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Women's Conditions / Candida Albicans (Yeast)
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submitted by Dr. Gary Farr - Contact the author here.
Last Updated July, 27, 2011
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How is Candida Diagnosed?
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| The digestive system is a complex system consisting of multiple organs. Candida can affect multiple organs in the digestive tract. |
Candida Albicans is present everywhere, subsisting on the surface of all living things. Since Candida germs live in every person's body, especially on the mucous membranes, vaginal and other smears and cultures for the presence of Candida are useless. Therefore the diagnosis for candidiasis is made from a person's medical history and score on a Candida questionnaire. If the questionnaire shows the probability of Candida, a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis and/or a blood test called a Candida Allergy IgG-M5 may be ordered. The Candida Allergy IgG-M5 test is SPECIFIC for Candida and tells us if the infection has spread to the blood. Finally the diagnosis is confirmed by the person's response to treatment for Candida overgrowth.
Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis
What can a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis tell my clinician?
Think of your body as a finely tuned engine, and food is its fuel. If you aren't completely digesting foods and absorbing nutrients, you're not adequately fueling your body. The lack of adequate fuel — or the inability to use it properly — can lead to a variety of health problems. Poor digestion or imbalances in your intestinal flora can result in many illnesses, from annoying gastrointestinal complaints such as chronic constipation and abdominal pain to more serious illnesses which may appear to be unrelated to digestion, such as asthma or migraines. Your clinician knows the importance of evaluating your gastrointestinal health. One important tool to aid in this diagnosis is the Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis.
Think of the time and money you spend planning menus, shopping for food, preparing meals and buying vitamin supplements. But are you sure you're getting the most from your food? Or is your diet causing other problems in your body? Your clinician can answer these questions with a CDSA.
The CDSA (Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis) is a group of 25 tests performed on a stool sample, revealing valuable information about your gastrointestinal health. The CDSA evaluates:
- Digestion of food molecules and absorption of nutrients.
- The presence of hidden yeast or bacterial infections.
- Intestinal flora balance.
- Intestinal immune function.
- Dietary fiber intake.
How Healthy Is Your Gastrointestinal Tract?
Digestion Starts with the Stomach
Do you chew your food thoroughly? That's the first step in good digestion. The mechanical breakdown of your meal begins when your teeth grind food. Saliva triggers the start of the chemical breakdown.
Once food travels to your stomach, you need adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid to break up dietary proteins. You may be among the millions of Americans who do not produce enough hydrochloric acid. This can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, osteoporosis, hardening of the arteries, arthritis, colon cancer, food allergies, and autoimmune diseases.
Enzymes take over
Hydrochloric acid and other factors trigger your pancreas to release enzymes once food moves to the small intestine. Pancreatic enzymes play an important role in the digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. An insufficient amount of pancreatic enzymes can contribute to many of the same problems as inadequate stomach acid. Nutrients in your food are absorbed into your bloodstream from both the small and large intestine. Food that isn't digested completely will not be absorbed. Partially digested proteins can cause significant gastrointestinal irritation (such as colitis, gas or nervous stomach) and can lead to food allergies. Digestion of carbohydrates continues in the small intestine. Certain enzymes are released only by the intestinal villi and friendly bacteria, and damage to these can inhibit digestion.
Bacteria — Some Good, Some Bad
Many different microbes live in your intestinal tract, and it's normal to have trillions. Ideally, you have "friendly" bacteria to aid with digestion, vitamin production and immune defense. Unfortunately, many common activities can destroy the delicate balance of bacteria. Using antibiotics, steroids or hormone pills, or a diet high in fat and sugar wreaks havoc on bacterial levels, leading to imbalances in bacteria and yeast, which can lead to illness.
Immune Function Protects
Chronic infection, food allergies or inadequate nutrition can result in poor immune defenses in your intestine. With lowered resistance, less friendly bacteria are able to colonize, and infection or allergies are more likely to develop. Gastrointestinal health is the goal For proper gastrointestinal health, your body must carefully coordinate the breakdown, absorption and elimination of food. Bacteria must be in proper balance, and immune function must be adequate. The CDSA provides an easy, effective evaluation of how well your gastrointestinal tract performs these essential functions.
Is it time to assess your digestive health?
- Are you 50 years of age or older?
- Do you often have a bloated or full feeling in your stomach, especially after eating?
- Do you often have intestinal gas?
- Do you have a spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome, nervous stomach, loose stools or constipation?
- Do you avoid eating certain foods because they make you feel uncomfortable?
- Are you allergic to any foods?
- Have you had any of the following: asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, heart disease, history of strokes, arthritis, pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease or yeast infection?
- Have you ever taken an antibiotic for more than one month at a time — or have you taken antibiotics more than four times in your life?
- Have you ever noticed dark, tar-like stools, bloodstained stools, bright-red rectal bleeding or signs of intestinal bleeding?
- Do you prefer nutritional approaches whenever possible to restore health and enhance well-being?
- Have you ever taken oral contraceptives or steroids (cortisone, prednisone, etc.) for extended periods?
If you answered yes to at least two of the questions, taking a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis is recommended. This test can be ordered from us and more information is available here. After the test is performed the results can be discussed with you and a program can be tailored to handle your condition.
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