This post is a continuation of the exploration of my Metametrix 2100 GI Profile.

My Metametrix Test

My Metametrix test showed “+2 yeast/fungi; taxonomy unavailable.”  The fine print on the test paper states a couple of things:

• “A taxonomy unavailable finding may indicate ingested mold.  The higher the number, the greater the indication for treatment, particularly when accompanied by clinical symptoms.”
• “Yeast overgrowth has been linked to many chronic conditions, in part because of antigenic responses in some patients to even low rates of yeast growth.  Potential symptoms include diarrhea, headache, bloating, atopic dermatitis and fatigue.  Positives are reported as +1, +2, +3, or +4…”

So no evidence on my test of the dreaded CANDIDA, and no absolute evidence of a need to treat for YEAST.  My “+2” test result could be related to anything I ate, such as a vinegar or my sauerkraut.  Or maybe not.

Yeast/Candida

In my training, we learned that yeast was associated with specific conditions:  athlete’s foot, jock itch, diaper rash, thrush, vaginal infections, esophagitis, and overwhelming sepsis.  It was not a vague, nebulous condition affecting every organ system in the body.  A case of thrush did not mean a patient had a body riddled with Candida.  But this year as I’ve been reading about health on the internet, I have observed a lot of people very worried about  “Candida and yeast.”

Most of modern medicine scoffs at the loose use of “yeast” and “Candida” to describe a syndrome affecting the whole body.  Some of what makes the syndrome seem so hokey is the use of such wonderfully descriptive language, full of extremes, oversimplifications, and fear tactics:

• “Invasion.”
• “Is it breeding in you?”
• “Do you have headaches, depression, anxiety, fatigue,  muscle aches, sore throats, sinusitis, cough, acne, acid reflux, athlete’s foot, vaginitis, bloating,  poor memory, irritability, allergies, asthma, and…and…and…and…”
• “Starve them out.”
• “Cleanse them out.”
• “They burrow into your intestinal tract and can spread to every part of your body.”
• “We all are infected.”

I prefer concrete, provable conditions supported by research.  If you bloat, there’s a good chance you have SIBO or FODMAP intolerance.  If you have a headache, you may need to eliminate nitrates from your diet.  Nice, supportable, proven conditions.  But what about otherwise healthy appearing individuals who despite doing all the right things, still feel bad?  Modern medicine is not helping them.  They’ve broached the multi-factorial approach and tried to remedy things:

• food excesses (such as sugars of all types, grains, starches, preservatives, colors)
• unknown food intolerances (such as eggs, nuts, dairy, wheat, coconut, soy)
• “hard living” (lack of sleep, lack of daily movement, stress)
• disruption of the typical bowel flora

What then is there to help them explain why they “just don’t feel good”?

Well, apparently all kinds of things–but today’s post is to provide links for “yeast” or “Candida” or “candidiasis” for those interested in further reading.  I’m not going to try to prove or disprove “Candida syndrome.”

Some Reads

Here are some articles I read that I appreciated for one reason or another.  I’d suggest, before you scoff at Candida or  conversely, dive headlong into eradicating it, that you read some of these.  After I read them, the “more you learn, the less you know” bells kept ringing in my head.  You decide for yourself.

I left off the Dr. Oz site.

1.  A very good, interesting review from European Journal of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, 2005.  Even though it discusses IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) in the title, it is a good read for anyone interested in yeast/Candida syndrome.  I appreciate that it was written by an MD and was published in a reputable journal.  It offers good background information and sources.

• Yeast metabolic products, yeast antigens and yeasts as possible triggers for irritable bowel syndrome

2. There are reports that some people MAY have polysomatic symptoms (numerous symptoms that seem diverse) due to yeast/Candida.  Their immune systems have inadvertently geared up to fight off yeasts/Candida, despite them being typical human commensal microbes.  The yeast apparently doesn’t even need to be “overgrown.”  The above mentioned article glosses on this, also.

Consider reading:  Candida/Yeast Hypersensitivity Syndrome and its citations, which both support and refute:

• A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial of Nystatin Therapy for the Candidiasis Hypersensitivity Syndrome
• The chronic fatigue syndrome
• The role of faecal Candida albicans in the pathogenesis of food-intolerant irritable bowel syndrome
• Effectiveness of nystatin in polysymptomatic patients. A randomized, double-blind trial with nystatin versus placebo in general practice

3.  Fascinatingly, overgrowth of yeast can lead to alcohol production in the body and “autointoxication.”  That’s weird.

• Auto-Brewery Syndrome in a Child With Short Gut Syndrome:  Case Report and Review of the Literature from Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2001.
• The auto-brewery syndrome–the repeated attacks of alcoholic intoxication due to the overgrowth of Candida (albicans) in the gastrointestinal tract (not much to read here)
• A Case Study of Gut Fermentation syndrome (Auto-Brewerey) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the Causative Organism, International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2013, 4, 309-312, Barbara Cordell, Justin McCarthy

4.  A very nice, well-rounded, and honest post, admitting strengths and weaknesses–from Mark’s Daily Apple:  A Primal Primer:  Candida.

5.  Another very nice well-rounded blog post:  Candida- Fact or Fiction by Jeff Chamberlain, MD

6.   The next link is to The Townsend Letter, The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, 2012.  I don’t know much about The Townsend Letter, but the article is written by an MD (et al), and it presents a lot of material with a good citation list to explore:  Candida,  Fungal-Type Dysbiosis, and Chronic Disease: Exploring the  Nature of the Yeast  Connection  (Stephen  Olmstead, MD; Dennis Meiss, PhD; and Janet Ralston, BS)

Closing

Following a GAPS/SCD/Paleo lifestyle for one year, I’ve managed to whittle down a bunch of “stupid” symptoms that have bothered me for years.  Headaches, constipation, and bloating still linger off and on.  I was doing great, but I jinxed myself at the one year mark with a glowing blog post.  Since then, headaches have been flaring.  Will check in with my medical doctor, and if they keep up…can anyone say, “+2 yeast”?

Related posts:

My Metametrix Experience

Another post on my Metametrix Experience

My Own Metametrix Report, First Page, With Thoughts

Metametrix, Pathogenic Bacteria Section