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  #1   ^
Old Wed, Aug-04-10, 09:08
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Plan: McCombs Plan
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Default New guy here w/ Leaky Gut & Candida problem

Hi, I recently started a low-carb anti-Candida diet and supplement plan. Within the last year I had a multitude of problems develop and saw multiple doctors before I finally tracked the root cause of it all back to Candida. I had developed several food sensitivities and the list was continuing to grow. The food sensitivities were causing me to have random uncontrolled muscular twitches, muscle spasms, cramping, tremors, anxiety, panic attacks, and episodes of foggy brain/poor memory. I think that's pretty much all they symptoms I was able to tie to the food sensitivities.

I found a homeopathic doctor who specialized in gastrointestinal health and diagnosed me with 'Leaky Gut Syndrome,' which is the reason for the developed food sensitivities. Unfortunately it looks like the road to recovery with a leaky gut is a long one. I'm almost 2 months in and from what I read it usually takes around a year. Since I have been on this new diet and anti-Candida supplement plan, I have noticed some other improvements, I just associated with getting older (I'm 31 now).

In the recent few years I had noticed that my joints would ache when I had spent time doing yard work or working on a car in the garage. I was also having to get up at least 2 to 3 times in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I wouldn't say that I had chronic fatigue before, but I definitely feel like I have more energy. Furthermore despite my increase in energy level, I find it easier to fall asleep at night than I used to. Sometimes I would toss and turn in bed for over an hour just trying to fall asleep. All of these things I used to associate with getting older are remarkably improving and I'm only half way through my plan.

I know a lot of people have flu-like symptoms when they begin an anti-Candida plan, but the plan I am on had a solution to that problem. Apparently the Candida die off overloads your body's detoxification organs, the liver and kidneys. This causes the flu symptoms. The Dr. who's plan I am following recommends that you sweat in a hot bath or sauna for 10 to 15 minutes every day because the skin is your body's largest detoxification organ. When you sweat your body sends the Candida die off out through your pours. For some reason exercise sweating is not effective in accomplishing this. It has to be a heat generated sweat.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and give a little bit of my story in this post. I've learned a lot about Candida in the past few weeks and months, but I know I still have much to learn. I'm hoping that this forum will be a good source of information. Is anyone else here a current or former 'Leaky Gut' sufferer? I'd be interested to hear from you so we can compare notes.
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Aug-13-10, 18:24
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Hello everyone and hello Sean, My name is Joe and Would be glad to compare notes with you am here to learn more re leaky gut. I have other issues, but I believe the leaky gut is causing me the most problems and I have to try and address it first.
So I am new here too and appreciate any helpful suggestions. I was reading an older post by citruskiss and thought she put out some good information that I am going to try. I ordered the book she suggested, forget the title right now, but also I am gong to follow up with increasing the amount of L glutamine along with trying the butric acid supplement. I actually ordered butraid by nutricology. I am hoping this helps. I do realize that there have been some offending foods/snacks that I absolutely have to stay away from.
This is sort of a new approach for me, as I also have been dx'd with lyme, but the reactions to offensive foods are too severe and fast for it not to be an immune reaction in my mind.
Would love to be able to compare notes with you Steve and hopefully we can learn much more from the kind people in this forum.
God bless,
Joe

Last edited by pennsyguy : Fri, Aug-13-10 at 18:29. Reason: wrong name
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Aug-13-10, 20:10
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Greetings Joe, I was hoping someone would respond to my post. Is the book you ordered called 'Lifeforce' by Dr. Jeffery McCombs by any chance? That is the book I read about Candida that informed me about what it is, what it is caused by, and what to do about it. Dr. McCombs' supplement plan and diet allow fruits, which is a huge plus. Many anti-Candida diets restrict fruits.

