This past Monday I began my treatment for the Lyme disease I was diagnosed with recently.
I was lucky and got in to see the Lyme doctor {LLMD} in my area on a last minute cancellation last week. The visit was really refreshing and nothing like the many, many recent doctor visits with a variety of specialists.
He spent 90 minutes with me, listened to me and really cared.
He and I are on the same page with how I’d like to be treated right now.
I’ll be trying to the traditional treatment of antibiotics for the bacteria, nystatin and diflucan for the yeast that often comes about after all those antibiotics, medicine for the other health issues I’m facing due to this disease and diet and detox.
I’m currently on Ceftin (antibiotic) and Adrenogen (natural treatment for adrenal fatigue) and Nystatin for yeast. I’m going to slowly add in the other medicines and more aggressive detox program.
With Lyme, when you’re killing off the bacteria, you usually have a worsening of symptoms, as the bacteria lets off toxins when it’s killed. This is no fun. I’ve been hit with fatigue, weakness, brain fog, horrible nightmares, colder than my normal cold body temperature and some mental and emotional crud, too.
I’m holding on with the understanding that this is supposed to happen and it means I am killing off the bacteria. I now have hope. For two years I had no hope. No one could tell me what was wrong. Now, I have hope and treatment and my faith. Not to mention a great support team that includes my husband, doctor, kids and family.
It can take several years to heal completely, while others heal within a matter of months. I am hopeful and feel in my spirit that I’ll be one of the lucky few that heal with several months of treatment.
If you are wondering what some of the symptoms are of Lyme here is a partial list. You can also go to this popular Lyme board to get more information, meet other people with Lyme and find a LLMD in your area.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease
* The Tick Bite (fewer than 50% recall a tick bite or get/see the rash)
1. Rash at site of bite
2. Rashes on other parts of your body
3. Rash basically circular, oval and spreading out (more generalized)
4. Raised rash, disappearing and recurring
* Head, Face, Neck
5. Unexplained hair loss
6. Headache, mild or severe, Seizures
7. Pressure in head, white matter lesions in brain (MRI)
8. Twitching of facial or other muscles
9. Facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy, Horner’s syndrome)
10. Tingling of nose, (tip of) tongue, cheek or facial flushing
11. Stiff or painful neck
12. Jaw pain or stiffness
13. Dental problems (unexplained)
14. Sore throat, clearing throat a lot, phlegm ( flem ), hoarseness, runny nose
* Eyes/Vision
15. Double or blurry vision
16. Increased floating spots
17. Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
18. Oversensitivity to light
19. Flashing lights/Peripheral waves/phantom images in corner of eyes
* Ears/Hearing
20. Decreased hearing in one or both ears, plugged ears
21. Buzzing in ears
22. Pain in ears, oversensitivity to sounds
23. Ringing in one or both ears
* Digestive and Excretory Systems
24. Diarrhea
25. Constipation
26. Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping) or Interstitial cystitis
27. Upset stomach (nausea or pain) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
* Musculoskeletal System
28. Bone pain, joint pain or swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome
29. Stiffness of joints, back, neck, tennis elbow
30. Muscle pain or cramps, (Fibromyalgia)
* Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
31. Shortness of breath, can’t get full/satisfying breath, cough
32. Chest pain or rib soreness
33. Night sweats or unexplained chills
34. Heart palpitations or extra beats
35. Endocarditis, Heart blockage
* Neurologic System
36. Tremors or unexplained shaking
37. Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
38. Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Weakness, peripheral neuropathy or partial paralysis
