New member with candida problem

[kimphoenix]

I have been suffering with candida bad digestion bloating pain cramping nausea etc for about 2 years now I have trie various products and even went to a clinic in mexico that had me giving myself shots and myatatin. Still no relief. In desperation I was searching for help and found various products ie kolorex and candi something found in the uk. also threlac sp? Any one have any results ? Oh and i an on the strict diet too. Today I had a colonic to see if cleaning out my colon would help I have really bad bloating and fatigue. Any suggestions. Is that normal after a colonic? Anyone out there been that route? I did get a good suggestion from this board about rotating the anti fungal remedies and not taking the probiotic with the antifungals. I have tried so many naturpaths with no success in fact one made me worse loading me up with antibiotics to get rid of h-pylori about a couple years ago i think that is why i am plagued with this ultra resistant candida. After spending much time and money getting hopeful the getting deflated after feeling worse I am going it on my own now but need support. Hoping this is it.

[sallyseachange]

Hiya Kimphoenix and welcome. I take it you are doing Atkins, as you posted here. What stage of the programme are you on?

I'm sure you'll get people pitching in with helpful suggestions very soon. Have you read the stickies in this forum? You might get a few tips there.

[biogeek]

When you say you're on the "strict diet," which one do you mean? Are you following the KISS diet, and if so, how long have you been on it? If you find that you are still suffering after following that diet FAITHFULLY, there is a stricter yeast diet out there call the Gold Standard (GS). I suffered from having yeast, but the KISS diet was NOT strict enough in my particular case. I had to further restrict my eating and kept a food journal of everything I ate, how I felt afterwards, and so forth.

Keeping a food journal is important when following any new diet. You can go back and see trends in how you felt and what worked and what didn't. When it's time to add foods back into your normal diet, you do so one food item at a time per week, all the while, noting any changes. It can be long and tedious, but it is worth it.

Best of luck to you.

[kimphoenix]

actually I came across your board in my need to help my candida. I have been on a diet of low carbs and i have lost 25 lbs but my intention was to get rid of candida. I thought the posts on this board were well thought out and inteligent and the other boards for candida were either trying to sell me something or were just to basic to get any help from. Could you enlighten me as to the different diets you mentioned. ie KISS and Gold. I am basically on a diet of mostly veg and meat. eggs. no dairy and no simple carbs. I might eat a bit of oats or rice or a rye cracker but it modration. Other than that no other carbs not even fruit at this time

[julirama723]

I would try the KISS diet first. Dr. Crook has 4 anti-candida plans in his book, The Yeast Connection, but with the exception of one (which is basically the KISS diet) they sound too carby for you. If KISS doesn't work, try The Gold Standard, which is more stringent.

I would ditch the grains immediately. KISS basically consists of protein, low carb veggies (NO STARCHY VEGGIES), eggs, and olive oil. Butter is usually OK, too.

Check out the stickies in the Candida forum--there are some great links!

I'll reply again when I have more time...

[kimphoenix]

Thank you for your reply...Which book would you recommend for my problem. I am in the diet mode so adding or subtracting would me pretty easy. i just need some food suggestions for breakfast as I have little time in the am and since grabbing fruit or cerael are out i could use some help. I must say the members here are the quickest to respond and helpful. thank you !

[shari_dawn]

I too have a problem with candida and here is what I've learned. The herbal remedies such as oil of oregano and olive leaf oil say that you should take X amount of pills. That is for someone who is healthy with no symptoms. What you have to do is take at least double that amount to combat candida. Also Caprilic acid can be expensive but well worth the money. Make sure whatever you buy is in a gel cap form. NOT dairy based that will defeat the purpose. Also OMIT sugars, carbs (which transform into sugars in the blood) dairy based (except cream cheeses) and any fungi such as mushrooms. The idea is to starve the candida and reintroduce the good bacteria. Also when using a probiotic get one that has to be stored in the fridge and has at least 20 billion microorganisms and 12 probiotic strains. Solaray Dietary Suppliment is a good sourse and is what I use. Also avoid vinegar it feeds candida. If your not yet on the atkins diet I would recommend it. I've tried nearly every diet out there and one you get past the induction phase it is one of the easiest diets out there. This is truly the best diet for people with candida.

Take care and p.m. me with any specific questions

[julirama723]

Shari, great post!

Shari is right. Foods to avoid are sugars/carbs, aged foods, fermented foods, molds, and fungus. This means no dairy, no nuts, no fruit, no breads/cakes/rolls/starches, no alcohol, no mushrooms. Vinegar is up for debate, as vinegar does NOT feed candida, but can destroy "good" bacteria. I've seen that organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar is OK for use.

Google "KISS diet" and see what comes up. Also check out www.yeastconnection.com or pick up a copy of The Yeast Connection.

As for anti-fungals and probiotics, it's another story of contradictory information. Some say to use anti-fungals for a few weeks, then switch to probiotics. Others say to use the two simultaneously. Others say to take probiotics in the morning and anti-fungals at night, and vice versa. I personally take my probiotics in the morning with breakfast, and take all my anti-fungals at night.

You can incorporate natural anti-fungals into your everyday life too. Do you like onions and garlic? Eat them in homemade salsa, meat sauce, chopped in an omelette. I take garlic capsules, drink oil of oregano-infused water, and take a yeast-cleanse supplement from Solaray. I also eat TONS of garlic and onion!

Any probiotics are better than none. You can use the "cheapie" probiotics as suppositories, since they're not likely to reach your large intestine the natural way. It's worth it to invest your money in GOOD probiotics that you will take religiously, ones free of sugar and milk ingredients.

Also double-check your supplements. B vitamins usually contain yeast, and Vitamin C usually contains added sugars. Sometimes vitamins that aren't even yeast-harvested or "sugary" will have added starches as fillers. Nature Made makes a lot of yeast- and gluten-free vitamins.

For breakfast, I usually eat egg salad or hardboiled eggs (if I'm on the run). Sometimes I eat leftovers. Search the board for a recipe called "Scooter's farm sausage"--I make it all the time, it's EXCELLENT! Invest in some flavored oils (like garlic OO, basil OO, chili OO) to liven up your fats. Butter is generally OK, too.

After a while you can start adding foods back in. I found out that I can't eat mozzarella (even though Dr. Atkins' anti-yeast plan OKs it) because it causes yeast symptoms, but I *can* eat cheddar. Whole full-fat yogurt with the 3 major strains of probiotics also produce no symptoms, so I've been eating that with cinnamon and my probiotic powder in the mornings.

[shari_dawn]

Julirama the only thing I wonder about is the onions. What is the carbohydrate count of them? I've always avoided them because I thought they were loaded with sugar. I love them, don't get me wrong but are they legal on induction? I don't think of them as vegetables.

[julirama723]

Check the induction list, they are an "other" veggie. Generally most of the 54 induction veggies are allowed on KISS. With anti-candida, it's not neccessarily how many carbs you eat, but what kind. I probably eat 60-80g carbs a day, all veggies.