What to do about Candida when shifting to a conscious diet?

Greetings!

I'm seeking input about how to eliminate Candida . I've had health challenges since I was child so have taken many antibiotics over the years from an early age. That and stress, in general, have undermined the natural bacteria in my digestive system and have led to Candida overgrowth in my gut, which seems to be worsening at this point in time. My psoriasis, which is linked to Candida, is flaring up more than ever. I've decided to tackle eliminating Candida, but I'm unsure about how best to do this. I've been reading about various diets to combat it, but they suggest eliminating too many of my food sources given that I am a vegan i.e. no chick peas, legumes, potatoes, rice, fruit, starchy vegetables such as beets etc. Exercise is an important strategy, but I am somewhat limited in that regard since I have a physical disability. I welcome suggestions! Thank you. Thank you!

Catherine

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Open!

I appreciate the support, love, and hugs and the reminder to bypass the soft option and take responsibility for my progressive transformation without beating myself up when I fall down. I continue to release eons of religious programming around the whipping/sackcloth/ashes thing.

It's been challenging to hold my ground since my naturopath, like many naturopaths (despite the misleading title), is not vegan and is clearly biased towards products such as whey powder, which I have continually refused in favour of hemp powder. When I began to carefully read the labels on the supplements he provided, I noted "bone marrow" was listed on one product. Pitfalls abound in this messed up world that supports the enslavement and abuse of animals. I fell into a sea of panic when heavy metal toxicity recently came to light, feeling the temptation to cave into "expert" opinion about the health benefits of animal protein to minimize symptoms. My inner conflict was so intense, it felt like I was losing my soul and making a pact with the devil. Since posting here and receiving support and feedback, I have re-calibrated to stand and hold in the higher truth my soul naturally aligns with: to continue eating compassionately out of love and respect for all sentient life.

I appreciate all the helpful suggestions from everyone, many of which I'm into already. Others, I will look into.

x Cathy

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Hey Cathy,

We're all there with you. It's not always easy switching - this sapiens body has been hybridised to accept animal protein and in many cases crave it. So the soul may feel that and it can often conflict with the higher truth.

Awareness is always the key to the transformation. You feel into the conflict and don't retreat from it, work not to take the soft option if you can. But then don't beat yourself up if you can't. You're not to blame. It is not your fault... but the transformation is your responsibility.

So work progressively.

Big hug

Open *OK*

PS - heavy metals can be removed well with Bentonite Clay and Liquid zeolite. Lots of green vegetable juices will also help.

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Trinity, Ben, and Tigger:

I'm so grateful for your input. It feels as though I've been lost in a sea of fear, and a lifeline has been thrown my way. I haven't yet had time to digest and contemplate all the insights, info, and suggestions provided, but I look forward to doing so. Once again, I feel re-centered about continuing with my vegan diet.

Trinity, you got that right: this 'being human' malarky is surely not easy. I've been feeling like such a misfit lately. What brought me here to share about all of this was asking Divine Benevolence, "Show me." Connecting here with all of you revitalizes my heart and soul.

Trinity, I'm happy to see from the many posts to your article that you're not alone with your commitment and dedication to compassionate eating. You continue to inspire me and many others.

Mucho Gracias y'all for your kindness and support!

x Cathy

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Cathy, I appreciate the challenges that you so authentically present. We cannot underestimate the environmental toxins and the decades of their use. There has been some very interesting research on the tight junctions of the GI tract. These tight junctions prevent toxins from permeating the intestinal tract and leaching into the blood stream. However, foods like modern day wheat, glyphosate (Roundup) residue among others cause the body to produce a substance called Zonulin, a protein, that signals the tight junctions to open. Now you have the blood stream flooded with toxins that the tight junctions would have closed off. These toxins can include Candida yeasts, gluten, as well as heavy metals, herbicide residue, and pathogenic bacteria.

Both Peter and I have noticed over time that our GI tracts just weren't functioning optimally. For myself there were times when I would swallow food and get an immediate burn in my gut, lasting only a few seconds, but incredibly uncomfortable. Peter would get real digestive pains, heartburn. We started looking for causes: was it the conventional strawberries we bought when organic was not available? Did we not cook the beans enough? We made peppermint tea from our mint, drank aloe juice, took probiotics, juiced every day (thank you Trinity), and while there was improvement, the problem wasn't fixed. We fasted, focused only on eating alkaline foods, but I could still feel something needed to be healed in my gut.