39. Pressure in the head
40. Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
41. Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
42. Increased motion sickness
43. Lightheadedness, wooziness
* Psychological well-being
44. Mood swings, irritability, bi-polar disorder
45. Unusual depression
46. Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
47. Feeling as if you are losing your mind
48. Over-emotional reactions, crying easily
49. Too much sleep, or insomnia
50. Difficulty falling or staying asleep
51. Narcolepsy, sleep apnea
52. Panic attacks, anxiety
* Mental Capability
53. Memory loss (short or long term)
54. Confusion, difficulty in thinking
55. Difficulty with concentration or reading
56. Going to the wrong place
57. Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
58. Stammering speech
59. Forgetting how to perform simple tasks
* Reproduction and Sexuality
60. Loss of sex drive
61. Sexual dysfunction
62. Unexplained menstral pain, irregularity
63. Unexplained breast pain, discharge
64. Testicular or pelvic pain
* General Well-being
65. Phantom smells
66. Unexplained weight gain, loss
67. Extreme fatigue
68. Swollen glands/lymph nodes
69. Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
70. Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
71. Symptoms seem to change, come and go
72. Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
73. Early on, experienced a “flu-like” illness, after which you have not since felt well.
74. Low body temperature
75. Allergies/Chemical sensitivities
76. Increased effect from alcohol and possible worse hangover
{The bolded are the symptoms I’ve been experiencing since 2008. I’ve actually had more that weren’t even listed here.}
If you suspect you’ve got Lyme disease I ** recommend getting the Western Blot, done through Igenex labs. They are set up as a specialty lab for Lyme and it’s the experience of my personal LLMD (and every one else I’ve spoken with) that this is the lab for the most reliable results.
** that doesn’t mean you can’t test positive with a different test and a different lab. I’m merely making a suggestion based on research.
Have you been diagnosed with Lyme, or know someone who has?
Yesterday my family of five piled into our van and headed off for a long road trip through the boonies of Missouri.
Our destination?
A local medical doctor that specializes in Lyme disease and getting people well.
It was a 2-3 hour drive down I70, in the middle of a hot, hot day. The van had no a/c, the sun shown bright and hard, but we still managed a good time out of most the trip.
My children and I pointed out all the cows, cell towers, cool clouds in the sky, corn fields, water towers, barns and open fields. Tiny towns filtered by – coming and going quickly. Every so often there’d be a McDonald’s and po-dunk gas station in these one horse towns.
Americana at its finest. {except for the occasional triple x theater along the highway!}
But this time, this trip, I didn’t look at the farms the same way.
We rolled by, what I now recognize as chicken “coups” on the side of the road. There were three huge, long buildings with no windows, just a row of fans keeping the chickens “cool”.
Before I had watched Food Inc several months ago I wouldn’t have even thought twice. Nor would I have known what those long buildings housed. Now I know the reality of those chickens lives. And the reality of those farmers lives, too.
I can’t look at this little piece of Americana the same way any more.
Driving on our way home from the doctor we spotted a semi truck full of little cows. This used to be such a treat for me when I was little, as it was for my little children yesterday. We pulled up next to the semi and noticed the cows faces and rear ends and tried to count them before we sped past.
But this time I saw the cows and my heart hurt for them.
It was wicked hot. I mean, wicked! The heat index was over 110, and these cows were riding in this hot semi speeding down the road to their, most likely, impending doom.
They may have never seen open field in all of their lives. Might have never tasted real grass, instead eating the feed Food Inc talked about in the film. They were most likely born into a life no one would want to live.
I’m not a vegetarian but I am a humanitarian and I do believe we can raise our farm animals in a much more humane way, as we can also end their lives in a much more respectful and humane way.
Not to mention raising them in a way that is MUCH healthier for we humans who consume them.
Part of me became increasingly more sad as we drove along and I saw more examples of what was in the film, but at the same time I felt empowered because I now knew how much of America’s farming industry really works.
Knowledge is power. Even if that knowledge is hard to swallow.
Now the question is… what to do with all this knowledge? How does it apply to my life? These are hard questions to answer, and I’m still seeking my heart about them.
Did you watch Food Inc? What did you take away from the movie?
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After months of blood tests, specialist, MRI, ct scan and false positives on other potential health problems I’ve tested positive for Lyme disease.
My heart always suspected this disease, but doctor after doctor telling me the likelihood of my health problems being related to Lyme were slim to none talked me out of pursuing it hard-core.
It was only after my doctor had ruled everything else out and told me the next step was the MAYO clinic that I knew what I needed to do. I needed to insist that she test Lyme.
She did it to humor me.
Even when the test results came back showing Lyme she still insisted there was likely no clinical significance but that she’d send me to see a specialist just to be on the safe side. ie: cover her butt.
When I first heard the results of Lyme I was relieved, finally a diagnosis. At the very least, it would be a partial diagnosis and explain much of my symptoms.
My sickness came upon me shortly after the tick bite that left the small red rash…never letting up since. Only growing stronger and more concerning.
