Candida is a serious problem, but its severity will depend on your symptoms. To judge your own symptoms, you’ll need to form an unbiased opinion and consider how long you have had your symptoms. You will also need to take into account how many yeast infections you have had over what period of time, and how many times it seems like those yeast infections were one right after the other. This is true, even if the yeast infections manifested on different parts of the body. Finally, you will need to consider how often you have required antibiotics and if you recall being given the same type of antibiotics two or more times within a short time period.

Making a Checklist of Your Symptoms

Using a note pad or your computer, document how often you have noticed symptoms that you attribute to Candida overgrowth. That should include yeast infections that were in traditional as well as non-traditional places, including yeast that was growing between toes or fingers. You will also need to consider how long ago it was that the first symptom appeared, even if that was not credited to being a result of Candida. Now that you know which of your symptoms were symptoms of the overgrowth and which were not, you may be able to look back and determine that some symptoms were misdiagnosed by you or a medical care provider.

If your first symptoms have appeared in the past six months and have been limited only to the areas that you might normally see them ( bodily orifices and mucus membranes) AND you have rarely had antibiotics, you could safely say that you suffer from a mild case of Candida overgrowth.

If your first symptoms were more than six months ago, but still haven’t seen many outward manifestations of the overgrowth, you are probably either mild or moderately afflicted.

If your symptoms were more than six months ago AND you have symptoms of yeast that are affecting your daily life, are appearing in multiple parts of the body or you have consumed many doses of antibiotics since before you first began experiencing discomfort, it is logical to presume that you have a severe case of Candida Overgrowth and you should begin the Candida diet, with strict adherence, as soon as you can. In addition, if you have ever needed two or more doses of medication, either over the counter or prescription, to get rid of a fungus or yeast overgrowth on your body, you could also be experiencing a severe case of Candida overgrowth.

The determination of mild, moderate or severe Candida overgrowth does not necessarily have an impact on your treatment options. Regardless of the severity of your illness, it is very important that you begin treatment as soon as possible. More severe symptoms are likely to require more time on the Candida diet. The process sounds foreboding, but you need to keep in mind that the Candida diet and yeast overgrowth aren’t entirely understood by most traditional medical care providers. Thus, they are unable or reluctant to make the appropriate diagnoses, even when the evidence is literally in front of them.

It’s also important to remember that their inability to do so isn’t a reflection on them , but is instead a failure of medical schools. Your best options for diagnosing, treating and preventing Candida overgrowth rests in your hands, your head and your voice. Asking the right questions and advocating for your rights are the only ways that you can ensure your own health.