Hi Bec,

It sounds like your symptoms may be caused by candida and poor digestional tract health. I have been sick for a over a year and are only starting to make ground against what I believe is a candida and build up of mucus and toxins in the intestines, colon. I have had to give up work for the last 2 months, my symptoms are dizziness, numb feeling head, toxic feeling taste in mouth, muscle pains (until I started on Magnesium!!)painful back and neck and of course stomach pain which I've had for about 8 years. Go slowly with your candida program and start with diet first before antifungals.

You said you have been a vegetarian for 6 years, sick for 10 years, I would revisit the idea of being a vegan as it is hard to get rid of candida and get enough protein and fats for energy without meat & eggs. The diet that finally worked for me
http://www.biblelife.org/bowel.htm

Also enemas helped me to no end to get rid of mucus, candida and especially coffee enemas to relieve toxic feeling. Heaps of info on curezone about enemas.

I would recommend advice from Bee Wilder as well if you join yahoo group you get all the info http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/candidasupport/

I have pasted some info from Bee below, but there is heaps more on yahoo group

All the best from Dylan

Curing Candida, How to Get Started

“Food is Medicine”

September 4, 2005

by Bee Wilder

It can be very overwhelming to be very ill with candida related symptoms and also have to face the hugh amount of information on how to cure it.  Therefore it is very important that you approach your cure one step at a time.  Not only is it easier on you, but it will not overwhelm your body.  You need to give your body time to adjust, at its own pace, to each change by making changes gradually, one step at a time.

If you try to push your body too fast or too hard by changing too many things at once, or by using harsh treatments such as cleanses, complex products, or too many products, you will get sicker.  It is totally unnecessary to do and it is too hard to handle.

Diet is the most important aspect of curing candida.  First by cutting off candida’s food supply and second by giving your body the nutrients it needs to do its job of healing and maintaining health.  In fact candida overgrowth can be cured totally by diet, but supplements, antifungals and probiotics will assist a great deal.  Therefore antifungals and probiotics should only be added at the right time, after you’ve totally integrated the entire diet and essential supplements into your daily life.

The major steps towards getting rid of candida overgrowth:

1.      Eliminate foods that feed candida.

2.      Build up the immune system with our unique nutrient-rich diet, including coconut oil, plus essential supplements and by eliminating foods and toxins that damage your health.

3.      Kill off candida overgrowth with antifungals.

4.      Plant good bacteria in the digestive tract with probiotics (good
bacteria).

It is important to do each of the points above step by step, and not to make changes all at once.  Your body needs time to adjust to each change. Trying to change too much at once will only make you sicker and overwhelm you and your body.

Start by eliminating all of the foods that feed candida - one at a time:

1.       First, eliminate all sugars, sugar substitutes (except stevia), and sources of sugars, including fruits (except lemons), and dairy products, except butter, butter oil and ghee (clarified butter).  Most candida sufferers do not respond favourably to kefir and yogurt, even homemade, so it is best not to have them until much later.

2.       Eliminate all high carb foods, starches and grains, i.e. breads, pasta, pizza, cereals, baked goods, beans, potatoes, etc.  Also eliminate all vegetables that are high in carbohydrates such as beets, squash, corn, peas, parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams and carrots.

Please see a thorough explanation of these foods in the article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida” so you will understand why these foods feed candida.

During this phase you will experience withdrawal symptoms – please read the article “Withdrawal Symptoms, Cravings, Etc.” in the “Candida Diet” Folder in our group’s files for an explanation and help.  You may even lose a lot of weight.  Do not be alarmed because weight is the least of your problems at this point.  You are going to be fighting addictions to these foods!  Be prepared to fight your cravings and addictions, and know that you are on the right track.  The article provides you with ways to get through this phase.

Once you’ve accomplished that go on to No. 2, Building up your immune system – one step at a time:

1.      The Candida Control Diet consists of 3 food groups – proteins, fats and carbs:

§     High protein (higher than most diets that is), i.e. animal meats, eggs and seafoods.  Eggs are one of the most perfect foods you can eat, especially raw certified organic free-range eggs – see the raw egg drink in our recipe files.

§     High “good” fats and oils, including oil soluble vitamins and omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as naturally occurring fats in meats, eggs and seafoods, coconut oil, butter, lard, etc.  These “good” fats do not create body fat, bad fats and oils and carbs DO.  They also do not cause cholesterol problems – the cholesterol theory is totally false – see the article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida” for more information on this.

§     Eliminate all “bad” and damaging fats and oils, which is all vegetable oils other than extra virgin olive oil, such as Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Safflower Oil, Wesson Oil, Crisco, margarines, etc. – they are all man-made fats and oils which are like plastic (toxic) to the body.  You wouldn’t melt plastic and eat it, nor should you damage your health by eating these plastic oils and fats.