The mirror for all of this was the horses: so many are experiencing leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome.

I stumbled on this research on tight junctions and the lightbulb went off. Down the rabbit hole I went and found lignite extract. Lignite is peat with a high carbon content. A very interesting study showed that it closes the tight junctions.

For three weeks Peter and I have been taking Lignite extract. Finally for the first time in several years there is no burn in my gut when I take my first bites of food. Peter's heartburn is gone. My gut feels totally different, and our elimination is different. We both commented this morning that we feel lighter energetically, because I think the daily toxins like chem trails, glyphosate, car exhaust can't permeate our gut mucosa anymore.

We had some lettuce from our garden last night and I told Peter to just shake off the dirt, don't wash the leaves, as more and more we have to get the soil based micro organisms back into our gut.

I know you have battled Candida for some time, and I wonder whether restoring the health of the tight junctions may be of some help.

love, tigger

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I think one of the issues with transitioning to a vegan diet at least for some people is that in order to feel satiated people tend to eat more refined carb rich foods that arent necessarily balanced, than previously. e.g. eating lots of 'refined' carbs and sweet foods which might cause sugar spikes or imbalances. Its understandable because you're looking for enough fuel and those sources are readily available and tasty.
So it might be worth looking at that? Perhaps a tranistion is to a more whol-istic diet - are you eating enough complex carbs (e.g. whole grain products, seeds, veggies)? and fats etc.
I wonder how useful avoiding things like quinoa etc is, if you are already restricting your diet - I think so long as they're rinsed and cooked should be fine. but I think like Trinity said its feeling what's right individually. I think its possible, but a question of 'asking' intuitively.

Some people also find blue green algae's really useful for the detox. and good quality supplements.
I found it takes some time to transition, for some people years to rebalance, so it might be a more gradual process.

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It's been awhile since I posted here about my progress with Candida overgrowth. It's been a hugely challenging journey for the past few years. And more complex than I initially understood. It seems that in addition to too much candida, I likely have heavy metal toxicity and possibly molds. I have been seeing a naturopath since last November to get expert help with this and with other health issues. A month ago, I embarked on a toxin-free diet to eliminate molds, candida overgrowth, and heavy metals from my body (talk about being mired in 3D density!). Being vegan, this translated to very few food choices, especially protein, since the diet doesn't allow for any seeds except pumpkin and sesame (no quinoa, millet, chia, hemp since they're susceptible to molds) and no grains including rice, no complex carbohydrates including all legumes, limited vegetables, and no fruit except one green apple a day, and no alcohol. I read recently that it's hard for vegans to eliminate heavy metals due to lack of complete proteins (apparently heavy metals will bind to amino acids in complete protein to eliminate through the gastro-intestinal system), so I recently added fish and eggs to my diet several days a week. My symptoms with candida and heavy metal toxicity began when I transitioned to eating a vegan diet two years ago. I am conflicted and torn apart about eating fish and eggs since I have a strong desire to eat compassionately out of respect for all sentient life. However, having added these protein sources to my diet, my symptoms are improving (skin rash better, elimination of heavy metals through the skin decreasing and increasing through the G.I. system). If anyone out there has had experience with what I'm going through, I would appreciate hearing from you. I'm feeling overwhelmed with all of this right now.

What prompted me to share about this now (hard for me to go public with this) is Trinity's recent article on compassionate, vegan eating. I resonate strongly with what she says, but I'm feeling lost about ways to improve my health if I continue to follow a strictly vegan diet.

Thank you.

Cathy

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Dear Catherine,
I really hope it'll help. I'll send you a some good vibes, too.
All the best,
Helen

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Hi Helen,

Thank you so much for the information on Neem oil. I will check into it. I am in my third month of a Candida diet, but it may take longer than three months to achieve a healthy balance, I'm feeling. My face rash is persisting. But I've also discovered that I've developed a hyper-sensitivity to any and all cosmetic products even those that are organize and vegan. I've tried a number of different products, but they all seem to flare up my rash which my doctor says is adult acne, commonly called Rosacea. This restrictive diet is a tough slog. No favourite foods and no wine! To alleviate the intensity of denial, I have allowed myself to indulge in "forbidden" foods on a very few occasions (if only forbidden translated to apple), and I immediately experienced an uptake of Candida. So I greatly appreciate your suggestion, Helen.

I would like to add a clarification here from a previous post on this thread. I mentioned that my chiropractor had recommended grape seed extract, which was incorrect. He actually recommended grapefruit seed extract. As soon I started taking this, I could feel the power behind its Candida killing properties.

One day!

Wishing everyone well out there who may be re-balancing their Candida.

x Catherine

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Hi Catherine and all,

I have recently discovered Neem oil, which is won from another miraculous tree like Moringa. The Neem tree originates from India and various parts, but especially the oil, is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as well as in agriculture as fungicide and insecticide. It is said to be a cure for candida. There is plenty of information on the web.

Maybe this comes too late, as I hope you are now candida-free. But it's still very interesting. Wonderful as a biological mosquito repellant, it smells quite strong, though.

Love,
Helen

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Hi Tigger,

Thanks for your encouragement with my Candida regimen and for your suggestions on how to get down and dirty. I'm out in nature quite a bit, so I do have the opportunity to sink my feet into sandy beaches, hug trees, and pick some grass to throw over my head! However, I'm past the days for a good roll in the hay (innocently meant!). I prefer to imagine myself as a gorgeous purple flower with deep roots in the earth rather than a carrot haha!

Virginia soil received etherically! Merci beaucoup.

I read your post about the freaky storm. There are numerous forest fires burning in British Columbia and across Canada right now. Today, we have a smoky apocalyptic haze covering Victoria. The first time ever here. Yikes!

xxx Catherine

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Catherine, hang in there!

When I need to ground myself, I head for dirt...the micro biome isn't just in our GI tracts, it is our skin as well. I get dirty! Not filthy disgusting dirty, just barefoot, digging in the soil, hugging trees, rolling in the grass with dogs, or sitting on moss covered stones in the creek. I am such a literal being that "grounding" to me is to be in contact with the earth.

Sometimes I just imagine that I am a carrot, and my legs are deep into the earth, up to my waist. Just must be on the lookout for bunnies :-)

Sending you some etherial Virginia farm soil!

tigger

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It's been several weeks now since I began my diet to bring Candida into balance in my body. There are days when I feel absolutely crappy. The strict, dietary regime is requiring every ounce of discipline that I can muster up. I've never eaten so many veggies in all my life. I thought I saw green leafy shoots growing out of my ears the other day!

I checked into purchasing Prescript-Assist, a soil-based probiotic, at my local health food stores but came up empty. I was misinformed by a sales rep at one establishment who mistakenly advised that soil based probiotics are not permissible in Canada. I was happy to discover that Yes Wellness in Vancouver sells Prescript-Assist and also ships to any location in Canada. My order will arrive shortly. For those Canadians who may be interested, here is the link to their website:

http://www.yeswellness.com

Open and Ariel, I appreciate the info on soil probiotics. I'm feeling that a soil probiotic will help me to become more grounded. I was talking to my daughter's friend over dinner recently. Throughout the evening, she would begin sentences but would then trail off, space out, and lose the conversation thread. It felt like she was out of body, floating in the ether. It was a timely mirror for me since my daughter tells me that I often do this, as well, which apparently requires a good deal of patience on her part when talking to me! It's time to come down to earth!

xxx Catherine

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Greetings Sandra ;)

Thanks so much for sharing your Candida experiences here and how you're dealing with it. I'm sure it's a great inspiration to many.

With blessings

Open

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And I have been a great admirer of yiurs, Catherine,since I first began reading your entries on this Openhand community, and saw you in the Victoria retreat 2015 photos and pictures. I do hope we continue to become close sisters and communicate as often as possible.

Lots of love...

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Hi Sandra,

How lovely to read that your power animal is a beautiful black stallion and that you are connecting to Crazy Horse who is one of your ancestors! How awesome is that?! I'm happy to hear my comments about Crazy Horse resonate with you. It's such a help to tune into his courageous warrior spirit at times like these!

Thanks for sharing more of your journey about your Candida diet. I'm eating chia everyday which has a lot of protein. I eat quinoa as well every few days which has lots of protein, too. And I've added a bit of tofu, as well, in small amounts. The diet certainly requires a powerful will doesn't it!? And the willingness to feel crappy for a while. But like you, I'm focusing on the benefits to inspire me to stay the path: enhanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wholeness. This dialogue is indeed wonderful and is a great support for those dealing with Candida overgrowth. You indicate that over 70% of people have a yeast infection. That's absolutely mind blowing. Perhaps this Openhand thread will inspire others to take the plunge so to speak. It's great that we can chat about our experiences, Sandra, as we go the distance together.

xxx Catherine

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Loved your comment about Crazy Horse spirit, Catherine. He is an ancestor of mine and I never have accessed his spirit, oddly enough. As soon as i read yiur post....there he was! Im sure he hss been there all along. What a heroic soul he was/is...a humble warrior spirit always. Btw, my animal sign, given to me only a few weeks ago...perhaps by him....is an untamed, unharnessed, unbroken, totally free and beautiful black stallion. I have drempt of this horse since i was a child...

