Furry white tongues come in two varieties: a little furry and very furry. A little furry is fine - it's the normal layer of bacteria that every tongue should have. A very furry tongue is often not fine - especially if it's a thick and cheesy-looking white fur coating.
Scrape a fingernail across your tongue and look at the path it carves. A big groove could indicate a problem. A very furry tongue typically indicates an overgrowth of Candida albicans - a yeast that lives in every digestive tract (and that can travel to the mouth, and elsewhere).
When Candida albicans thrives on the tongue, it could just be an annoying local overgrowth. The official name for this is oral "thrush." But bear in mind that a very furry tongue might indicate that Candida is also present in large numbers in the digestive tract, hidden from view, and could have spread beyond the borders of the intestines.
When Candida albicans overgrowth runs rampant in the digestive tract, it mutates from a yeast infection into a fungal infection. The condition is then called Candidiasis.
Candidiasis is capable of pushing through the mucosal intestinal lining that separates the gut flora (intestinal bacteria) from the bloodstream. When this happens, toxins normally eliminated by passing through the digestive tract now "leak" into the bloodstream.
The immune system is forced to deal with this constant drizzle of toxins at the expense of other important tasks - like gobbling up ever-present cancer cells before they nest somewhere (among other things). A compromised immune system is a recipe for chronic health problems.
The first line of defense in a healthy immune system is the intestinal wall and the probiotics (good bacteria) that colonize there. In general, probiotics keep Candida albicans at a manageable level so that Candidiasis does not develop. Antibiotic use and general unwellness, however, can diminish the number of good bacteria and give Candida the upper hand.
Like most fungus infections (miserable toenails anyone?), Candidiasis is a bear to get rid of. And once it gets going, the symptoms display themselves in any number of obnoxious and puzzling ways. There is a long list of symptoms for Candidiasis: bloating, constipation, and diarrhea are the most familiar. Less familiar symptoms include chronic fatigue, frequent headaches and irritability, back and neck pain (muscles), depression, anxiety, irregular menstrual cycles, itchy nose, and even eye floaters and/or blurred vision.
In other words, symptoms are so diverse that you don't know whether to visit your family doctor, allergist, orthopedist, gynecologist, psychiatrist, ophthalmologist, or witch doctor for relief. And yes, women are more susceptible - but don't kid yourselves fellas, it's NOT just a gal-thing.
If you think you have Candidiasis (or a lesser yeast infection), and you have symptoms telling you that "something" is just not right with your overall health, get thee to a doctor for a test. It's painless ... and it's important to track down symptoms that are troubling.
You think you have a sweet tooth? Well so does Candida. You love sugar - Candida loves sugar. Does sugar make you fat and happy? Sugar makes Candida fat and happy as well. And does sugar give you a nice rush of energy? It gives Candida a rush of energy too. To keep Candida under control, you must cut back on sugar.
Yeast get their energy by fermenting sugar (just like cancer cells). But fermentation is a very inefficient way to create energy - in other words, it takes LOTS of sugar to produce a little energy. A high sugar diet feeds Candida (and cancer cells) - and we know all about the dangers of sugar and type 2 diabetes.
Every living thing 'excretes' something. Yeast excrete alcohol. If you 'crave' sugar regularly to cure a shaky feeling or to get rid of headaches (and you don't have diabetes), you might be a victim of Candidiasis. No, you're not an alcoholic. But your body wants its 'fix' of alcohol - and when it doesn't get it, you get low-level withdrawal symptoms that temporarily 'go away' with a bag of jelly beans. Now you know why.
Probiotics and digestive enzymes likewise help to keep Candida at bay. Also consider taking a good garlic supplement (unless you love fresh garlic and have found ways to mix it into your daily food intake). Candida is destroyed by garlic, as are any number of other pathogenic gut bacteria.
Remember: Candida albicans in the digestive tract can never be eliminated - but it can be managed quite effectively. Should you test positive for Candidiasis, an anti-fungal drug may be prescribed - and that's fine. But you can't take such a drug forever, so you must become pro-active in keeping your gut flora in balance.
To learn more about Candidiasis, talk with your doctor and/or do a Google search. There's a wealth of good information on the Internet.
I developed furry tongue after chewing (too much) gum over a period of weeks. The sugar in the gum caused it, apparently. No more gum for quite some time! Thanks for the article. Very helpful in figuring out what caused it.
I suffered from Yeast Infections for over 18 years due to too many antibiotics taken during childhood for a health condition and to top it off, ate too much sugary snacks growing up.
