how do you get rid of candida?
 

I have IBS and frequent yeast infections. I have taken alot of antibiotics over the years and have terrible bouts of alternating diarhea and constipation. The constipation is the worse and I feel so bloated and gassy. What should i do about this in the line of foods to avoid, probiotics, and etc. Any info would definately help.

Thanks,
Kenzy :confused:

Hi Kenzy!

The new edition of Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution has a chapter called Metabolic Resistance that has a section on candida. IT would probably be the best place to start.

Karen

It sounds to me like you have "leaky gut syndrome". I know, what a weird sounding name. Anyway, after reading the Atkins chapter about candida (a great place to start, I agree), you might want to go to google.com, and do a search for "leaky gut syndrome". Leaky gut and Candida usually go hand in hand.

I have been taking Candistroy, and having good luck with it. I got mine on iherb.com, and it was under 15 dollars, and is a two part system. Also, L-Glutamine is VERY important, and not that costly. It will help to heal your tummy.


It would be impossible for me to list everything I know about Candida here, so please, forgive me, but I find google.com very helpful. Do a search for "candida albicans". I also did a search for "candida die off reaction". You will find alot of good info.


Just low carbing is a great start!!!

-Jess

L-glutamine
 

What exactly is L-glutamine? I've heard of probiotics and am going to get some since I am currently taking a very high dose of antibiotics. But what is L-glutamine and where do I get it besides the net?

Sports nutrition and natural food stores. Get the powder, not the capsule.

Karen

DEATH TO THE YEASTIES!!!
 

Kenzy,

You have to ABSTAIN from any grain, sugar, starchy vegetables,and fruit NOW! The antibiotics that kill the bad bacteria don't know the difference of good from bad. The above listed items feed it. You also need to be on a probiotic. It's to replace the good bacteria. Since you're taking antibiotics now, you need to find a knowledgeable person 'cause you're gonna need strong ones. You'll also need an antifungal to kill the overgrown of the yeast. In a balanced environment the good bacteria (many strains of lactobacillus) keep the yeast (strains of candida) in check. The antibiotics kill off most of the good bacteria while getting the bad. The yeast grows unchecked. It grabs hold of your intestinal wall and feeds on all the sugary food releasing toxins that cause all the symptoms. Just a warning: Once you start a program to build up the good bac. and kill the yeast (WHICH YOU MUST DO!) you will feel WORSE before you feel BETTER. But, it's a good thing. It means the yeast are dying. If you think you have it bad don't be too agressive with the program at first. The die off may be too much. Start with the diet first, then follow the supplementals directions. But you must take a probiotic AND an antifungal. Try to get off the antibiotic as soon as you can or it will never end. Check with several different reputable health stores to get good information. There is also tons on info on the net. Here's a start http://CANDIDA.COM
Good Luck.

die off reaction
 

Oh, yes, the die off reaction is pretty bad. I felt like I had a horrible hangover. But don't let it scare you, you will feel so much better, probably better than you have felt in years!

Good luck!

-Jess

antifungal
 

Ok, i know where to get the probiotics but where do I get the antifungals? Can i get them at the health food stores also?

Kenzy

Yes, the anti-fungals can be found at a health food store. I prefer to order online, much cheaper. I use i-herb.com. Also, to learn more, check the sticky at the top of this forum, Doreen lists tons of great sites to learn more about Candida. You should read as much as you can before starting any program.

-Jess

How long does the die off reaction last? A hang over mind wants to know.

Cruddy yeasties!!!
 

Everyone's different. I took Jessea's advice and take my strong anti-fungal before bed. But it depends on how big a die off at a time you have. I have days where I feel fantastic, and days where I want to curl up in a hole and sleep till it's all over. I figure I have to give this all my attention for at least 6 months. I figure it's been building up for over 30 years, it's gonna take a while to get rid of it!!!

Liz

IBS and Candida
 

If you're looking for a permanent way to combat candida and your IBS all at one time, you should take a look at the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). On this diet, you only eat specific carbohydrates which lead to intestinal healing and starvation of bacteria (including Candida). This isn't a fad diet, however. Because of the ease with which candida can come back, it will need to become a WOE/WOL. But, as you progress, you can begin adding more things back in.

The theory is in eating only single molecule sugars which require no digestive enzymes. So, your intestines fully digest everything leaving nothing for the bacteria. Also, you'll want to avoid roughage for a while as the bacteria can use this for food as well. Even if the body can't digest something (for example cellulose), the bacteria likely can. Anything that is left to feed the bacteria leads to problems.

For more information, pick up Elaine Gottchall's book <U>Breaking The Viscious Cycle</U> or visit www.scdiet.org. This diet is geared towards people with IBS and other bowel disorders and can help heal candida infections as well as the intestines. You can easily make this diet low-carb simply be reducing the carbs even further than she recommends.

Good luck.

I'd like to make a suggestion for something else you should check. Ask your doctor to check you for celiac disease. It is an autoimmune disease that is induced by wheat gluten. The initial test is for antibodies to gluten (IgG and IgA) and IgA antibodies to a self protein called transglutaminase. If you have this disease and you eat gluten (breads and actually many products) your immune system mounts an attack on the gluten along with attacking your small intestines. It can cause atrophy of the villi in your intestines that absorb food. Since you aren't absorbing food properly all sorts of symptoms can occur. Diarrhea is often a symptom but so is constipation. You can get yeast overgrowths because of the imbalance of nutrients and the presence of immune cells in your gut. The gut is damaged and leaky causing more irritation and symptoms.

This disease used to be thought of as a rare childhood wasting disease but it is now becoming clear that many of the nonspecific intestinal disorders like IBS are really celiac. People suffer for years without a diagnosis because many doctors are taught in medical school that it is rare. It cause all sorts of problems because of the malabsorbtion of nutrients needed for good health.

Some people get really skinny on this disease but others (I think like me) keep our weight on via a mechanism called metabolic resistance. We have genes that shut down our metabolism rather than giving up the fat.

If you test positive on the blood tests they will want to do a intestinal biopsy. This biopsy goes in through your mouth and stomach to your small intestines. You can't see the damage with a colonoscopy (probably what you had for IBS diagnosis?).

You need to be eating gluten to take the blood test because the antibodies go away if you are completely off gluten for long enough.

You also might want to ask for an antibody test against candida proteins. In addition to celiac I also had really high titers of antibodies to yeast.

I dont' know what you are taking antibiotics for but try to get off of them as soon as possible. They really aren't good for you long term.

Give this some thought and don't let your doctor dismiss your questions unanswered about this. It takes some people many many years of ill health to finally get a diagnosis that lets them get well. If you want to read more take a look at the celiac support forum http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/start

Celiac and SCD
 

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) also helps people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance). In fact, it deals with all sorts of intestinal intolerances. The SCD limits the types of carbohydrates to those that are the easiest to digest (simple carbs). That is, carbs that contain only a single molecule. Therefore, table sugar (disaccharides) and starches (polysaccharides) are not allowed. These types of polysaccarides include grain flours, potatoes, rice and corn. Soy is also not allowed. Disaccharides include white table sugar, corn syrup and molasses just to name a few. Sugar alcohols and sucralose are also now allowed. The diet is pretty restrictive, but it aids in helping many different types of instestinal disorders.

If you think you are gluten intolerant, it's worth trying the SCD for a couple of weeks to see how you respond. Sometimes people may also have c.diff and not know it. In this case, SCD won't help much until that's taken care of first. If you suspect c.diff, you'll need to contact your doctor and get a prescription (I think Flagyl) to help. However, if you have a yeast infection, Flagyl may make it worse.

Sorry but this is not good advice for celiacs. The only way to treat celiacs disease currently is to completely and totally avoid all gluten (gluten that causes celiacs is found in wheat, rye, barley and is a cross contaminate in some oats). This includes contamination from many many sources in prepared foods. Since gluten is a protein, not a carb, it is found in many protein products like many of the bars and such. It is also important to avoid cross contamination on cookware, in restaurants, and on production lines for products that themselves do not contain gluten. While going on a low carb diet might help some symptoms, it won't prevent the long term damage of celiacs if one doesn't watch out for the hidden sources. Long term untreated celiacs suffer from many malabsorption illnesses as well as having an increase risk for intestinal cancers. Some celiacs also suffer from rashes (mostly at pressure points) so that is another symptom that can be used to help diagnose this illness.

Also, to get an accurate reading on a blood test one must be eating gluten so to do a trial gluten free diet will make it much harder to get an accurate diagnosis. As I said in my post, if you suspect celiacs, get the blood test, wait for the results and then get a biopsy before changing your eating habits. The diet is quite restrictive (although full of good food) so getting a diagnosis is improtant to being able to remain motived enough to maintain it for your whole life.

I am celiac. I was not medically diagnosed, doctors have been treating the symptoms and not the cause. I've done a ton of reading and discovered I have a candida problem also. Not suprisingly considering the condition my small intestines is probably in. Promenea is right, the only way for a celiac to heal is complete avoidance of gluten in all it's uses (there are many hidden sources) for life. There is a great site with tons of info and lists of not know uses of gluten in food additives. celiac.com During the treatment of candida sugar in all forms must be avoided and ruffage if tolerated is need to cleanse the colon. Not good killing the buggers if they just lie there dead!! You need to also take an antifungal to eradicate the candida, a probiotic to rebuild the beneficial bacteria and ammino acids (l-glutamine) to rebuild the intestinal damage. Then once the war is won, the only way to maintain health is to consume a diet of whole natural unprocessed foods and no grains. I'll take a steak and salad to can can of ravioli and IBS anyday!!!

Liz

I have the antibodies for celiac but had gone gluten free for 4 months prior to finding out (which may invalidate the results because you start to heal) I really should have had a biopsy so I am only incompletely diagnosed but it is enough for me.

Gluten free/grain free and hopefully yeastie beastie free and feeling better.

So if I can't take nystatin, what else could I try? I seem to have allergies to lots of meds, especially antibiotics (things made from molds).

Oh and the other benefit of gluten free/low carb is that there is an amazing improvement in my complextion. No more monthly breakouts and even the blackheads on my nose are gone.

Now if I could only kick start my metabolism and lose some weight.

So you all seem pretty schooled in the subject of Candia. I'm hoping you can lend me some advice? My low carb store has a questionaire that you fill out and depending on your score it weather or not you are prone to Canidia. Is there anyway to confirm that you do actually have it besides symptoms? I have been taking Candistroy and Probitoc rebuilder for about a month and feel no changes like hang over days etc. How long should I be taking these? How am I sure I should even be taking them in the first place? If I do have it should I be avoiding sugar alcohols as well? Any insight would be great.. I'm starting to surf the sites that have been posted in this thread. Thanks!


Have a great day!

Jennifer :wave:

Everyone has candida because it is a normal component of gut flora. It is only a problem if it takes over and crowds out the good bacteria (it is those bacteria that help digest your food and which make most of your vitamin K which keeps your blood clotting normally when you are cut). Candida can also go into a growth phase where it actually invades the mucosal lining and cause gastric upset and leaky gut. This can lead to other food allergies as more foods come into contact with the cellular parts of your immune system. Some people, like me, actually have an allergy to candida cytoplasmic proteins which makes it all the more important to keep the yeast levels low.

My doctor said that anyone who has taken lots of antibiotics (for example I took tetracycline for complexion for about 6 months), eats lots of sugar and has digestive symptoms, fatique disorders or chemical sensitivity is at risk for yeast overgrowth.

If you get whitish lesions in your mouth (thrush) or lots of vaginal yeast infections, those are another obvious sign.

I've heard of fecal testing but honestly don't know what they are testing for other than dead yeast but everyone should have some. I guess they must look for the numbers of yeast proteins or something to tell if you have too many or not.

Serious yeast overgrowth can occur when someone is immuno-compromised since our immune systems normally keep the yeasties in check and out of mucosal linings in their invasive growth phase.

I think yeast are a symptom of a gut that is in poor shape rather than the cause of the poor shape but I may be in the minority on that opinion.

Jeffiner, read back through this thread, I think someone mentioned a blood test that will indicate a marker for candida. It's something it leaves in your blood that's actually measured. There is also a lab that does stool tests enterolab and there is a questionaire link at the bottom of my post. Let me know what your score is. Mine was 295! That was enough for me. And yes, you should be avoiding all sugar, alcohol, grains it all breaks down into sugars and feeds the yeast. Here's a page for some more info Candida Page How much candistroy are you taking? If you do long term low dosage, the yeast gets used to it and it won't work any longer. Have to change treatments on occasion to keep it confused. I'm using liquid grapefruit seed extract now, getting ready to switch to candistroy. Let us know how you did on your test.

Liz

Jennifer,
I have been taking Candistroy (probiotic and antifungal) for about a week and so far I have had a slight die off reaction (yeast infection, dizziness, tired..) But I have read that die off reaction may or may not occur even if you have a candida overgrowth. So even if you have no "die off" reaction it doesn't mean thatit's not working.
Stay away form all sugar and alcohol and artificial sweeteners (even Splenda). Stevia is good b/c it's also a antifungal.
I'm basically eating meat, eggs, veggies, water. Check out the internet their is tons of info on Candida diet.
I hope that helped.
Good luck!

Whether I have die off symptoms or not, I plan to stick with this program for 6 months. Then I'll stop the antifungals, but keep up the pro-b's. Fungal infections are the hardest to get rid of. Even the proscription commercials for nail fungus meds say results may take 3-6 months. My diet will never change. I'm trying to give up corn now. Rarely eat potatoes, tomatoes, or peppers. Won't not eat something because it's there, but I'm not going out looking for them. If after being off them, my previous symptoms do not return, I'll stay off. If not I'll do some more. Has anyone read anything about what taking an antifungal will do if the fungus is gone. Been looking, haven't found anything yet.