Not only do I have to go through more testing and, most likely, a rigorous treatment of antibiotics; I now need to get my baby checked for the same disease. I was pregnant with him when I got the bite and there is enough concern in the community that you can pass the bacteria to your fetus that I’d be a fool not to check him for it. I pray he doesn’t have it.
Most people, including medical doctors, don’t realize how serious this disease is. It isn’t anything to take lightly and only recently infected people can get away with the 2-4 week antibiotic regimen and be healed of it. Two years in will be a much bigger fight…
but…
I. am. up. for. it!
I have a positive attitude and a lot of faith.
I have found a fantastic LLMD in my area, whom I trust and a couple great Lyme disease groups to lend support.
Though diet cannot cure this disease, it’s essential in supporting the immune system to help in healing the body. And because the treatment is a long course of antibiotics (months or longer), yeast will become an issue again, especially if the diet is high in carbs and sugar.
Diet didn’t cause this. A tick bite did. Diet won’t cure it. But I’m still a firm believer that what you put into your body will either affect it positively or negatively.
I lean on my faith and my sweet, sweet Jesus to get me through this and onto the other side.
I will be healthy again!
{{i will be writing more about this disease in the coming months and years as there are a lot of misconceptions about it that must be cleared up.}}
I’ve been missing in action and I am sorry about that.
I’ve been missing for good reason.
I’ve been sick.
Really sick.
Very, very sick.
After an MRI, blood test after blood test, specialist appointments, urine tests — the only thing that has come back so far is a diagnosis of being low in B12 and magnesium.
I’ve been on B12 shots for a month and have seen huge improvement. But I’m not 100% yet. It will take time to repair my body and replenish the b12. Not only that but we need to get to the root cause of the problem…
My gut.
It isn’t absorbing vitamins and minerals like it should.
I’ll be checked for Celiac’s disease before we settle on yeast being the only contributor to my health issues.
In all my research on the topic of yeast I’d not read anything about its damaging the gut and therefore interrupting the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
It’s now my opinion, that when I went on the yeast diet the first time and saw VAST improvement in my health, it was actually the healing of my gut {therefore allowing the complete absorption of the vitamins} that caused most of my symptoms to dissipate.
There are still many symptoms that I can directly point my finger to and blame yeast but just as many were indirectly the fault of the yeast — through the destruction of my gut.
If you’re experiencing problems with your gut, I really encourage you to get to the bottom of what is causing it — don’t just simply treat the symptoms.
I’ll get into the symptoms I’ve been dealing with since 2008 at a later post and you’ll see then how dangerous this B12 deficiency got with me and how it could have all been prevented with a life long healthy diet.
There are so many reasons to live a healthy life. So many reasons to feed your body real foods and greatly limit your intake of sugar and fast food and processed foods.
You’ll be reading many opinions about this topic in the future, as I’m loaded with them. And I totally embrace my new found attitude towards food. It didn’t happen over night, but I’m here now and it feels good.
I really wanted to share a quick story about my health with you, so that you knew of yet another reason to eat healthy and therefore be healthy.
I’ve been sick with an overgrowth of yeast (click here to read all about that) most of my life. If you read my healing journey page, you’ll get a really good feel as to what that has looked like for me. I got healthy in 2007 but slipped back into my old eating habits, which brought me back into poor health.
At the end of 2009 I decided enough was enough and I was going to get well again. Which meant, for me, that I needed to do the anti-candida diet for a period of time and then transition out of that strict diet into a healthier lifelong diet. I was experiencing typical symptoms, for me, of being unhealthy.
- Tired
- Losing hair
- Hair and skin were dull
- Weak muscles
- And so on.
I felt sick all of the time and I clearly remember telling my Mom one day, “If I don’t get healthy now, I won’t know if something is ever really wrong with me.”
Little did I know how true that statement would be.
Fast forward to last week. I felt terrible. I had fatigue so bad I thought I’d not be able to get out of bed. My body felt sick, like I was fighting an infection. For weeks I thought it was just my body going through the die-off phase of the anti-Candida diet. Finally, I knew something was wrong. I went to my doctor…
I’m fighting a deep infection. Sinus and ears and, by the time I went to see him, it started moving into my chest.An infection I am quite sure has been brewing in my body since last Fall.
Detoxing can mimik some symptoms one might have if they were sick. And being sick with Candida can also do the same. For example, I had been dealing with nasal drip for months, but I had the same symptom 3 years ago when I was very sick with an overgrowth of Candida. I thought the same thing was going on. I was wrong.
