my anti-candida program - it's working!!!

As recently as two weeks ago I was reduced to sipping orange juice, which was killing me. I made it to the health food store and bought the book The Yeast Connection. I scored 275 where 140 is considered high for men. I was hospitalized 4 times in the two weeks as my symptoms became so severe that I could barely breathe. However, as my near-total fast continued (which I wouldn't recommend), I noticed that the 3rd hospitalization was less severe than the 2nd, and the 4th less severe than the 3rd. Following is what I've managed to put together so far. I have no affiliation with any of the recommended brands.

High quality multi-strain probiotic. At a minimum, you need L. acidophilus and B. bifidum, and ideally L. bulgaricus. For children, B. infantis alone is recommended by Natasha Trenev, the author of Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers. Her company,
http://www.natren.com,
sells what are arguably the best probiotics in the world. She recommends both capsule and powder form to cover as much of the intestinal tract as possible. They sell both dairy (ideal if you don't have an allergy) and non-dairy versions. She strongly advises against FOS, which is recommended by others. I found it made my symptoms worse, so I'm staying away from it. While I wait for my Natren order to arrive, I am mixing several other brands, including Kyo-Dophilus and other multi-strain brands from the health food store, including taking some out of capsules and swallowing them. Again, beware quantity due to die-off. I will probably continue to mix multiple strains, although Natren products are probably the best. I use these every few hours to die-off tolerance. See also
http://www.bioactivenutrients.com
for their multi-strain product in a base derived from cranberries (good against bladder infection and irritation). I ordered this as well.

I read that nutritional yeast contains a gene called SIR2 that seems to force candida to convert from its pathogenic form back into its benign form. However, a tiny amount of yeast does spontaneously become pathogenic, so you have to decide for yourself if you're well enough to take it, otherwise it could make things worse. I was going to take it but then learned that resveratrol (from the skin and seeds of grapes, among other fruits) may act on the SIR2 gene directly without introducing more yeast. I'm now taking a strong grape seed & skin extract every 15 minutes while I monitor how it makes me feel. It seems to be working well. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant and is believed to play a major role in the longevity of the French, who drink a lot of red wine with their high fat diets. Vive la science!

I use the following homeopathic preparations against candida and to relieve symptoms of die-off. FYI, these formulations generally come in a base of lactose, so if you have a dangerous allergy to milk or lactose, do not use. Otherwise use sparingly, since they can also feed the candida.
- Candida albicans in 6 and 30 formulations. 6 for acute symptoms. 30 for chronic. Take the 6 formulation every 5 to 15 minutes as needed. Take 30 every 1 to 2 hours as needed.
- Other formulations as needed for all of your symptoms, which can include neurological, emotional, phsyical, etc. You have to decide for yourself which will help. I got about ten different ones. :-)

I also take a good garlic supplement (e.g., Kyolic), Caprylic Acid, and Grapefruit seed extract. I don't take these too often, nor all at once. I take one of these every 2 hours and/or whenever I wake up. Too much too quickly causes die-off.

I take a broad spectrum of other supplements, including C, E, Selenium, Calcium & Magnesium, a multi-vitamin, a B-complex, plus B6, B12, and Biotin. Be careful not to take too much, since some of these can be toxic in high doses. B12 and Biotin are considered essentially non-toxic in oral doses according to my literature. Selenium I take 300 mg per day. The multi-vitamin and B-complex as directed. Calcium and Magnesium with Vitamin D up to the daily recommended allowance. Zinc no more than 100 mg daily from all sources, preferably only 50 to be sure. I also use an amino-acid complex, since I'm currently barely eating (amino acids are the stuff of protein, which you need). I also take fairly high doses of flax seed oil, which provides healthy oil (essential fatty acids, or EFAs). Fish oil also works. FYI, Cod Liver Oil (a staple of the previous generation) has natural anti-fungal properties, which is why this is a modern disease. Skip the oil supplements and take the oil on salad or by spoon, otherwise you won't get enough. Don't use flax seed oil for cooking. It has excellent anti-inflammatory properties, but only when raw. Use grapeseed oil if you plan to cook vegetables. It withstands heat better. For energy, I take Coenzyme Q10. For back pain, I also take Milk Thistle (liver). Also cranberry extract for the bladder and kidney. NAC several times a day (a precursor to the amino acid Glutathione, which you don't want to take in very high doses except in its precursor form). Follow labels or do some research on safe high doses of all of these supplements. I recommend you check more than one resource to avoid potentially dangerous mistakes. Try to stay with veggie caps rather than tablets as they are easier to swallow and digest. Vitamin C is also available in powder form (e.g., as ascorbic acid) if you can stand the sour tase; beware damage to tooth enamel, unless you make your own pills with empty veggie caps. FYI, for those few of us who suffer from kidney stones, stay away from calcium ascorbate (buffered Vitamin C) as it can lead to calcium stones in high doses. Vitamin C I take up to 5 grams per day. Also gingo biloba and ginseng.