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This is particularly directed to Catherine....i too am a vegan, which means i pared my diet down to very little, especially during the detox week. Not many options available. I did break one vegan practice and have eaten 2 organic eggs in a veggie omlet since Day 1 in order to have some protein. I have also followed Eat Right for Your Blood Type for years...i am Type A which works well with vegetarian/vegan and is already a pretty stringent vegetable-based dietary plan. So paring down even further for a week ( and i have extended that with the the addion of nuts and quinua) was not difficult.Drinking the detox drink was the real challenge and i ended up cutting back on the amount daily ingested. I also had an immediate Candida die-off which is not pleasant...lasted about 3 days. I also slept a lot and read Openhand daily many times to keep my Soul strong. My yoga practice was not possible for the detox week plus a few days. It is fully back now and i am adding daily walks up and down the bluffs of KC to enjoy abd inhale the newly released body from the toxins and build new strwnghtand endurance. I also am happy to report an expanded Soul capability, which intuitively i knew must be a result of all this...IT IS!

Over 70% of humanity has yeast infestation. I am happy to see this dialogue going on at Openhand. Where else would such awakening occur??

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Hey Catherine, I can't take any credit for the conjuring of Bear Heart: that came through from The Ancestors :-)

I will hold your paw, and you can hold mine.

tigger

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Tigger!

Thank you for conjuring up "Bear Heart" for me! It sits well with me and feels ever so lovely! We make a great duo, you and I: Spirit Paws and Bear Heart. :)

xxx Catherine

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Sandra,

Thank you for sharing your Candida experience and for the info. Much appreciated. So we're in this together at this point in time! We can cheer each other on! I will check out the diet you recommend. Yes, I ,too, am feeling that ridding toxins from our bodies helps us to infuse soul into our bodyminds. As Open says, it opens internal sensitivity so that we can access deeper levels of our karmic source pain in order to release it, creating space for the light of our souls to flow through. Wishing you well on your healing journey, Sandra.

xxx Catherine

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I returned to the States from living 3 years in Africa in 12/2013 with a lot of physical symptoms. One thing I knew was that I had a yeast infection. Doctors gave me a tablet, ran diagnostics and came up with nothing. About 4 weeks ago, I began to research candida and found many symptoms which I had. I found a program called ''The Ultimate Candida Diet'' which I have now been on for 3 weeks. It is a 60-90 day program and is all natural. I have recently added the anti-fungals and have increased the dosage. However, my diet...consisting of all greens and not ALL greens...is still in place by my choice. I can begin to add other foods and have added nuts and about 3 tablespoons of quinoa per day. No fruits at all. I recommend you look at this plan. Frankly, I would rather be on something like this...dietary change with time enough to actually implement the changes on a permanent basis....than I would doctors prescriptions. Most of them really don't recognize Candida symptoms. Joint pain is ''arthritic'' rather than a classic symptom of Candida, etc. Anyway, check it out.

BTW, I have dropped quite a bit of weight. Couldn't tell you how much since I threw away my scales years ago and refuse to purchase a new one. Much of it dropped the first 2 weeks. Now the weight loss is slower.

All this, I truly believe, is preparing us for a healthier lifestyle in these last days, and ridding the body of toxins just as we are ridding the soul of them. In the end, it is an elevated being that we are each becoming.

Namaste

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I'm a real gratitude bear these days. Thank you, Open and Fiona for your encouragement. :)

xxx Catherine

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This is fantastic Catherine.

It will likely be the softness of the divine feminine that will take you into this. And the cleansing will open internal sensitivity so you can access deeper karmic source pain. And breaking through this unleashes unimaginable expansions. That's when our psychic gifts become 'interstellar'!

