Approximately 19 million Americans suffer from clinical depression, and two-thirds of them are women. Nearly 15 years ago, when I decided to review the records of 100 of my patients with yeast-related conditions, I was surprised at the results: depression, fatigue and headache were the most common complaints. What's more, 85% of these patients were women and most of them were between the ages of 30 and 45.
I had listened to these patients. I knew that the multiple health problems typical of people with candidiasis could become overwhelming, but those numbers gave me enough of a jolt to deepen my search for the link between depression and Candida albicans.
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| Symptoms Of Candida Yeast Overgrowth |
In his lectures and medical reports, Dr. Truss discussed the many and varied manifestations of patients he had seen with candida-related health problems. And in his book, The Missing Diagnosis, he discussed many complex health problems that he had found to be yeast-related. Included were hormone dysfunction, depression and manic depression (now called bipolar disorder). And he said:
The mechanism of depression is poorly understood. Certain chemicals are known to be involved in normal brain function. It is thought that depression occurs when some factor upsets their proper balance or interferes with their proper function.
Dr. Truss also pointed out that some patients with depression respond to anticandida therapy - often dramatically. But he cautioned:
Depression is a serious and potentially dangerous condition and one deserving care by a competent psychiatrist; self-diagnosis and treatment should never be attempted. It is perfectly reasonable to look for some correctable cause of depression, but even when found, its treatment should not immediately and abruptly replace the psychiatric program.
Drugs prescribed by the psychiatrist should be gradually withdrawn, preferably under his supervision. Their use should not be discontinued suddenly or prematurely.
SYMPTOMS
The National Mental Health Association lists the following symptoms of depression:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
- Sleeping too little, early morning awakening or sleeping too much
- Reduced appetite and/or weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex
- Restlessness, irritability
- Persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment (such as headaches, chronic pain or digestive disorders)
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
- Thoughts of suicide or death.
MEDICAL SUPPORT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP OF CANDIDA TO DEPRESSION
Several years ago, John W. Crayton, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Loyola Medical School in Chicago, described his laboratory findings in a group of patients with fatigue, weakness, depression and many other symptoms. The 28 subjects who were studied ranged in age from 18 to 45; 20 were women and eight were men. All gave a convincing history of an increased intensity of symptoms after they ate.
Antibody studies in these patients showed higher levels of candida antibodies than in a control group without symptoms.
In studies carried out at the University of Tennessee several years ago, Jay Schinfeld, M.D., studied a group of women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and a history of vaginal candidiasis. And he noted that "depression was often found in women with severe PMS."
Various treatment programs were tried in managing these patients, including oral nystatin and yeast-elimination diets. Although Dr. Schinfeld's study was a small one, patients who received anticandida therapy showed significant physical and psychological improvement when compared to a group who didn't receive the therapy.
In May 1996, two Boston psychiatrists reported case histories of two patients with chronic depression who were effectively treated with ketoconazole (Nizoral).
The first of these patients was a 44-year-old woman with a seven-year history of chronic depression, and the second patient was a 35 year-old woman with a history of chronic atypical depression since childhood. In each of these patients, the depression and associated symptoms, including decreased libido and fatigue, responded favorably to the administration of ketoconazole (Nizoral).
In their concluding paragraph, these observers said ketoconazole appeared to have some value for patients with chronic depression, especially for patients who cannot tolerate the side effects of commonly used antidepressants, and called for further study.
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| Symptoms Of Candida Yeast Overgrowth |
In her book, Solving the Depression Puzzle, Rita Elkins, M.H., covers triggers and causes of depression, including candida. She lists many therapies that help fight depression, including low-sugar diets, nutritional supplements like 5-HTP, magnesium, Omega-3 fatty acids, St. John's wort, SAM-e plus exercise and acupuncture.
Clinical research has shown SAM-e (s-adenosyl methionine), a natural substance present in all cells, to be effective not only against depression, but also in treating the muscle and joint pain of fibromyalgia. To find out more, you can check out Symptoms Of Candida Yeast Overgrowth.