Just a fair warning for you if you do have Leaky Gut, taking daily supplements makes you vulnerable to become sensitive to the fillers that the company put in the supplements. For example, I was taking an L-Glutamine supplement and I started having reactions to it because I became sensitive to whatever fillers they used. I had to stop taking it for this reason. Just be aware that this is a possibility.
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  #4   ^
Old Sat, Aug-14-10, 04:41
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Default candida - leaky gut syndrome

Greetings Sean,

My pleasure to your response and would be glad to share what I may know or learn. The book is The Protein Power Lifeplan.
Yesterday's thought was that I wouldn't follow any diet plan, but would put together a list of all the foods I believe are best for me and go from there. In the end, there is so much confusing and contraindicated information. The net is a great place and these forums are super. It is a blessing that so many people take the time to help each other.

Thank you for the head's up on the supplement fillers. I find it almost impossible to nail down an offending substance....just not well enough to make that determination so I rely on good research.....which certainly can leave me hanging at times....what a learning curve! That is a bit surprising on the fruits though.......I am definitely hesitant on that with the sugars, however, nothing may surprise me as I mostly avoid them not because of experience but again, the sugar content. Worst part is I have my own orchard and avoid the fruit.

A couple of today's plans are; 1)to try avocado.....gonna put it in with kefir as a smoothie. 2) Begin writing down a list of foods that are healing and try and avoid anything suspiciously offending and lastly 3) order some colostrum to add to the arsenal. There is a toss up whether to go with transfer factors vs colostrum.....but am leaning towards trying colostrum first.
Hopefully we may get some others to chime in and help us both out with there experience.

I'll try and log on to the site a couple times a day and check back. BTW, I ordered the book at the suggestion of citruskiss and found it on amazon dirt cheap at .59 cents plus shipping.

God bless,
Joe
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  #5   ^
Old Sat, Aug-14-10, 07:53
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Plan: McCombs Plan
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I'll be sure to check that book out. I'd recommend 'Lifeforce' as well. It too is on Amazon for only $1 plus shipping. Its a quick read and is only about 100 pages. I recommend his diet and supplement plan too because I have experienced remarkable results and have only just entered week 8 of the 16 week plan.

Probably the most important thing that I have learned about Leaky Gut it is to rotate your foods. When undigested food proteins enter your blood stream through an overly porous intestinal wall, your immune system can see these proteins as a threat and treats them as a foreign invader. Antibodies are created to target and attack those proteins. If you eat that food again while the antibodies are present, your body can learn to target them on a regular basis. If you wait until the antibodies are gone to eat that food again, your body never learns to target any new foods. Antibodies stick around for about 72 hours, so they recommend waiting 4 days or 96 hours to repeat any foods, just to be safe. I've been rotating my diet for 10 weeks now and have not become sensitive to any new foods since doing this (except for the some of the fillers used in some of the supplements I had been taking on a regular basis, like L-Glutamine).

I found it helps to keep a food journal where I write down everything I eat each day. I use a highlighter to color code different groups of foods which makes it easier to search for when I last had something. I highlight meats, fish or eggs in yellow, fruits in orange and vegetables in green. Everything else like starches, rice, herbal teas etc I just leave unhighlighted. That way when I am picking a veggie to eat, I just need to look for the greens in the last 4 days, or looking for a meat I look through the yellows. Its a lot easier that way.

If you want to find out what foods you are sensitive to, there is a blood test you can have done. It is different than the standard food allergy test that most doctors use which is just a skin test. The blood test will tell essentially on a scale of 0.000 to 1.000 just how sensitive you are to each food they test you for. The standard test checks you for 97 of the most common foods. The test cost me $120 to have done, but it was well worth it. Here is the website for the company (Alletess Medical Laboratory) that makes the kit that tests for food sensitivities: http://www.foodallergy.com/

I'm jealous you have an orchard! My wife and I are looking to put in some fruit trees and a vegetable garden this fall. I'd love to have an apple tree, a peach tree and a cherry tree. Fresh veggies and herbs would be a huge bonus to have in a garden too. Anyway, hopefully some of this info helps you.
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Aug-15-10, 11:32
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Default additional question

Hello Sean, I think you have some great ideas with how you are managing the rotational diet and journal. This is something I am going to try and start today. I guess a difference would be for me rather than follow a particular diet, I will use these as references to pick my own food list. If is "grey", I will probably stay away, as we know there is so many conflicting foods from one book to the next.
That's a thorough description you have enlightened me on with the immune attacking proteins, and I thank you for that.

