The colon is the last part of your digestive system, connected to your small intestines.  Its job is to extract water and salt from your food and eliminate the remaining portions from the body as waste.

The colon has an important job and if it becomes clogged because of yeast, an infection or excess materials, you can experience severe abdominal problems.

Candida is a fungus that normally inhabits the mouth, throat, gastrointestinal tract or the vagina.  What most people are familiar with are yeast infections, normally occurring in the vaginal area.  However, Candida can also live in your small intestine.

With this yeast growing in your gastrointestinal tract, an unhealthy environment can be created in your intestines.  If this occurs, the healthy bacteria needed in your body cannot survive and there will become an overgrowth of bacteria.

This overgrowth can cause difficulties in the colon.  As stated above, the colon is the waste removal for the body.  If you have excess matter in your colon, including Candida yeast, this matter can get backed up and solidified in your colon. Without a regular cleansing, it can get trapped there for years or decades, slowly releasing toxins into your system.  It can harden and attach itself to the wall of the colon.

As this waste material accumulates with your intestines, it is a breeding ground for Candida.  It can release toxins into your bloodstream.  These toxins can spread through your body, affecting every part of it.

As relates to your colon, toxins can cause constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome and many other conditions.

For example with leaky gut syndrome, your intestinal lining becomes porous, causing large spaces between the cells of the gut wall.  When this happens, toxic material, such as bacteria, fungus and parasites enter into the bloodstream causing food allergies, nutrient deficiencies and serious health problems.  You can experience inflammation in your abdominal region with leaky gut syndrome.  This can make you more susceptible to viruses, bacteria and parasites.

There are quite a few conditions that cause a yeast overgrowth in your colon.  These may include:  Use of antibiotics, diabetes, your diet, stress or vitamin deficiencies.

A typical diet is full of high amounts of fats and sugars.  These bad foods inhibit friendly bacteria and place a heavy burden on our already overworked colon, which can lead to an overgrowth of yeast and other bacteria.

Antibiotics use can also lead to yeast problems.  When you take antibiotics, no matter what type of infection you are trying to cure, you will kill the good bacteria that are all over your body naturally, including the bacteria in your digestive tract and vagina.  When this happens, the bad bacterium takes over creating problems.

If you have Candida problems, it is important to figure this out and take care of it as soon as possible.  There are many treatment options, including a change in diet, a colon cleanse or antifungal medications.