Candida and Anxiety?
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anonymous Asks ...
Could candida infection cause me to have a sudden increase in my social anxiety and feelings of panic? I think my immune system is really compromised right now because I get sick so easily all the time and I am just exhausted by afternoon even when I didn’t really do anything. My doctor says there is nothing really wrong with me. Actually, I hate that she looks at me like I am making my symptoms up. I just think there is something systemic that’s going on with me that’s causing a whole body imbalance and I have recurrent cadida problems that have intensified recently at the same time as my other symptoms.
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Dr. Mark Abrahams Says ...
To begin with, while the occurrence of a panic attack, or an anxiety disorder is a psychiatric or psychological phenomena, candida is a strictly medical question which I am not qualified to answer. Yes, the literature that one can find on-line does indicate that candida yeast (versus fungal) infections, can produce psychological symptoms. But you would first have to determine by way of laboratory tests on saliva, blood, or stool whether you do in fact harbor these organisms in sufficient amounts to be diagnosed with such an infection.
Incidentally, the practice of spitting into a glass of water first thing in the morning and observing whether tendrils of mucus descend from the sputum is NOT a valid test for candida. Your physician's "looks" have nothing to do with whether she has had you tested for candida. Only if laboratory tests come out negative can any condition that can be tested for be ruled out. There are many, many causes for fatigue and for a drop in resistance without jumping to frightening medical conclusions. The first one, and one that I am qualified to suggest is stress. There are of course normal medical causes for stress to one's system, like getting a flu shot or another vaccination in which a weakened organism is injected into our body that is intended to occupy our immune system to produce antibodies. However, a common cause of fatigue is insufficient sleep. Another common one is dehydration. If we wait until we feel thirsty to drink water, we are already experiencing dehydration. Most physicians in my experience are not particularly into preventative medicine. My own physician cares little for supplements, and would rather take additional medicines than adjust his diet!
It seems we all have to do a little research on our symptoms these days before requesting that our physicians test for something. If you're not already, keep a journal of symptoms. With no intention of practicing medicine here, which I am not, I will say that I have had good results in the treatment of my own anxiety with the addition of 100-200 mg of the amino acid L-Theanine to my daily supplements. But be sure to ask your physician first. Amino acids may be natural to our bodies, but taking concentrated amounts of individual amino acids CAN have immediate deleterious effects, depending on our individual medical histories.
