Hi there -
I strongly suspect there is a connection between candida yeast overgrowth (also responsible for oral thrush) and OLP. I will try to give you the Reader’s Digest version of my story! ....
Hi there -
I strongly suspect there is a connection between candida yeast overgrowth (also responsible for oral thrush) and OLP. I will try to give you the Reader's Digest version of my story! But it might be a bit of a novel...
I have recently been diagnosed with OLP by my family doctor, who essentially said 'yeah, we're not sure what causes it or how to get rid of it, here's some steroid cream, good luck.'
So I went to a naturopathic doctor who asked me a list of questions about my health - I should tell you that I have suffered from what I believed to be a hypothyroid condition but my tests kept coming back negative; I also have chronic headaches (doctor told me to drink more water - more than the 3 litres a day I already drink, apparently!) I have since discovered that candida overgrowth can mimic hypothyroidism and may also likely be responsible for my chronic headaches. Here is a list of symptoms that research and naturopaths believe to be related to candida overgrowth in the body:
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/candidasymptoms.htm
In a nutshell, I had an extremely aggressive vaginal yeast infection for about 2 months, and then it spread to my mouth, and I had some mild symptoms of oral thrush. Immediately after that, these little zit-like bumps appeared at the back of my mouth, either side of my uvula and the roof of my mouth, followed by larger white zit-like bumps, and my gums began to bleed when I flossed, my tongue was yellowish-white coated, I had the metallic taste, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, etc. All symptoms of OLP.
From what the medical profession knows of OLP, it is an autoimmune disorder, meaning the body is attacking its own cells, sometimes for no obvious reason. My naturopath believes the cells in my mouth attacked the thrush infection, and even when the infection ceased, the signs left are OLP (so OLP is, in a way, its own cause).
So the treatment, in hopes of getting rid of the OLP, is to do a cleanse of the body to get rid of the candida yeast that is overgrown. You can find out lots more information on the site I pasted above. But the plan includes a diet that removes yeast, wheat, carbs, sugar, etc. from your diet, which are substances that encourage candida yeast growth. The second part is to cleanse the body using a course of antifungals (you can also find those listed on that site, or check out this product, which has it all in one handy capsule!
http://www.renewlife.com/candigone.html).
I am going away on a trip for a couple of weeks, so it's not a good time for me to do the full candida eradication plan, but in the meantime, I have cut out refined sugar, white carbs, all alcohol, and sweet fruits (stick to berries and green apples, they are lower in
Sugar than other fruits). Also try, as a diabetic would, to balance your food intake every time you eat so that your blood
Sugar doesn't spike (e.g. sugary blood will encourage candida growth) - so for example, along with any berries or whole wheat carbs/brown rice, eat a protein as well. If you are eating meat, be sure to eat meat raised without
Antibiotics ; as you probably know,
Antibiotics also encourage the growth of yeast.
My naturopath also recommended that I take garlic capsules (natural antifungal), and use oil of oregano to treat the mouth. Here is my current routine, and I am having some success with it, though it will probably be better when I get right into the full-on diet and herbal cleanse:
In the morning, after lunch, and before bed: brush and floss teeth gently with a natural toothpaste (find at a health food store), followed by a mouthwash of salt, baking soda, an acidophilus capsule (good bacteria to help fight the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the mouth), and several drops of tea tree oil. Do not swallow this, as tea tree is not meant to be taken internally but acts as a great antifungal.
I follow this with a mouthwash just consisting of aloe vera juice (there are some studies that show aloe has a healing effect on OLP ulcers/irritations). I then use the oil of oregano. DO NOT USE COMMERCIAL MOUTHWASH - it kills the good bacteria in the mouth along with the bad, and can actually exacerbate a yeast problem (believe me, I learned this the hard way!) I'm also using a tea tree lip balm in the hopes of preventing it from spreading to my lips.
Start doing some research on an anti-candida diet and cleanse, and on the benefits of aloe vera and probiotics. I figure trying this routine is better than anything my doctor has suggested (which is ZIP), and it targets the entire system as opposed to just treating the symptoms with steroids.
I will post again in a couple of months to let you know how my diet/cleanse went in treating the OLP and my other, likely related, symptoms. Any other questions feel free to post back, and let me know how it goes for you!
Best of luck
Lichen Planus Image Gallery
Last 30 Uploads
