Candida Overgrowth - An IBS Trigger
Let me tell you about Pad
Pad is 63 years old and nearing retirement, he has quite a physical job but has began to feel more tired than normal and has been struggling to fall asleep and waking in the night. A year before Pad came to see me he had experienced a sudden change in bowel movements - they were looser and move frequent. The month before he got in contact, he began to have a few incidents of urgency and having to rush to the toilet. He had been to the doctors and they had ruled out any bowel conditions and said he likely had IBS. He did not want to start his retirement worried about being near a toilet and lacking energy.
We did a comprehensive gut test that showed impaired digestive function, low Secretory IgA (SIgA) -indicating poor immune function, indications of impaired gut lining and an overgrowth of Candida - a fungus that lives in our intestines in small amounts but can be problematic if it overgrows.
Our main aims were:
Reduce/eliminate candida overgrowth.
Improve microbiome composition - especially Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacteria which is important for gut integrity, lining and protection.
Support SIgA and immune function
Improve gut integrity - lining and protective mucus layer
We began with a candida/gut reset food plan - which includes low sugar and limited carbohydrate heavy foods, high quality protein sources at every meal, and avoiding foods containing yeast and alcohol to minimise cross-reaction.
Secretory IgA is important to maintain a healthy microbial balance, regulate inflammation and maintaining a healthy immune system. To raise SIgA we worked on laying good foundations in terms of eating habits, sleep, stress management. We put in place a specialised probiotic protocol to increase the beneficial bacteria in the gut to support sIgA, Akkermansia muciniphila and other beneficial bacteria.
After 3 months Pad’s bowel movements had normalised, he had more energy and was sleeping better. In this case, intervening early enabled a quick resolution. We were able to improve his gut function and environment before the microbiome was disrupted further.
Pad’s feedback…
‘Over the last year I had a change in bowel movements and did not understand why. All of my tests at the GP came back negative and the problem got gradually getting worse. I’m so grateful for the testing I did with Ruby which shed a light on what was happening in my gut. After 3 months I am back to normal with more energy and have lost the bit of weight that was hanging around my stomach, which was an added bonus.’
