and heartburn.
Other symptoms that indicate yeast problems are abdominal pain, gastritis, gastric ulcer. A gastric ulcer crater is often the home of Candida albicans. And the effect of yeast doesn't stop with the stomach. Diarrhea (due to yeast's direct invasion of the intestinal tract) and constipation or episodes of alternating diarrhea and constipation can also point to yeast overgrowth.

Respiration.
Signs of yeast problems in this area include sore throat and sore mouth (thrush), canker sores, sinus and bronchial infections, pneumonia, chronic cough and asthma.

Circulation
Palpitations, rapid pulse rate and a pounding heart can signal yeast problems since yeast hinders the hormonal balance necessary to govern circulation. The result is fluid retention, along with cold, clammy hands and increased perspiration.

Genital and Urinary
Symptoms of vaginal or urinary difficulties due to yeast infection include the following symptoms: vaginal discharge, itching, urinary burning, frequent urination, lack of bladder control and bedwetting, menstrual cramps and PMS.

Muscles and Bones
As yeast affects the musculoskeletal system, these symptoms can occur: night leg pains, muscle stiffness and muscle weakness, deep muscle pains, particularly in the shoulder and neck, and poor coordination.

Skin
Yeast also attacks the skin in warm, moist areas like the groin and breast in adults or the diaper rash area in children. Skin conditions such as hives and eczema are often an allergic response to yeast.

Nerves
Headaches are one of the most common symptoms that result from yeast problems. Other symptoms that stem from yeast's effect on the nervous system are anxiety, irritability, restlessness, panic attacks, sudden anger, sleep disturbances.

Other symptoms that point to multiplying yeast are fatigue, sugar cravings, high insulin levels and low metabolism.

How Yeast Grows
Lack of Proper Nutrition. When nutrition is poor, yeast tends to get a stronger hold on the body, especially when refined sugar is part of the diet. If you've ever made bread, you've seen the bubbling action of yeast and sugar in warm water. Yeast seems to flourish on sugar, breaking it down quickly. Large amounts of highly refined foods, particularly sugar, as part of your diet tend to replace other important nutrients. Without these nutrients the immune system is unable to keep infection or yeast from dominating your body.

Antibiotics and Other Drugs.
The colon's "friendly" bacteria, lactobacillus acidophilus, is destroyed by antibiotics. Acidophilus produces chemicals that curb yeast growth. When the friendly bacteria die, yeast takes over. Other drugs can also encourage yeast growth. As an example, cortisone may hamper the immune system and increase yeast growth.

Knowing If You've Got It
Modern-day diagnostic tools are not reliable when it comes to detecting yeast overgrowth. Cultures, for example, only work to recognize organisms within the body that should not be there. Likewise, tests for antibodies only help identify invading organisms for which the human body has developed an antibody. Since each of us is supposed to have some yeast and yeast antibodies, these two methods of testing are useless.
The best diagnostic tool to pinpoint yeast problems is a yeast treatment program. If you experience a noticeable improvement, you have candidiasis and would benefit from ongoing treatment. If you see no change after six to eight weeks on the program, you may be having health problems that stem from other causes.

Candida Clear Combo Helps the body maintain the normal balance of colonization of Candida albicans. Supports the immune system. Supports the intestinal tract.

And Bacillus Coagulants Contains 3 billion CFU (colony forming units) of Bacillus coagulans per serving plus prebiotic fiber