I’m now on a mega dose of antibiotic. Now on my second day, I’m slowly beginning to feel better but I know it’ll be days before I’m back to normal.
I was cleared of having yeast – which is huge. For anyone who hasn’t suffered with this health condition, I doubt they could know how huge this is. I am free!
Because yeast thrives when you’re on an antibiotic, because all the good bacteria that keeps in it check is killed with the bad, I’m on a diflucan (I usually prefer not to take but this time, because the antibiotic is so strong, I decided to), eating no sugar and very few carbs, drinking garlic water and will take my probiotic once the antibiotic is over with… all to keep the yeast free diagnosis and not slip back into an overgrowth.
My point… I was so unhealthy that I didn’t know something was medically wrong with me. I didn’t know I had been quietly suffering with an intense, and could have been, very serious infection. An infection that, hopefully, will only take an antibiotic course to cure.
Might there be something else going on with my body? Only time will tell. The good news for me, is that I now will be able to get to the bottom of anything and everything that might take place in my body from this point forward, because I’m no longer sick with an overgrowth of Candida.
Obviously there are many more benefits to eating healthy and living a good, clean healthy life. And I’ll get into those in the future. But I needed to share this with you, because it is that important to your health to be in a state where if you get sick, you actually know it. You aren’t so used to living not feeling well, that you just accept a symptom until it gets so bad that it could do permanent harm.
I hope my experience might inspire you to make changes in your diet and life. However big or small, any changes towards eating real, and live foods, is a positive step in the right direction. I praise you if you’re doing that now, as I know how difficult it can be in the beginning.
Rewarding children with candy, are you serious ‘public schools’?
First day back to school since the long holiday weekend and my son comes home with candy, again. Last week he came home twice with candy. He told me it was his “reward for being good today” in school.
Between the candy for being good, the kids birthday parties every month, and the junk food that flows at all the school parties I don’t know how any of us would keep our kids away from the sugar being dished out by school.
While Americans are generally aware that a diet high in sugar can lead to diabetes and obesity, did you know that it can also negatively impact your child’s development? Some studies have found that children with high sugar diets are more likely to engage in conflicts, have behavioral issues at school, and perform relatively poorly on standardized tests. Source: Public School Review
Sugar, next to prescribed drugs {like antibiotics} are a leading cause in an overgrowth of Candida, which is when yeast inside your intestines grows outside your gut and into your blood stream. We just spent days on this topic and could spend days more. An overgrowth of yeast can bring about symptoms that mimic common childhood disorders like add/adhd and Autistic like symptoms. Not to mention making it down-right difficult to concentrate and adsorb the information they’re learning. And Candida is just one problem that sugar brings on.
With all that is known about how unhealthy our children are in this country, and how unhealthy the adults are, and how sugar and a diet high in fat are terrible for you… why aren’t the schools the first to overhaul their menu and the way they do things?
There have been some schools moving towards less sugar and healthier options, but not enough in my opinion. And certainly not my son’s school.
The school described below (from the same source as the above quote) sounds like my ideal school and I wish that my son’s public school would follow in their foot steps.
While many public schools have recently begun experimenting with sugar-free campuses, one particular elementary school in Georgia has enforced a no-sugar policy for nearly a decade. As CNN reports, Browns Mill Elementary School in Lithonia implemented a no-sugar policy for its K-5 students in the late 1990s. The elementary school prohibits bake sales, sodas, sweet snacks, and other unhealthy sugar-filled treats on campus.
In place of these options, students attending Browns Mill Elementary opt for healthier foods and beverages, such as low-fat milk, vegetables, and sandwiches served on whole wheat bread. In fact, students at this school have even been taught to enjoy fruit, not cookies or cakes, for their after-lunch dessert.
Remarkably, school leaders report that students are completely happy and content with the no-sugar policy, despite some concerns from critics and community members. Articulating the debate, CNN reveals, “Some may think the steps are draconian, but a glimpse inside the school’s cafeteria shows hundreds of students coolly sipping their milk and juice and eating, instead of screaming, squealing and swapping snacks.” The students at Browns Mill don’t just gobble up the healthy lunches; the school also serves healthy breakfast meals, including soy milk with organic cereals and lean turkey sausages.
