Got Yeast?

I'm repeatedly asked, "How do I know if my child has yeast?"

Well, the short answer is... you don't. At least not until you've learned the signs in your child. Even testing, while recommended, isn't nearly as reliable or cost effective as simply recognizing. But even then, you might be wrong. I know, sad to hear, right?

Let me start by telling you how I learned my son's signs of yeast. I read many accounts of what people said were yeast signs so I was already feeling like my son probably had yeast but I certainly couldn't identify it. Let's face it, it's not like it's going to come out and introduce itself to you in a polite voice that belies the hidden danger it encompasses.

I learned what yeast looks like by watching it die. When you start antifungals, you may see die off symptoms and those die off symptoms are generally the same as the actual symptoms only more extreme. In my son's case, die off was sticking his hands in his mouth, inability to go to sleep, inability to stay asleep, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, inability to focus, slight increase in aggression and whininess. But surprise! Not all of these symptoms are exclusive to yeast. And since die off isn't the most comfortable thing to go through, it's not surprising that you would see some of these symptoms. So now you really need to watch your child and simply learn. I learned that as soon as his hands start going in his mouth, it means yeast. This is something that simply doesn't happen any other time with him so I've easily been able to use it to identify yeast issues. When combined with waking up in the middle of the night for several hours, I then know yeast is really bad.

Night waking sucks.

My biggest suggestion in learning your child's signs is to keep a journal if you can't keep it straight in your head. And you'll also find that I use this suggestion a lot when it comes to learning about your child. Keep a journal of everything from what you have started, when you started it, foods eaten, foods removed, behaviors you see and behaviors you don't. Log everything from "nothing happened" to "the earth shook as s/he said his/her first word". Journals will also help you keep a timeline so when you see something odd creep up, you can go back and see if you or your child did something different, forgot to do something, etc.

I'm veering off course, here, though so let's get back on track. Yeast. Here is a collection of symptoms I've picked up over the years from other parents. Not all children have the same symptoms so just know that these are just possibilities. As with all things biomed, there are rarely any definitive answers for everyone.