Other Peoples Therapies

To Get Rid of Candida

Here you can read about the many different ways that people just like you and me, have helped themselves find treatment to rid themselves of candida albicans overgrowth.

A few years ago I had a hair mineral test done and my calcium, magnesium, and zinc all tested as abnormally high. The lab sent a note that I must have some "metabolic disturbance" but no one, even my doctors, knew what that could be. But I was reading how the candida messes up your system so that hormones, including thyroid, can't be properly used by the cells. You test as having normal levels of hormones, but the candida keeps the cells from using the hormones. I wonder- does the candida keep the body from using minerals properly as well? Could that be why my minerals were crazy? Hmm... Marcie : )

What were the levels of potassium and sodium? I had the same results from a hair analysis test done 4 years ago (elevated cal and mag, alongside low potassium and sodium, and slow metabolism). High mag/cal alongside low pot/sodium is a classic sign of mercury toxicity, according to Andy Cutler (www.noamalgam.com). He also says you needn't have high levels of mercury (on the test) for this to be the case.

Have you looked into heavy metal toxicity? I believe it's contributing to my health problems (C.F.S./candida etc.) and I'm waiting for to get the results of my 2nd hair analysis soon. Candida is there for a reason. ~Anne

Many of us have ran the gamut of physicians and specialists - to no avail. I know in my case, I've received much treatment from doctors only designed to treat my symptoms (i.e. antacids, pain meds, diflucan, antidepressants) that have had no effect on the underlying cause. if I hadn't found this group, I would still be waiting in an office somewhere, hoping that THIS time, they would have the magic pill to cure me. The only success i have had has come from beginning to detoxify and following the diet, along with some other supplements that are intended to make my body start healing itself. My conventional doctor knows all of this, and approves. I believe I read this on the vulvodynia board, where many women find disparately different methods to treat themselves: 'we all must find our own path of healing'. or, as I like to say: 'diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks' ~aliqaesong@saintly.com

The fastest (and free) way to read up on liver flushes is to go to www.curezone.com, there is a FAQ page on liver flushes, with a forum just for liver flushes, a true wealth of info there with many helpful people. To get a more in depth understanding read "The Amazing Liver Cleanse" and "The Key To Health and Rejuvenation" both by Andreas Moritz. I know I sound like a broken record, but you will not find any better advice out there.

I stick pretty close to Andreas' script. He does not recommend P&B shakes, so I have never done them. P&B shakes are Psyllium and Bentonite. He strongly recommends beginning with a few real colonics. I didn't until my 4th flush because I was too embarrassed. it was a mistake, a colonic cleans out years of bad living in just a few minutes. After colon cleansing he recommends a kidney cleanse, he provides a formula that a herbalist can put together, tea, for 3 weeks. Then the liver flushes begin, every two or three weeks until the liver is clean. ~johngrellner@hotmail.com

There are many schools of thought on dealing with Candida. I know of 4 approaches people have mentioned on this list. You can mix and match or do what feels right to you. In the end, you will need to address the cause behind your candida:

1. suddenly eliminate candida symptom causing foods on a strict candida diet combined with anti-fungals / Threelac. This helps control your symptoms. For me I have found this process beneficial in controlling my symptoms, but now comes the tough part: healing my body.
2. gradually eliminating foods that cause sensitivities instead of the strict candida diet. This is less taxing on you physically and emotionally since the adjustments happen gradually.
3. read Andreas Moritz - Key to Health and Rejuvenation and commit to your health. In his book, Moritz talks about how our bodies should work: good times to wake and sleep; when is a good time to eat; importance of drinking water; what is your type according to ayurveda and what foods you need to eat to keep yourself balanced. There is also information about a liver flush and kidney flush. He explains why each is needed. Basically, he outlines what we need to do to help our bodies heal themselves. You may have seen others on this list speak about feeling better after performing a liver flush.
4. Augment your diet with inulin, whey, selenium to give the body what it needs to heal itself.

In all cases the idea is to eat organic healthy foods and nourish your body rather than non-nutritious processed fast foods. Every little effort counts.

By the way, the process may not take too long. I have been on anti-candida diet for 4 weeks now. I was able to take a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice yesterday without needing to devour everything in sight (due to sugar cravings). Of course, I don't intend on making sugar or sugary foods (natural or not) my main staple anymore. I happened to be in the city later than I thought I would be and it was nice to go into a cafe and order something that someone else prepared for me ;) Whichever route you take you will see progress and then you'll get greedy and crave more progress. Before you know it, a few months will pass and you will be a new you.

