Candida..who here has it?

Hey All,

I'm just wondering if anyone else here has a Candida overgrowth that they are aware of? My LLMD told me I had one and I haven't touched starch/sugars in like 2 months, but it's still present. I'm sure it will take awhile to fix, but I'm just wondering who here has it and how are they treating it? I am taking probiodics after each doxy pill I take and have even gone to a much better brand than my LLMD suggested. I am now taking Natrex Trinity. It seems to be helping a little with
my constipation .

I see my LLMD again next week and I'm hoping to get some more answers and I'm sure he'll want to ramp up my doxy dosage. I did question why he put me on such a low dose of doxy (200 mg per day) and he said because he doesn't believe in strong herxes and he wanted to start out slower and get agressive quickly. I did herx and now I am herxing less, but this week back to it again..probably candida die off symptoms. I'm not looking forward to going higher on the dosage of doxy.

I plan on asking him what his thoughts are on strictly natural treatments and if he wants me to stay on abx for awhile fine, but I want some herbs to go with it. I also plan on asking him why we're not treating the candida first before the Lyme. I want some more answers. Hopefully I don't chicken out asking. I get so dumbfounded when I go there. I'm so afraid to annoy him and I feel rushed, which I don't react well to nor do I like it. With that said, he has an excellent reputation and so I want to give him a fair chance.

I have also started using a bit of unpasturized, organic apple cider vinegar with the mother as I heard this helps too. I had to give up the lemon water because it was creating awful acid reflux and I couldn't sleep or function very well. Once I gave it up, my stomach eased up on me a bit. I have also not been very good about detoxing. I have dry skin brushed the past few days though!

My cravings for starches and sweets have subsided tremendously (although I still think about them ocassionally LOL) except for the past few days because I am PMSing..(sorry TMI)

Anywho.......I'd love to hear your thoughts. I even gave up my beloved yogurts because I just want to kick this stupid Candida so badly so I can go back to enjoying some fruit or some quinoa every once in awhile again.

Thanks for listening guys!

Hi there

When I went to a naturopath, she recommended Pau d'arco tea.  I guess you can get this in pill form but I seem to do better drinking teas than taking a zillion pills each day.

I am always leary about adding new stuff but this works synergistically without any sideaffects for me. I take it only a couple times a week along with my antiobios regime

Its a strong antifungal and definitely helps Candida.

I had a pretty advanced overgrowth. It began in my mouth very soon after starting my first round of antibiotics and persisted to the point that it spread down into my throat/esophagus. I had severe pain when swallowing anything. It felt like a large pill was stuck in my throat and it burned as well. I couldn't eat or drink anything and I even had pain just swallowing saliva.

I took Nystatin and that got rid of the swallowing pain very quickly, but I had a disgusting thick white coating that remained on my tongue for months even when I was off antibiotics and trying to take things to stop it. Then I stopped trying for a while and a few days ago it disappeared on it's own.

For diet I eat 100% gluten free and 90% sugar free. I don't eat any refined sugars. The sugar exception that I eat occasionally is cane juice in a protein bar. My LLMD said that was okay and that the most important thing to eliminate was gluten. I don't eat dairy other than occasional cheese and daily kefir. I drink almond and coconut milk instead. The main starches that I eat are gluten free rice pastas and brown rice.

I do have some blood sugar and was losing too much weight which has started back up again without a change in diet. I can't really lose too much more weight without becoming unhealthy so I think my plan is lenient so that calories are not restricted.

My diet and probiotic intake has remained the same throughout. I stopped with the other methods that I was trying because it was becoming too much combined with supplements, antibiotics, herbs etc. The only thing I've added/changed is drinking liver detox teas and vitamin/glutathione IV's. I also have a new set of meds.

Post Edited (Summer3) : 3/29/2012 7:41:16 PM (GMT-6)

Hey sleeplessnj. Pau d'arco is great. Especially if you get it in liquid form and drop it into tea. I found that boosting my immune system with echinacha tea made me feel like crap at first but made me feel a whole lot better as I kept up with it. I drink it once at night. I mix it with a little black walnut and wormwood twice a week, which seems to help me with costipation also. Anyway I feel the same way about my doc. Rushed and frustrated. It is a very good idea to talk to your doctor about all of you concerns. Def make lists! Make them and keep them to read to the doc. I read my doc a list of things every other time im in his office. I know some docs could seem like real jerks but they are still there to help and thats why you need to use them for as much advice as they can offer. Unfortunatly some of them dont have too much advice to give on herbs. I know my llmd does not. He just tells me if I use it and it helps then keep it up. Good luck and good health hunny!

Thanks for the info on the black walnut.
I have a pretty impotant question. I know candidas is some sort of fungus overgrowth. Ive had one yeast infection after another, athletes foot, infection on my face neck and chest, ever since starting antibiotics. Im just wondering if this may be deeper problem now though because now I am starting to get these itchy patches of pimples on my scalp that are causing little amounts of my hair to fall out. Not noticable unless I actually section my hair to see it though. Im wondering if this is common with candidas or should I be worried. Im not calling the doctor to bother him on the weekend but I will give him a call on monday. Just wanted to know if this could be serious. Its pretty itchy. Thanx everybody.

A few days ago I took the saliva test. The results were positive. Since I have already taken nystatin and diflucan with poor results I thought I would try raw garlic. I have had diarrhea both mornings after taking it the night before. The thought of Lyme, Bartonella, and candida is a nasty reality. Since lyme and its co infections are so hard to get rid of I am afraid to stop antibiotics. However the candida issue is scary too. I take probiotics faithfully and follow a good lyme diet. Thoughts anyone?

It's nasty. I hope those meds work for you. It's hard because lyme and candida symptoms are very much alike. I wish you well. We both know this is a long journey and it is a rocky road.