Candida

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Various sources of info from the web

Member Remedies

Members tell their stories...

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I have been struggling with regaining my intestinal balance for around six months now after taking antibiotics for strep. The antibiotics took care of the strep throat but it apparently knocked out the beneficial bacteria in my gut too. I've tried a variety of natural herbal remedies including:

• oregano oil
• grapefruit seed extract
• probiotics
• homemade kefir
• homemade yogurt
• pau d'arco
• gentian violet
• ionic silver
• raw garlic
• black walnut hull powder
• and many more

This is one of those things that apparently requires time and patience. The time I have, the patience I've had to learn. I love eating and one of the things that must change in order to fight the candida yeast overgrowth is the diet. I've read there are three things you need to do in order to fight off the infection.

• 1) Change your diet to starve the yeast. That means no starches, no sugars, no yeasts, no distilled vinegars, and low or no carbs. What's left to eat? Most anything green...plus meat.
• 2) Take natural antifungals. That's what the list above is all about.
• 3) Restore the beneficial flora or bacteria strains in your gut. Some people say don't eat yogurt or kefir with yeast infection, but I've been eating it. It seems to me if you have to restore your beneficial bacteria then you're going to have to eat some things like yogurt. I've also been taking probiotics.

I would also add that you need to flush your body out by drinking lots of water. When the yeast dies off it's going to leave a bunch of nasties in your gut. Now's the time to flush out the crud and take care of your liver, kidneys, and gallbladder. Add some herbal items that help restore your immune system to health. Kelp is a good choice which is a natural source of good iodine. You might want to look up some information on Lugol's solution too. There are other sources of iodine out there. A quick google search for foods with iodine will return several good options. Something else to try to flush your system is bentonite clay and psyllium seed. Be careful here with the clay and read up on it before you plunge in. I'd start small on all of these things to make sure your system can handle it.

Here's a recipe for antifungal tea that I made up by experimenting with flavors (I make this in my 12 cup coffee maker so I can drink it throughout the day. For 1 cup at a time just adjust the quantities down till it fits in an infuser):

• 2Tbs Lemon Grass (As an effective antifungal and antimicrobial, Lemongrass is believed to dispel bacterial infections and has been used to treat internal parasites)
• 2Tbs Pau D' Arco course cut (The recent popularity of pau d’arco in western herbology is attributed to its antifungal activity in treating systemic yeast infections like candida albicans)
• 1Tbs Rose Hips (Rose hip tea, taken following a course of antibiotic therapy, will help re-establish the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. Because the natural balance of the intestinal flora may be disrupted or destroyed by the action of antibiotic drugs)
• 1Tbs Gensing course cut (Siberian ginseng is used primarily to enhance endurance, regulate blood sugar and stimulate immune function)
• 1Tbs Dandelion Root or Leaves (Contains bitter compounds that enhance the efficiency of the body’s eliminative and detoxifying functions. These compounds help restore normal liver function, increase the production of digestive fluids and enzymes, particularly bile, increase the flow of urine and have a laxative effect)
• once every 2 or 3 weeks I rotate in an additional 1Tbs of licorice root for it's healing properties. Don't overdo it on the licorice though...make sure you understand it before you try it.

Add a packet of stevia to a cup and enjoy! This is a really yummy tea and it's good for you. There are at least a couple diuretics in this so have a glass of water along with your tea.