Wishing you good health. Sue, candidanomore@yahoo.com

Lisa, sweetiebaby20012003@yahoo.co.uk

For the past month or so i have been on this site as i do have a candida infection, which i didn't really know the cause of but i was hoping to self treat with all the useful advice here. However, i have also been pursuing proper medical advice for it in an attempt to find a proper doctor to help me. Three days ago i had success. I live in the UK and was referred by my GP to a gastroenterology specialist at a top private hospital in London. He agreed that I had a candida infection and he told me that the ONLY reason that people get these infections is if there is some underlying cause. IT IS NOT NORMAL TO HAVE CANDIDA. Your body is a fantastic machine and will normally eliminate candida overgrowth like the drop of a hat. If it doesn't then there is something wrong. You guys here may be able to temporarily cure your candida infection by diet and flushes and whatever else but until you sort out the underlying cause it will always come back. So this specialist gave me loads of tests and indeed he was right, i do have a more serious problem. It seems i have a very common genetic disorder (which I've worked out has come from my great-grandmother) which causes an autoimmune disease of all my glandular system, for example. my thyroid is affected, all hormone glands and my pancreas which produces insulin. Basically what is happening is my body is attacking all my glands and this is what has been giving me all my symptoms, i.e.. low thyroid function, dizziness, ear infections, frequent urination - the list goes on and on and on.

I'm a research scientist myself and have been reading all the science behind this and it's only since the results of the Human genome project completed last year that they know about this defect. The disorder is cause by a mutation in the DNA contained in one of our chromosomes. 50% of the population carry the mutation but it's only 5% that show symptoms of this, me being one of them. The reason the Candida has overgrown is because my body does not handle sugar in my diet very well anymore cause my body does not produce the correct levels of insulin.

Now I'm not saying everyone here has this and i know that antibiotics, for instance, can cause a candida overgrowth and that's why some of you here have it I'm sure. But what i would say is you must persevere with the medical system, especially those people here who really don't know what has caused their candida overgrowth (I begged my GP to refer me and eventually he did and even then i insisted on going private to get the best consultant) and let someone who's professional and specialised find out exactly what is wrong with you and treat the underlying!! Most GP's won't know about it but specialists do!!

The future for me is now so much brighter. The specialist has already started me on medication to replace my gland functions that are missing. He's not even going to treat the candida cause he said my body will kick that into touch once everything else is back to normal. And he's right. Already my tongue is getting back to normal, i don't have shakes anymore when i eat sweet foods and my ear has stopped popping and the tinnitus has gone, which is a very welcome relief.

Having said all this I've learnt a lot from here with regards to diet etc and i certainly have changed some of my eating habits also. I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and i do so much more home cooking. The bad thing was i lost over a stone in weight due to cutting out carbs and sugars for a month and the doctor wants me to put that back on as I'm not underweight.

I'd like to thank everyone here for the support I've received. It was a real scary time knowing I had something wrong but not knowing what it was and I valued all the messages of support I received from people here. I wish everyone the best of luck in getting back to full health,

Yours, Lisa

Yes, when you start to fight candida, the little buggers try to escape to where it's safe. So they literally go to your rectum, looking for a place to live, and they invade your rectal tissue, causing the itching and inflammation. If you are a female (and I assume you are, ha, ha!) they can go to the vaginal area and cause similar distress.

YES, there is an easy solution to this!! Continue cleansing. Buy some kefir or very good yogurt (plain only). You can find these both in a good grocery store chain. Just smear on the yogurt or kefir. In the case of the vagina, use a vaginal applicator full of kefir. This will cure the itching and inflammation issue. Also, take some extra vitamin C.

Make sure you have kefir on hand for this. Drinking some kefir with a little water for dilution and some acceptable flavoring plus Stevia for sweetening is a delicious drink. This is Donna Gates' advice from her book, The Body Ecology Diet, and it works! She says to have a glass of kefir in the morning for breakfast.

Let us know of your improvement, -Linda

I pop in on this list once in awhile because I feel I owe it, as others helped me. I had bad candida overgrowth for a long time, but am now in the best health of my life. It happened after I changed how I looked at the problem. the problem is not candida, its your body, which specifically allows candida to overgrow to compensate for malfunctioning digestion and liver. that's right, your body WANTS the candida overgrowth to deal with toxicity issues. As long as you just focus on the candida, you are wasting your time energy and money. And, trying to kill it is a waste of time, only your body can do that long term, and it won't, as long as the underlying problems persist.

If you want the candida to disappear on its own, and it will, fix your digestion, clean out your liver, and stop putting in toxic drugs, foods etc. Do a series of colon cleanses, colonics are best, liver flushes, and kidney cleanses. Most will disregard what I'm saying, and that's fine. a few won't and they will recover their health. Its all very simple and logical. I have nothing to gain in saying this, I'm not selling anything and never will. If you really want to understand how to get healthy, buy one book, and just one. Andreas Moritz "The Key to Health and Rejuvenation". Andreas does not set out to sell you anything, and his knowledge is like gold. you can get the book for $7 from www.1stbooks.com it will change your life like it changed mine. tired of being sick? read the book and move on. you won't need this list anymore.

"According to my understanding, mercury creates an environment that allows yeast to thrive."

Yes, I believe that's because the yeast help the body to deal with and break down the mercury. another reason why killing yeast without first cleansing the body is a bad idea.

You will need to take charge of your own healing. No one else will do it for you. Read. Read all you can for a few weeks. This site, archives, www.curezone.com, books, I recommend "The Key to Health and Rejuvenation" by Andreas Moritz. Don't make any rash decisions about what course you want to follow. You will see many "cures" batted about, many supplements recommended etc. The more you understand your predicament, the better you will be able to find your own way. Most of all, be patient and relax. You can certainly recover your health. I have as have others on this list. The best advice I can give you is to avoid seeing candida as a disease, the disease that's affecting you. Candida is just a symptom of other underlying bodily conditions. Weak and clogged digestive system, clogged up liver, kidneys, poor diet, stress, etc. Don't waste your time or money with anti-fungals. The cure is diet, lifestyle, bodily cleansing and attitude.

johngrellner@hotmail.com

I don't think anyone's trying to CURE it, as it and hundreds of other species is a natural component of our body flora. The goal is to suppress it to 'normal' non-disease levels and keep it there. That's why the lifestyle/dietary change. ~Duncan Crow

www.candidapage.com

Selenium starts to accumulate in the body at over about 1600 mcg daily, and at some point over some months toxic effects would develop. The therapeutic window of 200-600 mcg is very safe.

Selenium is not an antioxidant; it's used in the creation of the most used form or four forms of glutathione, which is the cells' main antioxidant and detoxifier, and the organs' main support in detoxification, immune system activity.

Glutathione also functions to regenerate the other antioxidants. No other antioxidant can replace it. If you had lots of antioxidants but you were glutathione deficient you'd get sick and die. And yes, glutathione is crucial in the Krebs cycle; it works with coQ10 and lipoic acid to regenerate your ATP (energy currency of the cells).

Don't underestimate the role of your naturally produced antioxidants. They are essential; the ones you eat are not.

I've been following everyone's posts and have communicated with Duncan privately. Over the past 10 years I've been in pretty bad shape: started with vertigo, then chronically swollen lymph nodes (Dr. biopsied one but was just swollen, then developed digestive issues (sugar and starch intolerance), then was diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance (and was put on a beta blocker), had chronic non-bacterial prostate infections, chronic sinusitis, gum infections, massive tartar build-up and finally for the last few years, chronic fatigue. In the last year, I modified my diet and stopped eating sugar and any carbo (other than vegetables). That helped quite a bit, but still had the OI and swollen lymph nodes and some fatigue. After getting some advice from Duncan, I measured the pH of my morning spit and it was <6.0. After getting his advice, this is what I've done thus far:

1. was to increase the pH by eating a lemon every morning and taking Homozon, also started a mineral supplement concentrace. 2. sugar free inulin: I mix this with my homemade yogurt which I culture for 36+ hrs to let the bacteria use up all the sugar. I take about 4 tbs of this mixed with 5 g inulin five times per day. When you mix the inulin and live culture gas forms almost instantly. Those microbes seem to just love that inulin. 3 days after starting this inulin/yoghurt protocol all my swollen lymph nodes disappeared. Pretty amazing. 3. whey and Se 4. liver flushes: getting out 'stones', dark circles under my eyes are disappearing.

I do wonder if the liver flushes are getting out stones or if the stones are olive oil. I know there has been a LOT of previous posts on this topic but... I do know the flushes are working, but I'm not convinced that it's not working for this reason: what if the oil oil triggers the rapid release of bile which reacts with the fat (olive oil). The fat and bile react and due to the epsom salt are swiftly carried out of the body before the toxins in the bile (bound to the oil) can be reabdsorbed in the intestines. My understanding is that the blood feeding the liver is venous and comes from the blood of the small intestine. It would be logical that the toxins could be recycled between the liver (via the bile) to the small intestine (via bile mixed with food) then back to the liver (via toxins that readsorb through the small intestinal wall to the blood, which goes back to the liver to be adsorbed back into the bile). Any thoughts on this? ANYWAY, WHATEVER IS GOING ON, THE LIVER FLUSHES SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR ME. My pH is now about 7.0 and I can feel the health being restored. I am simply amazed. The Andrea Moritz book is very useful as is a positive outlook. Got to say. This is the best I've felt in 15 years. Thanks to all of you for getting the info out there. --Craig

For relief from the sinus pain and pressure I would highly recommend doing a sinus flush. I was reluctant to do this for over a year after my MD recommended it to me. Finally out of desperation I tried it.

You will need a Neti Pot and Lomatium (an herbal liquid you can find on line or at a health food store). Here is a link for the Neti Pot. http://www.bytheplanet.com/Neti-Pot-Wash2.cfm It even has a video stream that will show you how to do the flush. It looks totally bizarre - which is why I never wanted to try it.

I did one once in the morning and once in the evening for two days and have not had one since! Even my husband broke down and tried it (he thinks I'm a wacko for all this alternative shit I do). He too, has not had another sinus infection since. Anything - not to take another antibiotic!

