Candida Die-off Herxheimer Reaction

[Mary Kay]

A couple mos ago, I started having gas and an itchy butt and just knew I was creating too many raw desserts.....Figured it was candida. About a month later, at the Raw Spirit Festival I had a live blood analysis which did show I was correct. The doc said I had the beginnings of candida. But he did say I had one of the better "bloods" he had seen...... even for raw foodies! So I'm not beating myself up ===TOO much.

So I've begun to eliminate the bad stuff ---mainly honey and maple syrup, which I added to nuts in raw desserts, and have incorporated a little goldenseal here, a little pau d'arco there etc.

Last week I got three migraines, so I slowed the die-off by eating more carbs.

This week I'm just feeling blah. I feel tired all the time and had a very mild almost unnoticeable headache yesterday.

My latest experiment is incorporating more coconut and coconut oil for the caprylic acid etc.

My rosacea flared up last week after "slowing down the reaction" and eating two cooked pancakes, and is still here. I know skin reactions are part of the die-off but just wanted to share/vent.

Geez, I had a mild case, what about those of you who had major cases? Just want to hear your experiences/stories/advice etc.

Also, have any of you tried Candisol? Seems a bit expensive. Figure I can just do it slowly....

Thanks,

Mary Kay

[katchmoleen]

IKWM, I am having a little bit of problem with candida "down there" lately, but I am reluctant to take my Candi-gone as I know it will give me headaches and the whole nine yards. I just have a little annoying discomfort and am not quite ready to trade that for a major headache! I will just up the coconut oil for now.

[cherry.chops]

i have it MAJORLY right now

ive taken canistan tablet and cream and it has done nothing. i am reluctant to try any more 'traditional meds' and would like to try a more natrual way of getting rid of it. i have drastically cut down my fruit intake to just 1 piece a day and i am taking better control of my blood sugar, but i dont know how to eliminate it.

[T-Bird]

IKWM, I am having a little bit of problem with candida "down there" lately, but I am reluctant to take my Candi-gone as I know it will give me headaches and the whole nine yards. I just have a little annoying discomfort and am not quite ready to trade that for a major headache! I will just up the coconut oil for now.

baking soda baths, make sure it circulates. tea tree oil topically is weird, but effective, use as little as possible.

[Chickadee]

A friend who's a homeopathic doctor just told me to mix Neem Oil, probiotic powder (from a capsule) and a little water to make a paste, then apply it to the irritated area for relief.

I can tell you it works.

[a1icia]

I've been affected by this for a while now and after much research I've found that it's the fats that are the major problem. If you cut out the fat from your diet and just do fruits and veggies only, no oils, nuts, avocados etc., this will help greatly.

This video gives a good explanation.

http://www.rawfamily.com/videos/candida.html

Also, I've been taking Cellfood and have noticed great results with that as well.

[EZ rider]

I wonder if rosacea could be a physical symptom of candida bloom ?

[D'vorah]

I wonder if rosacea could be a physical symptom of candida bloom ?

I wouldn't be surprised. It's also an inflammatory response, so look at any foods that might be acidifying in nature. Nuts, grains and animal products are acidifying, according to PRAL charts.

Deborah

[anniez]

Doug Graham says the same thing as A1icia: it's the fats, not fruit, that feeds candida. He says that some people can get rid of it in a week just by eating no fat (which includes avocado). Sounds like it might be worth a try.

Annie

[Bananapie]

A great remedy for vaginal candida that I used when my vaginal candida became resistant to over the counter anti fungals was Borax suppositories. An old fashion pharmacists has to make them for you and they work by changing the pH in the vaginal environment. They are safe for pregnancy and have very little to no side affects. I can not remember the concentration but I used one a day for 7 to 10 days I think. It was effective, it worked to alleviate the symptom. There are some pharmacies that will mail them to you if you look on line.

[Mary Kay]

Thanks for your input everyone. E-Z Rider, that's a good theory and I have thought of it, but it just doesn't jive. Like my skin has been doing really well now for about a month, and yet, I know I've had candida.

I think it's more of a nerve-ending inflammatory response. Today, my skin looks fine.

And as far as fat goes...I believe it's the fat AND the sugar. Look at the Eskimoes, the Maasai.....they eat /ate a lot of fat. The minute they added in refined carbs/sugar etc, they get fat, diabetic and no doubt, candida laden.

I've cut back on both. I don't want to totally eliminate both though (I'm not really worried about fruits - it's the dried fruits and the honey, maple syrup that got me, I think).

I don't want to totally eliminate everything because I'm already have such profound detox. Had another migraine yesterday and didn't get dressed until the crack of 5 p.m. LOL ...

Boy, this stinks though. At least I feel human today. I even took some acetaminophen, yest morning, which really helped curb my suffering. I intentionally had a banana-choc green smoothie with a few raisins for sweetener and even added 1/3 avocado to slow it down in the aft!!!

I do believe you can eliminate candida slowly so as not to be too debilitated. I just can't take the migraines......Sigh. No doubt I am eliminating some though, because I've practically, but not altogether eliminated the offenders, and have just not felt quite right - with a mild headache. This I can take. I know I'm at a deficit of where I was with the offenders and feel I don't have to do it all at once and be totally debilitated. My thoughts anyway. .

Thank you everyone for listening and giving me comments/encouragement.

Mary Kay

[D'vorah]

Are you coming off of caffeine (chocolate, coffee, tea and some meds) too? Changing caffeine levels always produces a nasty migraine for me.

D

[Mary Kay]

D'vorah,

Thanks for the comeback. No, I'm not having caffeine withdrawal, as I eliminated those some time ago. Sigh.

I have a friend who lost a bunch of weight eating mostly cooked with tons of salads, who figures she had candida, and then it went away without her noticing, because she did it slowly.

I'd like to do it slightly more aggressively, and will stand for some light headaches, but not debilitation!

LOL, this a.m. was the first time I had a REAL offender in a couple weeks: I made chocolate avocado pudding with greens - sweetened with honey. I won't be doing that again for a long while!

I did enjoy it and will live with the memory of it for awhile...LOL

Thanks for asking though!

Mary Kay

[rawpreston]

The "no fats for a week or 2" ala Doug Graham has cured MANY people out there of candidiasis, including myself. What does doing that entail? A lot of fruit, fruit+greens smoothies, and juicy fat-free salads (add juicy stuff like diced tomatoes and oranges and toss well). Following this period I went into an 80/10/10 mode and haven't looked back. My candidiasis was self-diagnosed but I can say that after 1 week of eating no overt fats, my energy levels went way up, mouth was no longer pasty in the morning, I went from failing to passing the "candida spit test", and I no longer found myself needing naps, ever.

Here's a couple of vids of Doug Graham explaining what goes on regarding candida. Note his indications that in addition to diet: a healthy pancreas, adrenals, and thyroid are all pretty important to being able to control a systemic candida overgrowth.
part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMjcXQyiSQw
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDlAejxIY0