About Candida

"Candida exists in two forms: yeast and fungus. Normally, in our gut, we have some of the yeast form of candida. These are kept from becoming too numerous by some of the naturally-existing healthy flora, probiotics such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, also known as acidophilus."

"Antibiotics selectively kill off our "good-guy bacteria" while ignoring the candida. This is why some people eat yogurt (which contains probiotics) when they have a yeast infection or while they are on antibiotics. When the teams get unbalanced the "bad guys" take over and become quite numerous."

"A healthy immune system will control candida with its natural antibody system. If it doesn't, and the candida has been around for a while, it can turn into its fungal, or mycelial form. This is barbed, toxic and quite difficult to kill. One theory proposed that this form of candida slowly pokes holes in the intestinal wall, causing gut permeability, or a "leaky-gut" syndrome."

Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery
Karyn Seroussi

What Does Yeast Feel Like?

For many adults, chronic yeast overgrowth, or "candida albicans" is experienced as symptoms ranging from a mild constant itching, (either on the skin's surface or beneath), to extreme inflammation and infection (such as vaginal yeast infections, athletes feet or jock itch).

For many children with autism, systemic yeast overgrowth can feel like an unbearable constant itchy crawling beneath the skin and within the muscle tissue. It manifests as skin rashes and ear infections (which of course begin as yeast infections in the ears). It can cause extreme agitation, restlessness and discomfort. In addition it frequently manifests in the bowels, causing considerable abdominal and digestive distress in the form of gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

Aside from the obvious damage from discomfort, yeast overgrowth once progressed to its fungal form is known to bore holes in the intestinal tract. This allows partially digested dietary proteins to travel into the bloodstream, where they exert a powerful antigenic (antibody-stimulating) assault on the immune system. The food proteins themselves then produce neurotoxins to the brain, during which cognitive and behavioral regression is experienced.

Symptoms of systemic yeast overgrowth tend to worsen during periods of warm humid weather, which is of course a yeast friendly environment. Many professionals who work with autistic children report worsened behavior during the summer months.

Symptoms also worsen considerably after periods of increased refined carbs, starches and sugars in the diet. For both children and adults, when symptoms worsen for whatever reason, one tends to feel aggressive, short tempered, and when inflamed to a high level, joint pain, headaches, heightened adrenalin and sleep disturbance.

Yeast-Free, Sugar-Free

Nancy Guberti, www.coachforhealthyliving.com, notes the following in her upcoming book.

• Yeast causes symptoms similar to phenol symptoms: Hyperactivity, giggling, and sleep problems, spinning around in circles, mental fog, anger, aggression, headache, head banging, sound sensitivity (holding the hands over the ears) and other similar issues.
• Starchy carbohydrates turn into sugar.
• Antibiotics kill the good bacteria that protects yeast overgrowth.

Candida / Yeast

By Julie Matthews
March 01, 2007

Yeast (Candida albicans being the most common) is a pathogen, but it lives in check with the good bacteria in our intestinal tract. When we take antibiotics (anti = against life) to kill the pathogenic bacteria, we are not only killing the bad bacteria but also the beneficial bacteria (competition against yeast) in our intestinal tracts. This allows the yeast to overgrow. It then becomes difficult for the beneficial bacteria to re-populate.

This can happen with anyone, healthy or not, from one or many courses of antibiotics. But because of their existing imbalances (digestion, immune function, etc.), it appears to affect autistic children more severely. Antibiotics are not the only cause of yeast overgrowth, but they are often a major contributing factor. Dysbiosis (imbalance of gut organisms) can be caused by a variety of factors: excessive use of antibiotics, decreased digestive secretions (seen with faulty sulfation) dietary factors (sugars feed yeast and effect yeast growth significantly), impaired immunity, impaired liver function (seen with faulty sulfation), corticosteroids, fluoridated and chlorinated water, nutrient deficiencies, lack of beneficial flora, etc.

Elevated levels of candida (yeast) and yeast byproducts are common in children with autism, as is poor digestion. This may be due to the fact that children with autism often get ear infections, and thus receive (more than average) antibiotics. Toxic metabolites from dysbiosis, such as alcohol and formaldehyde, negatively affect the gut and brain. This is evidenced by the correlation between the amount of yeast/toxins and the severity of autistic symptoms as yeast and yeast toxins decrease, so (typically) do many autistic symptoms.

Common symptoms of yeast overgrowth include: gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, hyperactivity, spacey, inattentive, and fuzzy thinking, yeast infections (vaginal, nail fungus, athlete's foot, or thrush), irritability, and inappropriate laughter. Yeast negatively affects many functions and can damage the immune system. It can also disrupt the digestive enzymes and create inflammation in the gut. Without the proper digestive enzymes and intestinal wall integrity, nutrients will not be optimally absorbed. They can cause leaky gut and contribute to food sensitivities and opiate exposure in the brain from wheat and dairy. The yeast can produce analogs of the Krebs cycles that inhibit energy production.

Addressing yeast through diet and supplements that kill candida, healing the gut, and balancing the microorganisms can provide significant relief and improvement to many of the symptoms of those with autism and anyone suffering with yeast overgrowth. See Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carbohydrate Diet for details on these diets.

Signs and Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth:

On Candida Overgrowth Dr. Kenneth Bock writes:

• Bloating in the belly, particularly after eating a yeast promoting food.
• Thrush, a thick white coating on the tongue, or white patches in the mouth.
• Itching or redness in any of the mucosal membranes, or in any external body tissue that is in a warm, moist area.
• Recurrent vaginal infections, or "jock itch" irritation in males.
• Recurrent fungal infections of the toenails and fingernails, or recurrent athlete's foot.
• Swelling throughout the body, particularly in the hands, face and feet; or a tendency to suffer from chronic water retention.
• Fatigue, for no apparent reason.
• Depression, for no apparent reason.
• Poor memory, poor cognitive function, and brain fog.
• Chronic nasal congestion from mucus or swelling of the nasal membranes.
• Insomnia, restlessness.
• Joint pain, with or without swelling.
• Muscle aches, or headaches.
• Weight gain, or difficulty losing weight.
• Cravings for sweets and other refined carbohydrates, including bread and pasta.
• A history of steroid use.
• A history of frequent antibiotic use.

"Candida overgrowth can be overcome with: 1) diet, 2) supplements, and 3) medication. Often, all three must be applied. I almost always start with the simplest and least invasive procedure, dietary change, frequently accompanied with specific supplements. Medications can be extremely effective, but are not always necessary."

On How To Do the Anti-Yeast Diet, Dr. Bock writes:

"This diet, which can be done at the same time as the GFCF diet as well as the anti-food reaction diet, and the other appropriate diets, is somewhat difficult for some people, but not very complicated. The difficulty of this diet is reduced drastically if you're child is already on the GFCF diet, because may yeast-promoting foods contain gluten and casein. This diet also goes hand in hand with the anti-hypoglycemia diet, because the same general restrictions apply to both."

The foods to restrict on the anti-yeast diet are those that:

1. Contain yeast (such as bread)
2. Contain foods that stimulate the growth of yeast (such as sugar), or that contain other forms of mold or fungus (such as cheese or mushrooms).

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