What is Candida?
Candida is a yeast like fungus that lives inside all of us, in harmony with our bodies with other bacteria that hang out in our mucous membranes, such as skin, mouths, bowels and is usually kept in check by a healthy immune system.
One of the functions of Candida is to decompose you when you die. It sounds frightening but this is life in nature.
Due to our diets and lifestyles in this modern world its estimated that 1 in 3 suffer from Candida and don’t even know it. Some are calling it The Silent Epidemic.
The symptoms can seem so unrelated or mild ranging from oral or vaginal thrush to systemic which is when Candida punches holes in your intestines and gets into your bloodstream – making you feel sick from head to toe.
Common symptoms of Candida overgrowth:
Gas, bloating, headaches, thrush, migraines, sinus, low energy, rectal itching, mood swings, constipation, anger, diarrhea, acne, itchy body, sore throat, cough, strong body odour, food cravings, brain fog, chemical sensitivities, eczema, joint pain, indigestion, food intolerances, PMS, irregular periods, earaches, depression, insomnia, loss of libido, poor memory, constant colds, flu’s and other illnesses.
Candida is also a very clever organism, it is a shapeshifter and can adapt or tolerate may topical treatments, as well live alongside in harmony with certain other strains of good bacteria in the body.
Candida as part of its metabolism also gives off over 70 toxins including neurotoxins, so not only is it taking all the nutrients from your body and proliferating, growing with every gram of sugar ingested, its by-products make your body toxic, and if left untreated can cause very serious diseases. Some Doctors also theorise that if left unchecked, Candida can contribute to the development of Cancer.*
So what causes Candida?
- Antibiotics
- Contraceptive Pill
- Proton Pump Inhibitors or any drugs that suppress stomach acid production
- Hormonal cycle
- Depleted Immune Systems / Stress
- Acidic diet – wheat, dairy, sugar, cooked foods, grains, alcohol, coffee, yeasts
- Steroids
- Lack of good bacteria in the gut
How to heal from Candida
Outlined below is what worked for me and in no way is this qualified medical advice so always consult your naturopath to help heal from your Candida.
It can be a long or short road to recovery depending on the severity of symptoms. Firstly start with eliminating all sugar that includes fruit sugar, dairy, refined grains, wheat, processed foods, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, vinegar, yeasts, anything with preservatives and flavours.
Add in lots of organic, raw orangic vegetables, think colours of the rainbow, add in nuts and seeds and low GI fruits such as lemons, grapefruit, limes, green apple or blueberries in small amounts (if tolerated – if not leave them out all together). If Candida symptoms are severe best to stay away from sweet vegetables such as carrot, beetroot and pumpkin.
Start adding in traditional fermented foods every day, sauerkraut, coconut yoghurt or coconut kefir are great ones to start with, use the recipes in this book to get you started.
High dose pro-biotic capsules every day. Choose a product that has at least 45 billion count and the more strains the better!
Yakult or other yoghurt brands from the supermarket are not going to be your go to pro-biotic. They are not only loaded with sugar, preservatives and numbers, they have been heated at high temperatures destroying all the good bacteria and making the food acidic.
There are other great supplements out there that all help kill Candida, such as Clove Oil, Rosemary Oil, Oregano Oil, Olive Leaf Extract, Pau D’Arco (this makes a wonderful tea), Garlic, Coconut Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Black Walnut, Neem Oil.
Other products that may be worth exploring are FiveLac, Candida Cleanser, and Gut Relief, which contains a very important amino acid L-glutamine. This will help heal the gut and allow the body to establish a great foundation to healing overall.
To support digestion during this time digestive enzymes and betaine hydrochloric acid tablets will help your body digest food and limit fermentation in the gut – of which Candida loves to thrive in.
And lastly but most importantly, get those Candida toxins out!
Yes this means colonics – lots of them, coffee enemas, infra red sauna, Vitamin C IV, liver support supplements, sweating, meditation, yoga, green juices, extra quality filtered water and anything else that resonates with your body and helps to heal.
Healing from Candida requires a multi-pronged approach as you can see!
Once you start healing, symptoms may get worse before they get better, so if you start to feel tired, flu like, achy joints, have headaches, stomach upsets, or feel emotional during this time, try to welcome it, it’s a sign your body is starting to heal, and trying to eliminate the dead Candida cells!
This where getting colonics, or booking a series of infra red saunas will really help relieve those symptoms, and get you well faster.
Do you have Candida?
Take this questionnaire and find out!
If you are interested in using fermented foods to help heal your Candida, use our Complete Fermentation Kit to ensure you get a successful and fail safe ferment of your food every time. Mason jars, silicone airlock lids, pump, glass weights, user guide, recipe booklet and access to The Culture Hub Club are included in the Kit so you can get started with ease in your kitchen at home pronto.
Or if you’re ready to dive into a comprehensive gut healing program try my 4 Week Gut Makeover Program. Each module follows focused, targeted steps to help get your gut back into balance again so pathogens, toxins are eliminated and balanced gut flora is restored.
Also on my website are free raw food recipes and lots of information on the blog.
Much raw <3
Amanda
