A: The problem with loratadine is that it’s suppressive. Sure, it’s supressing your annoying allergy symptoms, but there’s going to come a point where that’s not going to work anymore if you’re not healing your immune system. Allergies happen when your immune system isn’t healthy.

Like you, my husband is allergic to cats, mold, and almost everything green that grows outside (as well as bugs and a couple WEIRD food addatives.) His biggest allergy was by far the candida though. For YEARS, he’s suffered with allergy symptoms, skin symptoms, digestive symptoms, joint pain, fatigue… When he finally went to the allergist and found out that he was so allergic to candida, he was told, “If we get the candida under control, the other stuff will fall into line.” He was prescribed a candida diet and Diflucan. (I don’t necessarily agree with the Diflucan thing, but that’s for another time.) Anyway, as he’s strengthened his body and immune system and taken the antifungal, his allergy symptoms have lessened to the point where he HASN’T had everyday sinus trouble and he’s been without his Zyrtec and Nasonex for about 3 weeks now.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s got a long way to go. But it turned out that the antihistamines were just kinda sorta dealing with symptoms that were caused by something entirely different.

I should also mention that we have a cat. Now, we don’t let her sleep with us, but other than that, my husband’s doing great JUST addressing the cnadida.

It’s amazing how many health issues are related to candida. Once you strengthen your immune system and get that candida under control, a LOT of
issues disappear.

People often think that yeast in or on your body (vaginal yeast, thrush, skin yeast, athelete’s foot) exist in isolation, but the fact of the matter is, they don’t. If you’ve got yeast on your body, it’s systemic, and it needs to be treated systemically. This involves eating the right foods (and NOT eating the wrong ones), using supplements that support your immune system and nourish your body, and limiting (as much as possible) your exposure to environmental toxins. You have to give your immune system a fighting chance at getting the yeast back to its friendly form, but once it’s overgrown and turned ugly, this can be a long process.

Meat aversions are tough. Under normal circumstances, I’m one of the biggest carnivores you’d ever meet, but during early pregnancy, the last thing I want to look at is meat or eggs (let alone actually EAT them!) The fact is though, pure animal fats/proteins are essential to good health. Animal food contains nutrients that you can’t get any place else, and pure animal fats (lard, tallow, butter) are invaluable when it comes to healthy living.

Dealing with meat aversions is well worth the effort because with good fat and protein, your body can more efficiently use the nutrients you give it.
This means you can heal better.

Most people think that yogurt is good for people with yeast, but in many cases, we candida sufferers are very sensitive to any dairy but butter. I never would have believed this a year and a half ago, but once I gave up dairy (other than butter), it was easy for me to see why I had to do it.
For financial reasons, I’ve been eating dairy recently (including heavy cream which is quite low in carbs), and I’m definitely having some yeast issues that I never had without the dairy (SEVERE epigastric pain, sinus/ear problems, vaginal yeast, yeast on my skin…)

While yogurt does contain beneficial bacteria, you don’t get nearly enough to outweigh the issues that the dairy itself can cause for candida sufferers. Taking a good quality probiotic is a much better choice in my opinion as you’re curing candida.

I have PCOS (polycystic ovaries), and it’s absolutely AMAZING how quickly these things resolve themselves as we start to treat candida. The same thing can be said for endometriosis. As you heal your body and deal with the candida, your body is more able to use (and appropriately react to) all your hormones including reproductive hormones, insulin, thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary hormones.

I read an excellent article on about.com that talked about hypothyroid and “normal” TSH (since most doctors will only check TSH, see that it’s “normal”, and then say, “Aaah, you’re fine!”) Apparently, the group to which many endocrinologists belong (American College of Endocrinologists or something like that) have found that a “normal” upper boundary for TSH is something like 2.2 as opposed to the 4.5-5.0 that most labs insist is “normal”.

I fought and fought with two different doctors after I had my son because I was having horrible hypothyroid symptoms (including the inability to breastfeed my son because of such an inadequate milk supply). My TSH was 3.7, and both doctors said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your
thyroid numbers are fine.” One doctor even went so far as to say, “You’re having trouble ’cause you’re legally blind and it takes a lot more out of you to parent your two children.” (Needless to say, I switched doctors immediately!)

Curing your candida will help your thyroid function as well as your adrenals, but I understand how frustrating it can be to wait when you’re suffering. The good news is, if you take the slow and steady route, you’ll likely be able to avoid medication and a life-long battle with other issues that are made worse by candida overgrowth.

