Getting rid of Candida overgrowth page

[sebzzz]

Hi there,


I'm dealing with malabsorption, leaky/inflamed gut, Candida and nutritional deficiencies that comes with the lot.


I have a feeling that long lasting candida problems might be the root of all my other problems. I now eat solely primal and it helps, but I have a long way to go.


I read everywhere that diet alone will only stop feeding the candida and not kill the overgrowth for good. Of course, to do it, those sources have you buy their eBook or supplements.


I don't want to try any more supplement from now on, even natural ones, because I've tried so many and in the end they all ended up doing more damage than good.


Also, I don't tolerate Probiotic supplements. I get allergic reactions (migraines, sneezing, fatigue, ...). I read in a previous comment here that this could be a sign that there is definitely something very wrong with my gut flora and that starting with a fraction of the dose and upping the dose very gradually is the way to go.


Anybody here had to deal with problems like these? What is the best route to fix this for good?


Since I react strongly to probiotic, even small doses make my digestion even worse and I'm in a fragile underweight situation where I can't tolerate to weaken my digestion even more.


I'm eating very low carb and separate my carb meals from the protein ones to help digestion, it kind of makes a positive difference. I'm thinking of lowering my carb intake even more to about 25g a day. What do you think about that? Could it be dangerous in my situation? It gets kind of difficult to stay out of ketosis while trying to stop feeding the candida. I ideally want to stay out of ketosis and too much protein because my kidneys are sore right now because of too much natural supplementation I think and I heard high protein and ketone bodies are both stressful for the kidneys.


I also tried prebiotic foods like Jerusalem Artichokes thinking I would trigger the same effect as probiotic. Prebiotics are supposed to nourish the good bacteria that's already there. I tell you, things got worse and I got gut irritation like I didn't get for months because I was good at managing it. Is it possible that the prebiotic also feeds the Canhdida?


Alright, sorry for this infinite post and thanks in advance for any form of help.

[Timothy]

I don't know if this is a probiotic you've tried, but how about kefir? I had very similar symptoms to you, both the yeast and the gut. The bacteria in kefir, especially combined with a low-carb diet, were very effective at controlling both. Cow or goat milk kefir is probably most potent, but you can also get it in coconut milk version. Hope this helps. Good luck, I know very well those symptoms are no fun.

[piano-doctor-lady]

There's a book which has helped a lot of people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease and even autism.


It's called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle", by Elaine Gottschall. If you want to see heartfelt recommendations, check out the reader reviews on Amazon, over 200 of them.


While it isn't a perfect match for paleo or Primal Blueprint, they do have some areas in common.


It's called a Specified Carbohydrate Diet, in that you can eat some carbs, but only those simple sugars which an inflamed gut full of mucus can still absorb. It cuts out all starch (hence, no grains) and much dairy, many legumes but not quite all. Some of the list entries for permitted and forbidden foods seem a little bit arbitrary, but they are the product of a lot of experience with people who suffer like this.


One useful trick from this book is to make your own yoghurt (the specific bacteria which are best to do this are named --- bifidus apparently is not preferred.) However, you keep the yoghurt culturing (warm) for at least 24 hours. This allows the culture to eat up all the lactose, which is a disaccharide. So is sugar.

Inulin is a complex sugar. Prebiotics like that are forbidden on this diet, because the flora are overgrowing and anything which you cannot split apart and absorb yourself is left to feed the already too plentiful flora, good and usually bad.


There are two special things about this book: first, unlike so many other ways of eating, this diet is temporary, until your gut is completely healed (which can take as long as two years, but isn't eternal). Then you can sometimes gradually add back in the foods which previously you couldn't absorb. Second, you have to be totally strict about the recommendations, instead of cheating a little bit here or there, because you have to change flora, which are extremely tenacious and will take any chance given to get back in control.


I tried this system even though I don't have colitis because my digestion was never all that good, and I had tried just about everything else I could think of. I had struggled with hay fever for fifty years, and I knew it was associated with having a leaky gut. So last spring I tried it, and it went pretty well. Miracle cure for the hay fever -- it was about 5% of normal. I was very strict in avoiding dairy food, which I knew usually made it worse, even though she allows some. I ate a lot of honey, which I've now discontinued. Hence, I didn't lose and ounce, but my health and sense of well-being certainly improved. While honey has two sugars in it -- glucose and fructose -- they are not connected into a disaccharide because an enzyme keeps them apart. Hence they can be absorbed through one's intestinal wall without having to be split apart, which people with a leaky gut have a hard time doing.