Adding to their nutritional changes, school leaders play interesting and soothing jazz songs during lunch, while students start of each and every school day with a one hour session for physical activities, including dancing and other exercises.
If one school can do it, then all can. What makes this school special or different from your son’s or mine? Nothing. Except a willingness to try something different, to step outside the norm, and maybe have a few upset parents and children at the onset of the changes.
All in all, I would rather have a handful of parents and children upset over changes, than my child eating sugar far too much and being taught that being good means you’re given sugar.
I work very hard to instill good eating habits in my son. He eats carrots and cucumbers and broccoli and baked chicken and brown rice and eats it happily. I noticed a huge change in his eating habits when I had him home with me for about one month, due to Christmas break and snow days. He never talked about junk food and candy. He ate willingly and happily and requested carrots and cucumbers for snacks.
He gets back into school and within days he’s squealing about candy, and day-dreaming about cake, and asking for junk food. Sure, he’ll still eat what I make him, but he is craving junk food again. There is no other source to blame for this except for his school.
The teachers may be well meaning. They might know that the kids will love candy and they want to show them how special they are. But can’t that be done in a better way? Such as pencils, stickers, a special story read to them all at the end of the day? There are so many other ways to reward a child for good behaviors. And if they insist on it being food, then make it an apple or orange.
What is a parent to do?
I’ve searched the Internet for advice, opinions and tips to that very question and I located nothing…nadda, zilch. No advice found. I suppose writing letters to the school, meeting with the teachers and speaking with other parents is a good start. Asking for small changes and going from there.
Because, according to Ann Boroch’s book “Candida Cure”, American’s used to eat 10 pounds of sugar in a year and now they consume anywhere from 40-70 pounds per year! That, in my terribly NOT humble opinion, is outrageous!
You weigh in
So what about you? Do you feel there is too much sugar in public schools? What would you do if you were in my shoes and wanted to make a pretty major change in the way schools feed their students?
Related Reading: Sugar Shock
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I want these three little guys to be healthy, eat healthy, be taught how to do these two things… at home & at school. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
In Closing…
It’s my sincere hope, that if you’re sick with Candida, this Educational Series has given you the answers to most of your questions and has given you some hope for a healthy future.
It has been a long journey to get where I am today, and I’m still healing because of poor choices I made along the way. But I’ve tasted perfect health and I’m beginning to taste it again. I know this Candida thingy is real and a real pain in the butt if you don’t kick it to the curb.
You don’t have to be sick. Living on this earth does not mean you have to struggle with your health. I always thought, that while living on earth, I’d just have to live with the pains and aches that I thought came along with being alive.
Headaches, stomach aches, yeast infections and ear infections (to name a few) were my constant companions and I let them be my companions. They don’t have to be. Whether it’s yeast or a food allergy or Celiac disease or a nutritional/vitamin deficiency — you should want to get to the bottom of it!
And who knows, quite likely yeast could be part of your problem, and now you’re well on your way to understanding this health condition.
Hallelujah! :–)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or leave a comment here. I’d be happy to help you as best as I can.
And please read my disclaimer before you leave. You’ll need to be aware that I’m not a medical professional and understand my qualifications before taking away any advice from this Candida series. Candida is a medical condition and not one that should be taken lightly. You’re detoxing your body and will be in need of certain supplements to replace what you aren’t getting with some of the foods you’re not eating now. When starting any new diet, it’s always advisable to consult with a medical professional.
Recommended Resources:
Candida Cure {I highly recommend this book. It’s my favorite Candida resource and includes a complete 90 day plan to killing off the yeast overgrowth.}
Yeast Infection No More {Another resource with a complete plan (and option to purchase her cookbook) for ridding yourself of Candida.}
Whole Approach – {Extensive food list, symptoms list and fabulous free forum!}
Healing Naturally By Bee – {Great website, resources, information, recipes and yahoo group.}
If you haven’t joined the newsletter yet, you still have time to join (do so before Thursday) in order to receive our very first CrunchyPea Weekly newsletter. This week I’m talking about baby stepping your way into a new healthy eating lifestyle. The newsletter has a members only audio on the same topic, as well. Join by filling out the form to the right —>
Isn’t garlic for keeping those pesky vampires away?