I still believe that you need to work on the underlying cause of the sinus infections, and I am working on that still. But, for relief, this has been a gold mine for me. ~ Carrie <bchahn@netzero.net>

The neti pot is great relief, even if does not cure the underlying problem, it will wash out toxins and open the airways. If you think you can't handle a neti pot, try the Grossan sinus irrigator, like a water pick for the sinuses, does the same thing as the neti pot. See http://www.pharmacy-solutions.com.

I originally was thinking of doing Threelac until I realised that Threelac would only be good for people without several underlying problems. Usually if yeast is out of control and you keep getting recurring yeast infections, it's normally because your body is busy trying to fix/fight something more important and so the yeast starts to party! Everyone has yeast, only when there is a problem does it ever get out of hand. Usually one of the first steps is to change your diet. Remove all refined sugars from your diet and start and start doing an elimination diet. This will help you remove foods that your body has become sensitive to. I tested: dairy, wheat, caffeine, corn, red meat, eggs, oranges/grapefruits, etc. These are commonly eaten foods and we end up becoming sensitive to them.

The way the elimination diet works: Example I started with dairy. I did eat any dairy for 3-4 weeks. After that time on day1: Drank 1-2 glasses of milk with each meal, day2: none, day3: ate 2-3 pieces of real cheese with each meal. Day4: none. It can take between 15min to 48 hours for any symptoms of a food to show. Always eat the purest form of the food you are testing Example: Wheat... test using shredded wheat or cream of wheat, red meat: a steak, corn: frozen corn or canned corn or corn on the cob. I found out I was sensitive to caffeine, corn and dairy. Once I took those out of my diet, my infections went away and my energy came back! I still have some other problems but many of the problems have cleared up by doing the elimination diet. ~Jennifer *8-) <puhutes@yahoo.com>

I do not fully understand why children do not accept good advice from their parents, it seems they must learn things from making mistakes and experiencing the consequences themselves. Children have a lot of energy and a feeling of invincibility and often think they know everything. The reason adults often do not accept the advice of those wiser than them, I feel, has do do with the scepticism that comes from false claims, misinformation and lies that they have had to endure over their lifetimes. On this forum we have found that what is effective for some is rarely effective for all, so we learn and try and do the best we can because the Medical community has abandoned us. In this country, everything is about money, including medicine. If there is a cure for a disease that is cheap and the drug companies cannot make money on it, the drug manufacturing companies will lobby against it, use false propaganda against it and squash it any way they can. We have lost control of our country to the military industrial machine, the rich corporations are now in control. That is why, if there is a cure for cancer, or cheaper medications from Canada, or Dr. Hulda Clarks zapper device, they will make sure it is unavailable so as to protect their own interests. We have made everything about money in this country and now we are paying the price. ~Ron S.

If anyone is interested in learning about how to make attempts to remove the metal, there is a process called chelation. I am not proposing it, just wanted to put it out there. There is another group that focuses specifically on that. There is a guru type of person who has a book and most of the group follow his protocol - Andy Cutler, or as I've seen before, others that were told to do it a different way and end up on the group to find out how to do it right. One thing I do know if you have to have all of your amalgams removed before starting the process. Again, not pushing it and it is highly controversial, but have seen many people swear it saved them. Mostly on this site are parents chelating their children who are autistic and have heavy metals. Here's the site: Autism-Mercury@yahoogroups.com ~Kari karitrautman@earthlink.net

Someone asked about Nystatin, and whether it's good to use. The answer is NO!!!!!!

My doctor started me out with Nystatin when I was first diagnosed with candidiasis, and I was on and off of it over a period of TEN years. Later I discovered that Nystatin actually drives the yeast organisms down into the tissue. They organize and drill down into the tissue, in an attempt to survive. So, the more Nystatin you take, the more the beastie farts drive themselves down into your tissue and you have the problem of yeast in your tissue, etc. Nystatin is a MOLD that kills yeast. What a tragedy!! Why should we do this to ourselves?

Use garlic -- it's stronger than Nystatin anyway. Rotate between garlic and the other natural anti-fungals. How do you eat raw garlic you say? Eat it with yogurt -- this actually KILLS the odor of the garlic, yet it's a very healthy combination. First take a few garlic cloves, and hit them with a flat spatula to get the skins off. Then sprinkle on a little salt and grind the garlic into a kind of paste, with the salt helping to break it up. Then eat several spoonfuls of yogurt, then put the garlic in your mouth and swish around a bit (to get digestive juices flowing) , then swallow with a few digestive enzyme tablets to help in digestion. Then, eat the rest of the yogurt. If you eat the right amount of yogurt, this kills the garlic odor! About 6 ounces...

You can also use brewed black coffee and this nicely kills the garlic odor. But of course, that's not healthy. However, if you drink just enough to cover the garlic -- about 1/2 cup, maybe that's not so bad, and the garlic outweighs the bad of the coffee. But, then if not, the yogurt is the way to go. Red wine also works, but that is also taboo. I have done the coffee and the yogurt. They both work, believe me. I went into the office the next day, and NO ODOR!!

