Candida & Your Microbiome - Fast Facts
Learn some fast facts on Candida & your microbiome w. April Tout of Flowers and Fungi.
What exactly is your gut?
The gut is really fascinating (understatement!). It is connected to your brain by what is called the gut-brain axis. In other words, your gut directly communicates with your brain. In fact, there are more neurons in your gut than in your spinal cord. By the body's standards, the two are intricately connected. On an emotional level, we also can feel their interconnection. Gut feelings, butterflies, and even stress-induced IBS are just a few of the ways we can connect to our emotional center: The Gut! For me, the gut is really a benchmark and a way for me to find my center and connect with my body.
What is candida?
Candida is a fungus, or more specifically, a strain of yeast. Candida is one strain of fungus that lives in your microbiome – the community of microorganisms on and inside your body.
What is the microbiome?
The microbiome is generally thought to be the entirety of the gut, but this is not the case. The microbiome is an all-encompassing term for the microbial community of bacteria, fungus, and pathogens of your body.
What happens when candida is imbalanced?
When imbalanced, candida poses many health problems such as bloat, fatigue, chronic infections, dandruff, and more. It commonly manifests from high sugar and cab intake, a history of antibiotic or contraceptive use, or from an autoimmune disease. An imbalance of candida is common, especially in women, and is increased by modern food and medicine. However, it is possible to find balance and harmony with candida and your microbiome as a whole. This is why gut health and microbial health is so important. Simply becoming aware that you are an ecosystem, along with properly tending to your microbial health, can largely impact your overall wellness.
How can we take care of our gut health?
- Tend to your inner ecosystem by eating diverse amounts of plant-based foods - especially prebiotics like leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, and bananas.
- Use strain-specific probiotics and eat fermented foods.
- Don't fear herbal antifungals/antivirals, but be sure to consult an herbalist when embarking on protocols of any kind.
About April Tout
April is the digestive health educator, herbalist, and healing arts practitioner behind Flowers and Fungi. Her call to nurture through the ways of the flora is rooted in bio-individuality. She aims to support those on their chronic illness journey by means of connection to nature's realms of the unseen: microscopic and energetic.
Through April's healing arts practices, research, and personal experience, she created The Microbiome Method, a protocol that works to balance the microbiome and create everyday lifestyle changes to support long-lasting health and support those with autoimmune disease and chronic illness.
Wana does not directly support any claims made within this content. These are the views of the individual/organization represented.