This morning I woke with my typical candida “symptoms” (sinus congestion, achey joints, etc) I will assume the garlic tea was too strong and I am now a bit overloaded with toxins…off to my Epsom salt bath and some dry skin brushing
I’ve decided to try an antifungal enema. I could not even retain it for 2-3 minutes. It seemed as thought as soon as the solution hit my gut my legs
started tingling, my gut felt “weird” (for lack of a better word) and I had the urge to expell immediatly.
I can assume the reactions are caused by killing off candida, so they are normal die-off. I think the tea was too strong, and I’ll put less garlic in it next time.

~ nausea,
~ headache,
~ swollen glands,
~ bloating,
~ constipation or diarrhea,
~ increased joint or muscle pain,
~ elevated heart rate,
~ chills, cold extremeties,
~ itching, scratching, nail biting,
~ unusual perspiration,
~ fever (usually low grade),
~ hypotension (low blood pressure),
~ Itching, hives and rash (sometimes assumed to be an
allergic reaction)

Symptom intensifiers:
Two common sources: decreasing the blood flow, which
allows the toxins to accumulate, or, increasing the
die off of parasites.

~ fear,
~ anxiety and worry,
~ hormonal imbalances,
~ enzymes, bromelain, pancreatin, etc.,
~ clotting agents, heavy foods,
~ excessive exercise, tiredness,
~ fatigue, exhaustion,
~ cold temperatures,
~ air pollution,
~ anti-virals,
~ anti-bacterials,
~ anti-fungals,
~ anti-parasitics,
~ chronic illnesses,
~ high doses of vitamins,
~ some forms of chelation treatments

Symptom reduction

Two common strategies: improving the blood flow to
clear the toxins faster (see vascular constriction),
or, neutralizing the toxins (or both).

~ antihistamines,
~ relaxation techniques,
~ Enemas, Colemas, Colonics,
~ increase in blood thinning supplements,
~ Lemon/Olive Oil liver/gall bladder cleanse,
~ 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (Organic) or 1/2 lemon rind),
~ 1 Tbsp cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
~ flavanoids (widens blood vessels),
~ hydrogen peroxide intravenous,
~ aerobic oxygen supplementation,
~ lymphatic massage,
~ anti-inflammatories,
~ bentonite clay,
~ charcoal tablets,
~ diatomaceous earth,
~ pain medication,
~ muscle relaxers,
~ hot baths / hot tub,
~ steam bath or dry sauna,
~ infrared Hot House treatment,
~ a cleansing bath: add 1 cup salt, 1 cup soda, 1 cup
epsom salts, 1 cup aloe vera, to a hot bath, remain in
and keep hot for about 1-1/2 hours all the while
consuming about 2 quarts of warm water.

Personally I use Bentonite clay, hot baths with espom
salts and ocassionally saunas.

Cleansing and Die-Off Reactions:

The majority of a Candida yeast overgrowth is within the digestive system. When you destroy a yeast cell, the toxic internal yeast fluids are released into the digestive chamber and immediately absorbed into the blood stream.

As you continue on the program, thousands upon thousands of yeast cells will begin dying every day.
This may create the “Herxheimer Die-off Reaction” – the situation where yeast poisons are created faster than the immune system or eliminative channels can remove them from the blood.

If this happens, you may feel temporary mild discomforts such as headache, fatigue, muscle aches, joint or chest pain, inflammation of the throat,
sinuses, lungs, mucus congestion, colon discomforts, acne, nausea, skin rashes, constipation, gas, dizziness, or depression, etc. These symptoms are short-lived in the majority of cases and will go away soon enough as you continue on with the program.

There may be times when a reduction in steps of the program may be in order to slow the die-off reaction and decrease the rate of toxins created. Die-off does indicate that the program is working and is a necessary byproduct of the healing process, but too much can be uncomfortable.

One of the reasons it takes so long to remove a yeast infection is that the death of one yeast cell is food for another yeast cell, which encourages those yeast colonies still living.

They are being fed and supported by the internal fluids of dead cells. Until the majority of the yeast colonies are destroyed, the die-off reactions will
never completely go away. Please do not shy away from the program or be discouraged if die-off symptoms occur.

They will disappear as soon as sufficient digestive Candida has been removed. It may take several weeks or several months depending on individual severity, but it will eventually end if you remain steadfast on the program.

For most of my years, I have struggled with carb cravings.
Over the past 2 months, I am seeing great changes.
I knocked out most of my candida symptoms by STRICTLY following all the Mercola and Bee advice for one month.
Luckily, I read all the Rachel Heller books just about the same time.
I tried their 3 day challenge…the carb cravings are gone. Hooray.

I haven’t had a return of any of the yeast symptoms and I feel it is going to work for my lifetime.

I am no expert, and this is NOT medical advice.
But, from my research…I morphed the Heller advice into a 2 day trial.

There is a two day test you can do at home to see for yourself if an adjustment in your carbohydrate intake will help you in any way.

