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That Furry White Tongue (Candida albicans)

Furry white tongues come in two varieties: a little furry and very furry. A little furry is fine - it's the normal layer of bacteria that every tongue should have. A very furry tongue is often not fine - especially if it's a thick and cheesy-looking white fur coating.

Scrape a fingernail across your tongue and look at the path it carves. A big groove could indicate a problem. A very furry tongue typically indicates an overgrowth of Candida albicans - a yeast that lives in every digestive tract (and that can travel to the mouth, and elsewhere).

When Candida albicans thrives on the tongue, it could just be an annoying local overgrowth. The official name for this is oral "thrush." But bear in mind that a very furry tongue might indicate that Candida is also present in large numbers in the digestive tract, hidden from view, and could have spread beyond the borders of the intestines.

When Candida albicans overgrowth runs rampant in the digestive tract, it mutates from a yeast infection into a fungal infection. The condition is then called Candidiasis.

Candidiasis is capable of pushing through the mucosal intestinal lining that separates the gut flora (intestinal bacteria) from the bloodstream. When this happens, toxins normally eliminated by passing through the digestive tract now "leak" into the bloodstream.

The immune system is forced to deal with this constant drizzle of toxins at the expense of other important tasks - like gobbling up ever-present cancer cells before they nest somewhere (among other things). A compromised immune system is a recipe for chronic health problems.

The first line of defense in a healthy immune system is the intestinal wall and the probiotics (good bacteria) that colonize there. In general, probiotics keep Candida albicans at a manageable level so that Candidiasis does not develop. Antibiotic use and general unwellness, however, can diminish the number of good bacteria and give Candida the upper hand.

Like most fungus infections (miserable toenails anyone?), Candidiasis is a bear to get rid of. And once it gets going, the symptoms display themselves in any number of obnoxious and puzzling ways. There is a long list of symptoms for Candidiasis: bloating, constipation, and diarrhea are the most familiar. Less familiar symptoms include chronic fatigue, frequent headaches and irritability, back and neck pain (muscles), depression, anxiety, irregular menstrual cycles, itchy nose, and even eye floaters and/or blurred vision.

In other words, symptoms are so diverse that you don't know whether to visit your family doctor, allergist, orthopedist, gynecologist, psychiatrist, ophthalmologist, or witch doctor for relief. And yes, women are more susceptible - but don't kid yourselves fellas, it's NOT just a gal-thing.

If you think you have Candidiasis (or a lesser yeast infection), and you have symptoms telling you that "something" is just not right with your overall health, get thee to a doctor for a test. It's painless ... and it's important to track down symptoms that are troubling.

You think you have a sweet tooth? Well so does Candida. You love sugar - Candida loves sugar. Does sugar make you fat and happy? Sugar makes Candida fat and happy as well. And does sugar give you a nice rush of energy? It gives Candida a rush of energy too. To keep Candida under control, you must cut back on sugar.

Yeast get their energy by fermenting sugar (just like cancer cells). But fermentation is a very inefficient way to create energy - in other words, it takes LOTS of sugar to produce a little energy. A high sugar diet feeds Candida (and cancer cells) - and we know all about the dangers of sugar and type 2 diabetes.

Every living thing 'excretes' something. Yeast excrete alcohol. If you 'crave' sugar regularly to cure a shaky feeling or to get rid of headaches (and you don't have diabetes), you might be a victim of Candidiasis. No, you're not an alcoholic. But your body wants its 'fix' of alcohol - and when it doesn't get it, you get low-level withdrawal symptoms that temporarily 'go away' with a bag of jelly beans. Now you know why.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes likewise help to keep Candida at bay. Also consider taking a good garlic supplement (unless you love fresh garlic and have found ways to mix it into your daily food intake). Candida is destroyed by garlic, as are any number of other pathogenic gut bacteria.

Remember: Candida albicans in the digestive tract can never be eliminated - but it can be managed quite effectively. Should you test positive for Candidiasis, an anti-fungal drug may be prescribed - and that's fine. But you can't take such a drug forever, so you must become pro-active in keeping your gut flora in balance.

To learn more about Candidiasis, talk with your doctor and/or do a Google search. There's a wealth of good information on the Internet.