Did the l=glutamine product that you were using list fillers? My brand doesn't, so I am wondering if this is going to fine. Mine is "Swanson Ultra".

I have planted over 60 fruit trees and lost some over the years and of course learned much as a home orchardist. I would do some things differently, obviously.
Peaches are great, easy to grow and need no pollinators. My favorite peach is a white peach. Be careful to choose something that is not susceptible to bacterial spot.
Cherry trees are prone to leaf problems and when you do finally get cherries, and it will be many years......it will be a race between you and the birds. I have opted to go with Nan King cherry bushes. Good shrubbery and prolific. Not a bad cherry, but certainly doesn't compare to an oxhart.
Many apples to choose from, and they need a comparable blossoming tree to pollinate with. Again, buy disease resistant, especially apple scab and fire blight. May I suggest asian pears. You need 2 varieties, they can get fire blight which means you have to spray, but they will give you lots of fruit in a few short years and they are tasty.

I'm struggling right now only thing I can attribute today's ill feeling to is a glass of sweetened ice tea at a neighbor's home. This disease is cruel and I hope I can keep up with all the life changes it is forcing me to make.
God bless,
Joe

Do you know if the food allergy testing group you use accepts insurance?

Last edited by pennsyguy : Sun, Aug-15-10 at 11:40. Reason: additional question
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  #7   ^
Old Sun, Aug-15-10, 11:42
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Joe, in answer to your question, the L-Glutamine product I was using did not list fillers. Unfortunately I don't think they are required to. I was using the Whole Foods store brand.

This disease is indeed cruel. What ill symptoms are you experiencing? Candida die off usually makes people feel like they have a cold or the flu. I'm not sure if you're experiencing candida die off though because you mentioned you had some sweetened iced tea. If you do commit to an anti-candida food plan, its best to avoid anything sweetened, otherwise you are just prolonging the recovery time. If you find a good supplement program, you should be able to enjoy fruits though because natural fructose is the most dilute form of natural sugar and can easily be compensated for with the supplements. The best way to counteract the candida die off symptoms is to sweat in a sauna or hot bath daily for 10- to 15 minutes. It really does work. The skin is your body's largest detox organ and when it is used you relieve the incredible burden that the candida die off puts on your liver and kidneys.

And thank you for the fruit tree advice. I will definitely do my homework on the best types of trees that can be grown in my area with the least trouble and maintenance. I've unfortunately learned this the hard way in regards to the other landscaping choices we've made in the past where we did little or no research beforehand.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 03:32
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Hello Sean,
I am very sick and right now getting weak and losing weight. I wake up at my worse and then it is a roller coaster ride on how I feel. It seems to take 4-5 days to come out of an episode of terrible sickness and then it seems to trigger again, albeit that I can often find fault in perhaps something I ate......as in the sweetened ice tea. I am determined not to make that mistake again, IF I can get to a stage of healing. I believe the leaky gut is my biggest offender. The reactions I get are more than die off......as it seems to be a severe immune reaction, followed by thrush. I take no medications, even for pain. I take supplements, but that plan changes frequently as per what I believe is best and from what may be the best advice I get at the time. In a nutshell, I know my situation may be dire and I have no room for mistakes......I want to heal and I will be on the strictest course and rely on the best of what I have learned. I plan on juicing with greens today. Within a few days I should be able to add wheat grass juice as well.
You wrote "Joe, in answer to your question, the L-Glutamine product I was using did not list fillers. Unfortunately I don't think they are required to. I was using the Whole Foods store brand."
wow, this is serious and I have 2 sources suggesting this substance for healing of the gut.......I believe you may have had reactions. I hope this isn't the case for me and the product as Swanson Ultra" with a "guaranteed purity label..........is just that; pure and it will be helpful rather than offending.
ry
I did a suana couple days ago per your advice and thought that was right on. I need to get myself a bit stronger and healed first though.