Lets talk anti-fungals, shall we? These are an important part of your healing process. In order to bring about perfect balance to your body you must kill off the excess yeast circulating through your blood stream. Diet helps but won’t do it all.
You have two options:
- Natural anti-fungals
- Synthetic anti-fungals
Lets talk about both options.
Synthetic Anti-Fungal Treatments
- Nysatin
- Diflucan
- Nizoral
- Sporonex
- Lamist
Nysatin, according to Ann Boroch, is..” a concentrated extract of a soil based organism that works by directly killing yeast. It comes in pill or powder form.
Diflucan, according to Ann, is…”a synthetic antifungal drug that is effective against systemic Candida overgrowth. It is ten times stronger than nysatin but also more toxic to the liver.
Natural Anti-Fungal Treatments
- Raw Garlic
- Coconut oil
- Candida abX
- Candida Cleanse
- Pau’d'arco
- Primal Defense
- Threelac
- and more
Before choosing your anti-fungal treatment plan I recommend the following:
- Ideally, it would be best to locate a doctor - naturopath – chiropractor – nutritionist to consult with about your Candida plan. This diet isn’t to be taken lightly. You’re detoxing your body. This is a medical diet plan, not a weight loss program.
- Start slow and small and work your way up. If the anti-fungal instructions are to take 1 pill 3 times a day (for example), please don’t follow those instructions unless your medical provider recommends it. In my personal experience, your body must ease into this diet because you’re detoxing. Too much dying off of the Candida will result in extreme die off symptoms.
- Start with coconut oil. If you have a sensitive body, can’t find anyone to help you come up with a good plan of attack, and are concerned about the effects of the stronger anti-fungals, then you could try cooking with coconut oil once per day and work your way up. It’s one of the gentler ways of killing Candida. Please refer to Bee’s website for her detailed Candida plan, that uses coconut oil as its only Anti-fungal.
You’ll also want to be aware that along with diet, anti-fungal, plenty of sleep, reduction of stress — you’ll also need to be sure you’re taking the right kind and amount of vitamins and supplements. I take Vitamin C, Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, B Complex and Cod Liver Oil for my A and D vitamins as well as my fatty acids. You’ll want to consult with a professional for the supplements you’ll need. In fact, I’m consulting with my Doctor this week to possibly tweak what I’m taking, since I’m still struggling with my health.
Recommended Resources:
Candida Cure {I highly recommend this book. It’s my favorite Candida resource and includes a complete 90 day plan to killing off the yeast overgrowth.}
Yeast Infection No More {Another resource with a complete plan (and option to purchase her cookbook) for ridding yourself of Candida.}
Whole Approach – {Extensive food list, symptoms list and fabulous free forum!}
Healing Naturally By Bee – {Great website, resources, information, recipes and yahoo group.}
- I’ll be back later today to wrap this topic up. I promise!
Do you have any questions about Candida? Leave a comment and I’d be happy to help you.
P.S.
Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? It’s free, weekly, packed full of awesomeness & you get a free gift for joining! Check it out… up there on the right hand side of this blog —>
“Okay, Nell, now I know about Candida. So how do I know if I have it?”
You’ve looked over the possible symptoms of a Candida overgrowth, you’ve learned about the causes of an overgrowth and now you’re beginning to think you have this yeast-beast thing.
So how do you know for certain?
I was once in your shoes. I suffered with life altering Candida symptoms that no medical doctor identified.
It wasn’t until I stumbled on this ‘yeast-beast’ thing online that I finally discovered what had been causing all my life-altering symptoms.
Though I knew this had to be it, I still wanted a diagnosis from a medical professional. If you follow the same path to healing, you’ll likely end up with the same frustrating results as I did. That isn’t to say a medical professional won’t give you a diagnosis, but you’re going to have much better luck going to a natural doctor, than a medical doctor.
The fact is, most in the traditional medical field don’t acknowledge Candida as a wide spread problem. Seems that many still think you have to have cancer or AIDS to have Candida. It isn’t that these doctors of mine didn’t know what Candida was. It was that they didn’t think I “looked” sick enough to have it.
Ann Borch, CNC and author of Candida Cure, says this about western medicines denial, “with anti-biotics, hormone replacement drugs, birth control pills, and steroid drugs accounting for millions of dollars in prescriptions written each year, doctors are going to be the last ones to acknowledge that the drugs they are freely prescribing are actually creating the problem and that intestinal Candidiasis even exists. While there are some doctors who will treat intestinal and systemic Candidiasis, they are few and far between.”