Anyway, this book is definitely worth a look for anyone with these problems, IMO. Also there are online support groups of very supportive people. When people have suffered an often fatal disease like Crohn's and then totally recovered, they have a very strong desire to help others with the same problem. There are also some gourmet cookbooks faithful to the plan. Her recipes are pretty --- well, conventional. Like Primal food, the food itself is tasty and satisfying, with a lot of variety possible, if cooked with imagination. And no grains at all!


Good luck -- I hope you find your answers.

[Beauty]

sebzzz, do you have the books "Gut and Psychology Syndrome", "Breaking the Vicious Cycle", and the "GAPS Guide"? You'll also find resources on the GAPS website: http://gapsdiet.com/


These resources are all about healing the gut, and when it boils down to it, the advice is to follow a primal diet. The GAPS diet has specific protocol on how to start things off so as to maximize healing, and how to introduce probiotics.

[elorajade]

Oil of Oregano is the BEST killer of yeast, and everything else really.


To test to see if you have yeast overgrowth, put a glass of water next to your bed before you go to sleep.


When you wake, before you get up....spit a healthy spit into the glass.


Do your morning routine.


If the spit is white and there are stringy bits sinking into the glass, you've definitely got yeast.


Oil of Oregano is my go to cure all.


It's not a supplement, but a treatment. I take it when I feel illness coming on (which doesn't happen often, so I'm motivated to cut it off at the pass), and I take it during my super busy season to ensure I don't get sick (I own my own business, and my work weeks can be 80 hour ones - during cold and flu season, I cannot afford to be sick).


My kids, when they start to come down with stuff, I give it to them. My youngest is only three and doesn't get the concept of how to take it, so I rub it on her feet, which absorbs into the skin. This is an old healers trick.


My three year old only knows she's taking medicine....and she will go from waking up stuffy and miserable to it cleared up in a matter of hours.


Ensure you get organic oil of oregano. The liquid form. It's nasty. Kills everything considered harmful to the human body.


This remedy goes back to ancient greek times, and the oil was also used in surgical operating rooms to clean instruments prior to the development of chemical cleaners.


To take it, drop 6 drops UNDER your tongue, and take a quick shot of water, goes right down.


In fact, at three am I woke up with a wicked sore throat and swollen glands....I took it at three am, woke up at 8am and while I can still feel something trying to come on, it isn't anywhere near like it was at 3am (fire raging war in my throat). I took some more at 8am, and will take it a few more times before the day is through.


Look for the "wild and organic" variety. there is more of the good stuff in the wild type vs cultivated. I usually pay around 20 dollars for about an ounce. COMPLETELY worth it. The money I save on taking OTC cold and flu meds pays for it in spades.

[PrimalWannabeGirl]

Have you tried lacto-fermented vegetables?


Sooze

[Chelc]

Don't forget about coconut oil. That stuff is well known to cause candida die off pretty quickly.

[sebzzz]

Thanks for all the help folks!


Really appreciated.


The information about the Inulin (prebiotic) also feeding the bad bacteria makes a lot of sense. I found a source discussing it a bit more: http://pecanbread.com/p/tanya/inulin.html


I already bought the Specific Carbohydrate diet book and got some got advice out of it, but will look further into the GAPS diet.


Will also look on more info about oregano oil though I'm staying away from anti-fungals like Candigone because I hear it also kills the good bacteria. My guess is that oregano oil could also have this pervert effect.


My plan of action from now on is to eat just enough carbs to stay out of ketosis focusing on fruits and vegies that are judged Ok in terms of sugar content (low fructose) while still having my proteins on separate meals and incorporating probiotics very very slowly. This is what all those diets seems to do anyways.


I made a mistake with the Jerusalem Artichokes and I'm still paying for it a couple of days later. They say though that in a world of trial and error, failure is key to progress!


I hope I could easily find a dose of probiotic that I would get comfortable with and stay at that dose in times when I need all the energy and can't afford die-off symptoms.


Thanks again!

[arthurb999]

I heard garlic helps. Perhaps supplement garlic.

[piano-doctor-lady]

I remember when I grew and ate (only ONCE!) Jerusalem Artichokes!


Man, that was TERRIBLE!! Gas, cramps, the whole nine yards. Inulin PFUI!