How?

[ardentluma]

How do you rid yourself of candida? I honestly think that this might be my problem due to my prolonged exposure to antibiotics and high sugar diet.

[capmikee]

How do you rid yourself of candida?
That's the million-dollar question. Stick around and maybe we can find out together.
I honestly think that this might be my problem due to my prolonged exposure to antibiotics and high sugar diet.
I'd put my money on it. My resolution for 2008 is never to take antibiotics again unless my life depends on it.

[ardentluma]

I guess I'm going to try eliminating cheese (sniff!) since that's really the only candida food stuff that I currently eat. Everything else...has been eliminated. How am I supposed to go w/o cheese? :eek:

[Luzyanna]

Well you certainly don't go to my doctor to fight it. I spent 20 minutes trying to convince him I have a systemic yeast overgrowth and he probed around telling me he didn't see any yeast infection. DUH Then I said I'd been on a yeast-free diet after developing one after another food allergy/intolerance. He's NEVER heard of Leaky Gut Syndrome. He sent me home with 2 boxes of birth control pills and said it's "probably just hormones". He needs :help:

Gonna call and set myself up an appointment to be allergy tested anyways. Pooh on him.

[skeeweeaka]

Doctors don't have a clue about yeast overgrowth....your best bet would be the allergy testing... I seem to do better on low carb....and no glutens...

TJ

[amandawood]

Well you certainly don't go to my doctor to fight it. I spent 20 minutes trying to convince him I have a systemic yeast overgrowth and he probed around telling me he didn't see any yeast infection. DUH Then I said I'd been on a yeast-free diet after developing one after another food allergy/intolerance. He's NEVER heard of Leaky Gut Syndrome. He sent me home with 2 boxes of birth control pills and said it's "probably just hormones". He needs :help:

Gonna call and set myself up an appointment to be allergy tested anyways. Pooh on him.

Absolutely! Nonetheless, I am sorry for you that your doctor's visit turned out to be such a washout. If your doctor has never heard of Leaky Gut Syndrome, he needs to do some reading!!!

From what I've read, there are a few possibilities that you could explore and get tests for. One, would be to get tested for nasty bacteria in the gut, such as Heliobacter pylori (I think that is what it is called).

A friend of mine had been suffering from various intestinal issues/food allergies/intolerances and, as she is privately insured, they agreed to do all sorts of tests. They found "all sorts of bacteria" (more she didn't say). She's not into alternative medicine of any kind and was given a course of antibiotics, which she said helped. I believe that in the long term, the antibiotics may well lead to a recurrence of the problems she had, but what can you do?

And surely you can be tested for a candida overgrowth? There must be some way that they can get a sample of the stuff in your stomach somehow.

I found a lot of stuff on Dr Mercola's site about probiotics and these problems, too. You might want to look there. I just googled various things and got referred to the pertinent pages.

And, as for saying he didn't "see" any yeast infection, if it's inside you, then he wouldn't, would he???

Are there any naturopaths in your area or any kind of alternative practitioner that you could consult? I also just read that another thing that stimulates yeast overgrowth and upsets the balance of your gut is birth control pills. I would just go for condoms - they can't do any harm to your insides!

This doctor seems like he doesn't have a clue and he doesn't seem to be taking your complaints seriously.

But I really think it would be a good idea to get the gut flora looked at first, rather than test for allergies first. The intolerances/allergies are probably a symptom of something else - i.e. Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Leaky Gut Syndrome - and it does seem that these can be cured/helped by things like probiotics (e.g. yoghurts) or enzyme supplements and lacto-fermented foods like sauerkraut etc, although the vinegar in the latter could excarbate candida according to Sally Fallon in "Nourishing Traditions".

If you manage to re-establish a healthy gut flora again, then maybe these allergies will disappear!

I hope you don't think I'm being pushy, but it does seem to be a widespread problem and I'm just hoping that by posting the things I have discovered a few people might be lucky in curing their IBS problems naturally and without too many nasty chemical drugs.

amanda

[amandawood]

Oh, and another thing I meant to mention, Luzyanna, was that low stomach acid could be another issue. If you don't have enough acid, or the acid is too weak, then you'll also have digestive problems. Or perhaps your pancreas is under-producing enzymes for fat and protein digestion, which could also cause problems. I have no idea if you can test for an under-active pancreas, but it's worth asking.

amanda

[amandawood]

I guess I'm going to try eliminating cheese (sniff!) since that's really the only candida food stuff that I currently eat. Everything else...has been eliminated. How am I supposed to go w/o cheese? :eek:

Can you get French, Swiss or Austrian cheeses made from raw milk? They should be OK.

amanda

[ardentluma]

Luzyanna, girl, I feel your pain. I've been battling stomach issues all my adult life. I did have all the work up done. Blood tests, endoscopies, colonoscopies, MRI's with barium...every thing came back all clear except for some small spaces of inflamation on my intestine.

He gave me all these perscriptions and I took them for a month and then then called, in tears, about my pain and how uncomfortable I was. He said that I should just go to the emergency room then.. I was like, why? If I go to the ER with something that's not an emergency not only does it cost me major $$ but the ER doctor would have just told me to go see my regular Dr.!! He said he didn't know what the problem was and that I should just go take some miralax.

I was having some female issues too and thought that maybe the pain in my gut was connected. It turned out I had bad endometriosis and after I started therapy maybe my stomach pain would go away. Heh. I mailed out all these pamplets and journal papers to my Stomach doctor. Hehehehe.

Fortunately, my female parts are feeling better and that pain is pretty much under control. Unfortunately, my stomach pain was not related to the endo and I'm still uncomfortable. ~sigh~

Back on topic: So, vinager is supposed to help with candida? I'm now taking a probiotic every day.

[capmikee]

Some say raw apple cider vinegar helps. It doesn't work for me - it messes me up just like alcohol does. I'm experimenting with kombucha now, which is similar.

Raw milk and raw milk cheese might be ok for some, but in our house, those are just as much a problem as pasteurized. It's worth experimenting with foods, but be prepared to have some bad reactions if you do. Do it as scientifically as you can manage: Eliminate all possible allergens for several weeks, then introduce exactly one new food. Try it for 3 days. If you don't have a reaction then, it's probably ok and you can reintroduce something else.

Now this may just sound impossibly weird, but one thing that helps me, at least a little, is eating bentonite clay. It makes sense from a Paleo perspective at least - washing vegetables is a thoroughly modern practice. Clay tends to "draw out" toxins from your body, and I think it helps prevent stuff "leaking" from your gut. Yes, it all sounds pretty crackpot to me too, but it seems to help. Think of it as Paleo Pepto-Bismol.

[Samantha22]

For me...even though i'm a true believer of atkins....i switched over to a plan called lifeforce and used their candida force (none of the other supplements) and followed the plan to a T for about two to three months....it was hell after being on atkins but i must say...i feel like a new person. Whenever i feel like i'm having issues with candida...i switch over for a few weeks and start taking the supplement again.
Goodluck!
I think they still have a website..something like lifeforceplan.com? Theres a book as well.

[Luzyanna]

I also just read that another thing that stimulates yeast overgrowth and upsets the balance of your gut is birth control pills. I would just go for condoms - they can't do any harm to your insides!


amanda

I've had my tubes tied so don't need the condoms. :lol: The pills are just for the estrogen.

My doctor told me, "You've been reading too much." Yeah he actually said that. I said, "Yeah well you tend to do that when you're sick for months & months."

Doctors.........

[capmikee]

The real problem is your doctor hasn't been reading enough!