I get asked a lot of
questions about candida
so I thought it would be
a lot easier if I made a
Frequently Asked
Questions page. Now I
don't class myself as the
world’s greatest candida
expert so my replies are
just from my own
experience and
research. So if anyone
wants to add their
own thoughts to my
replies then email me at
info@beatcandidayeastinfections.com.
Ideally you should ask
your Physician but if
you can't then here are
my replies.
—————————————————————————————————————
Q. How do I know if I
have candida?
A. Good
question! I think a lot
of people mistakenly
attribute their ill
health to candida and I
know I certainly have
fallen into that trap
myself. It really worries me
when I meet people who
are excluding important
foods from their diet
for long periods and
trying different
remedies from the health
shop without
professional help and
advice. The DIY approach
can be dangerous
although I do understand
why people are tempted
to see if it might help.
Personally I strongly
recommend that you find
a
kinesiologist or
other healthcare
specialist who can test you.
You can read more
kinesiology by clicking
here
—————————————————————————————————————
Q. Why do I have
to exclude certain foods
from my diet if I have
candida?
A. There
are two main reasons.
The first is simply that
the candida lives
primarily in your gut
and feeds off certain
foods that you eat. So
by reducing or
eliminating the foods
and drinks which feed
the candida then you
should be able to slowly
starve the candida and
reduce the levels in
your body. The second
reason is that the
candida can create what
I call ‘temporary food
intolerances’ and other
temporary allergies. So
you may find that
certain foods disagree
with you and yet you
have been able to eat
them in the past. Or
perhaps you’ve noticed
hayfever-like symptoms
and wonder if you are
allergic now to pollen
or dust etc.. The good
news is that these
allergies are not long
term and if you avoid
them as much as you can
while you do the candida
diet then there is a
good chance you will be
able to slowly
reintroduce them. The
next obvious question
is below.
—————————————————————————————————————
Q. How do you
know which temporary
intolerances have you
developed?
A.
Personally I never found
trial exclusion worked
despite keeping a
detailed food diary for
months. The only thing
which works for me is
allergy testing using
kinesiology.
You can read more at my
kinesiology page
about how to test
yourself if you don't
have access to a
qualified kinesiologist
but I do strongly advise
that you find one as you
could save a lot of time
and hassle.
—————————————————————————————————————
Q. How long will it take
me to get better?
A. It is really
difficult to predict. It
depends on how long you
have had candida and how
bad it is. I have also
learnt that it depends
on how low your immune
system is and if there
are any other underlying
health problems. I know
people who have
undertaken the 8 week
candida diet and
treatment and have been
able to clear the
candida completely. They
are able to put it
behind them and get on
with their lives. Lucky
things! I had underlying
problems, stress and a
weakened immune system
so its been harder. But
I’ve managed it and if I
can do it then I’m sure
there’s a good chance
you can too!
—————————————————————————————————————
Q. How bad was
your candida?
A. I can
recall being really ill
before I was diagnosed
and during the early
stages of the treatment.
I can remember literally
staggering to the local
health shop in despair.
I felt so dizzy, weak
and ill that I could
barely walk and I
couldn't even manage to
get the shop without
feeling I was going to
pass out. In complete
despair I bought a
chocolate bar in the
nearby shop and stood
leaning up against a
wall with my eyes closed
eating the chocolate and
praying that the sugar
would give me enough
energy to get the health
shop. I knew the
resulting energy would
drop off massively and I
had to hope I could get
home safely before that
happened. I stood
in the health shop
gripping hold of the
side of the counter and
feeling like the whole
shop was swimming before
my eyes. I managed to
explain what was wrong
and the owner gave me
some anti-candida
remedies. I got home and
I collapsed on the sofa.
The next thing I knew it
was an hour later as I
had fallen asleep as
soon as I lay down. That
was just one example of
some of the bad times.
I’ve had bad spells in
the supermarket and in
the middle of the night.
I have collapsed due to
the candida. It was
sometime later when I
discovered that I had
several health problems
and a severe candida
infection which was
affecting my blood sugar
levels. One of the worst
aspect was that the bad
spells knocked my
confidence massively. I
became really nervous of
it happening and I
developed panic attacks
whenever I was faced
with a similar
situation. I had to
get rid of the candida
and learn how to
overcome the panic
attacks and rebuild my
confidence. The good
news is that I’m fine
now and I’ve put it all
behind me. I just hope
that my experiences will
help other people.
———————————————————————————————————————
Q. Can you now eat
whatever you want?
A. Yes but I dont
go overboard. I
try to keep everything
in moderation as I don’t
want to push my luck!
To be honest I was
starting to think I
would have to live the
rest of my life with
candida and I would
never be able to eat
sugary things again.
It was really
depressing. I
remember realising that
there were whole aisles
in the supermarket
with absolutely nothing
in them for me to eat
e.g. the bread and cakes
aisle. I
found that depressing
too. But now
I can eat anything and
everything. I
enjoy ice cream,
chocolate and the
occasional alcoholic
drink. I don't go crazy. But I’ve noticed
I can eat sugary foods
and still remain
healthy. I don't say
this to boast but to
give hope to anyone
reading this who wonders
if they are ever going
to get better. It is
possible to get better
and put it behind you so
stay positive and I hope
my blog will help you.
————————————————————————————————————————Q. Do you
recommend going to your
Physician for candida
treatment?
A. It
depends on your
Physician.
Personally I have given
up on my Physician for
candida help.
Years ago I asked them
for help and they
recommended peppermint
capsules which I tried
with no success at all.
I returned and asked for
a referral to a
consultant which was a
total waste of time and
money as he was also
useless. At that point
the candida (I didn't
know it was candida
then) was ruining my
life. I had no social
life and friends had
drifted away as I turned
down invitations as I
had such bad stomach
aches each night. I was
only young and when I
asked the Physician what
could I do as the
peppermint didn’t work,
he didn’t have an
answer. I remember
saying “Am I going to be
like this for the rest
of my life?” and he just
nodded. But you
may have a more
enlightened Physician so I would give
it a go and see if they
can help.
————————————————————————————————————————Q.
I've seen a website for
an anti candida product
and I'm tempted to try
it. What do you
think?
A. I've
also seen a lot of these
type of websites and
they often endorsed by
someone who claims the
product or treatment
cured their candida.
If I'm honest I'm a
little sceptical about
some of these claims.
But some of them may be
genuine and the sufferer
might be one of those
lucky people who get
better with the first
anti-fungal treatment
that they try and then
they think they've
discovered a cure for
everyone's candida or
yeast infection!
If I was you I would
google the product for
reviews and feedback and
check the ingredients
carefully. You can
always google the
ingredients too so you
know what you are
taking. I've seen
quite a few anti candida
products which I think
are worth trying.
This is because they
contain a selection of
good anti-candida
supplements e.g caprylic
acid, pau d'arco etc and
often a probiotic or a
supplement to boost your
immune system.
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