Hey all, (well, just ladies anyway)
Ok, this is embarassing but...ever since I started LC five months ago, I've had about 5 or 6 vinfections! I've been to the doc most times, once they gave me diflucan for yeast and the other few Metrogel for what they said were bac infections...Now it seems I have another yeast inf. I do everything they tell me hygiene wise, etc...no this or that, no baby powder, etc. What is a girl to do? I'm trying to lose some weight here and my body keeps doing this!!? Is there something I can do to stop the constant problem? A herb or supplement or something?

Any input would be greatly appreciated...I'm sick of going to the doc every month!

I've never heard of LC triggering candida.

How many carbs do you consume daily?

Have you been checked for diabetes? Do you have PCOS?

Are you eating lots of artifical sweeteners?

A few things can trigger yeast infections that a lot of LC followers continue to include in their diets. These supposedly "safe" LC things include:

Mushrooms or any similar fungus
Cheese/cream
Alcohol (of any sort but particularly beer and wine)
Nuts
Vinegars (this one is really debateable)

And needless to say, if you have been cheating AT ALL with grains or flours (even the tiniest amounts), these can really trigger an attack. Sometimes when we try to get rid of it, the remaining strains can get really entrenched. Are you treating it internally with antifungals at all? Coconut oil? Oil of oregano? Taking pre- or pro-biotics? Let us know so we can help. It is MISERABLE having this stuff!

Are you taking alpha lipoic acid? If so, then STOP, because ALA triggers candida something terrible.

Check ALL of your supplements, especially any multiple vitamin formulas, and make certain they didn't add any alpha lipoic acid to the formla(s) you're taking.

lil' annie - do you know why ALA triggers it? it's not something I've ever heard before and I would like to understand the reason behind it. Thanks!

Hi there, Shelby!

I have NO idea, but a few years ago, after taking large amounts of it for over a year, with no spectacular results, I did an online search, and suddenly learned that LOTS of parents of children with autism give their kids ALA - to detoxify the liver, and they simultaneously give stuff to combat candida.

You should do a search on it.

I was simply astounded when I learned about it, as I'd been using ALOT of ALA, one was a time-release version by GNC which had NO biotin --- so, I not only had constant yeast infections which came back within weeks of treatment, I had the worst case of seborrhea on my scalp.

Anyway, both vanished when I stopped using the ALA.

Hey there,
Well, I have been cycling with carbs lately, just got over a bad cold and I was off plan for about week and a half. Today I restarted induction but was feeling the oncoming infection yesterday. I am eating cream and cheese in healthy doses so that could be part of it. Everything has been in flux the past few weeks so who knows what really triggered it. I'm just astounded...I never ever got these infections before---it's like the LC diet is altering my body chemistry in not so great ways down there, which is not cool at all!
I'm not taking anything to help combat it. The only thing I take is potassium caplets to help with all the sodium I eat LC.
What do you recommend I try? Coconut oil?

Thanks for the info... I'll probably head back to the doc soon if I can't get it under control in the next two weeks~ yay fun, right!?

Coconut oil - work up to eating 3-4 T a day but start slow because it can give you terrible diarrhea and stomach upset(some people also have more trouble with the extra virgin kind). Cook with it, bake with it, use it in place of butter, melt it in a protein shake, put it in coffee or tea

Oil of Oregano - start with 4 drops in a cup of water 2x a day and work up to 15 drops (tastes nasty but works)

Grapefruit extract - take as directed by the bottle

One thing to note. If you start using these, you may notice an INCREASE in your symptoms as the yeast begins to die off and leave your body. It usually manifests as MORE of what you are currently experiencing (great, huh?) but it can be anything from flu-like symtoms to brain fog to joint pain. Good luck and keep us posted. (And I'm betting on the carb cycling being the culprit here. Ya gotta kill all the little buggers off before you eat anything that feeds it!)

"Could LC be triggering yeast infections??"
-- Many people don't take vitamins(unless they are sick) and try to rely on a balanced diet to get them. Anybody on a diet MUST take vitamins, as they are at high risk for developing a vitamin deficiency. So yeah, if you eat 30% less food(Diet), you might have 30% less vitamins, which CAN cause a pathogen like yeast to go out of control.

Metrogel is an azole drug, or antifungal, commonly prescribed for Rosacea; doctors don't seem to tell this to people, though.

Diflucan, or Fluconazole, is a Fluoride-based antifungal. It kills 14 out of 30 strains of Candida. I don't like Fluoride drugs though, as Fluoride is a known enzyme poison, lowers thyroid hormone(treatment for Hyperthyroid), and has a toxicity similar to arsenic. How did this one become the drug of First choice for Candida problems? For curing candidiasis with Fluconazole, treatment can sometimes last upto 4-6 months!

Itraconazole is a bit nicer antifungal, replacing the Fluoride with Chloride(something your body needs, ie HCl is stomach acid). This one kills 28 out of 30 strains of Candida, and requires as little as 2-4 weeks. This one is a bit more expensive and rarely prescribed, though.