Open *OK*

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Great additional info! Thanks, everyone! Ariel and Open, I feel a resonance with taking an earth biotic and will check into it at my local health food store. My digestive system has suffered assaults since I was a child, so this may help significantly. I saw my chiropractor yesterday who is a shamanic healer. He uses body/mind/spirit healing methods similar to the Openhand approach, which I shared in a previous post, so he is a treasure. We talked about Candida and what to do about it. He has done Candida cleanses himself and suggests the addition of grape seed extract and that very small amounts are effective. Also improves circulation and is a powerful anti-oxidant. I continue with my Candida diet. I tried millet for the first time today and quite enjoy it. I continue with green smoothies each day with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, hemp and various seeds, and I'm eating lots of "approved" veggies. Also nuts: almonds, brazil, and walnuts. I love soups, so I'm making these everyday. Yesterday it was broccoli. Today it's asparagus soup, which is particularly yummy. It was a surprise to find that I had lost 5 pounds in just a few days. Perhaps when the body gets what it truly needs and comes into balance, weight normalizes. Yet to be seen! Weight has been an issue for me since my early 40's. I am feeling drained of energy later in the days, so I'm resting more often. I so appreciate all the amazing posts and the support! Onwards.

xxx Catherine

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Fascinating you should mention an earth based probiotic Ariel. Acidophilus which I mentioned is a 'lactic acid' based probiotic. Which, as I understand, most are. The problem with these are that they tend to break down in the gut, so their effect is only partial.

Consuming small quantities of earth is actually (of course) quite natural. We used to do that anyway in our daily diet - before the standard human diet became horribly distorted. I've always been encouraged not to scrub all the soil of my veg providing that is, it is organic, and a trustworthy, ethical source.

If you don't have a clear source that you can trust, you could explore the possibility of this recommended earth biotic "Prescript-Assist" ...
http://www.candidastore.com/prescript-assist-60.html
(I can't personally vouch for it, but it does come well recommended).

Just before I wrote this, a lovely synchronicity came to me: I was clearing a wood pile at the bottom of our garden which exposed a fair few worms and slugs. I took a rest for a while, during which, a friendly blackbird I know, came to join me to feast on the worms I'd uncovered. I wondered if it would also try the slugs? Knowing that it would be difficult to digest the slime on its skin. At which point (it was like I had a telepathic connection to the bird), it picked up a slug and then began to wipe it with soil! It did this for about 5 minutes before consuming it. It seemed to confirm for me the value of earth based probiotics!

But only of course if you can trust the soil and the source!

Open

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Just adding a tid bit to Opens post...With the extensive imbalance that I was suffering with I could not consume the typical "good bacteria" I had to purchase "soil based bacteria" that comes straight from MOTHER EARTH. This was and still is the only "good bacteria" that my severely damaged tummy can handle. The bad and good bacteria cannot feed off of this type of organism and thus does not feed the imbalance. I find that this is something most do not consider so just in case there are those who are like me and have the persistent not giving in easily candida overgrowth, this knowledge will be of great benefit to you. :)

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This is a book that I found most helpful when I first began researching my Candida diagnosis in 2004:

Candida Albicans: Could Yeast Be Your Problem?
Leon Chaitow D.O. N.D

Alex

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This is becoming quite an exploration into Candida, so I felt to add some important background (for those new to the thread, you will find some great feedback and sharings above).

What is Candida?
It's a fungus, that is a form of yeast, which naturally exists in the gut and in small quantities the mouth. It aids in digestion and nutrient absorption. However, due to the typical unhealthy lifestyles people live, it gets out of control, can break down the walls of the intestine and cause many digestive and health problems including leaky gut. When out of control, it can lead to severe tiredness, depression, and strong sweet food cravings. I believe a lot of people on a regular diet probably have it to varying degrees.

How do you get candida overgrowth?
Here are the typical causes:

    - Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar (which feed the yeast)
    - Consuming a lot of alcohol
    - Taking oral contraceptives
    - Living a high-stress lifestyle
    - Taking antibiotics that kill off too much friendly bacteria
    - Eating a diet that is too high in beneficial fermented foods like Kombucha, sauerkraut and pickles (While fermented foods are great for your "good" bacteria, unfortunately, the "bad" bacteria also feed off these foods)

Here are 10 common candida symptoms

    - Skin and nail fungal infections (such as athlete’s foot or toenail fungus)
    - Feeling tired and worn down or suffering from chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
    - Digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea (and including mouth ulcers)
    - Autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis
    - Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lack of focus, ADD, ADHD and brain fog
    - Skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, hives, and rashes
    - Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression
    - Vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, rectal itching or vaginal itching
    - Severe seasonal allergies or itchy ears
    - Strong sugar and refined carbohydrate cravings

