Author: Eric Bakker

Hi there, Eric Bakker, naturopath, author of Candida Crusher with another question. This is a guy’s question.

Eric, do men have symptoms when they contract a yeast infection?

That’s a good question. In fact, some doctors don’t even believe that men can have yeast infections. And I’ve heard on a few occasions when a male patient said to me, my doctor doesn’t believe I’ve got a yeast infection because he said I haven’t got a vagina, how can I have a yeast infection?

Men obviously haven’t got a vagina, well, we know that, but how are men manifesting signs and symptoms of a Candida yeast infection?

In Chapter 3 of my book, you can read all about this in great detail. I’ve written quite a lot on the different bodily systems in yeast infections, but I’ve also written a section on how to recognize a male yeast infection patient, how to recognize the female, and how to recognize the child.

So when you read about the male, you’ll start seeing things like lots of gas, bloating, burping. Men often do these things, and sometimes men do them way more than they should. Itching, itching different parts of the body; it could be ears or scalp or any part of the body could be recurrently itching. A common thing that I find with males is itching the groin area. And I’ve written about this in my book and don’t laugh, it’s true. If you go to a bar or grill, you know one of these areas where people drink a lot of alcohol, and you’ll see guys there itching themselves, and sometimes they don’t even know about it. They’ll do it subconsciously. Females tend to be more discrete.

I grew up with a dad who had a yeast infection for many years, and dad was always burping and bloating and farting. So those are three chief things that you’ll see with males. Guys who desire sweet foods, it’s a key link between a strong craving in a male and a yeast infection because these bugs need feeding. And as I write in my book, the bugs are calling your name; they’re calling your name. I want something to eat; I need something sweet. And, of course, what are you going to do? You’re going to have a beer or you’re going to have a piece of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream. All these things feed up that male yeast infection, and how is the body going to respond? (I believe he burped here).

So when we’ve got yeast inside our digestive tract, we’ve got what I call fermentative dysbiosis. There are many authors who write about this. Liz Lipski is a well-known author with her book, Digestive Wellness. There are many authors you can read about who’ve written about these particular types of problems.

I hope that answers your question about the male symptoms of a yeast infection. Thank you.

The digestion and absorption of nutrients is essential for the survival of all living organisms and is the intricate and particular task of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Enzymes secreted in the in the digestive system breakdown carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Most people don’t think about how their digestive tract is working and just assume their GI system will work to not only breakdown nutrients but also provide energy, release waste and even boost the immune system. The general public isn’t aware of the details involved in the digestion of various nutrients and how the breakdown of products crosses the cells that line the small intestine to reach the blood stream and are then used by other cells of the body (Goodman, 2010).

So if we are so unaware of how and when the digestive system and enzymes are functioning, then how do we know if the digestive enzymes are working?

Generally we produce enzymes from the foods we eat. Fermented food, for example, are probiotic foods and contain enzymes that are produced by bacteria and can aid in digestion. Some foods are high in amylase and help to breakdown starches and sugars. However, problems can occur when certain conditions such as: aging, illness, and/or certain medications can decrease our body’s production of digestive enzymes (“Digestive enzymes,” 2011). During this time the only way to make sure the body has enough enzymes is to supplement. Enzymes have been ingested by man for thousands of years and have been used to supplement the diet and aid in digestion decades (Overview, 2012). Whether or not a person is aware of how supplemental digestive enzymes are working depends on why they are taking the enzymes. For instance, many people with indigestion believe that they have an over active digestive system with too many active digestive enzymes; when in fact the opposite is true. In this case, it would be obvious that the supplemental enzymes were effective when the person experienced relief from heartburn and indigestion (“Digestive enzymes,” 2011).

The digestive system is furnished with a unique immune system for maintaining immunological homeo-stasis, if that efficient immune system is disrupted it can result in the development of diseases such as food allergy and intestinal inflammation. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that digestive enzymes play an important role in the regulation of gut immune responses and also in the development of intestinal immune diseases. Of course in this situation it would be evident that digestive enzymes are effective by a decrease in the symptoms of food allergy, such as a lactose intolerance or diarrhea from intestinal inflammation.

So in conclusion, many times the effectiveness of digestive enzymes cannot be determined easily. With certain conditions that are caused by a lack of enzymes there is testing that can be done to determine if the condition has been resolved. However, many times the determining factor of digestive enzyme’s effectiveness is relief from the symptoms that originally caused the condition (Lamichhane, Kiyono, & Kunisawa, 2013). How does the person feel since taking the enzymes or changing their diet to promote enzymatic production? It is always recommended to see a healthcare provider before beginning any supplementation regime, to assure there isn’t an underlying condition. Nevertheless, relief from symptoms can be the target goal and all the treatment that is necessary.

References
Digestive enzymes for optimum health. (2011). Retrieved from http://naturopathconnect.com/articles/magical-enzymes/
Goodman, B. (2010). Insights into digestion and absorption of major nutrients in humans. Retrieved from http://advan.physiology.org/content/34/2/44
Lamichhane, A., Kiyono, H., & Kunisawa, J. (2013). Nutritional components regulate the gut immune system and its association with intestinal immune disease development. Retrieved from doi:10.1111/jgh.12259
Orally administered enzyme food supplement safety overview. (2012). Washington D.C.: Enzyme Technical Association.

Hi there, Eric Bakker, naturopath, author of Candida Crusher. Thank you for tuning into my video today.

Today I’d like to talk about dairy products. Can I have dairy products if I have a Candida yeast infection? It’s a question I get asked regularly from time to time. Eric, can I have cow’s milk? Can I have yogurt? Can I have cheese? Can I have cream cheese? Can I have quark? Can I have Kefir? All these questions pertaining to dairy products and yeast infections.

Well, the answer is you can have dairy products, unless you have a milk allergy, you may be lactose intolerant or you may have a problem with beta casein, one of the proteins in cow’s milk. In that case, dairy products may not be suitable for you, particularly cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is the most allergenic of all the dairy products. So if you do have a problem and you do want milk, I would suggest you drink raw unpasteurized, unhomogenized cow’s milk to see if you can tolerate that. And in some cases, you can. If you have a real problem with dairy products, you may need to avoid cow’s milk entirely. But in many cases, a person can tolerate the raw milk.

Yogurt is the best of the dairy products to have with a yeast infection. And it forms a part of my MEVY diet approach, meat, eggs, vegetables and yogurt, which is a very good approach for Candida. So a good quality cultured and sour yogurt should represent no problem for those with yeast infections. Small amounts taken each day and gradually built up until you can tolerate up to a cup or two, even three cups per day, in some cases.

Kefir; I’ll talk about on other videos, but Kefir is a very good food as well for you to have made from Kefir grains. So some can tolerate Kefir that can’t tolerate yogurt and vice versa, but you can have yogurt with a yeast infection. Try to avoid the commercial yogurts with the artificial sugars in them and the fruity yogurts in the small containers, you know, the ones you get in the supermarket. They’re no good. So you may need to go to a health food shop to buy better quality yogurt, but you can often get them at supermarkets as well.

So if it was an FAQ, I would say, yes you can have yogurt with a yeast infection in most cases unless proven otherwise.

So I hope you found this information quite useful today. Please subscribe to this channel for more updates and to find out where a regular video is going to be released. My book, Candida Crusher, can be purchased on Candidacrusher.com. It contains up to 200 pages on diet and nutrition. A very comprehensive book, which I think you’ll find very useful if you have a yeast infection or treat people with yeast infections.

Thank you for your time.