Candida Overgrowth, SIFO, and Fungal Dysbiosis
Yeast like Candida are a normal part of the human microbiome*. However, they can become opportunistic under the right circumstances. This is particularly true of the digestive system and the vagina. Thankfully, candida overgrowth, SIFO, and fungal dysbiosis respond beautifully to nutrition and holistic therapies like herbs, supplements, and probiotics.
For the remainder of this page I will refer to SIFO and Candida Overgrowth as “Fungal Dysbiosis.” While there is some nuance to dealing with each specific condition, I find that they can be lumped together nicely more often than not.
*Nerd point that needs to be made: Microbiome = bacteria, mycobiome = fungi. I chose to use the word microbiome here because more people are familiar with this term.
For more information about SIFO, Candida overgrowth, and fungal dysbiosis, please visit Triangle Holistic Gut Health on YouTube.
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Common Symptoms of Fungal Dysbiosis
- Fatigue
- Brain-fog
- Autoimmune Disease(s)
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- (Or both diarrhea and constipation)
- Abdominal/stomach pain
- Abdominal cramping
- Chronic vaginal yeast infections
- Chronic white tongue coat
- Resistance to standard SIBO or antibacterial treatments that do not address fungi
You may have all of these symptoms or only a few.
Common causes of Fungal Dysbiosis
Things that throw off the microbiome:
- Antibiotics
- Unhealthy diet
- Stress
Things that suppress or tax the immune system:
Above plus:
- Cancer and/or Chemotherapy
- Environmental toxins
- Poor sleep
Things that induce leaky gut syndrome:
- Too many to list – see exhaustive list
- An increase in Candida’s favorite food- sugar
The holy grail of this line of work is to find, understand, and address your root cause(s). This isn’t always perfectly clear, but we will discuss this in-depth as we work together.
Diet and Fungal Dysbiosis
Diet alone does not generally cause fungal dysbiosis. Usually there are additional issues to tackle: immune insufficiency, bacterial dysbiosis, or other factors. If you focus your efforts on “starving” the candida without healing your body you will likely find yourself stuck on the candida diet for months or years.
If you starve candida of it’s preferred food (sugar) you will keep it at bay. However, my goal is to help patients get off of the candida diet and back to eating somewhat normally as soon as possible.
Curing and Helping Fungal Dysbiosis
Dr. DiNezza is awesome! She’s been helping me for a year now with anemia and gut issues (SIBO & candida). I find her to be a good listener, easy to talk to, and knowledgeable about both issues. As a result, I’ve made a great deal of progress health-wise with her help. Dr. Di has called me a couple of times out of the blue just to check in on me (once after an ER visit). I truly feel like she’s “on my team”. Two other things I appreciate about Dr. Di: 1) she is committed to ongoing education & training and 2) she’s been honest with me when an issue is not in her area of expertise. Dr. Di has the heart of a teacher and wants you to understand the “why” behind your health struggles as well as understand your test results. She may even draw you a picture with her colored markers as she’s explaining things to you 🙂 And last but not least, Dr. Di makes me laugh every visit- and laughter is certainly good medicine for the soul!
Dr. Dinezza made me feel heard in a way that no other doctor has. She took her time with me, asked meaningful questions, and followed up with issues even after I’d forgotten about them myself! I was ready to work with someone who would treat the root -causes- of my digestive issues and not just the symptoms, and she certainly delivered. Plus, she’s really funny to talk to! Highly, highly recommend this practice.