The Good News!
The good news is that you can overcome it by moving to a healthy plant based diet. Although in the beginning, if you notice these kinds of symptoms, it is most advisable to take some of the other precautions spoken of in this thread:

    - cutting out refined sugar
    - cutting down on fruit (some suggest cutting it out completely, but I've found greatly reducing it is sufficient. Be wary of fermenting fruits like peaches, plums, mangoes, papayas, strawberries and melons. Although when cured, eating them on their own will be fine)
    - cut out alcohol, yeast and mushrooms
    - reduce carbohydrates (like potatoes)
    - use coconut oil to break down carbohydrates
    - use diluted apple cider vinegar to break down candida
    - daily use of garlic
    - build friendly microbiotics (using for example Acidophilus)

(with regards the last point, I know Kombucha is becoming quite popular to build friendly biotics, but my own intuition has told me that over use is not a good thing, for the reasons outlined above).

I found this website quite useful...Mindbodygreen

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Hi Ariel,

I so appreciate you sharing your journey with me about reducing Candida to a balanced level. And for the info. I take apple cider regularly but was feeling unsure if I should continue since some Candida diets suggest eliminating it, as well. I will continue to take it daily. It is wonderful to hear about your success and courage to go the distance and to continue to stand and hold in terms of what you consume. So inspiring. I know this isn't going to easy, so your words of encouragement mean so much to me. Thank you for reaching out!

xxx Catherine

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Hi Ariel,

Great advice - I often take a sip of watered apple cider vinegar before eating. It helps bring digestive balance.

Open :-)

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Hi Catherine!

My journey started with a Candida overgrowth roughly 6 years ago. It was the overgrowth that initially sent me on my holistic organic cleansing of the body and conscious lifestyle. It took me many attempts to finally overcome persistent parasite. If you need a tried and true method, I am your girl Catherine. :)I used a completely all natural approach which required no doctor's assistance or guidance as it was all limiting consumption of certain food groups while increasing others, daily fresh organic garlic from my own garden, an apple cider vinegar and water solution, papaya enzymes (to help break down the carbs), and daily coconut oil consumption. I've been completely candida symptom free for a couple of years now. Its true that you can't ever fully eliminate candida as it is crucial in maintaining a proper microbiome balance within your intestines however, the key is finding the right balance for your body. I can no longer consume alcohol or refined sugar however seeing as I don't like feeling awful as result of consuming these items, I am now in a place where its not a problem for me. I've won this battle and if you apply your warrior spirit to this adventure you will too. I don't know you but I've read a lot of your posts and see that the spirit and will to succeed are strong within you. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! With love and encouragement to take the step towards healing....Ariel-

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Open, Tigger, Alex!

Thank you so much for all the incredible info and for your perspectives. I am deeply grateful for your support. I'm going to feel my way through this and what feels right for me at each step of the way. And go from there.

These past few days I have been feeling into why Candida has become more of an urgent issue for me at present that is calling out to be addressed. And I have been feeling into the reasons around my daily behaviours and why I consume what I do. So your most recent post truly resonates, Open. Overall, I'm feeling that I've been consuming to avoid confronting my source pain. I'm beginning to get into this now with Kim during our facilitation coaching sessions. What my source pain is and feeling deeply into it in order to let it go. Our most recent session was very enlightening and transformative. The rabbit hole beckons for me to go deeper and deeper. It all fits that I'm prepared to rise to the challenge of letting the comforts go at a time when I'm committing to fully embrace my source pain in order to transcend it. It seems that at every turn these days, the mirror is presenting significant challenges. Yesterday, I was day dreaming a lot and was wishing life could be easier. This morning I woke up and felt the warrior energy of Crazy Horse around me. He has inspired me before during times of hardship (Tigger, thanks for tuning me into him again). I was thinking about how we die to our old selves continually every time we confront our pain and let go of our attachments and walk into the light. The ultimate freedom is choosing to follow our soul's pull even if it means death. This quote from Crazy Horse as he was preparing to go into battle popped into my mind this morning:

"Hokahey. It's a good day to die."

xxx Catherine

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My goodness, the way Open describes the opportunities inherent in candida, going deeply into internal sensitivity - it becomes sexy and glamorous, a beautiful blessing!
Perspective is awesome.
Thank you Catherine, and thank you Open.