I got this advice from Jean Carper's book, THE FOOD PHARMACY. It's a great little book. -Linda dove003@netzero.net

ThreeLac has helped a few people, but not so many as they claim. Apparently, if you take it immediately following antibiotics it's a great help. If you've had candida for awhile, it is much less effective.

Kyolic (garlic) and Grapefruit Seed Oil are the best for steady, effective, not too many side-effects, anti-yeast supplements.

Pau D'arco tea is often recommended but you have to drink 8 cups daily for it to have any effect.

Garden of Life sells an anti-fungal mix that has good things in it. Anti-fungals should only be taken for 2 - 4 weeks. After that, yeast has adapted and resistant.

Switch to probiotics. Be sure to practice good colon cleansing while you take anti-fungals to reduce toxic symptoms.

Starve the yeast (avoid all sugars and dairy for 3 months) Avoid fruit too. An apple a day is okay, as are lemon and lime. Caveman diet. If you lose too much weight, start eating Kichadi. Also known as Kicharee, it's a basmati rice and mung bean stew that is great for people with weak digestion. Ask for recipe.

Avoid raw foods. They are healing for most people, but for weak digestions lightly steamed is better. Juices are fine.

Replace friendly microbes: Probiotics are the good microbes that get killed by poor diet, dead foods, antibiotics and aren't replaced by dead dairy. You can take them orally but beware, many won't survive stomach acids. Primal Defense is designed to survive and doesn't need to be refrigerated. Refrigerated cultures are great for rectal implants.

Alkalize the body with an alkaline diet Vegetarian diets are alkaline. Eat very high quality beef once a week to keep up your strength, otherwise, stick to beans, lentils, nuts. Caveman diet! Excellent!

Thoroughly cleanse the bowels, lymph, liver. Buy an enema bucket setup. Follow the Bowel Management for Beginners notes. At least weekly, take a detox bath. Dry brush daily. See liver notes.

Increase power of digestion, see notes. Avoid allergens for 6-9 months Anything you are used to eating is probably an allergen to you now. Common allergens are wheat, corn, white potatoes.

Beware of perfumes, pest sprays, household cleansers. Use natural solutions whenever possible. Avoid new cars!

Oxygenate the body! Increase circulation! Exercise! Walk at least 20 minutes 3x week. Self-massage. Massage.

Castor oil packs/moist heat. Acupressure/puncture.

Cayenne Pepper.

Good Sleep! Go to sleep by 11:00 pm. Each hour before midnight slept is twice as healing as every hour after.

Essential supplements: Pancreatic enzymes Super Greens (chlorella, spirulina, barley, veggies, etc.) Essential Fatty Acids Can take fish oil, flax seed oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Green Tea & Spicy Teas Planetary Formula's Bupleurum Liver Cleanse Probiotics A good multi-vit - Solaray's Spectro - with GTF Chromium Cleansing drink: warm water, juice of ? lemon, 1 tbl apple cider vinegar; dash of cayenne or cayenne tincture; a bit of maple syrup just to make it taste better - as long as you use just one tsp don't worry about feeding the yeasties. Drink every night, try to drink mid-morning or before main meal. Consider getting a juicer. The yeasties have been starving your body of vital nutrients for a long time. Vitamins are just not as good as real food. Fiber/intestinal cleanser/bentonite clay Support Adrenals NO caffeine Take Gotu Kola (an herb) as a Tea so it helps repair tissues too Great References: "The Yeast Connection Cookbook" by William Crook "Juicing for Life" by Cherie Calboum "Perfect Health" by Deepak Chopra "The Ayurvedic Cookbook"

To treat a vaginal yeast infection, just as soon as you can feel one starting, go to your local pharmacy or a local health food store. You can buy a small amount of boric acid for about 3-5 dollars. It is in powder form. Get regular gel capsules, typically 2 - 4 dollars for 100 capsules, size 0 or 00. You can fill them all by hand, but if you want speed and convenience, get a capsule filler for about 18 dollars. It fills 50 capsules at a time. You need about 20-30 capsules (or less) to get rid of a yeast infection, so you can make some for your friends ;) These are very easy to fill. Do make sure you wash your hands when you are done. If you have a very bad infection, use the boric acid 2x a day (usually before bed and when you get up) for 1-2 weeks. Then you can alternate 1 boric acid and 1 acidophilus to help restore good bacteria. It works much better than anything else you will find, and it doesn't sting like the useless over the counter stuff!

Tony's Candida Resource List

Candida over-growth or candidiasis is already an epidemic in the US. There are estimates as high as ninety-five percent of all men and women in the US suffer from one or more strains of candida overgrowth.

For years, candida was literally trivialized by the American medical profession as merely a vaguely sexual "women's problem", however it is now becoming clear that Candidiasis is an all too prevalent affliction in both sexes and consistently appears as a co-factor in obesity, intestinal & digestive disorders, heart disease, a whole slew of different types of cancer, depression, mood swings, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia, M/S, and a whole host of auto-immune disorders... etc..

