Q: if candida overgrows as a result of an improperly functioning immune system, what casued the problem with the immune system in the 1st place? does this mean that we have to stay on a candida problem forever as our immune system isn’t functioning properly?

A: Things that compromise your immune system include drugs (over-the-counter and prescription), chemical exposure (everything from cleaning products to treated fabrics to hygeine products), vaccines, and physical and emotional stress. Poor nutrition plays a huge part too. When we’re not getting all the right nutrients (and we’re eating lots of sugar and refined carbohydrate), we cause our bodies serious issues.

No, you don’t have to follow the strict candida protocol forever, but if you want to keep your immune system functioning in an optimal fashion, it’s important that you eat well, supplement well, get adequate rest, water, and exercise, refrain (as much as possible) from using drugs, and limit your chemical exposure as much as possible. Once you’ve built a strong immune system, it’ll just be a matter of maintenance, and you’ll know when your immune system isn’t functioning at its best. Then you may have to restrict your diet again and take more drastic steps to support healing.

~ 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.

I haven’t included the common die-off symptoms in my previous post, which include:

~ 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.

Although at times during our curing of candida we don’t feel well enough to exercise, exercise definitely helps. When we exercise we sweat and sweating helps release toxins. It also helps burn off sugars, helps with blood sugar and a lot more. Many times it’s difficult to find motivation to exercise, so I came up with a few ideas.

I found that for me I thought I might like a workout buddy but when I tried it I found it was not a good idea for me for several reasons.
One is that if your motivation hinges on other people then when they lose their motivation yours is gone too. I found that workout buddies tended to suck out of all my motivation too.. it’s so much better IMO to find your own way of making exercise rewarding.

Plus scheduling is a pain and I have a hard time carrying on a conversation when I’m breathing a bit heavy. Plus it takes a lot longer to do your workout often if you are waiting around for someone else to move on to the next machine or what ever. Or you find the person has every excuse in the world, when it’s hard enough to motivate yourself.

So what I recommend that really worked for me (I was never big into exercise until recently – the last 2 years – so this really worked!) is start by finding something you enjoy that you can do any time, set a time to do it on a regular basis and commit to doing a very small amount.

Also, absolutely pace yourself, and as soon as you feel any burn in your muscles stop. Why? Because as a human being your nature is to avoid pain and gravitate towards pleasure. When exercise feels good, you continue to do it, and are motivated to do it. When you are sore or have burning muscles during exercise, your mind associates the pain with what you are doing.

So having a gung-ho attitude and overdoings things is the #1 reason why people don’t stick with it.. in their subconscious, exercise causes pain, and they subconsciously avoid doing it. Also if it is boring that’s also not something people will stick with. When I started out I could only do 2 minutes on the elliptical before my muscles started burning, but I was consistent with it.

I kept going because I had a promise to myself to do this. I really couldn’t justify to myself not finding the time to do 2 mins of exercise. I *highly* recommend setting a very slow pace for yourself, because sometimes we get so gung-ho, then we end up hurting ourselves or get sore, then the exercise is associated in our mind with pain and we do not look forward to it.

I stopped at 2 minutes but I could have probably done a bit more.. but as soon as my muscles burned I stopped. I kept at it at a total snail’s pace, and never once was I sore after a workout or dealing with pain. Instead I got wonderful endorphins without the pain. But too many people get all excited about it.. over do it then quit.

I can’t express how important it was for me with everything I have done to do it SLOWLY, one step at a time. In the past I have overdone it but my mentor told me that people burn out if they make too many changes too quickly.. physically and mentally. It’s like the new years resolution mentality, rather then a life-changing mentality.
The other thing is that I make it enjoyable for myself by rewarding myself while I workout.

I listen to my favorite tunes on my MP3 player and I look forward to that. I also read while I’m working out, but not some responsible textbook or self-help book but a hot-n-trashy romance novel.. I love those. LOL. So getting to read is my reward for working out. Ok and I’ll be honest it is fun to be reading a naughty book when you are surrounded by plenty of well-muscled men. Meow!

Ok so that is what works for me. Now this set up might not work for you, but you can apply the same principles, but tailor them to your situation. For instance I used to dance every night next to my computer speakers. I created special MP3 playlists. I couldn’t afford a gym back then. I used to rollerblade everywhere. When I learned to rollerblade I was 310 pounds. Just standing in those things killed my calves so for a week I did nothing but stand in them for 5 minutes a day.. not rolling anywhere at all.

The following week I stood in them for 7 minutes. The following week I skated but only next to a railing for balance. After a few months I was so good I was blading on the sides of streets and keeping up with bikers. At one time I rollerbladed something like 20 miles a day!

One time I took my husband out rollerblading, and he got upset because he wasn’t great at it right away and never did it again. The point is that I did it really slowly and found something that was fun for me – I also listened to music while I was blading.

It’s so important to have patience and take baby steps.. it’s amazing how far they take you! I ballroom dance and it took me 4 years to start getting better at it.. I took regular classes and such, and then later I did some amateur performances. You can take ballroom classes for exercise, they are fun. Get some videos and practice the steps for a while at home first. You can simply march in place while you watch your favorite TV show.

Just find one that’s on half an hour each day and promise yourself that you are going to march in place through the show or something.
But of course you should start at 3 minutes or so. If you are in really really bad shape like I was, there’s a great show on PBS called Sit and Be Fit.. you can workout from a chair! I couldn’t stand for more than 5 minutes at a time back then. Give yourself a reward for doing your workout (non-food) or make the workout the reward somehow.. that is the point.

Another thing I do is take things that I have to do anyway and make it a workout. Like I have to clean the house, but I do it really fast, briskly walking between rooms, putting things away as quickly as possible. The chore gets done faster and I get it out of the way and it’s more exercise-like. I love things like that! I guess what I am saying is that I have as many reasons for NOT exercising as pretty much anyone else, maybe more.

The point is that not everyone will find that what I do works for them.. but instead you can look at what I do in a more generic problem-solving context. I found a way to make exercise rewarding by reading and listening to music, seeing it as time for myself, etc. My main reasons for not wanting to work out were boredom, motivation, pain, lack of time, etc. I figured out a way to get past the boredom, went slowly to avoid pain, found something that motivated me and restructured my life so I had the time.

But for someone else maybe their problem is they can’t afford the gym or they don’t feel comfortable at the gym, or they go too fast so they are in pain, or any number of reasons. What I would say would be an idea to make this problem solving to be more generic is to start with making a list of the reasons you don’t want to exercise. Then for each item on the list, find a way to creatively get around it. So to give an example, some people don’t go to a gym because they feel uncomfortable with all of the hot bodies there.

Maybe the solution for this person would be to work out at home.
Maybe the solution is to join a place like Curves or a gym that tends to have less than perfect people. Maybe the solution is to confront the emotional reason they are uncomfortable. Maybe they can go really late at night when there’s not that many people like I did at first.

There can be any number of ways to solve the problems. It just takes creative problem solving in some cases. If you want you can share with me your unique list of roadblocks and I can see if I can come up with some ideas for getting around them, and maybe others here will have some ideas or their own roadblocks to share or be helped by others ideas.

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!