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Some great information here. However, I certainly don't agree that it's not something to be approached without professional help - sure, if it's available, but if not, let's not be put off. You could see candida as a gift actually. Why? Because in order to cure it, a person will have to go into their daily behaviours, what they consume and why? It's going to push many buttons and will cause a direct confrontation of the matrix within.

We can talk about being spiritual warriors - well here's where it's really at - when you have to face something like this. It's not sexy or glamorous like yoga etc. But in order to get deep into internal sensitivity, that one may approach transfiguration, you've got to cleanse your consciousness deeply. Otherwise you're not going to get into the source pain which holds people back. Source pain is deeper than the intellect and emotional densities; it often begins as a mere subtle vibration that can easily be missed.

So cleansing from candida, in a similar way to mucoid plaque, is going to push many buttons and challenge deeply, but each step will be a step along the path.

Open *OK*

In reply to by Open

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You are absolutely right,Open. That is exactly what is happening to me as i move deeper into the longevity of this particular program... a total of 90 days, which will conclude the end of August. Spontaneously, the root causes of my binge eating have began to surface. Many manifestations in this lifetime are carryovers from past lives and I have been having some painful flashbacks into scenarios I have never had before. Also, because I find empath tendencies developing within me, I am experiencing the eating disorders and the starvation of other people at this time on the planet....some of which is nutrient starvation as gmo's, pesticides, poor water and air qualitiy rob what food the general population does have..some in abundance....of nutritional benefits.

All quite intense, expansive, beyond my little selfhood, growing me into a Divinicus Self of unity and oneness with all form and non-form.

Last evening I downloaded and watched a documentary called "Moldy"...sigh...another blight plaguing so many which is unrecognized by the majority of the medical community. What a mess...and such suffering as a result!

One can quickly become overwhelmed at such revelations. All I can do is surrender and be sure that my inner Soul remains strong and vibrant. Thank you all for helping with that. It is not what we "do" that makes the difference so much as what we "BE" that impacts the planet's conciousness. The "doing" will flow from that space if we are fully surrendered to the process....at least that is what i am discovering on my journey now...

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Hi Catherine!

I was diagnosed with a Candida overgrowth in 2004, & did a strict Candida cleanse under the care of Dr. Harald Gaier, one of the leading experts on Candida for over 25 years & a very experienced & knowledgeable naturopath in the UK. He is a naturopathic doctor trained & registered in South Africa, but he's not a conventional medical (allopathic) doctor. His treatment quickly brought my Candida under control & removed the undesirable symptoms. Subsequently, I reverted to eating many of my favourite foods, including sugary foods, fruit, wheat & dairy, & eventually the Candida symptoms started to return. I did further Candida cleanses in 2007 & 2014, which have helped keep it in check.

In my opinion, Candida can be diffcult to treat on your own, as there are so many factors to consider, different types of Candida, & different treatment processes according to the severity of your condition. Therefore my first suggestion to anyone with moderate or severe Candida symptoms would be to find a suitably experienced & recommended naturopath or nutritionist, get a diagnosis or assessment of your condition from them, & then to follow their treatment programme, at least for a month or two.

As I understand it, a successful treatment programme for Candida must include at least these 3 aspects simultaneously:

1. An anti-fungal to kill the Candida yeast (bacteria) already in your system. I used the herb Berberine (Berberis Vulgaris) for 4 weeks.
2. High quality probiotics to replenish your gut with healthy bacteria.
3. An effective anti-Candida diet to deprive the Candida (which can't be completely eliminated) of its preferred foods, especially sugars of all kinds, gluten & dairy. I followed Dr Gaier's "Dysbiosis and Gut Fermentation Diet" strictly for about 4 weeks when I first did the cleanse in 2004, then gradually re-introduced the forbidden foods over a period of about 2 months. You can easily find this diet online by Googling "dr gaier candida".

As a caution, I need to add that if your Candida is severe and/or very long standing, it's wise not to be too aggressive in the initial treatment process, as you can experience yeast "die off" side effects, or the Candida may have already caused other damage to your digestive tract (eg leaky gut, food allergies). In such cases, it's particularly important to seek professional help & not to go it alone.

In my initial treatment in 2004, I was also diagnosed with a gastric juice dysfunction, & was prescribed digestive enzymes to take for a whole year (in gradually decreasing doses), to support my stomach in restoring it's normal function.

I hope that information is of some help.

Best wishes for your recovery.

Alex

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Sorry to be jumping into this with both feet...