I used to think I had a citric acid allergy. Actually, I've learned that it's a symptom of die-off. Lemon juice in my salad (along with flax seed oil and salt) causes severe die-off, including back pain, so I plan to cut back for now. Instead, you can cook vegetables in grapeseed oil and/or leave out the lemon in your salad with flax seed oil. Be sure to get plenty of the latter for its EFAs.

You also need a good fiber (e.g., psyllium seed husks and/or flax seeds) to move toxins out of your colon. Lots of distilled water for the supplements and to flush your system.

For pain relief, I use up to 2000 mg of Tylenol per day. Higher doses may lead to liver problems in the long run. Anti-inflammatory medication in fairly low doses (e.g., 200 mg of Celebrex or maybe 1000-2000 mg of Aspirin). Beware these drugs can cause heart attack or stroke and/or lead to ulcers/bleeding if taken too long and/or in high doses. My own experience is that high doses cause die-off, which is probably what kills those who are predisposed to heart attack or stroke (i.e. tissues swell causing arteries to shut or burst). If your pain is severe, you may want to ask your doctor for a referral to a pain specialist. Neither will probably believe you have candida, but chronic pain needs treatment. Beware addiction from narcotics. I'm probably going to have a b*tch of a time reducing my pain patches. I also used to take oxycodone with the patches, but don't need the oxycodone as much anymore. You can also get some pain relief from healthy doses of flax seed oil (EFAs are natural anti-inflammatory supplements).

Finally, I own several bio-medici devices from a Canadian company called
http://www.biotransmed.net.
These are magnetic field therapy. They ship to the U.S. as para Science test units. I used these for years before my health went to hell and they work for pain relief, inflammation, and other symptoms. I believe the reason they work is that the Schumann Waves they produce are probably toxic to candida. Beware that using this too often or too long can cause die-off.

I'll add more when/if my program evolves. I hope this helps someone avoid some of the worst symptoms and hospitalizations that I experienced. I don't recommend the Water Fast I'm on because it can lead to uric acid kidney stones and/or gout and severe die-off. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice. However, eventually you may want to try a green juice fast or even a Water Fast after you have more of your symptoms under control. Fasting for several days (e.g. 5) cuts off carbs to the candida, killing them.

CAUTION: Everyone is different and every candida infection is different. Some people get severe emotional, neurological, or physical symptoms. Too much die-off too quickly can cause a heart attack or stroke, so you have to be careful. You might want to consider buying the book The Yeast Connection Handbook or a similar book. The original Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough includes a detailed self test for candida. If you want a simple test, take 2-3 megadophilus supplements on an empty stomach. If your symptoms grow worse, especially abdominal, then you almost certainly have candida. If you don't experience a reaction, try up to 6 megadophilus supplements on an empty stomach. If you still don't experience anything, then you may not have candida. Be sure it's a good brand, otherwise the dosage will be too low. The Yeast Connection Handbook includes Appendix A which is a special message for physicians. However, rather than try to sway an unsympathetic mainstream doctor, you may want to try to find an alternative or wholistic practitioner (e.g., a doctor of osteopathy or D.O. might be open to this). Check out
http://www.acam.org
for a doctor near your zip code.

Good luck!
Dirk
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