In my case, I can clearly see the connection between years of an unhealthy & unbalanced diet, high in refined carbohydrates, alcohol abuse, antibiotics, and the stress of modern life have taken their toll on my body and set the stage for candida overgrowth. I had a lot of questions about Candida, most "regular" doctors were next to useless on the subject, and many "alternative healers" were even worse! So I started "Tony's Candida Resource List" as a place to start asking questions and as a place to collect my notes. Please feel free to contact me in order to add any other books, protocols, websites, EGs, Forums, and, online information and resources.

The first step I would suggest is to go on the Internet and use www.google.com to search for "candida symptoms" to make sure you have a majority of the Candida symptoms.

There are now hundreds of Candida websites on the Internet, many of them owned by peddlers, vendors, and self appointed "healers" all trying to pry your money from your wallet.

I would urge caution at this point, and not buy or join, or part with any of your money until you have become thoroughly informed about Candida and familiar with the Candida Internet community and are able to discern the wolves from the sheep.

I would then suggest that you join some of the many Candida mailing lists & Yahoo! e-groups.

There are several good Yahoo Candida E-Groups, the largest & best is the "candidiasis" EG:

Candidiasis http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/candidiasis/

Candida Albicans http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CandidaAlbicans/

Candida Testimonials http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/candida-testimonials/

Many of these E-Groups have all kinds of excellent files and documentation that can be downloaded and printed out. Scan and search through the archives of these e-groups and you will find excellent information about Candida.

I have been following a phased approach to my recovery from Candida overgrowth:

1.) Intervention 2.) Containment 3.) Rehabilitation 4.) Maintenance

I have successfully passed through the "Intervention" phase and am roughly 13 weeks into the "Containment" phase, and am beginning some of what I call the "Rehabilitation" phase.

I have noticed a marked improvement in my general health, well-being, and mental & emotional state. I can attest that the Candida is being "driven" from my kidneys, intestines, and other organs where it does not belong. My digestion is much more regular, and the agitation, depression, irritability & lethargy are gone.

1.) Intervention

For me, the intervention phase was mainly comprised of immediately ceasing whatever behaviors, attitudes, lifestyle, actions, and addictions, that were the likely causes and pre-conditions for the candida overgrowth in the first place. The most important of these was to modify my nutrition. I had to immediately abstain from all processed high glycemic carbohydrate foods, sugars, grains, high lactose dairy products, etc... and go on a strict anti-candida diet.

There is a lot of information about Anti-Candida diets on the Internet, on individual websites, special interest Candida forums, newsgroups, e-groups, mailing lists, etc... A simple search on Google will yield literally thousands of "Candida Diet" listings which are all pretty similar. Since there is a very high "addiction" aspect and component to the foods that lead to a Candida overgrowth, I sought and found support with a 12-Step program called overeaters anonymous. http://www.overeatersanonymous.org/

Since it was also really important for me to really understand what Candida is - I also started reading up on the subject:

The Yeast Connection : A Medical Breakthrough by William G. Crook (Author) Publisher: Vintage; (September 12, 1986) ISBN: 0394747003

This book is the classic Candida reference; even though there are many other newer books around, this book pretty much has it all including suggested diets and remedies.

Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution : Nature's Answer to Drugs by Robert C. Atkins (Author) Publisher: Simon & Schuster; (January 7, 1999) ISBN: 0684844885

Dr. Atkins' Age-Defying Diet Revolution: A Powerful New Dietary Defense Against Aging by Robert C. Atkins, Sheila Buff (Contributor) Publisher: St. Martin's Press; (January 15, 2001) ISBN: 0312977018

All of Atkins books have very good Anti-Candida sections and suggest some excellent protocols and remedies. A consistent theme in ALL Atkins books suggests that Candida interferes with good health, weight loss, and the absorption of nutrients from food.

2.) Containment

This phase deals with taking a variety of "anti fungal" agents which are intended to kill off the Candida and remove the yeast from whatever parts of the body, and organs that it has colonized. This can take some time, and may require the use of several different "anti-fungal" agents at once or in rotation. Some candida patients have reported that certain strains of candida can mutate and become resistant to when just one antifungal is used.

I have been using the following:

Probiotics (Acidophilus & Bifidus), Vitamin C, Pantethine Barberry Golden Seal Oregano Oil, Caprylic Acid, Undecenoic Acid, Pau D'arco, Cinnamon, Cats Claw, raw crushed garlic (for the allicin). Home-made Probiotic "Creme Bulgar" (yoghurt/sour cream)

When I have time and money it I may also add:

Grapefruit seed extract Ergo transferrin Sacchromyces Boulardii

Here are some more "containment" phase notes. Dr. Atkins' "Vita-Nutrient Solution" book where it states the following are the most important treatments to get for controlling candida:

Beneficial Bacteria 1-3 tsp Undecenylic Acid 2-4 capsules Caprylic Acid 2-4 capsules Ergotransferrin 2-4 capsules Oil of Oregano 2-4 drops Olive Leaf Extract start with 1 capsule, build to 3-4 capsules Vitamin C 1-3 grams Pantethine 600-1200mg

Atkins mentions elsewhere in the book such beneficial bacteria as: "Laterspora"

Atkins mentions Sacchromyces Boulardii a friendly non-colonizing yeast which I suspect is one of the active ingredients in ThreeLac

When searching for "ergo transferrin", I found the following websites:

The Biamonte Center for Clinical Nutrition http://www.health-truth.com/articles/Candida2.asp "ergotransferrin" is mentioned in his candida protocol.