I finally got rid of it by taking a specific type of probiotics. A blessing because I was expecting a baby and was planning to have her at home and could not imagine delivering her with such terrible vaginal infection.
Finding these probiotics was an answer to my prayers! My baby girl is health and never even had a diaper rash! Very good article!
» left by chris from leroy, ny (1 year 146 days ago.)
What kind of probiotics did u use? I suffer from yeast overgrowth and i eat yogurt almost daily and take an acidophilus capsule every day. I am not sure why this is not working. I know it is hard to find yogurt without sugar in it. It is very hard to eat plain yogurt. Can plain yogurt be sweetened with honey? Would that work. I would really appreciatte hearing from u.
The problem with Yogurt is the milk. It can be acidic to us and makes it an even better environment for yeast overgrowth. Check out daughters of nature and you will find probiotics for adults and children. I take it EVERYDAY along with digestive enzymes from enzymatica and Candidase from enzymatica as well.
This was an answered prayer. My baby was born healthy and never had a diaper rash.
I guarantee you will no longer have yeast problems. It is important to change your diet and stick to it for a while. You do not want to feed the yeast. If you need help with that, I will gladly help you change your diet and eat foods that will not feed the yeast.
Drink lots of water and don't hesitate to contact me.
Hi there! Thank you very much for your comment and your help. I do not see how to contact you, so, I will ask my question in this reply. I very much would like to try your recommendation of using Daughters of Nature products to treat and hopefully solve this problem. When I looked at their website, I think I found the correct product, but, their site does not mention this problem or any other problem directlly, so, I would like to check with you. Do you think that their product, "Body Biotics Capsules", is the best product in their product line for treating this problem? Thank you very much for your help.
PS: Hi there, me again. Oops, I realize now that I am assuming, (perhaps incorrectly), that this problem mentioned on this page, is related, or can be treated similarly to the problem I am specifically seeking help with, which is candiditis. Can you tell me if the Daughters of Nature product I mentioned in my reply comment a couple of minutes ago might also help with treatment of this problem I am specifically dealing with? And also the 2 products you mentioned that you are using from enzymatica, might they help? Thank you again, very much, for your help.
» left by Halapeño from Palm Springs, CA (1 year 156 days ago.)
I've had this for two years and can't get rid of it. It is VERY annoying.
I think I got it from a combination of taking medication that dries my mouth and having cunnilingus.
I saw two doctors and two dentists and they don't seem to think it's anything much but it drives me crazy. I'm going to try the garlic and cut the sugar and see if that helps. If not, I'm going to look for a specialist.
some things that you can do to regulate the "bad bacteria" , such as candida, in the body (digestive tract, etc) are using one or more of the supplements such as Oregano Oil (not more than 6 weeks), Grapefruit Seed Extract, Pau D'Arco, and Olive leaf extract. While using these (especially oregano oil) its not recommended that you take a probiotic supplement because you could be possibly wasting your money.(by the way, oregano oil has 67 compounds in it that bacteria cannot adapt to, thus making their evolution virtaully stop, they do reproduce at an exponential rate compared to humans)... after a few weeks of doing this sort of clease for the digestive tract (and the rest of the body) then you can supplement with probiotics... Sedona and Jarrow make great ones. You cant really overdose on probiotics so dont be afraid of taking more than the rec dose if you want. This is also recommended if you have ever taken antibiotics in this prescribe-them-to-cure-all world, as they WIPE OUT the good bacteria in the intestines, something the doctors wont tell you. After probiotic use, it is altogether possible that they (good bacteria)will spread and implant in other parts of the body such as the throat and mucus mebranes.
I have had tonsil stones off and on for ten years, and after learning about this stuff i have started my intestinal cocktail to help kill off some of the candida before doing probiotics. I have cut down on sugar, almost all of my dairy (pasteurization probably eliminates all nutritional content anyway, wheat -- huge subtle allergen in MANY people, and Peanuts believe it or not). My stones have gotten considerably smaller and my tonsils have even reduced in size already. In addition its good to eat a diet of whole and raw foods as much as you can, anything prepackaged is not goingto be meant for consumption.
I just started taking lots of Yakult; about one a day a for about two weeks. Today, I got that white tongue. Your comment that good bacteria can spread also, is this maybe the reason why? I take garlic most days also. I am going to start with the Oregano Oil and garlic 3x day. Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Thanks for the specif information, including which supplements! You are very caring to take the time to share this. It makes sense to me and I expect to benefit greatly by it.
