Hello everyone, I'm new here. I haven't been diagnosed but think candida may be one of the big reasons why I have been completely unable to lose weight for over a year.

At some point this past year, I got a bladder infection and took a prescription antibiotic. I wound up with a yeast infection. This was no suprise to me at all. I get them every single time I take antibiotics. In fact, I asked my Dr. to go ahead and call in the Diflucan when he called in the antibiotic. It would save both of us time later on.

Perhaps this exacerbated my no-weight-loss issues and turned them into weight gain issues? I have lots of symptoms - itchy ears, psoriasis, aches and pains galore, fog, etc. I dunno. I'm wondering if this hasn't been a problem for quite some time. I am now remembering the first yeast infection I remember having at age 16 or 17. I didn't know what was wrong with me and was afraid to tell my mother - or anyone for that matter. I suffered for 6 months or more. Eventually it went away - or at least the symptoms did. In my twenties, I was once diagnosed with a vaginal yeast infection when I went to the Dr. for a pap smear. I had no idea a yeast infection was present because the symptoms were so mild. I've always wondered how that could've happened. Finally, when I went 100% carnivore last fall, I had horrible horrible diareah which I was told was probably from yeast die-off. I actually quit carnivore in part because of that problem. Maybe I should've stuck it out!

Well, anyway - I'm getting probiotics (fivelac?)in the mail and the fungal defense pill from Garden of Life (?). Any advice on getting started with this stuff?

Hi there,

Probiotics should be a good start. It might also be a good idea to look at the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or the GAPS diet and start it after Christmas. At the very least, I would look into going strictly gluten-free. Some of your symptoms could also be gluten-related.

Good luck and take those probiotics religiously!!! I tried "Candida Clear" by NOW, which seemed to help. Coconut oil is also great - for the inside and outside. I use coconut oil in my ears as I also get scaly skin in my ears and itchy ears. I also use it as a body lotion as I seem to be very prone to getting candida-related skin problems. It keeps the skin clear of fungus as it is anti-fungal. You can also simply eat it, or use it in your coffee to clean out the fungus from the inside.

I wouldn't personally follow the SCD or the GAPS diet as my particular health issue - adrenal fatigue - wouldn't go well with going that low in carbs, but it may help you. There's a Yahoo Group which you can join if you follow the GAPS diet where you can get good advice. I found the book (by Natasha Campbell-McBride) very interesting, but the diet would be too strict for me.

However, if your system can cope with very low carb, then it might be a good way for you to go. There's quite a bit on the web about the GAPS diet if you can't get hold of the book. I would take it slowly, though, with reducing the carbs as many people get a lot of trouble if they low their carbs too drastically too quickly.

Although, to be honest, going gluten-free might be an easier option to follow first of all. If that works out (it takes time to get it right with the GF thing), then you could then ramp it up and do the SCD or GAPS diet.

Best of luck with finding out what it is that is the problem behind your weight gain. Thyroid problems can also cause difficulties in weight loss, so you might want to look into that, too, if insurance isn't a problem for you.

Hope this helps,

amanda

Candida: How Candida Ruins Your Diet.

Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species.

Green Tea inhibits candida

Resveratrol and its antifungal activity against Candida species.

Curcumin dramatically inhibited the adhesion of Candida

n-3 PUFA and their ester derivatives exhibited strong antibacterial activity against various oral pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans,

Do be aware these are not alternative strategies. There is absolutely no reason why using Coconut oil instead of olive oil, Using Green Tea instead of coffee, making sure you take Omega 3 fish oil, curcumin morning and evening, and resveratrol regularly. All these substances have anti inflammatory actions so their anti fungal work is a double bonus.

Stay away from any sugar.....................hope you feel better soon,

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions I will adpot. I already am low carb and have been off and on for years. During the last month - give or take - I've really buckled down on sugar and gluten. I have avoided them completely. I'm pretty liberal with the non-starchy veggies too. My greatest remaining issue is reducing omega-6 oils. I still eat some store bought mayo and some mayo based salad dressings as I have not found adequate substitutes yet.