I also believe that there are three other reasons for this problem.
- Western medicine treats body parts, or symptoms, and doesn’t look at the body as a whole. Therefore, they often aren’t getting to the root of the problem, treating/fixing the root, and letting the symptoms of the problem then just melt away with the treatment.
- There’s no real money in treating it. There’s no magic pill, or solution, or drink to make this all go away. Because it can’t go away. It isn’t a foreign body within your system that can just be killed off. Candida will always be there. You just need to get it back under control. Which takes a strict diet, change in lifestyle and anti-fungal treatment.
- The diet you must eat for months is not easy. We live in a world of quick fixes and magic pills, so doctors and drug companies work to give us that. Not only is it profitable for them, but it’s often what we want them to give us. The diet can be overwhelming, or even depressing at first, and often we stop eating the Anti-Candida far too soon because we miss our old foods.
I say all of this to prime you for the reality that you may never get an official diagnosis from your family doctor. You might have to go to a naturopath, or your chiropractor that does nutritional testing, or you might just have to diagnosis yourself.
There are a few tests that can be done to either bring about a solid diagnosis – or at least suggest the probability that you’re suffering with an overgrowth of Candida.
The Tests
- Take the Candida Symptoms Test — this is how I diagnosed myself in 2007. It was undeniable that this was the cause of my symptoms. And it was the only thing that made sense.
- The Spit Test — simple as it sounds. It’s often correct, if done right. You must follow the directions to a T, though. The spit test worked for me as well. {I’ll share with you the directions to this later in this post.}
- Stool and Blood Tests — these are often quite expensive and highly unreliable and getting a doctor to give you one will be hard. Push the issue if you are convinced you need one, though.
- Going On The Diet — yet another “test” that I “took” to confirm my self-diagnosis. It only took a couple of days to know it was working. When going on the diet, you’ll experience “die-off” symptoms {which is normal and means it’s working} and boy did I experience symptoms!
Spit Test Details
It looks like this:
First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, fill a clear glass with room temperature bottled water.
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 potential problem, you will see strings (like legs) traveling 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, and have nothing to worry about.
Though it isn’t fool proofed – or a rock solid test for Candida – it usually is fairly reliable. I was alarmed by seeing the yeast in my spit traveling down the water in the glass…
Recommended Resources:
Candida Cure {I highly recommend this book. It’s my favorite Candida resource and includes a complete 90 day plan to killing off the yeast overgrowth.}
Yeast Infection No More {Another resource with a complete plan (and option to purchase her cookbook) for ridding yourself of Candida.}
Whole Approach – {Extensive food list, symptoms list and fabulous free forum!}
Healing Naturally By Bee – {Great website, resources, information, recipes and yahoo group.}
Do you have any questions about Candida? Leave a comment and I’d be happy to help you.
P.S.
Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? It’s free, weekly, packed full of awesomeness & you get a free gift for joining! Check it out… up there on the right hand side of this blog —>
“What can I eat, Nell?”
Welcome to the wonderful world of “feasting without yeast!”
It has been an incredible journey and process to come to the place where I am now — to view food in a totally different way that I did before my diagnosis.
Before Candida, I never looked at food and thought about what was going into my mouth and how it would affect my body. At best, I’d look at calories and fat — which I believe are focused on far too heavily.
I simply ate what I wanted to eat. I ate fast food, I ate packaged meals, I ate junk, I ate dairy…I rarely ate even close to the amount of vegetables one should have in a day. Most of us don’t.
And I knew very little about my body, my gut and my health through nutrition. I was eating the standard American diet {sad} and didn’t see anything wrong with it. Now I know my gut and body in a deep, profound and personal way. I understand nutrition and foods and diet and supplements and vitamins. And I think about everything going into my mouth. How it can help or hurt me.
I may still crave some of the sugary foods that helped make me sick but I now choose not to eat them. Though on occasion I will slip up, I don’t let myself slip back into old habits.
However, this has been a process. I was as overwhelmed and upset as you likely are right now. All these foods I’d loved all my life were now wiped from my menu and replaced with foods I rarely ate. Foods I hadn’t allowed my body to acquire a taste for. Foods I hadn’t learned how to prepare in the tastiest of ways.