For evidence that Fluoride is bad for you, see side-effects of Fluoride drugs like: Phen-Fen, Lipitor, Cipro, Celebrex, Fluconazole, etc... the side-effects from prolonged usage are all basically the same and match with the symptoms of Fluoride Poisoning. Dental Fluorosis is also becoming a common problem. Side-effects seem more likely in iodine deficient people.

Bad news, Hutchinson:

http://www.westonaprice.org/envtoxins/fluoride.html

But why do you think they put green tea in teabags with a bit of string attached?

Isn't it so you can fish out the teabag after the minute or so it takes to brew.
I would have thought the folks at Weston Price knew how to make a decent cup of Green Tea

But anyway I don't use teabags but a Real tea leaves in an infuser So I don't allow my leaves to sit in the pot for as long as 5 minutes. 1~2 mins is all thats needed.

I also have a kettle that switches off BEFORE the water comes to the boil so I'm not using boiling water to make tea.

Green Tea Brewing Tips
I suspect this also cuts the caffeine and fluoride content.

A Scholar search for green tea reveals many potential benefits and I'm satisfied the advantages exceed the potential disadvantages.

I have a new opinion on this subject. Been playing around with salt. It seems that the Merck Veterinary Manual has high chloride (Salt), as a treatment for Candida in chickens.

A lot of junk food is high in carbs and high in salt (french fries, chips, etc...). Theoretically, if you cut out the french fries and chips, etc..., you could get a "Halide deficiency", specifically Chloride and possibly Iodide as well.

Insufficient Chloride leads to insufficient HCl in the Gut, leading to overgrowth of standard flora and fauna. Then possibly IBS. Then perhaps this stuff gets in the blood.
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Had some success with the IBS using plain salt. Played around with doseage... went up to a tablespoon... had a 7 pound weight fluctuation in one day... doseage was excessive.

Changed to Morton's Light Salt (NaCl, KCl). It doesn't cause the weight fluctuation/water retension. I think the Potassium content is a bit too high in this particular salt; the 30% Potassium salts are probably better for maintaing a proper Sodium/potassium ratio for the heart.

Note: Nutritional studies in cows say 10 grams Salt per Liter of water is ok, more is bad.
Note2: Japanese seem to eat 12 grams of Salt per day and live longer(5 years) and are healthier than Americans.
Note3: a Tablespoon is 18 grams or so... and was excessive; I'm thinking a teaspoon in the morning/evening is about 8 grams... and should be safe.
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Had success with Providone/Borax (simulating Frio Mouthwash) on a tounge fungus; looked like a "black hairy tongue" for a month on this therapy, but it is no longer a white fungating wound, like it was for a year. Like chlorhexadine, Providone seems to turn teeth yellow... which is basically faster plaque buildup (which can be removed by a dentist or fingernails).
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Trying Dermapet for hair yeast/dandruff.

Had some success with the IBS by supplementing salt; seemed to clear the bad breath as well. Here is some theory behind it.

Additionally, for l.n.55, who has mentioned the yeast problem after pregnancy... (my mom had a yeast problem during pregnancy too), toxemia seems to be a common problem during pregnancy... my wife got that twice. Then the high blood pressure sets in... so the docs tell you reduce salt (since Salt leads to water retension, which causes weight gain, and this leads to higher blood pressure (carrying a few extra pounds of water).

As I've said, a low sodium salt like a morton's lite salt does not seem to have these weight-gain side-effects; but I would have chosen a different salt in hindsight. One crazy doctor cited below(maybe he's not crazy), seems to think that the reduced chloride in the diet is the cause of overgrowth of pathogens, causing the toxemia; If he is correct, then I speculate the reduced salt would seem to make toxemia worse. It's an interesting theory(unproven, though).
Note: this doctor seems to use the Betaine HCl pills, though (also taken by Suzanne Sommers), while I'm experimenting with plain Salt.

Nutritional Requirements of Dairy Cows(2001)
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9825&page=121
(Strong Nutritional Information in this book... discusses Chloride deficiency).

Candidiasis: Introduction
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/i...m/bc/200700.htm
"Affected birds can be treated with copper sulfate at 0.5 mg/L of drinking water, or 0.5 mg copper sulfate per kg of feed. Vinegar is used as a treatment for candidiasis at 15 mL/L of drinking water. Chlorhexidine is used for prevention or treatment at 2.5 mL/L of drinking water. Chlorine bleach at 0.1 mL/L of drinking water may help control the infection. All of these treatments lack FDA approval."

Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride Deficiency
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/i...m/bc/206918.htm

CHECK YOUR STOMACH FOR SUFFICIENT HYDROCHLORIC ACID
http://rheumatic.org/hcl.htm
"That normal hydrochloric acid is necessary for complete healthy digestion, that deficiency of this acid tends to sepsis, suppuration, and general toxemia"