Beast in the Yeast: Candida controls your brain!

Sounds extreme right? Well, maybe it is...but not by much. I've posted a lot here about how probiotics and gut health affect the brain.  Science is discovering new connections between these two things and  I am seeing more about it every day. 

I have noticed in myself the connection, between "candida cleansing phases" and mental and emotional symptoms. In fact, I am nearly convinced that a large part of the anxiety I have described in this blog was (at least in part) caused by one of these "candida cleansing phases". 


So what does one of these phases feel like? My symptoms have ranged from flu like symptoms, to rashes and allergy like symptoms.  (Candida can also the culprit behind many sinus infections and common rashes and infections like athletes foot, jock itch or yeast infections.) I have also experienced sore joints and muscle spasms/twitches. Muscle knots soreness and stiffness (seems to also be connected to repressed tensions in the muscles. In one of my first candida die off phases, I experienced extremely sore knees (which I never had before). This passed after a couple of days, but i have noticed some joint soreness can come and go in these times too. Tinnitus.. dry eyes... Also, following a cleansing I have felt the deepest calm, the most peaceful, centered meditations and the feeling that my mind was completely clear of distracting thoughts and I was finally free just to BE.  The candida also usually makes it's way out of the body when going to the bathroom. Sometimes this could be peeing out yeast, which usually stings a bit and looks a bit like peeing a beer into the toilet. In the case of intestinal candida, it also comes out in poo. It can look white and after my worst anxiety I passed a huge white mass that had stringy almost tentacle like structures coming off of it. Of course it freaked me out, but I was glad to get that out of me! (Sorry to be so graphic, but I think it's important to be honest about all the details.) There are many symptoms that can go with Candida, they often get worse temporarily BEFORE they get better.


These cleansings seem to come in phases too.  Sometimes it could be due to a new food regimen, or from trying a new anti-fungal treatment. Sometimes these also seem to happen seemingly randomly. I have noticed though that they also seem to occur with changes in season and with moon cycles. I also read that candida had feeding cycles related to the full moon. Could this be the link to the term "lunacy"?





In addition to the physical symptoms, I have also noticed the emotional and psychological symptoms.  For me these have ranged from mild aggravation, to anger, to sadness, to fear and dread. Sometimes now I am aware enough to notice these feelings are probably related to what my physiology is going through, but there have also been times that I have been convinced that "so and so" was just being a total asshole. Later, I might have a telltale sign that this was a "candida cleansing phase" and then I was able to look at the situation a little more clearly. Of course the key is to be aware of these detox induced moods in the present moment, and to realize they aren't necessarily reality. Slowly, I have learned to try and pace myself, knowing that A. I didn't want to overdo it and experience overwhelming physical or emotional symptoms and B. that the body also cleanses at it's own pace and that consistency (not speed) is key.


Our body is a collection of cells. There are more fungal and bacterial cells in the human body than there are human cells. We are a community of balance.


Fungal cells also communicate with each other.


Paul Stamets - Ted talk on fungus


Candida is a fungus. Does it communicate globally/systemically within the organism? I have noticed when I soak my feet in Kombucha I felt reactions in my nasal passages. Also, when I ate things that were anti-fungal I felt itching in my feet.. It seems that my physical reactions to candida die off are global and nearly immediate (ie.. i could eat something and then feel itching in my feet. How could it react there so fast?)


Bonnie Bassler - Bacteria talk to each other


So if the candida can control our brains, what are they telling us?

Maybe they could be telling us to eat certain foods (usually things like starches and sugars...comfort foods).
Maybe they could also be triggering emotional responses that stimulate chemicals in our body.  Fear and stress responses generally release chemicals like cortisol, and adrenaline which also release sugars into the blood stream and also feed the candida temporarily. There are even studies that show that some people can become addicted to stress because of these chemical reactions.

Addicted to Stress?

http://www.fastcompany.com/3025717/work-smart/do-you-have-a-neurochemical-dependence-on-stress

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mequilibrium/stress-addiction_b_3604754.html


In general I have also noticed the healing process proceeds backwards from my most recent symptoms to ones that I remembered from years earlier. The symptoms would always gets worse before they get better, as the body processes toxins and moves back towards balance.


(here's a great book about getting rid of Candida)

The Body Ecology Diet:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Body-Ecology-Diet-Recovering/dp/1401935435


For sound downloads click here.
Just a personal note: There is nothing new under the sun. I am just attempting to present info. here that has helped me. I hope to present it in a clear way based on my experience with anxiety which was a spiritual, psychological and emotional awakening for me. In retrospect of this experience I have been reading as much as I could to come to a deeper and more grounded understanding of this seemingly mystical thing that happened to me (so that I could share it with you). I'm not a doctor or a scientist. Please know this is only my experience. Yours will obviously be different, but since my experience was so similar to others I've talked to, I am hoping this may be helpful or useful to you in some way. It's also a way that I hope to share the love with you. That is my purpose here.



Leave a comment