My Six Year Candida Journey

Candida. Yeast? Well, I’ ll start by saying it’s not ALWAYS a yeast infection or toxic mold, or belly bloat!

More specifically though,  candida ( or systematic candidas) is  condition in which yeast resides in the blood, gut, skin or elsewhere and creates an irregular imbalance. Candida is a naturally occurring substance in the body and in the gut, but when this gets out of balance it can cause an array of health problems. For example, having to much IGG or IGA strands appear in blood can indicate you have too much of those strands in your blood.

My story

 My candida story begins far before I knew I had candida. Truth is I was suffering from Candida for 6 years and had absolutely no idea that I was. In fact, I had many other heath problem stem from my imbalance, such as those listed above.

The critical factor that lead to my gut imbalance ( and later the imbalance in my blood due to this gut imbalance and the duration of time in which this happened ) was antibiotic use. I used antibiotics for about 5 years for  cystic acne (which never worked by the way). During this time I was uneducated on gut health and had never taken a probiotic- I was merely following doctors instructions which were quite frankly poorly given to me at this time.

My acne worsened and I was put on hormonal birth control. Then when I was 18- I stopped everything. Ultimately my skin cleared a bit. I then took this major steps unto optimal health later through college. I was not completely healed. But are we ever? I started exercising  more (regular after a severe injury in high school sports I had stopped entirely ). Later, I went vegan and i started  studying wellness in my free time.

 Despite my efforts, things  started to get better and then worsened. Ultimately, I started expiring extreme adrenal fatigue, weight gain(30 pounds), brain fog- I started expiring Candida symptoms more and more. I gave this to my college and work stress-I was a full-time student working full-time as a nanny 30-70 hours a week of work plus my schoolwork). I was wrong in overworking myself an ignoring these symptoms because…..Later when  I moved to L.A to finish school I found a naturopath who ran some tests and -there it was: I had Candida. estimated to be for years.

 The candida was found in my bloodstream. We started treatment with anti-fungal medication (Oregano, rosemary, etc). This worked for 3 months. Currently, I am one and a half  months into taking pine bark after a consultation with a private practitioner in holistic health,I then took his supplementation guidelines and combined it  with my candida plan. I am 4 and a half months into treatment and the IGA and IGM levels have dropped significantly in my blood and I am working on rebuilding my gut health as well as addressing EBV.

So far, so good. My skin has cleared more and I have lost 30 pounds in 4-5 months.Most of all I feel amazing. I find this to be healthy changes to my life although clear skin and weightless wasn’t a priority.

What is it Exactly and How to Heal?

Now candida can be caused by a variety of reasons and may not be as transparent as you think. Some of these causes are  an overuse of antibiotics, a diet heavy in sugar or a carbohydrate heavy diet, unhealthy gut, mold exposure in ones environment. When candidas is present in the body at overgrowth levels certain uncomfortable systems rise. For example, skin conditions, brain fog, fatigue, constipation, hormonal imbalance, stomach discomfort, irritability, intense sugar cravings,  weight gain, weight loss, reoccurring yeast infections or UTI’s(three plus per year). Some may have 1-2 symptoms or be plagued with many.

To treat candida by holistic means one can participate int he Candida Diet and take anti-fungal medication.

Personally, I do a vegan version of the candida diet for treatment and take an anti-fungal. I incorporate many aspects of different research not he topic to create my own individualize plan in which you can email me for more research.

The general guidelines for my plan are below:

Diet

I do a vegan version of the traditional diet and have many recipes on this page to help with those suffering! This diet constants of no sugar (natural/paleo friendly and cane sugar,  fruits, etc), no glutinous grains ( low carb diet altogether). In my plan, the first phase even excludes carb heavy vegetables (potatoes, beets ,carrots) and even grains such as rice, as well as moldy foods such as coffee and peanut butter. 

This is not a detailed list but I do have a detailed lists of what TO eat on the candida on my ‘tip sheets” page.

Essentially, it cuts out all food that could feed the candid in ones body (for me this is in my gut and blood) and eliminates foods that would cause a blood sugar spike.

Anti-fungal Medication

Rosemary, oregano, pine bark etc. In addition take a 10 billion plus probiotic.

So, What Now?

This is my candida story and it is not yet over. I am sharing my process, secrets, and do much more on this blog in the hopes I can help-either through private coaching through free resources and posts-to help all those struggling with candida so they can heal too.