Candida?causing My Problem?

[minton]

I have been gluten-free for 2 years now. But I still have problems. I just looked up Candida and the list of symptoms seemed to fit alot of mine...so here are my remaining symptoms since gluten-free diet:

-intestinal gas

-ADHD, not helped by gluten-free diet

-bone pain

-shrinking (yes, I have shrunk 4 inches!)

-headaches

-fatigue

-sinus problems (I have severe hayfever though)

-repeated UTIs (cranberries are my best friend)

-low sex drive, if any at all and its getting worse ove time

-recurrent stomach ulcers

-acid reflux from hell

-i get yeast infections every month regardless of sexual activity and only menstration makes it go away. it comes right back though.

If I think of more symptoms I will post them but those are the ones off the top of my head. Should I try the candida diet?

[Mother of Jibril]

The intestines are not the only place where digestion can go wrong... if you're not making enough saliva (xerostemia) or stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), it creates a perfect environment for bacteria like h. pylori and candida to flourish. Supplements like Betaine HCl and digestive enzymes can help.

Also... what is the rest of your diet like? A lot of people have problems with dairy, corn, soy, sugar, moldy/yeasty foods, processed foods in general, etc...

[minton]

My diet is as follows:

I eat no breakfast. I just have a glass of milk in the morning. Breakfast causes me to be sick all day so I have skipped it for over a decade now.

Lunch depends on if I'm eating at school or home but a rough idea would be salad at school (lettuce, tomato, cheese, and dressing), and either almond flour breaded chicken or gluten-free cereal if I'm at home.

About 3 pm I crave a snack. This is more around 4 pm on school days. I normally munch on whatever gluten-free baked goods I have in the house (gluten-free brownies, gluten-free cereal, or I make almond flour mozzerella sticks) and I either eat an apple or a banana with it.

Dinner is some variation of lunch with a steamed vegetable (I just learned how to steam stuff haha).

If I'm hungry later at night I will TRY to stick to fruits for munchies but otherwise, I eat finger foods like gluten-free crackers with honey butter or dry gluten-free cereal or whatever.

Other than celiac, I MIGHT have a sensitivity to tomatoes that just came to light in the past 3 weeks. Still checking on that.

I might also add that when possible, I drink and use raw unpastuerized milk. Aside from giving me a bit more energy and quieting my tummy, it just tastes better. If I can't afford the raw milk or I run out, I try to stick to half and half (doctor recommended it). Pastuerized milk is my last resort.

It probably doesn't sound like I eat much and I don't. I have extremely slow metabolism so I take a multivitamin and eat less to maintain healthy weight. I do have a thyroid goiter that's under treatment.

I have recurrent ulcers and my doctor suggested I may produce too much stomach acid. I do have a dentist that says I don't produce enough saliva. Nothing was ever done about it.

Quick sidenote: My aunt and cousin (neither biologically related) are on specific diets. My cousin is on the candida diet due to her having big problems. My aunt is on the raw living foods diet and teaches about it at a local health store. Both live nearby so I have good support if I start a candida diet.

[Mother of Jibril]

You're eating quite a lot of refined carbohydrates... I bet you would feel better if you ate more fruits and vegetables. I know they're not as convenient, but your health is on the line!

Also... have you thought about Sjogren's syndrome? The classic symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth, but it can also dry out the rest of your body and cause GI problems, fatigue, and arthritis.

Here are two good places to start for more information:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[minton]

Sjogren's syndrome does not seem to fit from what I read...

would it hurt to go on the candida diet to try it and see what happens?

[AliB]

Sadly, many don't recover just on gluten-free alone. A lot have difficulty digesting carbohydrates and dairy too, but the fact that you are drinking raw milk is much better as it contains live enzymes and bacteria that aid in its digestion (wish I could get a source!!). Pasteurised milk is 'dead' and contributes little to the body - often actually draining the body of vital resources in its struggle for digestion, as a damaged gut can often not digest it.

I agree with MoJ that you may well be eating too many Carbs than your body can cope with. Undigested carbs are heaven to rogue pathogens. The Candida diet is low carb which will help and encourages 'reflorastation' of the gut with good probiotic bacteria.

If you have been exposed to prescription drugs (particularly antibiotics) your gut flora will be compromised and that not only weakens the immune system but allows pathogens like Candida or Helicobacter to get a foothold. Candida is, under normal circumstances, a normal part of gut flora, but if its control competitors are decimated for any reason it is an opportunist and will take up the space left by their demise, which is when it becomes pathogenic.

Carb-dense foods and sugars actively encourage the pathogens so it is important to remove those from the diet. Any diet that removes the problematic food and concentrates on restoring gut flora and giving the body good natural wholesome cleansing foods will help in gut restoration whether it be the Candida diet, Specific Carb, Raw Foods or the Paleo Diet, etc.

