WOMEN suffering from candida need no longer struggle alone as a support group is being launched this week in York to help victims of the condition which can cause bloating, anxiety, depression and even ME.

Candida is a yeast that occurs naturally in the gut, but poor diet, stress, antibiotics, the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy and steroids can all lead to an overgrowth in the body, sometimes resulting in serious health problems.

As many as three in four women will have candida at some point in their lives.

The debilitating condition was highlighted in the Evening Press in August when York author Kate Lock wrote about how the illness had wreaked havoc on her health.

Many readers wrote to Kate to share their experiences of candida, which has prompted her to set up York Candida Support.

"I was very moved by the emails and letters I received - and they're still coming in even now. People have been writing to me telling their life stories.

"Some of them are really desperate. It's so hard to find a way through all the confusing and conflicting information about candida, and many of them have been suffering for years.

"They nearly all expressed an interest in joining a support group, so I decided I'd better do something about it."

Kate plans to arrange monthly meetings with speakers and general support sessions. She also hopes to provide on-line support in conjunction with York nutritionist Azizah Clayton, and has set up a website with a chatroom that will enable candida sufferers to share their experiences.

"Sadly, some of the women who contacted me are virtually housebound with ME and can't get out to meetings, so this is a way of getting them together," said Kate.

Azizah, who practises at the Healing Clinic in York, will talk about overcoming candida through nutrition and dietary supplements at a meeting on Friday to launch a new candida support group.

And she will also highlight the link between candida and learning difficulties in children.

Azizah believes half of all children with learning difficulties may have candida on the brain. She says candida may affect cognitive function in a range of learning difficulties including dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger's Syndrome and speech and communication disorders.

"The connection with learning difficulties in children is a less well-known aspect of candida, which is usually seen as a 'women's problem'," says Azizah, who has studied the work of educational therapists. "In fact, candida is often a major factor in hyper-activity and behavioural problems because the toxins can persist in the brain and ears, disrupting sensory integration and auditory process."

Research has shown that Candidiasis affects 75 per cent of women in Britain at least once in their lifetime, and three million suffer from it every year.

Common symptoms include abdominal bloating, anxiety, constipation/diarrhoea, depression, fatigue, environmental/food sensitivities, fuzzy thinking, insomnia, low blood sugar, PMS, thrush, cystitis and fungal infections of the skin or nails.

Candida is likely to have been passed on to the baby if a woman has thrush while pregnant. Other factors predisposing children to candida include not breastfeeding and introducing weaning too early, particularly wheat products.

There will be a £5 admittance charge for the talk on Friday (concessions available), which will be held at 7.30pm at The Healing Clinic. The price includes refreshments and accompanying notes and will be deducted from any individual consultation booked with Azizah Clayton.

To confirm attendance, call Kate Lock on 01904 620171 or email kate@klockworks.co.uk

- The website for York Candida Support is www.yorkcandidasupport.co.uk

- Azizah Clayton can be contacted on 01904 425850, email: azizahclayton@aol.com or at the Healing Clinic on 01904 679868.

- The Healing Clinic is in the Danesmead Wing of York Steiner School, 33 Fulford Cross.