Infection: Common Symptoms

You may have an acute infection if you are experiencing any of these symptoms:

Cough
Acute diarrhea
Discharge from any part of the body, such as eyes, nose, throat, genitalia
Sudden, overwhelming fatigue
Fever (either high or low-grade)
Sudden muscle or joint pain, possibly accompanied by swelling, or stiffness
Nausea and/or vomiting (from mild to severe)
Sinus congestion and nasal discharge
Skin rashes
Sore throat
Swollen lymph nodes, which may indicate the body is trying to fight infection

Acute infections usually respond to treatment, and subside quickly. On the other hand, chronic infections usually require long-term treatment, and are resistant to quick solutions. Chronic infections require a multi-faceted approach of medications (if needed), nutritional supplementation to correct deficiencies, dietary changes, and lifestyle changes in order to effectively combat the infection.

You may have a chronic infection if you are experiencing symptoms that tend to persist:

Chronic fatigue
Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Abnormal, recurring vaginal discharge (women)
Recurring indigestion, bloating, gas, or heartburn
Alternating constipation, diarrhea, or mucus in the stool
Chronic depression, anxiety, mood swings, lack of concentration, memory loss
Chronic muscle and/or joint pain and swelling
Low-grade fever that persists
Chronic respiratory problems such as Asthma and Bronchitis

Note: Many infections produce vague symptoms, or may have no apparent symptoms at all, such as in the case of Helicobacter pylori virus (H. pylori), Hepatitis C, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Epstein-Barr Virus, Lyme Disease, sexually-transmitted diseases like Syphilis, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea, and many other types of infections.¹ For this reason, regular medical checkups are essential to help detect infections that may have a severe negative impact on your long-term health if left undiagnosed and untreated.

Diagnosis
Infections fall into four categories: bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral. In making a diagnosis, it’s important to find out the main culprit that is causing the infection in order to treat it effectively. For instance, broad-spectrum antibiotics will help a bacterial infection, but not a parasitic, fungal, or viral infection—only bacterial.

The following tests and procedures may help you find out what type of infection you have, and the nutrient deficiencies that the infection may have caused:

Online Self-assessments – Self-assessments, such as the Candidiasis Self-assessment and the Magnesium Assessment, can help you determine some of the root cause(s) of your chronic conditions. Learn more about Self-assessments.
Blood tests – On the recommendation of a healthcare professional, these indicate the amount and type of antibodies in the blood, as well as white blood cell counts, which help diagnose the source of the infection.
Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) – An analysis of the stool can help determine if your infection is related to specific parasites or bacteria.
Testing for specific known culprits – Based on a healthcare professional’s evaluation, specific tests may be ordered according to the type of infection that is suspected in causing symptoms. For instance, a test for H. pylori (suspected in causing peptic ulcers and gastrointestinal complaints) may include an H. pylori antigen/antibody test, breath test, and in some cases, biopsy of the stomach lining.²

Additional Information about Infection

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