§     Eliminate all sources of soybeans and soybean products, which are very damaging to the body.

§     Eliminate all processed foods.

§     Low carbohydrates (all foods that are not protein or fats), i.e. low carb vegetables – see handy lists in the “Candida Diet” Folder in our group’s files.

§     Eliminates toxic sources as much as possible, i.e. over-the-counter drugs and other medical drugs, even hormone replacement, blood pressure pills, anti-depressants, etc.  Gradually cut back on taking them as you start on the Immune Building part of the diet.  Also eliminate all Teflon cookware, plastics, toxic body care and household cleaning products, household molds, etc.  Do not microwave any foods or beverages, not even water.  Irradiation and microwaving damages the body’s blood cells.  Synthetic carpets are also toxic and may require many shampoos before getting rid of the worst toxic effects.

2.      Take essential supplements, adding one at a time – see the complete list and doses to take in the article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida”.  Start with low doses and gradually increase them.  If you have problems taking some of them cut back the dose or spread out the daily amounts more throughout the day.

3.       Eliminate yeast, mold and fungi, contained in foods and the environment – Candida overgrowth can greatly increase the chances of an immune reaction to all types and forms of yeast, mold and fungi - see the list in the article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida”.

4.       Improve digestion – your body digests proteins and “good” fats much easier than any carbs!

§     Lacto-fermented foods and beverages are powerful digestive aids, which are very different than yeast, fungi, and mold containing foods and beverages.  Those recommended for candida sufferers include cabbage rejuvelac (recipe is included under the probiotics section), sauerkraut and other homemade lacto-fermented vegetables.  When you start on the diet eat at least 1 tablespoon of a good unpasteurized sauerkraut with every meal.  Later on you can start taking the cabbage rejuvelac, which is a probiotic.

§     Minerals and “good” salt are important for digestion as well – see the article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida” for a complete explanation.  A good ocean sea salt, like Celtic, will provide over 84 minerals. An excellent electrolyte drink is simply 6 ounces of filtered water with 1/4 teaspoon of ocean sea salt and the juice of 1/2 a lemon –drink 6 times a day, 3 of them with meals. Ocean sea salt and lemons increase digestive juices.

§     Some people require extra digestive enzymes which as Betaine Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin – see the “Digestion” folder for much more information about how to test for low stomach acid, and how to take digestive enzymes.  This folder also has information on constipation and other digestive problems.

§     Consume plenty of “good” proteins and fats to aid digestion as well, especially naturally occurring fats in meats, eggs and seafood plus butter and lard.  Proteins stimulate acid production in the stomach, and fats and proteins stimulate the gall bladder to dump it contents.  The liver makes bile acid out of cholesterol.

After you have completely integrated the entire diet and have gotten through some of the worst "die-off" symptoms it will create, you are ready to start on antifungals.  Some people must be on the diet up to 6 months before they can start antifungals. The best antifungals are raw crushed certified organic garlic and oil of oregano.  Again, start at a low dose and gradually increase them.

You will get “die-off symptoms from the diet, and more so from taking antifungals.  “Die-off” symptoms are caused by high numbers of candida being killed off, which are actually healing symptoms – see “Healing Reaction, The” in the files after the folders.

Once you are no longer having severe die-off symptoms from the antifungal you can start on probiotics – see the main article “How to Successfully Overcome Candida” for a full explanation. At that point in time you are doing all 4 parts of the candida program at the same time.

Remember that "more is not better" because you will overwhelm your body, not allowing it time to adjust to changes or new substances, and you will feel sicker and become more discouraged. You cannot rush the body into getting well and there are no quick fixes. Quick fixes, such an antibiotics and other drugs, made us all sick with candida overgrowth to begin with, and they greatly suppress the body’s natural healing mechanisms.  The natural healing process takes time, persistence and patience.  In fact the main principles of this candida diet will educate you so you can maintain life-long health.

Keep a Journal

It is good to keep a journal, listing: 1) symptoms you started out with; 2) each step you’ve accomplished on the candida program; and 3) improvements and changes in your health as you go along.  When you feel the most discouraged you can review your journal and see exactly how far you have come.

Reward Yourself

Reward yourself for accomplishing each step, such as a new book, a movie, a massage, a day at the SPA, or a new plant for your home.  It is best not to reward yourself with foods.

The best in health,
Bee

P.S. Please see our files for tons of other information, i.e. Adrenal Malfunction & How to Improve It, Arthritis & Candida (includes information on fibromyalgia), Cancer & The Candida Connection, Diabetes & Candida, Candida Healing Wisdom Newsletter, Recipes, Sugar, Its Danger & Damages, etc.  Please scroll through the files as soon as you can so you know the wealth of information available which will cover most of your concerns and questions.