My supplements are:
SP Cataplex C....all natural source of C
Liquid Minerals
Liquid Vitamins
Iodine (nascent atomic) -thyroid
Desicated adrenal
l-glutamine powder
zinc
I have been taking DE and French green clay at night, but gonna give that a break as I haven't experienced any significant benefit (for detoxing)
I have been drinking goat's milk kefir......but I may have to rotate that as well.
I am planning on adding butryic acid supplement "butryaid" and symbiot.ics colostrum trying to get the most digestive system repair as possible

Now, for the most part this regiment is new, I can't say I have been on it long enough to show me much, as I am relying on wisdom, some mine, some what I am reading, to guide me here.
I hope to incorporate some of the rotational diet plan as well, with mostly veggies and some meats. No more coffee, replaced that with decaf green tea.
I pray for discernment and guidance in my healing plan. It would be my promise that if I am healed, I will give back to those who need healing for the rest of my life. I want to help others as well in these terrible situations where the traditional medical is failing so many and the big pharma doesn't rule and ruin lives. I hope I am spared to do this in God's will.
God bless,
Joe
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  #9   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 07:16
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Plan: McCombs Plan
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Are you taking any anti-fungal supplements to speed up the elimination of candida? From what I have read, a lot of the supplements that people take while their system is overloaded with candida have little effect because the candida limits the absorption capabilities of the intestines. It is most effective to first eliminate the candida and then start on the supplements to heal your digestive tract. It is difficult for your body to heal itself if the offender is still dominating in that environment, which in this case would be the candida in your intestines. Dr. McCombs talks about it in his book Lifeforce. I don't want to push you or anything, but I'd highly recommend it based on the results I have gotten at 7 weeks in. I had a pretty severe case of leaky gut too, as it sounds like you do as well.
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  #10   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 10:52
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Hi Sean, I started another thread earlier, hopefully to get some feedback, and I wanted to share the info with you.
I have since ordered the NEI digestive repair kit and I also found out about another product........glutathione patches. If they work half as good as I was told, I'll be impressed. Sounds like an amazing way to help body detox of not just neurotoxins but also heavy metals.
God bless, Joe
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  #11   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 13:12
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Default chicken or egg?

Hi Sean, For a young guy, you are doing well with your research. On the treating the candida first there may be room for debate. Actually, what caused the candida to go out of control is a good question. Certainly poor diet choices contribute. But how about low stomach acid? How about metal toxicity?
Perhaps with the candida you would only get 33% absorption instead of let's say 80%....well, for someone who is suffering 33% is better than not.
I have never read where you should not take supplements with candida. I do think you have made the point though and there is validity.
Maybe we will get some others to chime in on this one.

One other point, there may be something slightly different in nature with thrush (white tongue coating) and candida. Candida certainly takes time to grow and it takes time to get rid of. Thrush on the other hand I have seen it in myself come and go very fast. And when I relate it to a "flare up", it is there. I believe my flare ups are immune system in nature so I want to try and do everything I can for that.
A question.....does you source say anything on the advantage of the sauna being far infrared vs near infrared?
God bless, Joe
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  #12   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 14:32
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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I found the article you linked to very intriguing. Much of what he speaks of in regards to the ties between digestive health and the rest of the body completely backs up everything that I have been reading. The symptoms that I first began experiencing that caused me to search for answers were involuntary muscular twitches, anxiety and brain fog/poor memory among a few others. It took me quite some time to figure out that my symptoms were diet related because I was never giving my body a chance to clear itself of the foods that were causing me to react.

It was a homeopathic doctor that told me to try modifying my diet by taking all gluten and dairy products out. Until that point my GP and neurologist had diagnosed me with something called Benign Fasculation Syndrom (BFS). It basically meant they didn't know what I had, but they ruled out Parkinsons, MS and ALS. Once I started pursuing homeopathy, I began to find the answers to what my problem was caused by. I learned about Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, how they cause food sensitivities, and how they cause other neurological symptoms.

I can very much identify with what you mentioned above. I want to help people because I know what it is like having to live through the hell of not knowing what was wrong with me, while the symptoms continually get worse and modern medicine told me it was most likely just stress. There is a forum similar to this one dedicated to people diagnosed with BFS. I joined and told my story about how my symptoms were all directly related to my digestive health. I don't think a single person has taken me seriously yet. I feel like the crazy heretic on the street corner that everyone ignores and pays no serious attention to. Meanwhile they are all suffering to different degrees from most of the exact same symptoms that I experienced. Its kind of frustrating really. I don't let it get me down though because if I can help just one person realize the answer to what is plaguing them, I will have made a difference.

From what I have read, the main contributing factor to the candida getting out of control is antibiotics. Our society is very antibiotic heavy. It is prescribed far too often and proper education is not provided on the value in following up with probiotics. Antibiotics don't discriminate which bacterias they kill and our digestive bacteria are on the front lines when we take them. It is our helpful digestive bacteria that naturally keep Candida in check and at bay. The second factor would be all of the sugar in our diets. Candida feeds on sugar and without strong helpful digestive bacteria in our gut to act as the police, Candida can get out of control like a wild fire.

In regards to supplements, it is not suggested that you avoid taking them when you have Candida. Dr. McCombs simply described how minimally effective they are when you have too much Candida in your system. As you know candida limits your body's ability to absorb what it needs from food and supplements, so taking supplements without taking candida out first is extremely inefficient. Furthermore taking probiotics prior to getting the candida under control is mostly ineffective too because the probiotics don't take hold. Its like running the AC with the windows wide open.

To address your final question, Dr. McCombs didn't specify between far or near infrared. He just recommended infrared over a wet sauna. He also mentioned that work out sweats don't accomplish the same thing because the heat doesn't penetrate into your body as it does with a sauna or a bath. I bought a sauna from overstock.com because the bath was just too much of a hassle. It felt like it drained my energy too, whereas the sauna feels like it helps give me energy. It was just a cheap Chinese made sauna, but it does the job.

Thanks again for the links.
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  #13   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 16:36
pennsyguy pennsyguy is offline
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Plan: optimal
Stats: 157/147/145 Male 65
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Thumbs up Maybe you have keechosen......

Maybe a metaphor and maybe not. The desire to help others is a gift....keep sharing your gift. It will fall on deaf ears more than be appreciated certainly. This world needs more healers every day that passes. Just look at these forums, if there was a limit set by the fire marshall, we probably wouldn't get in the door. And there are many forums, but even more people who aren't even aware or even have computers.
It's hard to put on a scale regarding the discovery of this article and the products it lead me to. The NEI nutrition GI Digestive Health kit and then, that lead me to Glutathione Patches for detoxing. At this point I gotta say I am excited about something that can help me get some real healing, as I know and feel more confident each day that I won't make the mistake of eating what isn't good for me.......in other words, "if it ain't healthy, it ain't touching my lips".....that's my goal. Perhaps to eat 50% raw.
Keep mulling over that article and let me know what it does for you. I forget if I gave you the links for the product
https://www.neurorelief.com/neinutrition/Products.html
and since they don't sell to the public and you need at least an ND, you can talk with Dr Dan if you think that is something you have an interest in. Another product that Dr Dan told me about today, which is over the top exciting is the patches.
Thank you for sharing everything you have and I am glad to have met you!
God bless,
Joe
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  #14   ^
Old Mon, Aug-16-10, 18:38
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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Plan: McCombs Plan
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Thanks for the words of encouragement. Keep up the good work yourself. You're diving into the research and taking control of your health. I do think it is funny how what is truly healthy for you and what TV commercials advertise as healthy for you are so completely different. In my research I have found a lot of information that links gluten to so many illnesses and health conditions yet the words 'whole grain' are used to market food products as healthy. Same goes for dairy. Gluten and dairy are two of the hardest food products for our digestive systems to break down. So many people have health issues because of them yet it goes unrecognized by the mainstream medical community. Ok, sorry for going onto a side rant there. Glad to have met you too sir! Keep us in the loop on how your treatment goes.
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Sep-01-10, 18:35
Sean 007 Sean 007 is offline
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How are things going Joe? I haven't heard from you in a while.
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