I couldn’t comprehend how I’d be able to eat like this for months, or a lifetime. Thinking about changing my lifestyle for a lifetime scared me to even think about. I now know, and embrace the fact that I simply cannot eat sugars and simple white carbs and maintain my healing. It’s physically impossible.
But don’t concentrate on the lifelong change right now. One step at a time, right? Otherwise it’ll depress and overwhelm you, and that is no good for your healing.
With the Anti-Candida diet the general rules of thumb in most Candida books are:
What To Eat
- Eat fresh lean meat
- Butter or Ghee
- Eggs
- Vegetables (light on the starches)
- Goods fats (coconut oil, which is a great and natural anti-fungal…butter, fish oil, extra virgin olive oil and flax seed oil)
With some “experts” recommending you limit, but are still allowed, brown rice, potatoes, raw/soaked nuts and soaked legumes.
It sounds like a bland diet, I know. Like a diet with very few choices. It really isn’t, though, not once you open your mind and eyes and heart to all the amazing vegetables there are and how to turn those into tasty dishes. You can also make your own salad dressings and mustard’s and even mayo!
There are great books with delicious recipes and once you get comfortable cooking with meats and vegetables – without cheese and dairy – you’ll likely come up with your own tasty recipes. I’m going to share a few that my Mother cooked up for me and my family at the end of this post.
What Not To Eat
- Prepackaged meals
- Dairy
- Fruit
- Sugar
- Carbs
- Processed foods
- Fast food
- and many more
For a pretty complete list of allowable foods, limit foods and never eat foods please visit whole approach. It’s the most extensive, well put together list on the market right now.
Recommended Resources:
Candida Cure {I highly recommend this book. It’s my favorite Candida resource and includes a complete 90 day plan to killing off the yeast overgrowth.}
Yeast Infection No More {Another resource with a complete plan (and option to purchase her cookbook) for ridding yourself of Candida.}
Whole Approach – {Extensive food list, symptoms list and fabulous free forum!}
Healing Naturally By Bee – {Great website, resources, information, recipes and yahoo group.}
- Tomorrow we’ll talk about anti-fungals and their important role in this diet plan and I’ll close this first Educational Series up with some Q&A.
Do you have any questions about Candida? Leave a comment and I’d be happy to help you.
P.S.
Have you signed up for the newsletter yet? It’s free, weekly, packed full of awesomeness & you get a free gift for joining! Check it out… up there on the right hand side of this blog —>
My Mom’s Candida Recipes for Me — my gift to you!
Lemony Greek Chicken Thighs
2 tsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
¾ tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 bone-in chicken thighs
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small baking dish, combine all ingredients, turning to coat chicken well.
Cover. Bake 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.
Serves 2
.
Garlic Studded Beef Filet
8 oz filet beef tenderloin
2 cloves garlic, cut into 6 pieces
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Cut 6 small slits in side of filet. Stuff garlic into slits. Cover and chill 4-8 hours.
Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat. Cut the filet in half. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Grill 5-6 minutes each side, or to desired doneness.
Serves 2
.
Turkey Taco Muffins
2 tsp. unrefined coconut oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
½ Anaheim pepper, seeded and finely minced
8 oz ground turkey
1 egg white, slightly beaten
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper(optional to taste)
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease standard size muffin cups.
In a small skillet, sautee scallions and Anaheim pepper in oil until vegetables are soft. Remove with slotted spoon to a medium mixing bowl, along with all remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Spoon into greased muffin cups.
Bake 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan.
Serves 2
Turkey Eggplant Lasagna
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup green bell pepper, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
8 oz lean ground turkey
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes( optional to taste)
1 ¾ cups tomato puree(tomato pulp only)
¼ cup water or homemade chicken stock
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise into thin planks
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onion, green bell pepper, and zucchini. Sautee 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove with slotted spoon. Set aside. Add ground turkey to skillet. Brown, breaking up into small pieces. Drain, and add back to skillet. Add vegetables back to skillet, along with remaining ingredients except eggplant. Simmer 7-10 minutes. To assemble lasagna, ladle ¾ cup sauce in bottom of an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Top with 2 eggplant planks. Continue layering with remaining planks, ending with sauce. Cover lightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Serves 4
My Mother and I are putting together a Candida cookbook that we’ll be sharing with you all later this year.