» left by Cherie from Missouri (326 days 22 hours ago.)
Fabulous article. It's well written, it answered my questions, including the ones that popped into my head as I was reading. I agree with an earlier poster - I loved the writing style.
I plan to put this information to use immediately. I have also just gotten off the phone with my mother, who suffers ALL the symptoms mentioned but no one can find the cause. She hasn't mentioned a furry tongue, but I'm betting she hasn't looked in her own mouth to see it. I called her and we had a long chat about it, and she is now committed to a cold turkey break from all sugar and starches, adding garlic back into her diet, staying on the vitamins, etc. along with me.
We've both decided that if after two weeks of added garlic and subtracted sugar, we feel better but still not all well, we shall ask a doctor for anti-fungal medication to help things along. After that if we're feeling better, we'll know what to do to stay that way.
This article was more helpful and informative than yesterday's doctor appointment. Thank you!
Hi, thanks for the article. It was really interesting and useful. I’d be really grateful if you could comment on my problem. I had mercury poisoning and a yeast infection. As a result of the mercury poisoning I now have an allergy to gluten and dairy. Are the probotiots you mentioned suitable for lactose intolerant people? Also, I recently moved to the Middle East and due to the hot climate I find myself drinking a lot of diet soft drinks. I allow myself one diet coke or Pepsi per day but in addition to that I drink several diet sprites throughout the day. Do sugar free drinks affect yeast infections? Is it bad for someone with my condition to be drinking as much soft drinks? Also, I have been eating fruit occasionally and unfortunately after a bout of vomiting earlier this week my yeast seems to be back with a vengeance. I’m tired, irritable, itchy eyes, not sleeping for large parts to the night, night sweats, irregular bowel movements etc etc. Every three weeks or so I seem to end up with a vomiting condition which is as severe as food poisoning. I was hospitalised earlier this week after a severe bout. I am due to see a gastroenterologist later this week. I’m regularly taking glutamine and digestive enzymes but my still does not seem to be getting any better. I also have a number of large spots on my forehead. I try to limit my cab intake. I don’t eat any bread but I do eat rice and noodles. Should I cut these out for a while also? My problem is that I find a lot of members of the medical profession very sceptical of these problems.
» left by Suzy(1,000) Suzy from Midwest USA (307 days 17 hours ago.)
Great and popular article and made me run to the mirror to check out my tongue and thank goodness it appears to be quite healthy and no fur that needs trimming. I have a book on this subject matter and it says that most of all diseases originate from extensive yeast growth which is so hard to believe for many. I know Olive-Leaf Extract can be expensive but think it might help keep it under control ~ most informative paragraph:
"Every living thing 'excretes' something. Yeast excrete alcohol. If you 'crave' sugar regularly to cure a shaky feeling or to get rid of headaches (and you don't have diabetes), you might be a victim of Candidiasis. No, you're not an alcoholic. But your body wants its 'fix' of alcohol - and when it doesn't get it, you get low-level withdrawal symptoms that temporarily 'go away' with a bag of jelly beans. Now you know why."
I guess loving fresh garlic cloves and eating them regularly can help in a lot of ways. Thanks for sharing! Suz
» left by peter williams from Virginia Beach (91 days 4 hours ago.)
What a wonderful lucid description of the Plague of the Tounge. After fifty years of pondering why from time to time anxiety has given me a heavy dose of Candida, I can now face a heavy dose of Garlic to combat it. Thank you for the enlightenment. I am eternally grateful. 82 yr Widower
» left by kerry from Gloucester, UK (20 days 2 hours ago.)
I tried a complete diet overhaul once because I was sick of suffering from Candida and basically I cut out all sugar, was eating toasted rye bread (as it's free from wheat) with organic cream cheese) which I mixed in lots of grated garlic), slices of cucumber, non starchy vegetables as snacks and chicken with salad or brocolli for dinner and after just one day the white coating started to go and any discharge from downbelow also basically disappeared. Unfortunately it's such a hard diet to stick to because you do crave sugars and refined carbs and cutting out all sugar and dairy is incredible difficult to keep track of. You have to check every single piece of food you buy because it's hidden in everything and eating out is a nightmare. But it just goes to show how quickly it stopped growing. To keep it at bay though, it really would have to be a diet for life. The pharmceutical industry makes probably billions from the fact that people suffer from this extremely common problem, which is one reason why your GP probably doesn't tell you that antibiotics kill off the good bacteria, leading to bad bacteria overgrowth. It's sadly all about money.
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