Health is not a destination, it's a journey.

Liz

Then you haven't read and don't understand fully the concept put forth by <U>Breaking The Viscious Cycle</U> by Elaine Gottschall. Her diet guide for the SCD specifically eliminates all products which include gluten. If you can't eat any carbs other than simple carbs, you won't be eating gluten. There is no possible way. Gluten is intrinsic to every grain based starchy food out there. Since you can't eat starch (period), you can't eat gluten. Starch is completely eliminated on the SCD.

I suggest that if you are celiac, you should take a look at this book. It does outline and specifically state the things you can and cannot eat. This does take into account contaminated grills, product ingredients, binders, fillers and other things. Her diet is based on whole real foods emphasizing single molecule sugars which are easy to digest over complex sugars which are very hard to digest. I guarantee her book covers Celiac disease through WOE.

More specifically, her diet manages Celiac through more than simple avoidance of gluten. Her book actually attempts to address the WHY of gluten intolerance and attempts to help heal the colon to allow for better tolerance in the future.

If you want to avoid gluten for the rest of your life, feel free. But, if you want a WOE that may, in fact, heal your intolerance 2-3 years down the road, then you owe it to yourself to take a look at her book.

You are still giving very dangerous advice. As I said above, gluten is not a carbohydrate it is a protein . It will not show up as a carb on your product label. There are many places where it is included in low carb replacement foods such as wheat gluten in bars and shakes. Gluten that celiacs are sensitive to is not in all starchy foods it is only in wheat, rye, barley and contaminations from oats.

Really you should not give this advice without learning more because it is irresponsible and dangerous to people who have this disease.

Celiac disease
 

>Really you should not give this advice without learning more because it is irresponsible and dangerous to people who have this disease.<

I guarantee you that these shakes, bars and oats you are talking about are not allowed on the SCD. The SCD isn't just about carbs and starch. You really should read this book before dispensing derogatory advice about what I'm saying.

If, after you've read it, you still disagree with me and what the SCD offers, I'm willing to listen.

You didn't even know that gluten is a protein not a carb. Why would I believe you about the rest of the stuff. And why would I want an even more restrictive diet than necessary? I know what I can eat and what I can't because I know what foods contain gluten and that is what every celiac should learn.

Also you advised a trial before taking the blood tests or biopsy which is also absolutely the wrong advice as I explained. Really, learn more about the disease you are giving advice about. You don't know enough about it to be telling people how to treat it.

I know what gluten is. I don't need a lesson from you. And further, I'm not giving advice. The book is. I'm simply pointing people to the book. If you choose not to read it, your choice. I'm not forcing you to read it. Nor was I giving any advice about what to eat or how to eat it. All of that advice is described in the book. If you choose to live in the way you choose to live, again, that is your choice. If others choose to read and understand the SCD that is their choice.

And further, the point isn't whether or not you eat carbs with the SCD the point is to HEAL the colon by reducing inflamation by eating the proper foods. THIS is what the SCD offers. If you choose to eat other foods that still irritate your colon (even if you manage to avoid gluten), then you're still no better off.

You need to lighten up and learn to understand that people are not out to torpedo you or your diet. I'm only offering advice on what to read. How you choose to use that knowledge and apply it to your diet is your choice and has nothing whatever to do with me.

One last point that definitely needs to be made.

>Also you advised a trial before taking the blood tests or biopsy which is also absolutely the wrong advice as I explained.<

I gave no such advice. I never once in any of my posts suggested anyone try this diet before, during or after any medical advice. I gave no advice about seeking medical help at all. You jumped to some severe conclusions by reading into what I was saying. If I need to put a disclaimer into every post I write, then this is just simply a ridiculous expectation. You should always seek medical advice before starting any diet. If you choose not to, then that is your choice. In fact, this disclaimer is already on this site. You need to read the charter of this site again as to understand everything written here is for 'informational purposes only'. No medical advice is dispensed. This is clearly defined in the terms and conditions of this site.

This discussion is now terminated.

Obviously you don't because you kept calling it a carb.





Yes you did.



If the diet is gluten free as you said the book said then by giving it a trial you can reduce your antibodies and get a false negative on the test. If it isn't gluten free you are wasting your time and giving yourself the feeling that you don't have celiac when you might. Either way it is the wrong approach if you think you might have celiac disease.

You seem to be pushing this book alot. BTW, the colon has nothing to do with the cause of celiac. Celiac damage occurs in the small intestine which isn't the colon. There may be irritation in the colon from a lot of poorly digested food but you fix the celiac and the small intestine and the colon gets better, not the other way around.