Do you have candidiasis?

Candidiasis (can-dih-DIE-uh-sis) is a systemic yeast disorder. If you have ever taken antibiotics, birth control, cortisone type steroids (prednisone), had Athlete's foot, ringworm, jock itch, or other yeast type infections, you are at a much higher risk of having a systemic yeast problem. It can make PMDD (or PMS) worse (click to see an article about this).

Here is a questionnaire to see if you might have a yeast problem.



I've personally noticed that I have a yeast issue. I was diagnosed with a yeast infection under my breasts at one point a few years ago and was given Nystatin powder to treat it. It helped somewhat. I also had this recurring rash on my chin area for about 8 years that I thought was eczema as well as dry, flaky skin near my armpit area that I thought was due to shaving. I also had problems with dry, flaky and itchy skin on the base of my scalp that I always attributed to dandruff and having thick curly hair.

I've never had a vaginal yeast infection so it never occurred to me that any of this other than the breast problem was yeast. When I was finding out that I had autoimmune issues, I learned through my own research that yeast can be a problem for those with autoimmune disorders (click to see an article about this).

Only recently when talking to someone in the PMDD group (someone who is now one of my best friends!) did I learn that people often have systemic yeast problems. She had battled it for quite some time and had cut out all sugar and was taking "yeast capsules" and sticking to a special diet to avoid all yeast. We both found through online research that yeast can exacerbate or even trigger PMDD, so we looked into it more thoroughly.

It was around this same time that I had started using coconut oil on my body because my skin was so dry. I thought it was just helping that dry patch near my armpits by moisturizing it better. Turns out that coconut oil KILLS YEAST! I was unknowingly killing off the yeast on my body with this very inexpensive product!

Then I discovered the coconut oil diet (click to see the diet), which consists of eating coconut oil (I add it to my hot teas and coffees and anytime I can during cooking in the place of vegetable or olive oil) and often results in something called the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is just the dying off of all this yeast in the body. Symptoms of this dying off process can include fevers, chills, hypotension (lowered blood pressure), headache, tachycardia (raised heart rate), hyperventilation, flushing, myalgia (muscle pain), skin lesions, and anxiety.

I started off by adding 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to my hot drinks and then gradually increased this over the next two weeks to 2 tablespoons. I did have periods where my chronic pain seemed a lot worse and I felt like my body was fighting something off. It passed quickly though and I continue to use coconut oil whenever I can and I try to avoid sugars and yeast when I can too. Now I hardly ever crave sugar, and that in itself is enough to stay on this "diet".