When searching for "Undenoic Acid", I found the following websites:

Bayho.com has has an "Undecenoic Acid" product called sf-722.

http://www.bayho.com

NotDoctors.COM Has "Undenoic Acid" http://www.notdoctors.com/unde3.html

They also have good prices for other Anti Candida products. They have a Probiotics section where I found a probiotic product called "Latero- Flora Probiotics" which is based on "Bacillus Laterosporus BOD" which is VERY close to the "Laterspora" product mentioned in Atkins' book.

"Latero-Flora Probiotics" http://www.notdoctors.com/latero-flora.html

The Modern Herbalist has a "Undenoic Acid" product called sf-722 http://www.modernherbalist.com/products/sf-722.html
The Modern Herbalist also discusses a Rotation Protocol for controling Candida http://www.modernherbalist.com/products/rotation.html

3.) Rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation involves healing digestive system and the other organs that were damaged by the Candida overgrowth.

I began repopulating my intestines with "friendly" beneficial pro- biotic bacteria like acidophilus and bifidus both in capsule form and also in the form of a special home-made probiotic yoghurt/sour cream made from heavy cream (less lactose than whole milk)

I have also started a 30 day herbal kidney cleanse using Andreas Moritz's Herbal Kidney Clense formula which I purchased from Present Moment. http://www.presentmoment.com/ordering.html

I called them and ordered the "Andreas Moritz Kidney cleanse Herbs"

When I complete the kidney cleanse I will start a 12 month liver flushing program to remove crystallized cholesterol, gall stones, liver stones, accumulated toxins & metals etc...

For this information, I went to Andreas Moritz's Site and bought the electronic book "The Amazing Liver Cleanse".

I strongly recommend that ANYONE suffering from obesity, candidiasis, diabetes, fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome, etc... read this book... !!!!!

There many "liver flushing EGs, Forums, or On-line resources.

There is much discussion on many of the Candida E-Groups about the correlation between Candida and mercury-amalgam fillings. I am seriously considering having my amalgam fillings replaced with composites.

4.) Maintenance

Well, I'm not there yet, so I don't have much to say about this phase yet, but I'd love to hear from anybody who's made it this far. More to come! This resource list is a work in progress! If you have any resources or more information to add please contact me... Feel free to e-mail me at: tgparker@worldnet.att.net All the best to all of you out there... I hope and pray that you all get better. ~Tony

Ashley Graham <ash_2g@yahoo.com> wrote:

I will go directly to answering the question about yeast and adrenal fatigue. Everyone has candida which can exist in two forms, a harmless yeast form and a destructive fungal form with rhizoids (roots). When the intestinal flora of good bacteria gets upset due to chemicals etc, the dormant yeast form of candida turns to the active fungal form. This fungal form grows roots that burrows into the walls of the intestine creating a highly permeable path between the blood stream and the intestine. When the candida steals it supply of glucose from the sugars & carbs we consume, it releases acetaldehyde into the blood stream.

The acetaldehyde gets oxidized and is converted to ethanol (alcohol) which is toxic to the liver (as a result you feel sleepy). When the liver is overloaded with this toxin on a regular basis, the kidneys now have to pick up the slack. The ADRENALS sits on top the kidneys and they eventually feel the strain from the toxins as well when the kidneys and liver cannot keep up with eliminating the toxins. It is well known an documented, that the adrenals and the thyroid glands work together (endocrine system). When the adrenals are poisoned, adrenaline leaks constantly from the adrenal medulla in an attempt to deal with this stress that the body is undergoing in fighting toxins. Hormone secretion from the adrenal cortex is also compromised.

Supplementing with adrenal bovine supplies nutrients directly to the adrenals, however, you should try to get to the root of the problem. Do the saliva test for candida and see if this is the problem. The test is easily found on the web. Remember, it most cases, the downward spiralling fatigue process starts with growth of candida (fungal form) in the intestine, then release of candida toxins into the bloodstream through the gut walls, conversion of toxins to ethanol. Ethanol poisons the liver, kidneys & adrenals get affected, then finally the thyroid is poisoned and metabolism slows down. If I remember my biology correctly, the thyroid produces thyroid hormone T4 using iodine and L-Tyrosine. This T4 gets converted to T3 using a feed back mechanism from the adrenals.T3 controls the heart rate, and when the endocrine system is poisoned, you have constant fatigue. This is what I am currently treating.

