Candida

[Hayley31]

Does anyone else have recurring issues with Candida overgrowth? I get brain fog, fatigue, sore lips, tongue, bloating and thrush. Drives me insane. Please tell me I’m not the only person going through this. Has anyone ever successfully got over this?

[deniseinmilden]

I knew someone about 20 years ago who said she did and her symptoms were just like yours. I can't remember much more, other than she cut out sugar and said it helped.

I can get problems with it, with all your symptoms as well, and find that cutting down on/out sugar helps me too. I love sugary things but reluctantly cut down as I'm allergic to most of the fungicides.

I think probiotics help a bit too, by balancing my gut microbiome better. I don't always take them.

[MindfulSquirrel]

Seems to happen to me both when I’m folate deficient and when I was completely overloaded with too much folic acid (which possibly made me paradoxically deficient by causing UMFA). It’s better now after changing to smaller amounts of folinic acid and after a month on a systemic antifungal.

[MrsTuft]

Yes. And I don’t respond to antifungals or herbs. Going no added sugar is the only way to manage it.

[Jillymo]

Hi Hayley,

Its not only sugar you need to cut out but also yeasts and fungi......... thecandidadiet.com/

Here's another link....... healthline.com/nutrition/ca...

I suffered with it when I were younger probably because my father was a baker. All the fresh baked bread plus the extra jam filled doughnuts took their toll on my gut. It wouldn't happen now but I was funded by the NHS to go to the Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London ( if it was good enough for Princess Diana ) it was good enough for me.

I had to cut out coffee which caused me dreadful withdrawal symptoms such as migrains. I was given Pro Plus tablets which contain caffeine to compensate. I had a diet of what they called safe foods of lamb, carrots, potatoes and water. Looking back how I stuck to it is beyond me, but I did for quite a few months. Imagine, lamb, carrots and potatoes for breakfast, dinner and tea !

My advice is take a good look at your diet. No junk food, sugar and although they say cut out gluten my advice is to avoid bread because of the yeast. You can help your gut by getting some good flora in but there is no quick fix so stick with it.

Good luck.

[Nicola555]

Try adding in fermented foods. Yoghurt(live) , sauerkraut, kimchi, kéfir, yakult, kombucha, sourdough bread, apple cider vinegar. (any, find what you like) It helps the good bacteria balance in your body, and so could help. Also adding more fibre into your diet, as it helps feed the good bacteria. Then generally have a healthy balanaced diet. Fibre, protien, healthy fats, carbs (complex carbs are better). You can still have goodies just in moderation.

Also get a full blood work up to check if you have any underlying health issues that are causing it.

[cocoa]

It is controlled by diet as Jillymo says.

I went to a nutritionist and she helped me get over it.

I cut out processed food and all my meals are prepared at home.

I still do not eat anything containing yeast or sugar.

[Hayley31]

Thank you. You make it sound so easy, but it’s so hard!

[Nackapan in reply to Hayley31]

Not easy to overhaul your diet .Foods have so much added. Even bread.

I saw a programme recently that stated as its not possible for most of us ( time ) to cook everything from scratch check ingredients snd anything you cant find in your larder avoid it .

( meat excluded)

Refined sugars snd fungi and yeast feed yeast infections.

Live yoghurt, fruits ,meat ,veg all fine .

Some ready meals may be high in fat but won't feed yest infections.

Also cotton clothes.

No nylon tights helps.

I've had oral thrush for the first time since b12 deficiency .

Vinegar good. .

Antibiotics can cause it too.

If your immune system is struggling it's common.

Hope you find s solution.

I used s tablet twice as topical treatments didn't work.

[Hayley31]

Thank you! You’re right, it isn’t easy to overhaul your diet to that extent. I try to eat a lot of live yoghurt, fresh vegetables, whole grains like brown rice and add a lot of herbs spices that are good for reducing Candida such as garlic, oregano, ginger, chilli etc and cook with coconut oil when I can and cut down on things like white bread, pasta, cake and chocolate and don’t add sugar to things like cereal, but it is hard because at some point you’re going to want something and feel like you’re missing out if you don’t have the odd cake or glass of wine! I avoid anything like beer or lager like the plague as that’s just asking for it, and I don’t sweet stuff for the sake of sweet stuff. I normally have a flare up with the whole shebsng, brain fog , fatigue, pins and needles, sore lips, sore tongue, nasty taste in mouth, IBS and vaginal thrush. I take a course of nystatin and flucanazole and cut down on sugar (it needs to be in moderation for me or I get miserable as I feel deprived and sometimes you do just need to grab something quick which may be noodles or toast or whatever, don’t always have the energy to stand and chop vegetables and overthink everything you eat) coconut oil is good. I also take diatomaceous earth and have tried oregano oil capsules and Dida tablets before. I normally get it under control for months on end and feel amazing, but it tends to come back if my diet has been out of hand for a while or if I’ve been stressed. I do think the Candida issue may be the reason I don’t absorb vitamins well, and then I blame myself because I think “I shouldn’t have been eating cake etc” but I do struggle to live like a saint and keep up with the anti Candida diet which is why I go round in circles with it.

[Nackapan in reply to Hayley31]

Yes i get that.Do you take a multuvit ?

Another way is to build up your immunity along with the good food you eat .

Is your folate level okay ?

Your mouth symptoms can be low folate as we as b12 deficiency.

Do you think the frequency of your b12 injections enough?

Hope you find a way to stop the vicious circle

.

[Hayley31]

I’m having a blood test on Wednesday and one of the main things my GP mentioned was folate because of my lips. Will be interesting to see the results.

[Sailinglady]

I used to have vulval/vaginal Candida all the time (for about 30 years) would respond transiently to antifungals, then recur. Was very painful. Investigated by gynae and swabs came back negative for candida so was told no more antifungals. A few years later my PA was diagnosed.

High dose B12 injections (3 times a week for a couple of years so far) combined with kefir (oral and topical) seem to have sorted it out. However, I still get recurrent athletes foot/ringworm around the ball of one foot only!

I think the vulval candida irritation was a combination of neuropathy (now mostly healed) and a reduced resistance to fungal infections secondary to B12 deficiency.

[Hayley31]

Thank you

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Before I started b12 treatment, I was plagued with fungal infections eg thrush, ringworm, athletes foot, extreme dandruff etc.

B12 deficiency knocks the immune system so maybe things will improve over time if you're getting enough B12.

I cut out sugar and sugary things eg sweets, sugar, white bread, biscuits, cake, alcohol etc which improved things then things improved further when I got enough B12.

I tried a cookbook by Erica White which had anti candida recipes but found the diet very restrictive.

Also read a book by Leon Chaitow about Candida.

Patients Info website has an article about candidiasis which might be of interest.

It's aimed at doctors so may have details that could be upsetting.

Search for "Patients Info Candidiasis" if you want to read it.

[Hayley31]

Thank you.