The most common understanding of candida overgrowth, or a yeast infection, is the kind women sometimes get in the vaginal area.  This involves severe itching, burning and irritation in that area, as well as a cottage cheese like discharge from the vagina that is usually whitish and curd-like in texture.  I know, no fun at all.  Men, too, can suffer from a yeast infection in their penis, with similar symptoms, although this is not as common as female vaginal candida over growths, and not quite a “manly” disease.  Candida can also overgrow in the mouth.  When this happens it is called thrush and presents as a thick, white, felt-like covering on the tongue and throat.  Infants and younger children often develop thrush after a round of antibiotics.  While these are the three common signs of candida overgrowth that most people are aware of, there exists also the possibility to have a candida over growth that doesn’t present with these obvious signs.  These type of infections can present with a myriad of different symptoms that often aren’t correlated to candida overgrowth.

Gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation can accompany a GI tract candida overgrowth, along with indigestion, heartburn and excessive belching.  These symptoms of candida are due to the fungus lining the walls of the small and large intestine and interfering with digestion.  Systemic candida sufferers can also experience the following symptoms: burning pain in the legs and arms, extreme fatigue, flu like symptoms, stiffness in the shoulder and neck, chronic ear and sinus infections, chronic phlegm in the back of the throat, dark circles under the eyes, puffy eye lids and extreme sensitivity to alcohol.  These symptoms of candida are often attributed to other aliments, and the patient often goes for some time before the real problem, candida overgrowth, is addressed adequately.  The toxic by products of the Candida’s life cycle can also produce symptoms of eczema, dermatitis, jock itch, dandruff,  bad breath, light-headedness, chronic allergies and tinnitus.  It is easy to see why a candida problem is not often first thought of by some one suffering with these symptoms, as they are pretty general, and seem like so many other conditions-some of which, like eczema, are considered to be “independent conditions”.  These symptoms of candida are almost always present in one form or another in someone who has a candida problem.

Even more unbearable than the physical symptoms of candida, are the psychological and psychiatric symptoms of candida that befall a person.  At first it seems like a stretch of the imagination to think that a fungal overgrowth in the gut can a cause a person to experience any symptoms that are mentally related.  The truth is that the symptoms of candida that people most complain of are in fact the ones that affect the mind.  These can include depression, anxiety and panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and behaviors, paranoia, changes in personality, crying and anger spells, mood disturbances and even schizophrenic like behavior.  Some in the medical community also speculate that the cost of and treatment of mental illnesses could be revolutionized if focus was given to screening patients for fungal and bacterial infections before beginning treatment for a psychiatric problem.  These psychiatric symptoms of candida resolve in their entirety once the candida overgrowth is effectively eradicated.  This is the point where the patient starts to get their life back.

From diarrhea to mood swings to tingling in the arms and legs, its obvious that the symptoms of candida present quite a gamut of misery to the sufferer and a diagnostic challenge to the doctor.  The best thing to keep in mind is that candida overgrowth is a very, very treatable condition and once it is taken care of, the symptoms of candida go away and the person is left in peace again.