Re: candida is ruining my life!!

Hi Littlepaw!

I'm glad you wrote to seek the support you need right now. Yes, you absolutely can feel better and reach the point where you no longer care about sugar. I did! I agree with Alex that you should not put too much weight on a gynecologist's opinion. Candida is not part of their training or specialty.

Besides the probiotic you mentioned taking, you absolutely have to take an antifungal to get that candida out of there. Once there is a "critical mass" of candida present, the toxins they give off kill those probiotics you are taking and prevent you from reestablishing the flora you need. Try making that a part of your plan.

Detox. Check out the forum- there are various ways to do that. The toxins are what make you feel ill. Get them out.

In the meantime, please consider trying these things. If this is an important goal for you, you need to tell your therapist that and ask for help with that goal. Most therapists will not realize that the Sugar makes you feel that ill. The "alcohol vs. sugar" portrayal is a false choice. You do not need either.

Then, please seek out a stress reduction group. There are things you can be doing immediately to lower your stress level that do not involve sweets. Perhaps you will find one in your area that may work for you. I recommend "mindfulness stress reduction," yoga, or another meditative program. These will all help you tune into your body more closely, and you will need that ability in order to get well. Treating candida is an individual process that takes some trial and error, with close attention to effects. This may very well serve as your candida support group. If it does not work out, get as close as you can (maybe a yoga video you do religiously). This is not as preferable because you are seeking a group.

Finally, clean the junk out of your house so you do not fall prey to quick temptation. Replace, if you like, with a little bit of sugar-free "legal" items. Supplement your diet with chromium picolinate. It will help to stablize your blood sugar. Eliminate caffeine, it will give you Sugar "highs" and "lows." When you eat, consume your form of protein first- that will also help prevent Sugar highs and lows.

If you have not already done so, eliminate vinegar from your diet- it also kills probiotics. Yes- no ketsup (use thinned tomato paste) and make your own mayonnaise. No pickles, etc. Also, absolutely NO FORMS OF MALT. Be careful- many sugar-free items have malt in them, which is worse than sugar. It is the favorite food of yeast. Malt may be labeled as maltodextrin (your bag of Splenda is loaded with that), barley malt, malted barley flour (your bag of flour is likely loaded with that), or some other form of malt. Nearly every loaf of bread has malt in it. I spent hours reading the fine print on every label- only Natural Ovens made some breads without malt, and only a couple types were malt-free.

Then, consider establishing these "rules" for yourself. Before you may have any sweet, including those sugar-free ones, first you must:
1. move for 1/2 hour, in a way that prevents eating at the same time. Get out of the house and walk, or clean vigorously, or ride an exercise bike. All the while, visualize yourself as you were when you were losing that 5 pounds you mentioned.
2. drink at least 16 oz. of water.
3. if you are still tempted, write down 3 ways in which your life will improve when you are not hooked on sugar or suffering from candida.
4. try having 4 oz. of juice. If possible, mix in 1/4 teaspoon of glucosamine. This may very well eliminate the sugar craving.
As an alternative, try Emer'gen-C for a quick vitamin boost. They do make a couple flavors.

You CAN do this. It's a long post, I know, but you really seem to be struggling and I'm not sure what you've already tried. I hope that you will find it helpful. You have kicked sugar before! Remind yourself of that!

Take care, and keep posting!

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Hi Littlepaw!

I'm glad you wrote to seek the support you need right now. Yes, you absolutely can feel better and reach the point where you no longer care about sugar. I did! I agree with Alex that you should not put too much weight on a gynecologist's opinion. Candida is not part of their training or specialty.

Besides the probiotic you mentioned taking, you absolutely have to take an antifungal to get that candida out of there. Once there is a "critical mass" of candida present, the toxins they give off kill those probiotics you are taking and prevent you from reestablishing the flora you need. Try making that a part of your plan.

Detox. Check out the forum- there are various ways to do that. The toxins are what make you feel ill. Get them out.

In the meantime, please consider trying these things. If this is an important goal for you, you need to tell your therapist that and ask for help with that goal. Most therapists will not realize that the sugar makes you feel that ill. The "alcohol vs. sugar" portrayal is a false choice. You do not need either.

Then, please seek out a stress reduction group. There are things you can be doing immediately to lower your stress level that do not involve sweets. Perhaps you will find one in your area that may work for you. I recommend "mindfulness stress reduction," yoga, or another meditative program. These will all help you tune into your body more closely, and you will need that ability in order to get well. Treating candida is an individual process that takes some trial and error, with close attention to effects. This may very well serve as your candida support group. If it does not work out, get as close as you can (maybe a yoga video you do religiously). This is not as preferable because you are seeking a group.

Finally, clean the junk out of your house so you do not fall prey to quick temptation. Replace, if you like, with a little bit of sugar-free "legal" items. Supplement your diet with chromium picolinate. It will help to stablize your blood sugar. Eliminate caffeine, it will give you sugar "highs" and "lows." When you eat, consume your form of protein first- that will also help prevent sugar highs and lows.

If you have not already done so, eliminate vinegar from your diet- it also kills probiotics. Yes- no ketsup (use thinned tomato paste) and make your own mayonnaise. No pickles, etc. Also, absolutely NO FORMS OF MALT. Be careful- many sugar-free items have malt in them, which is worse than sugar. It is the favorite food of yeast. Malt may be labeled as maltodextrin (your bag of Splenda is loaded with that), barley malt, malted barley flour (your bag of flour is likely loaded with that), or some other form of malt. Nearly every loaf of bread has malt in it. I spent hours reading the fine print on every label- only Natural Ovens made some breads without malt, and only a couple types were malt-free.

Then, consider establishing these "rules" for yourself. Before you may have any sweet, including those sugar-free ones, first you must:
1. move for 1/2 hour, in a way that prevents eating at the same time. Get out of the house and walk, or clean vigorously, or ride an exercise bike. All the while, visualize yourself as you were when you were losing that 5 pounds you mentioned.
2. drink at least 16 oz. of water.
3. if you are still tempted, write down 3 ways in which your life will improve when you are not hooked on sugar or suffering from candida.
4. try having 4 oz. of juice. If possible, mix in 1/4 teaspoon of glucosamine. This may very well eliminate the sugar craving.
As an alternative, try Emer'gen-C for a quick vitamin boost. They do make a couple flavors that include glucosamine, which may be helpful in your case.

You CAN do this. It's a long post, I know, but you really seem to be struggling and I'm not sure what you've already tried. I hope that you will find it helpful. You have kicked sugar before! Remind yourself of that!

Take care, and keep posting!