Hi everyone. I've been "heads down" in research about Candida overgrowth problems over the last week or so, as I think I have the problem and may have had it for a long time. Thank you all for posting such great info here. Your posts and also links to other good resources helped me a lot. I am a fledgling getting started with a program - diet, cleanse, probiotic and questions about pre-biotic. I'd love your feedback on how I can improve. I will also be willing to be active here so that once I have more experience with this, I can help share the wisdom with others. Pay it forward and all that!!

I do have a positive experience with low carb. My weight shot up around the time I hit 40 (possible sign of yeast problem back then - I'm 49 now). In Januray 2002 I go serious about fixing it. Through a regular low carb diet (not yeast free) and exercise, I went from almost 200 pounds down to a great weight for me - between 145 and 150. Things were going fine until I injured my back. Went through a long period of pain and therapy, and ultimately back surgery. During that time and beyond, I started "self medicating with too much alcohol (big problem), got off my low carb plan and started eating junk, etc. Needless to say my weight reached almost 200 again.

The reasons I believe I have a Candida overgrowth are as follows:

1. Since a 3 week period last December on HEAVY anti-biotics for cellulitis, I have had recurring vaginal yeast infections.
2. When I stopped drinking recently, I started eating low carb (not yeast free) should have shown some movement in weight - it did not.
3. When I was down with my back, I had a number or cortisone shots, and I've read that steroids can contribute to yeast problems.
4. Long term on birth control. Not since I turned 41 or so, but for 20+ years prior to that.
5. The quanitity of alcohol I was up to, combined with a junk diet.

I have taken several different "surveys" on various web sites that are intended to at least indicate if you "might" have an overgrowth problem. Even being conservative with my answers, I still came up "moderate" or "highly likely to have a problem" - those mid ranges.

So...I am now taking this product as a "cleanse" http://www.nutraceutical.com/search...t_index=3378810

And this product as a probiotic: http://www.nutraceutical.com/search...t_index=7670017

I am taking a number of other supplements for overall vitamin and minerals, some stuff for joints, L-carnatine, and I also started psylliam husk capsules. Would the powder form be better? That's one of my questions.

I have also seen "Pre-biotics" being mentioned briefly here. Could someone share a link or talk more about what they are and what they do?

For the diet, there seem to be parts that everyone agrees on, and gray areas. I already know I don't do well with grain products of any kind - I haven't for a long time, so I won't be doing any grains anyway - no problem with those gray zones. I know regular fermented vinegar is off limits (crying huge tears over that one!) but I've read mixed review of raw vinegar that you can buy at the health food store. Any comments about that?

My other big "gray area" question is meats. Some lists have basically all varieties of meats, and others say absolutely no beef or pork. Any opinions there? I would love to keep beef and pork in the picture for once a week each (just variety at this stage) if that really is not problem. But...if I need to eat only chicken and fish for a few months until it's coming out my ears, I will do that if I have to.

That's probably enough info and questions to get started! Thank you for all the information everyone has contributed on this site, and thank you in advance for the help I'm sure you will give me in the future!

Looking to conquer the Yeast Beast

DG

I eat beef and pork and my yeast problems disappeared within days of starting the Atkins diet (and I still eat sugar in chocolate). Good luck!

Janine

Thanks Janine!! Maybe it's one of those YMMV things. I think the pork and beef will stay unless I think something is "stuck."

DG

Try to eat meats that are not pumped with anitbiotics, steroids, or hormones. Pork is ok occasionally......as long as it has had nothing done to it....like smoking it or say, ham. The no hormones....steroids thing is also for eggs. Do not eat anything that is already processed. Beef is fine. I think the reason some say to avoid is because it can be hard to digest in a person with digestive issues. But I say just chew it well. Be mindful to chew ALL food well....but especially those which have a harder time digesting.

I cannot imagine anyone in the world with a yeast problem being able to eat sugar of any kind and be fine. Especially those of us who have had it for a long time and did not know it.

I have not heard of the yeast killing product you are taking. I do see where it says in 'other ingredients' in the probiotics that it has maltodextrin in it.....that is a no-no. Be careful also because some may say they contain milk ingredients as well. You do not want that either.

As for the gray areas.......there is no way around them...they are going to stay gray. Some agree apple cidar vinegar is ok......some don't. I stay away from gray areas as much as possible. I just treat it as a 'no' then.

One other thing I would say to any other kind of supplements you are taking. Read the labels CAREFULLY. You do not want things like dextrose, fructose, corn starch, or anything that will feed candida in there. A lot of supplements like to add those in. Even though I walk into GNC and it's all 'healthy' ...I know I have to look at every bottle carefully.

This is the most intense research you will probably ever do in your life and it seems that I never stop learning about what I am doing right and wrong. And it really is a trial by error process. Especially for those of us who have trouble seeking medical help but know there is a problem......especially when you have the die off occur. Even the medical doctors are a trial and error process. But you know your body better than they do. I got sick of the doctors telling me the way I was feeling.

Go through and read jayppers thread about 'gut disbiosis and how best to correct it' and it talks about inulin. It is a lot of reading and researching and some of it is even hard for me to understand but reading and learning is your best friend. I am learning about the pre-biotics also and to me it is making a lot of sense.

Good luck on your journey and in the end we can all beat this together.

Thank you for your input! I will read all my bottles today and make sure I don't take any "oses" in the future. Thanks for the other tips too. I can already tell this is going to be quite an adventure.

DG

There are two great groups on Yahoo! for Candida:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/candidasupport/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/candidiasis/

Also, my thread on gut dysbiosis includes some information about prebiotics and natural anti-candida remedies: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=340996

Hey DG
You are on the right track, and in a good place for support. If you have willpower, like it seems you do, I would also agree with Malulani and avoid some gray areas until you better know what bothers/affects you. That being said, have i had an occassional tablespoon of cider vinegar, yes, but only once or twice in 6 weeks. I think that for this problem (candida) combined with digestive problems of any sort, basic low carb veggies and lean meats seem to be best bets, with the addition of pre and pro biotics, digestive enzymes, and other things like caprylic acid, grape seed extract and something like threelac or candidol or some yeast fighter.

I have not been able to get candida under control for myself, for my own reasons, so i am not saying my method works, but i am saying for a lot of people, the protocal of yeast free, candida diet, with supplementation, seems somewhat standard. Sure there are gray areas...but everyone would probably say acidophilis is key, fiber is key, lots of veggies, protein/eggs, meat...and rebuilding gut while fighting yeast. Water is key too. I am not great at it.
Jaypers left some good links, and wholeapproach.com is a super website, if you have not seen it.

Lots of cool recipes and info there. I think Jaypers has a lot of interesting posts about the gut..etc...so u may want to check out his post on gut dybiosis...i always worried about the candida yeast, and ignored my bad gut issues, which more often than not are severe. So a one/two punch seems to be a good approach here.

Glad to meet you, and best of luck on this journey....
redcat

Hi Redcat. Thanks to you as well for the welcome and info. I'm glad I found this site in my wanderings, as I did find Wholeapproach - found it through here! That site has been a wealth of info just like this one.

Thanks!

DG