I would say that as far as breakfast is concerned it was probably more what you were eating for breakfast that was the problem than when you were eating it. (I have smoothie for my breakfast which is tasty and gives me energy)

Although your doctor suggests that you may be producing too much stomach acid (they always say that yet they don't actually know!), it seems that the reverse may actually often be the problem. Not enough acid will allow pathogens to flourish in the stomach, causing ulcers. Helicobacter is a case in point. In fact, it is actually able to reduce and dilute the stomach acid. Have you been tested for Helicobacter? It is estimated that as much as 50% of the Western population carries it in the digestive tract. Candida can also dilute stomach acid so increasing the acid gradually with Betaine can sometimes help.

The fact that your Aunt teaches the Raw Foods diet is great. Raw Food is full of enzymes and nutrients and vitality. It discourages pathogens and encourages good bacteria. You can supplement with a little cooked meat, fish or poultry, but many do very well on a high raw food diet. If your digestion is under par you may need to build up to eating more raw gradually. I bet your Aunt is a walking example of the benefit of the raw diet!

Thinking of the raw diet and bones - I was reading a report recently about osteoporosis. Scientists thought that people on a high raw diet would have raging osteoporosis, because vegetarians often do, but when they tested a sample group, they actually found that although their bones were light, they were actually very strong. They gained what they needed for bone growth and support from the fruit and veg. Conversely, vegetarians tend to eat a diet very high in grain-based carbs and that may well be why they have problems with osteoporosis.

It is also interesting to note that cultures that drink a lot of milk (particularly pasteurised) also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis.

[linuxprincess]

Exclusion diets are an easy (haha) way to find out what your intolerances are without an expensive trip to the doctor. The worst that can happen is that your symptoms do not clear up after two months of avoiding foods you even have the slightest inkling that might be the culprit. Introduce them back one at a time, one week at a time and you might have an answer. I do, however, realize this is much easier said than done. Have you tried cutting out milk? I was having the same problems with yeast infections and UTIs before going dairy free and even now, I'll get a bad flair up of a yeast infection. My doc recommended that I clean myself out while taking a shower every day if I'm having any sort of symptoms just to cut down on any excess buildup. Not very nice or pretty, but it does help.

[MELINE]

Open Original Shared Link

I've been fighting candida for 2 months now. I've done a huge effort to collect info about how I can get rid of that monster. I just found that site EXTREMELY helpful. More than you can ever imagine. I am already doing much better, just 2 days after following the program. It has the best information, that is the CORRECT ONE.....It is also useful for anyone, not only for candida sufferers.

It is so good you won't believe it. There is this woman named Bee. She knows what she is talking about, and she saving people.

No money spent, no extra supplements, no miracle promises. Just information that is - at last - correct. I mean, diet informations and treatments (natural) and myths and advises and things like that. I highly recomnend it.

Meline

[Jestgar]

Why don't you try the easiest thing first - stop eating dairy?

[mef]

It's been said, but it's worthwhile to look at the amount of carbs you are consuming. Spikes in blood sugar/insulin from refined carbs (ie the white rice flour that is probably in quite a few gluten-free goodies...probably why the good products are so addicting!) could be causing some headaches and fatigue.

I can't eat a lot in the morning and it's usually due to post nasal drip (ew, tmi, I know). Too much mucous in the stomach can make for some unhappy times. Perhaps the sinus problems are also tied in with the headache?

You can always give the candida diet a test run. Hope you find some relief!

[nikki55]

I have been gluten-free for 2 years now. But I still have problems. I just looked up Candida and the list of symptoms seemed to fit alot of mine...so here are my remaining symptoms since gluten-free diet:

-intestinal gas

-ADHD, not helped by gluten-free diet

-bone pain

-shrinking (yes, I have shrunk 4 inches!)

-headaches

-fatigue

-sinus problems (I have severe hayfever though)

-repeated UTIs (cranberries are my best friend)

-low sex drive, if any at all and its getting worse ove time

-recurrent stomach ulcers

-acid reflux from hell

-i get yeast infections every month regardless of sexual activity and only menstration makes it go away. it comes right back though.

If I think of more symptoms I will post them but those are the ones off the top of my head. Should I try the candida diet?

[nikki55]

Hi Minton,

I have looked deeply into the Candida diet and have decided to go on it. I too have ADD, bone and joint pain, headaches, sinus problems, extreme fatigue and low sex drive. There are 2 tests that you can do to see if this may be Candida.

My mother and I have been researching this information for the last 4 days extensively and have found that yeastconnection.com has the most information on Candida. But, what we have both found is that Celiac and Candida are very, very similar in their symptoms. It is a bit hard to decifer.

If you are going to go on the Candida diet, I warn you. It's really, really strict and boring. The website I told you about has a really good shopping list to start with. It's basically meat, veggies, nuts and water. No sugar is allowed so if you are a sugar addict, such as myself, it is really, really hard. It was easy for me to quit smoking than do this...I'm not kidding.

If you find any yeast-free recipes or "Candida" friendly recipes, could you please share them. I'm desperate.

[whitball]

okay, I do know that I need to do this diet. But it scares the crap out of me because it does sound really hard.

[aprilh]

Instead of the candida diet, maybe try the SCD? It's focus is on healing the gut. I did the candida diet many times and I wished I had known about the SCD then.