My journey to learn more about Candida came about when I suddenly gained 10 pounds in less than 6 months. My diet hadn't really changed and neither had my activity level. I was freaking out because here I was gaining weight. I also met a few people and talked about my experiences with Melaleuca oil and how I had an allergic reaction after using it for awhile for some toe nail fungus. The told me I could have Candida because that often happens after using Melaleuca for an extending period of time. So I started looking for answers on how to get rid of it and see if I had it.
Have you heard of Candida? Many people haven't! Yet we all have it in our bodies. In fact, about 80% of people have an overgrowth!!
And unfortunately some of us get and overgrowth of it. That can happen if we are doing a few things: taking antibiotics and eating sugar.
Some symptoms of Candida overgrowth are:
- Anxiety, depression, emotional problems, irrational fears, panic, quick anger, irritability, sleep disturbance, hyperactivity, low self-esteem.
- Asthma, coughs, sinus problems, sore throat, thrush, bad breath.
- Constipation, bloating, diarrhea, gas, gastritis, heartburn, indigestion, intestinal pain, nausea, food cravings or sensitivity, hypoglycemia, colic.
- Acne, eczema, psoriasis, skin infections, hives, rash athlete's foot, fingernail or toenail fungus, dandruff.
- Confusion, trouble concentrating, fuzzy thinking, memory loss or poor memory, headaches or migraines.
- PMS, cramps, sexual problems, vaginal yeast infections, cystitis, puffiness, infertility.
- Allergies, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, sore muscles, stiffness, swollen joints, gout, weight gain.
I know what you are thinking, that's EVERYTHING known to man!! I thought: I'm a mom so of course I have 80% of those symptoms. Hello!! Memory loss, sleep disturbances, panic, nausea, confusion, headaches, irritability, quick to anger and that's just the tip of the ice burg!! Seriously, when don't I have that? In fact, I got angry today because my kid couldn't find a hat that was on the floor right in front of her!!
So your thinking: I have some of those and why hasn't my doctor told me about Candida?
Truth? They may not know anything about it or thought about it as a solution.
Could killing the Candida stop some of your symptoms? Possibly. So why not try solving your symptoms naturally?
I'm going to share with you some of what I have done to help get rid of it and how it has affected me. I am not a doctor or of a medical profession so don't take me for gospel truth here.
I went through a Candida cleanse when I was in high school. I had no clue that's what I was doing at the time. I just thought I was trying to get rid of my asthma. My mom took me to my "uncle" who was a chiropractor and who practiced kinesiology. He ran a series of tests on me and put me through a dieting plan and on various other vitamins and such. The diet consisted of no sugar or yeast products whatsoever. I couldn't eat things with fructose either. I remember having the weirdest cravings while on it. I wanted Kool-Aide like nobodies business. The diet started out as a 2 week plan to clean my system out, but it ended up going for over a month and a half. I never finished cleaning my system out of the yeast because Christmas and Thanksgiving came around and made that diet too difficult. Some of the great things I remember from that time were: I felt great, I had more energy, and I lost A LOT of weight.
Now many moons later, I did some research on how to best get on a diet plan and kill the Candida. There was sooooooo much information out there and so many different ideas on what to do. I knew that I had to do what worked best for me as a busy mom and as a business owner. I started on a diet of no sugar or yeast. I did lose some weight at 1st and then family came to visit and I stopped. What I noticed afterward was CRAZY. I had diarrhea and migraines. I had never had one before and this time all I could do was lay there. I know that these 2 things happened because I started eating sugar again. My body was freaking out because of the sudden shift in diet.
So the second time I started I went for a month. I started on some essential oils that were to kill the Candida and then followed up with Probiotics. If you don't know what Probiotics are they are "good" bacteria that help your immune system keep the harmful bacteria at bay. Studies have shown that we have over 500 different bacteria in our digestive system. They help us stay healthy and digest food.
I found that when I was taking the Probiotic I wasn't craving bread or sugars.
So you must be wondering what sorts of things I wasn't eating. I cut out anything that had sugar labeled in the ingredients and other forms of sugar (fructose, dextrose, etc.). I also cut out yeast products. Some Candida diets say you need to cut out fruit, bread, flour, and some vegetable. Well...if I was going to stay sane that just wasn't going to happen. I did find a sour dough bread that fit the requirement and enjoyed every second of eating that!! I also cut out dried fruits.
After doing this I found that I still have Candida and I have continued to take Probiotics regularly. Now you might be thinking that this is just too much for you. Think about how you feel, would it be worth it if you didn't have that headache, had more energy or weren't so tired when you woke up? For me it was.
The following are some other natural items that can help you decide if you have Candida and how to fight it.
This is the spit test. You can do this in the morning. Make sure you have a glass of water and you haven't eaten anything, kissed anyone, or drank anything. If your spit stays on the top of the water, you're good. If it starts to fall you have Candida.
Some treatments:
Essential oils: Lemon, Melaleuca, Oregano, Clove, Cinnamon, and Thyme
Prescription Antifungals
Yeast Cleanses: S. Boulardii, Yeast Enzymes
Omega 3 vitamins
Fiber Supplements
My information came from
here,
here, and from other areas of study. I am not a doctor and I do not claim that these items will fix your health symptoms.
