Candida Albicans | How to Test Yourself

Today I wanted to talk about a very common condition.

Yep, I’m talking about Candida.

Otherwise known as Candida Albicans, a yeast infection, yeast overgrowth, candidiasis, thrush, or a fungal infection.

And there’s a good chance you have it right now or you might in the future. No, really. Studies suggest that up to 70% of the population have Candida.

This means it’s worth finding out some more about what it is… and how to know if you’ve got it.

So first…

What is Candida?

Candida is a fungal infection that is found in the mouth, the vagina, the skin, and the digestive system. It might be present in all or just one of those locations.

You get Candida when the good and bad bacteria in your gut are out of balance. So, the Candida (which are normally present) get a little out of control and can take over your system.

This might be caused by too much refined sugar in your diet, alcohol, antibiotics, and other medications. It might also be from too much stress. Even if your diet is excellent, there’s still a chance you can get Candida.

What are some Candida symptoms?

When you have a Candida infection, you can suffer from lots of unpleasant symptoms.

Exhaustion – feeling tired even if you’ve had a normal amount of sleep.

Craving sweets – reaching for sugar even though you know you shouldn’t.

Bad breath – when your bacteria are out of balance, it can make your breath unpleasant.

White coating on your tongue – a visible sign that oral thrush is present.

Brain fog – trouble concentrating on tasks and remembering things.

Hormone imbalances – this can affect your body and mood in different ways.

Joint pain – inflammation causes pain in your knees, wrists, and other joints.

Loss of sex drive – changing hormones and physical symptoms can cause a drop in your libido.

Chronic sinus and allergy issues – inflammation from a candida infection can cause discomfort day and night.

Digestive problems – like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea are caused by an irritated digestive tract.

Weak immune system – due to damage from the infection.

Urinary tract infections – when the infection migrates it can cause itching or burning sensations.

Candida Albicans might be common but the symptoms can really impact your quality of life. Especially if you can’t get rid of the infection or it keeps coming back.

A Simple Candida Test

By now, you probably have some idea of whether or not you have a candida overgrowth in your body. If you are experiencing any of the symptom I just shared, it’s worth looking into further.

There’s a really simple test you can do to detect if you have a candida infection. It just takes a little time, preparation, a glass of water and… some spit.

Step 1: Prep
Get a class of clean water and put it next to your bed overnight.

Step 2: Add your spit
When you wake up in the morning, give your tongue a little scrape, build up a bit of saliva, and then spit it into the glass of water.

Step 3: Wait
Leave your science experiment for around 2-3 minutes.

Step 4: Check
You can expect one of three things to happen here:

1. Your saliva will just sit there in the top of the glass.
2. Your saliva will look stringy and sink towards the bottom of the glass.
3. Your saliva will make the water cloudy throughout the glass.

If you see the first result, you’re probably all clear – no candida albicans (especially if you don’t have any of the symptoms I listed).

But if you get either result two or three, it’s a sign of a potential candida overgrowth in your saliva.

What You Can do Next

If you suspect you have a problem with candida, you might want to check out my video where I talk about tips on how you can get rid of candida albicans.

I’ve also blogged about how you can naturally treat vaginal thrush if that’s something you’re experiencing.

Candida is not pleasant, but it is common, and once you know if you’ve got it, you can do something about it.