Are hormones making you ill?
It is an illness you may think is uncommon, but Candida affects one in three women at some point in their lives.This hidden epidemic often manifests itself as vaginal or oral thrush, skin infections or cystitis. But for some people, the problem is far worse leading to fatigue, digestive problems and even chronic fatigue syndrome.
For years, the main cause was thought to be over-use of antibiotics, disrupting the balance of bacteria and leading to an overgrowth of Candida in the gut. But experts now believe Candida is a symptom of problems with the body's endocrine, or hormonal system.
There are two underlying causes of Candida. The first is an immune disorder like cancer or HIV while the second is an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone. In some people, this will be enough to cause Candida overgrowth. In others, antibiotics may be a trigger.
It is now thought that Candida growth is stimulated by high levels of progesterone caused by hormone treatments like the contraceptive pill, HRT and other corticosteriod treatments including nasal sprays.
This leads to a variety of symptoms from headaches and asthma, to weight gain and digestive problems.
Although over 17 million people are thought to have Candida, many don't realise they suffer the condition, which means that thousands of women could go untreated for years, says Christine Tomlinson of the National Candida Society.
Although there is an established link between Candida and diseases like cancer, HIV and ageing that depress the immune system, the medical profession still doesn't fully recognise the disease in 'healthy' people, she says.
Candida, which is referred to by doctors as Candida Albicans, is a yeast which lives in our intestines and other parts of our body like the skin and mucous membranes. Most of the time, it is kept in check by natural 'friendly' bacteria which live alongside it in the gut and by our immune system.
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If this balance between yeast and bacteria is affected, for instance by antibiotics which kill off the bacteria or in periods of low immunity following virus or stress, Candida can start to grow and spread out of control. Once there is overgrowth in the gut, candida leaks through the intestine walls and enters the bloodstream.
'Getting rid of the 'friendly' bacteria through taking antibiotics has a double effect', says Tomlinson, because not only do they keep Candida at bay, they also work to recycle oestrogen and boost the levels in the blood. So destroying them allows the Candida to spread even more.
Because the endocrine system works to balance the body, high progesterone can also arise from low oestrogen levels in the blood. This happens when the activity of oestrogen receptors is altered by mercury poisoning from fillings, environmental pollution and some pharmaceutical products.
'Everyone's threshold is different', says Christine Tomlinson, and even if Candida doesn't result from this directly, once these conditions are established in the body it only needs something small, like a course of antibiotics, to unbalance the body completely and trigger overgrowth.
If you think you might be affected, she says, the first thing to do is to get tested. The simplest way to do this is through a urine test at home or through a practitioner. Depending on your symptoms, your practitioner may also test for parasites, lead, mercury or cadmium (another heavy metal) poisoning and food allergies.
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