It's a process. Thanks again for your help. It's great to be able to get on here and find people who are so knowledgeable and trustworthy with their advice! I know you wouldn't steer me wrong or try to sell me stuff. You're actually trying to help! Thank you!

wow! Horrible day/week/month! I've had an ear ache. It has come and gone for the last 4 + weeks. As of today, I've seen 4 doctors at 5 appointments and i've gotten 8 different prescriptions. I have another appointment with the ENT next week.

What is wrong with me? Aspergillus - a fungus in my ear. EEEEEEEEK!! I had a couple of nearly correct diagnosees with incorrect meds, at least one very wrong diagnosis, a mountain of pain, and a lucky break getting an ENT appointment today instead of 2 weeks from now. The doc said I have common bread mold growing in my ear. Oh, the irony.

He later called it aspergillus. After torturering me for nearly an hour with his suction needles and "butterfly" somethings, he gave me a prescription for drops that are basically hydrocortisone and vinegar.

I have learned that all the antibiotics I started taking to FIX my problem actually served to make it worse. But I could've told you that because of the pain! All the nice warm hot water bottle treatments only encouraged the growth. Ugh!

At any rate. I had really been moving in the right direction and want to get back there. I have my five lac, my fungal defense (again, the irony), all my vitamins, and I've quit the dang antibiotics with the blessing of the ENT. I also am taking 3 150 mg diflucan (one every other day) to jump start my way back to gut health. Any other suggestions?

Anyone ever deal with fungus in ears before? This has been a very harrowing experience for me.

Thanks!

I've never had fungus in the ear but I did have an earache once (first I've ever had in life and I never knew how painful it could be) and I put onion juice (which is anti fungal) in my ears. I kid you not! The pain was gone in less than 20 minutes. I looked at alternative measures for earaches on the internet (because at the time I had no money) and garlic or onion juice were what I found and I decided it couldn't hurt to try it.

Now that I think about it...are earaches connected to candida?

And I am so sorry for all your troubles. It sounds tough. Thankfully you have nice people here who I am sure will try to help.

The saga continues. Went back to the ENT today. The scraping and suctioning was worse than last time. They had to shoot up my ear canal with novacaine. That sure had its momments! Ugh! I had a lot of fungus stuck to my eardrum. Once he finally cleaned off the eardrum, the ENT told me I have a hole in the eardrum (that was not caused by him) I have no idea how such a thing could've happened - no memory of trauma etc. He said the hole would explain why a normal healthy young woman like me would have such a bad fungal infection.

I'm so afraid of what is happening! How could a hole in my eardrum explain such a terrible infection????

IMO the infection caused the hole.
Improve your immune function by getting 25(OH)D3 level 50~60ng/ml
also check Vitamin A. Weston Price Cod Liver Oil for vitamin A

Vitamins C & E, and minerals zinc and selenium are also worth double checking.

Oh my, that is awful! I am so sorry this his happening to you. Maybe you need to see a Holistic doctor?

Hi there Susan,

Well, you sure seem to have got systemic candida, there seems to be little doubt of that. If you have bread mould (Brit spelling, please excuse me) in your EAR!!!

I can only recommend that you get yourself some virgin coconut oil pretty damn quick and douse yourself in it from head to toe as often as you can be bothered to do it. It is an excellent antifungal. If I ever get a touch of athlete's foot, I treat it by washing my feet and then applying coconut oil afterwards. It gets rid of it better than the anti-fungal creams.

I would smear coconut oil right in your ear, too. You could even possibly risk getting some (maybe put your coconut oil in the fridge first to get it to harden) and putting a lump in your ear and then lying on your side in order to let it really seep down as far as possible. I had to do something like that once to melt earwax.

And I would actually eat coconut oil on a daily basis, too, so that it can attack the candida from inside and outside. (Work up to three tablespoons a day).

I had toenail fungus recently (also very icky) and the woman at the pharmacy in my village gave me some expensive nail varnish to treat it and warned me that it could take ages to clear up. She also said that it could easily spread to other toes and I would have to be very careful. I used the nail varnish, but what I also did was to wash my feet every day and afterwards I liberally applied coconut oil between my toes and dabbed on my toenails, too. The fungus did NOT spread!!!

