Candida Alternatives

[Pat Robinson]

A member posted,

"Heavy metals are not always a huge problem when it comes to yeast problems, candida, etc. I was diagnosed with Candida yesterday, as it would have it, and the doctor (well-versed in treating Candida and uses natural treatment) mentioned nothing about my blood containing heavy metals. If he had seen heavy metals in my blood, he would have suggested chelation IV therapy - one of the treatments he offers.

Instead, I am being treated with cleanses, Nystatin and Diflucan, and Hydrogen Peroxide IV's. That, along with diet that eliminates fungi, dairy, sugars, grains. For the first few weeks, it's very strict, but necessary to avoid further yeast colonization.

For now, I respectfully disagree with the advice to treat yeast with fermented foods. Fermented foods are great for preventative measures, but not for curative ones. EVERY yeast cleanse on the market advises the AVOIDANCE of fermented foods while cleansing. That includes vinegar in all forms: salad dressing, hot sauce, etc."


REPLY:

I fully support each person to choose the healing path that is in line with their personal beliefs.
I agree that there are hundreds, probably thousands of MDs, NDs, and much of the Internet which does not believe in natural healing. Most of them are *selling* a product or service to "solve" your candida. We certainly do not have to all agree. I wish they worked. But, from what I've seen over and over is that "cleanses" just mobilize toxins and dump them into the blood circulation, making one feel worse during "die-off".

The toxins must be managed by the body and are sequestered into the gut, brain, organs, muscles, fetus and breastmilk to protect us. AFTER the mobilized toxins resettle into our body organs, we feel “better” than we did DURING the “cleanse”. That is not HEALING, that is a shell game. And the candida just recurs again and again requiring more and more expensive “cleanses”.

Other than during active toxin exposures, our *blood* levels of heavy metals are not elevated BECAUSE our body protects us by storing them OUT of blood circulation. Here is more about Candida sequestering heavy metals: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/candida-101

And about the dangers of “cleanses” without first addressing nutrient deficiencies and opening detoxification pathways: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cleanses-1

Here is a basic explanation of detoxification issues:
http://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topics/detox-obstacle-course

And a liver detox tutorial: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/video/basic-liver-detox

And a more in depth Liver Detoxification discussion: http://tuberose.com/Liver_Detoxification.html

Additionally, "Nystatin and Diflucan, and Hydrogen Peroxide IV's" are not natural tools of healing.

Nystatin is a prescription drug with many artificial ingredients and precautions. Plus it contains sugar which has been documented to increase oral thrush when consumed.
http://www.rxlist.com/nystatin-oral-suspension-drug.htm
http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/22396/SPC/nystatin-dome%20...

Diflucan (fluconazole) is a strong, systemic pharmaceutical prescription medication.

Diflucan is a FDA pregnancy category D. Do not take more than 1 dose of Diflucan if you are pregnant. Long-term use of Diflucan can harm an unborn baby or cause birth defects. http://www.drugs.com/diflucan.html

Diflucan product WARNINGS, include:

Hepatic injury: DIFLUCAN should be administered with caution to patients with liver dysfunction. Some azoles, including fluconazole, have been associated with prolongation of the QT interval on the electorcardiogram. During post-marketing surveillance, there have been rare cases of QT prolongation and torsade de pointes in patients taking fluconazole.

Concomitant use of fluconazole and erythromycin has the potential to increase the risk of cardiotoxicity (prolonged QT interval, torsade de pointes) and consequently sudden heart death. This combination should be avoided.

Fluconazole should be administered with caution to patients with renal dysfunction.
Fluconazole is a potent CYP2C9 inhibitor and a moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor. Fluconazole treated patients who are concomitantly treated with drugs with a narrow therapeutic window metabolized through CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 should be monitored.

http://www.rxlist.com/diflucan-drug/warnings-precautions.htm

The CYP issue is related to poor detoxification genetics. Did your ND test for this gene risk before prescribing Diflucan?

Nursing Mothers - Fluconazole is secreted in human milk at concentrations similar to plasma. Therefore, the use of DIFLUCAN in nursing mothers is not recommended.
http://www.rxlist.com/diflucan-drug/warnings-precautions.htm

Consider the long list of other drugs which interact and increase Diflucan side-effects and risks, including antidepressants, NSAIDs, cholesterol meds, heart or blood pressure medications, anti-diabetic medications, birth control pills, etc.: http://www.drugs.com/diflucan.html

Hormonal birth control (eg, birth control pills) may not work as well while you are
using Diflucan.

Post-Marketing Reports of Side-Effects: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/diflucan-side-effects.html

Here is the pharmaceutical manufacturer package insert for Diflucan: http://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=575

No way would I allow anyone to inject hydrogen peroxide into my veins. Hydrogen peroxide damages cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1153333/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2803102
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10375440
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2149485/pdf/brjcancersu...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1153333/
http://altmed.creighton.edu/o2tx/H202.htm

And this space, Heal Thyself!, is about empowering ourselves to tune into our bodies and use whole food nutrition and other natural tools to live our best lives. I have a fundamental trust in our body's ability to do just that. I don't need confirmation or approval from "experts" or biomedical tests. I was in the medical industry for decades; I know how they look at the body. I know their 'go to' tools. Once I left that paradigm behind, I began to see differently. I saw others who cared for their bodies and who were mindful of what they put into their bodies. They did not embrace fear-based medicine and dependency upon laboratory tests to tell them about *their* body. AND they were healthy and thriving!