So I

1. Detox liver using the coffee enema (organic coffee)
2. Treat the candida using a probiotic
3. Reduce consumption of carbs and processed sugar
4. Once the candida is under control, I plan to rebuild the adrenal glands using adrenal bovine like you do..and kelp (iodine source ) and L-tyrosine to help rebuild the thyroids gland.

Hope this helps.. Ashley

Fast and Free Home Saliva Test for Candida

You can try this simple test to see if you have candida:

First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, get a clear glass. Fill with water and work up a bit of saliva, then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so for up to one hour. If you have a problem, you will see strings (like legs) travelling down into the water from the saliva floating on the top, or "cloudy" saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass, or cloudy specks will seem to be suspended in the water. If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, you probably have candida under control.

I will go directly to answering the question about yeast and adrenal fatigue. Everyone has candida which can exist in two forms, a harmless yeast form and a destructive fungal form with rhizoids (roots). When the intestinal flora of good bacteria gets an upset due
to chemicals etc, the dormant yeast form of candida turns to the active fungal form. This fungal form grows roots that burrows into the walls of the intestine creating a highly permeable path between the blood stream and the intestine. When the candida steals it supply of glucose from the sugars& carbs we consume, it releases acetaldehyde into the blood stream. The acetaldehyde gets oxidized and is converted to ethanol (alcohol) which is toxic to the liver (as a result you feel sleepy). When the liver is overloaded with this toxin on a regular basis, the kidneys now have to pick up the slack. The ADRENALS sit on top the kidneys and they eventually feel the strain from the toxins as well when the kidneys and liver cannot keep up with eliminating the toxins. It is well known an documented, that the adrenals and the thyroid glands work together (endocrine system. When the adrenals are poisoned, adrenaline leaks constantly from the adrenal medulla in an attempt to deal with this stress that the body is undergoing in fighting toxins. Hormone secretion from the adrenal cortex is also compromised. Supplementing with adrenal bovine supplies nutrients directly to the adrenals, however, you should try to get to the root of the problem. Do the saliva test for candida and see if this is the problem. The test is easily found on the web. Remember, it most cases, the downward spiralling fatigue process starts with growth of candida (fungal form) in the intestine, then release of candida toxins into the bloodstream through the gut walls, conversion of toxins to ethanol ... ethanol poisons the
liver... kidneys & adrenal get affected, then finally the thyroid is poisoned and metabolism slows down. If i remember my biology correctly, the thyroid produces thyroid hormone T4 using iodine and L-Tyrosine. This T4 gets converted to T3 using a feed back mechanism from the adrenals.T3 controls the heart rate, and when the endocrine system is poisoned.. you have constant
fatigue.. This is what I am currently treating.. So I

1) Detox liver using the coffee enema (organic coffee)
2) Treat the candida using a probiotic
3) Reduce consumption of carbs and processed sugar
4) Once the candida is under control, I plan to rebuild the adrenal glands using adrenal bovine like you do, and kelp (iodine source) and L-tyrosine to help rebuild the thyroid gland.

Hope this helps..

Ashley Graham

CANDIDA is a yeast-like condition (detoxification) that eats little stagnant pools of blood that result from internal lesions caused by dryness and cracking of the tissues within the body. Candida cleans the system by eating accumulated cooked carbohydrate-based, adrenaline or insulin-related chemicals in the tissues. Candida is helpful and should have its cycle. The worst thing anyone could do if he or she wants to improve his or her health is to destroy candida. Smoking puts a person at higher risk of developing candida. If a person has a high adrenaline level and drinks alcohol, he or she is putting herself at great risk of developing candida.

Symptoms: a somewhat pallid complexion, sensitive and swollen extremities, dry skin, extreme lethargy, critical attitude, a general dislike for people, and a tendency toward isolation.

Soft drinks with caffeine, salt, alcohol, smoke, coffee, teas, and aspirin are all poisonous because they overstimulate the adrenals and pancreas, causing excess adrenaline and insulin that burn up and utilize fat, creating the dryness that causes lesions and creating storage's of volatile toxins in tissues, and disturbing blood sugar level.

Eating a raw diet with cooked starch in combination with plenty of raw fat eliminates high adrenaline and insulin levels. Eating raw tomatoes, fresh or nonstearned unsulfured sun-dried figs, fresh raw green vegetable juices, raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and fresh pineapple neutralizes and soothes the condition over a period of years. Eating raw fish or organic raw chicken or turkey helps heal and restore damaged and dead nerve tissue and skin. Raw beef and other reel meat may be eaten when the condition is neutralized enough. A ,sign that a person is too toxic to eat beef is nausea after eating beef.

Drinking the freshest raw juice of 1-2 yams once every 4 days helps produce hormones that reduce the swelling and soreness in the joints as a result of candida. Yarn juice should be consumed within 10 minutes after juicing.

(We Want To Live, Aajonus Vonderplanitz, pgs 187, 188)