Unfortunately, I can't recommend a particular brand as I don't live in the USA. But I can recommend "Candida Clear" by NOW brands. If you haven't used iherb.com already, use my code: ~~~~~~ to get a $5 discount on your first order. I got the Candida Clear from them and I believe it helped. At this point, I am sure you're willing to try anything!!! It wasn't expensive, so it would be worth a bash. They are also giving away coconut oil capsules for free at the moment, if you buy a Jarrow Formulas product.

In fact, it crossed my mind that you might also benefit from taking some vitamin B12 as if you are low in B12, then it makes you more susceptible to infections. Their B12 is said to be very good by those in the know on the B12 front. Here it is:

http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formula...zenges/129?at=0

I don't know if you have had blood work done recently, but let me know if you did and what your B12 status was. Even if you don't know what your B12 status is, B12 is virtually non-toxic (you may need extra potassium when initially taking it for B12 anaemia), so you can risk taking it at this dosage, to be honest, without knowing what your B12 status is. (But that is not a medically qualified statement, and please consult an expert first and all that stuff before you go ahead!!!)

I wish you the very best of luck in getting rid of this nasty mould.

amanda

Susan, I was reading your horror story about your ear. I had the same thing in 2006 and it went on and on. I found out I had Valley Fever, and wondered if this was a cause.
I still have lots of issues with my ears. I use a Psoriasis med, but it is better one day and worse again. My Ears drain out of now where. I eat low carb..but a few things I have added in are Sweet Potatoes and Yams, both fresh root ones, and just add butter. I don't know what I am doing that is causing this to go crazy again.
I spent so much time at the ENT in AZ he gave up and said he didn't know the cause or why.. so he quit seeing me.. that sure didn't help me.
I spent that yr on and on antibiotics.
I just had a Virus that didn't get better and had to take Antibiotics, and it cleared some of the fungus stuff up, and now its back. I can't win..

I haven't any INS anymore, so I am looking for help.

So I came on here and thought I might find some answers, and saw your post. I am so sorry you are going through this, it is painful and just stressful having a doc dig in your ear.

The hole came from either the infections or the fungus. I have so much scaring in my ears, my hearing has suffered. My Last Dr looked in my ears, and she said they ae so scared.

You take care, and I do hope there is a end coming soon for those infections.

Thanks so much for your responses! I have been trying to get more coconut oil and follow a protocol to combat yeast - but to be honest, since this started, I feel like I've been turned upside down and things are not status quo.

On a good note, my hearing test 4 days ago showed normal hearing in both ears. I was suprised. Everything seems muddy in the infected ear.

I went and got a 2nd opinon on my ear this past Tuesday. The doc was very helpful. Said in his opinion (you had it right, Hutchinson...) the fungus ate a hole in the ear drum! This, was actually good news because I can understand that and be mad at no one. I would hate it if my doc had done it - or me with a Qtip. He also said the hole was starting to mend but was still significant. I can't use the acetic acid drops due to the hole. He told me the stuff is very well known for coming back over and over! I asked him what I can do about it and all he told me to do was keep it dry.

He showed me how to pull a bit off a cotton ball, completely grease it up with vasoline and push it into my ear so I can take a shower. I'm now wondering if coconut oil might work for that same purpose and then I can kill 2 birds with one stone???

The ear hasn't been painfull in over a week. I go back to the original ent for a check on Mon. The 2nd doc said there was no fungus apparent in the ear but that it could blast back and fill the ear canal in less than a week. Since I know that, I now can "feel" fungus growing all the time. I hope I'm wrong!

Thanks so much for your support!

Oh, Amanda, I forgot to mention that I have had my b12 checked - about 6 to 8 months ago and was told it was low! I've been taking sublingual b12 pretty regularly since. Haven't had it re-checked. My D level at that same time was said to be good - about 50 I think.

Hismouse, are your ears really itchy and flakey? Mine have been really bad for years. Oddly - the itchiness and flakes seem to have stopped for the momment but the really bad stuff set in! My sister has bad psoriasis - I have a mild case. She thinks the itchy, flakey ear stuff is related to psoriasis. Maybe it's yeast! Ever tried coconut oil? I haven't, but I think I'm going to!