Here are some guidelines;
EVERY MEAL is a GREEN MEAL…
1)dark green leafy vegetables at each meal
2)lean protein at each meal
3)up to 2 Tablespoons “healthy lipids/fats at each meal (virgin olive oil, coconut oil)
4)Fresh Garlic or Kyolic at each meal
5)filtered, chlorine free, water at each meal (puree all in a blender and use a straw if necessary)

Important;
You must eat ONE meal a day that has good carbohydrates.
Don’t ever skip that.
Limit the eating of this meal to 3/4 of an hour. That limits your insulin “release” reflex.
On that one meal of the day, ADD to the meal your healthy carbohydrate servings of;
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup sweet potato
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white potato
1/2 cup mixed berries
1 whole grain/low carb tortilla
(think up some more…stay low on the glycemic index. Go for colorful natural foods.)
This Carb Meal should be started and finished within 3/4 of an hour.
Have a small piece of dark chocolate for desert if you wish

Take the two day test without any yeast products (bread, rolls, wine, or dairy products, etc)

Do take calcium supplements. I also include about 1 tsp. sea salt.

See how you feel.
It feels great to me.

Of course, if you chose to continue this WOE (way of eating) beyond the 2 days, you would want to meet with a certified nutritionist to
fine tune it to your needs.

Q: HI. I have had symptoms of a fungal overgrowth for about 2 or 3 years. Athletes foot, chronic fatigue and a intolerance to alcohol. I also have been diagnosed with a inflamatory auto-immune disease which leaves me with spinal arthritis, which has been become chronic for about the same amount of time. (I had already been following a No Starch Diet for this disease for 6 months, before I started the candida diet).

A: Sounds like “no starch” isn’t quite enough for you because your immune system needs some SERIOUS support. This means that you’ve got to provide it an abundance of the vital nutrients it needs to heal. The great news is that you’ve found us, and we can help with that.

I have arthritis in my lower spine and pelvis, so I understand your struggle. Fortunately for me, when I eat cleanly and take my supplements, when I get good rest, and when I move my body, I hardly notice the arthritis. (I’m only 30! I’m not supposed to have arthritis yet! *grin*)

Q: A few months ago I had a cortisone injection in my sacrum, which caused a major candida overgrowth within 30 hours, with many symptoms  ncluding Inflamed colon – painful bowel movement followed by constipation. Vaginal burning. Inflamation of the joints - foot joint pain, leg muscle pain and cramping. Cold feet. Fatigue. It was after this happened that I heard of candida and starting tyring to cure the fungas.

A: When I first tried to get treatment for my back pain (I didn’t know it was arthritis at the time), I went to see an orthopedic guy. (I’d been seeing a chiropractor for a long while, and he’d been helping, but it just wasn’t enough.) Anyway, he diagnosed the arthritis and put me on a prescription NSAID. The med worked at first, but pretty soon the pain was awful again, so I went back. He offered either PT or cortisone injections in my spine,
and fortunately I knew enough to know there was NO WAY I was letting someone inject me with steroids! I know how it is to be desperate, but the
problem with cortisone is that it suppresses the immune system. (That’s how it works. If it can suppress the immune system, then the auto-immune
issue will supposedly get better. Well, as we all realize now, suppressing the immune system just makes EVERYTHING worse!)

Q: I have been following the candida diet and taking the supplements and doing all the other treatments recommended and am doing great. Except when I go off and decide to introduce coffee, alcohol, dairy or fruit back into my diet. My symptoms return, then I get strick again. Its a horrible cycle. I’m getting tired of it. I just want to get better. I think a support group is going to help address those issue……the reality of daily life. I know what I need to do to heal, I just don’t always have the will to do it. I look forward to the sharing of everyone’s experiences. It’s very hard to do this alone.

A: I think we all struggle with this at one point or another. I know I get a little down sometimes thinking, “Poor me. It’s just not fair that I can’t eat whatever I want and still be healthy.” The fact is though, I’d rather restrict my diet than continue to feel SO bad. When you put it in that kind of perspective, it makes things a LITTLE easier.

I find that when I’m most tempted to eat off plan, it’s either an emotional need (like seeing my son’s birthday cake this weekend that was just SCREAMING to me), or I’ve unintentionally introduced something to which I’m reacting. For instance, last year I was having a lot of cravings and I wasn’t losing weight. (I’m obese, and my goal is to cure my candida and get to a healthy weight.) Anyway, I’d switched brands of magnesium citrate, and it turned out that the new brand had rice powder in it. You wouldn’t think rice powder would make that much of a difference, but my problems went away and the weight started to come off again after I eliminated that brand of Mg citrate.

Sometimes we have to be SO careful!