The Link Between Fibromyalgia and Candida
Naturopaths and other holistic healers believe there is a link between fibromyalgia and Candida (yeast) infection. These professionals claim that many years of research into the effects of this yeast on the human body supports their theory. Some even claim that a cure can be found in six months of starting treatment to eradicate Candida from the body.
The link between fibromyalgia and Candida may help doctors relieve painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms such as muscle problems, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. Fibromyalgia affects more than ten million Americans, male and female although it is most often encountered in women between twenty and forty. Most patients also experience fatigue, weakness, subjective swelling, and numbness along with irritable bladder and bowel syndrome.
While the syndrome has been documented and recognized by most health professionals for about ten years the fibromyalgia and Candida link is not always given credit by health professionals. However, alternative practitioners claim Candida causes the condition in many patients. Typically patients with the condition are given a cocktail of drugs such as antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and pain killers to ease symptoms. These drugs do not cure the condition and their long-term use may lead to damaging side effects.
What is Candida? Candida albicans is a kind of yeast that is found naturally in the body. Yeast growth on the skin, other body surfaces and in the intestines is quite normal. The growth of yeast is kept in check by our body's defense mechanisms. But a variety of things might cause Candida to overgrow. It is this overgrowth that is the crux of the link between fibromyalgia and Candida.
Lifestyle factors such as eating poorly, a sluggish or impaired immune response, stress, certain medications and toxins in our environment can cause yeast numbers to increase to the point where they begin to damage our bodies. Taking steroids like cortisone, birth control pills and using antibiotics can all contribute to the spread of Candida in our bodies. Fibromyalgia and Candida overgrowth are viewed as connected by alternative healers.
This is because when Candida overgrows is causes infections in the mouth (thrush), gastrointestinal tract (gas), vagina (yeast infection), urinary tract (bladder/kidney infection), prostrate gland (prostrate troubles), skin (hives, rashes), fingernail, or toenail (fungus of the nail bed). Candida can also affect the immune systems causing viral and bacterial infection or allergies. The link between fibromyalgia and Candida is thought to relate to antibody production.
These antibodies cause allergic reactions like eczema, hay fever, headache, dizziness, heart palpitations, anxiety, fatigue and muscle aches. These symptoms may lead to fibromyalgia and Candida co-existing and only being aggravated by conventional medical treatment that ignores the underlying cause.