The legumes and beans have a fairly high carbohydrate content, which yeasts love. Carbohydrates are not just starches they are also include dietary fiber. Yeasts are very good at digesting fiber as well as starch. The thing about candida imbalances is that once candida is not ruling the roost, so to speak, in the GI tract, a person can go back to eating higher carbohydrate foods like beans and potatoes and fruits. You are not going to have to give these foods up forever!

Candida is a part of the micro biome of the gut; it works with other yeasts in the digestive tract as part of the fermentation process of food digestion. When it becomes one of the more dominant micro organisms, then it causes problems. So by reducing the foods it loves (sugar and carbs) and with the help of coconut oil, candida can go back to being a member of the micro biome team, instead of trying to be the captain of the team :-)

Catherine, my suggestion is that you are probably going to want to listen to your intuition on miso. Many candida cleanses recommend not using it. Again, once you get candida under control, which can take a few days or a few weeks depending on your diet leading up to the imbalance, then you can return to eating foods like miso and legumes. If your diet is already pretty clean it should not take very long to re-gain gut balance.

tigger

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Pro-biotics are essential to the cure, but I've found that they only really work effectively, when you've cleansed any meat and diary biotics first. Or at least you can keep building them up, but they'll only re-establish when your system is clear.

Yes, yeast needs to be avoided, including mushrooms until you have it all properly realigned. However, I'm not sure where the advice came from to eliminate legumes and beans? I wasn't aware of that - something to check into.

Like you Fiona, I'm not convinced candida can necessarily be eliminated completely - but it can be greatly reduced and then managed. Basically if you have a strong desire for sweet treats all the time and find yourself craving refined sugar, then you've likely got a problem to deal with.

For anyone who seriously wants to restore their digestive system to a more original and aligned state, requires moving relatively quickly into purity - a plant based diet, free from refined sugars, wheat, gluten etc. Then I've found the body can deal with some degree of impurity - like alcohol, caffeine, sugar etc - providing its minimalised.

Open

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Hi Tigger,

I cook with coconut oil, but I will step it up and and ingest 1-2 tablespoons/day as you suggest. Interesting that I have been consuming too many "comfort" foods of late such as potatoes, rice, and pasta which have obviously spiked my Candida. I was feeling intuitively that it was time to cut these out and have begun to do so. I do eat a variety of legumes/beans for protein, so I will eliminate these, as well. I eat lots of quinoa so that's encouraging. I'll give millet a go. I've been eating lots of miso soup of late which is comprised of fermented soybeans. I'm not sure if I should eliminate that, as well, since it's an excellent probiotic. Looks like it's going to be pretty simple fare for a while! Thank you for all these suggestions, Tigger. Very helpful and much appreciated. xxx Catherine

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Hi Catherine,

Candida is a very irritating yeast when it gets out of hand...so sorry you are dealing with this.

Coconut oil is one of the best antagonists of Candida. Coconut oil has capric/caprillic acid which works as an anti fungal. Candida doesn't seem to build up resistance to coconut oil like some other anti fungals.

Probiotics are key players in the colonization of the GI tract. Look for probiotics that are 1) refrigerated 2) have high CFUs (colony forming units), 3) are multi strained (to include Bifido bacteria, and Lactobacillus strains). Flora has a good probiotic called Udo's Choice Super Bifido Plus, which is available in Canada.

Diet is extremely important and there are a host of veggies that are safe to eat when you are reducing candida as well as grains like quinoa, millet, a variety of nuts. What you want to avoid are the starchy foods like potatoes, corn, squash, beets, and beans.

A couple of days on coconut oil (1-2 Tablespoons per day) and you will feel a difference!

Hang in there it will get better,

tigger

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Hi Fiona,

I do take probiotic supplements. I avoid refined sugars for the most part, but I do eat mushrooms, apples, and bananas and I drink alcohol. Given that I have psoriasis on my face, the mirror is quite literally showing me that it's time to eliminate these. Very helpful suggestions and much appreciated. Thank you. xxx Catherine

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Hi Catherine,

Great that you are feeling to eliminate excess Candida from your system. From what I understand we all have it to some degree, it's when it goes into excess that we feel out of balance and it can have quite a big impact on our energy levels and general wellbeing.

I found that eliminating refined sugar and severely cutting down on other sweet things (such as agave, maple syrup, sweet fruit, grapes... etc), as well as avoiding yeast, alcohol and mushrooms was really beneficial for me. I think some people suggest taking particular beneficial bacteria which is something you might want to look into also.

Best wishes, Fiona