Heal Thyself! is for people who are interested in that. Everyone will, of course, use her own discretion and judgment to determine whether she is comfortable or needs to seek professional assistance. But the discussions here will center around trusting our bodies, finding optimal nutrition for our bodies and embracing natural health.

Fermented foods help to rebalance the gut microbials NATURALLY. There are some 500-1000 different microbials which inhabit and reproduce in the gut. Commercial, bottled probiotics, although expensive are often heat-damaged, do not survive stomach acid to colonize the gut and are limited in variety and quantity.

More about Probiotic Selection: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/probiotic-selection

(continued)

You might want to refer to Andy Cutler, author of "Amalgam Illness", regarding the one-thiol vs. two-thiol groups binding mercury for excretion.
http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/ANDY_INDEX.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZG9glNfif5YC&dq=chlorella+mercury+cutler+amalgam+illness&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=Lu_lS6rRI4SClAe09PGNDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=chlorella&f=false

Basically, one thiol groups do not bind as tightly to mercury (and other heavy metals) as substances in the two thiol group, and thus mobilizing mercury around from "stored" locations in the body, but do not necessarily shuttle it safely out of the body.

Similarly, "cleanses" do not bind or escort heavy metals out of the body. Mobilized mercury circulates in the blood to redeposit into the brain, organs, gut, fetus and breastmilk. There are specific nutrients which help to escort toxins. Additionally, there are chelators which can only be used *after* all mercury fillings have been safely removed by IAOMT protocols. Chelating with mercury fillings in the mouth is dangerous. Chelating should not be done while ttc, pregnant or nursing.

There are nutrients which help the body to optimize detox pathways naturally, such as magnesium, B6, B12, folate, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, sulfate. Vit C, selenium. Bentonite clay and kelp (heavy metal tested, organic) help to bind heavy metals and escort them out. Actively detoxing heavy metals has significant risks and is safest with a professional's personalized support after amalgam removal.

More about amalgam removal risks and protocols: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/amalgam-removal-risks-and

For instance, candida binds with mercury to sequester it out of circulation. Detox programs generally only mobilize, not excrete mercury. Nutrients are necessary to remove the mercury, and there is variable 'bandwidth' for us to excrete mercury. It is like a funnel. You can pour a bunch of toxins in, but the outlet is only so wide, the rest overflows through skin or affects lungs which are detox pathways also.

Kombucha has a beneficial yeast (Saccharomyces Boulardii) which displaces and replaces candida albicans in the gut. The issue with this is, as candida is displaced it "dies-off" and releases toxins and mercury.

Pesticides are stored in the fat of animals and humans. Obviously, I don't know your detoxification tolerance, genetics, cleanse/herbal history, nutrient deficiencies, or toxin exposures. I don't support kombucha for people with mercury in their mouth (nor for the 12 months after amalgam removal).

Again, any significant shift in the gut ph releases the toxins from the dying bacteria and yeasts, and dumps MORE toxins into blood circulation - whatever the source of "killing" the candida and bacteria.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC182692/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC182692/?page=1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15091870?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=8

Plenty of people actively "attack" candida and do "cleanses". Unfortunately, I've too often observed and heard of hundreds of people getting worse (and (re)storing more toxins in increased fat deposits) due to actively doing "candida cleanses".

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Pat Robinson, Wellness Educator

 

 

P.S. Favorite Posts:

     •  14 Steps For Healthy Guts

     •  The Beet Test (stomach acid?) 

     •  Candida 101 

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     •  Master Tonic 101 

     •  Nettle Leaf herbal infusions 101.

     •  Overwhelmed? Where to Start?!

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[Mercedes Brian]

I had candida overgrowths and was on a non-stop candida diet with cleanses (yeast killer, rotate this, clay, psyllium seed extract, twice a day) for years.  Then, I ran into the "fire"!  I ate blue cheese, kefir, sourdough bread, mushrooms, miso, and so on, with green smoothies every day, expecting that I could tolerate it for a week before I'd go back to the diet and cleanse routine.  To my delight I had not one overgrowth moment and haven't had one for over two years.  Do try the fermented route.  It's way more fun to add food than to take it away. 

[Pat Robinson]

Yes, opening detox pathways  by addressing nutrient deficiencies is key, I believe.


Pat

[Gilla Weiss]

wow pat :) that was amazing.so much good info for all of us. Ialways find I have more to learn and I have to say that I totally agree with you. More and more I believe that addressing  our nutrient deficiencies, opening our detox pathways and nurturing with  fermented foods, nourishing herbs, minerals , greens  etc; are the way to heal.