Candida = its not just for your girlfriend anymore

Hi All,

Having checked the search engine and my memory, I know there hasn’t been much discussion of Candida on this forum. For those unaware: Candida overgrowths can be a huge pain in the ass for someone’s lifestyle. A LOT (a whole lot) of problems can be linked/traced to having a fungal overgrowth in the body (candida is the popular one… i hear there are 100s). Moreover, most people are unaware that they could even have candida. Anyways - does anybody have any experience with the Candida diet or other methods of restoring balance?

I have a bunch of information already, and the obvious piece of knowledge that I walk away with is that it is very restrictive and it seems nearly unavoidable to stay out of a hypocaloric state while on the diet (which is usually for a kind of long time).

One thing I was thinking, was that this diet would fit in well with the warrior diet type plan, since you can hardly eat anything anyways, why not just eat once a day and at least feel kind of satisfied? Obviously eating isn’t a major activity during this time.

What about athletic/strength gains on the diet? I’m assuming no lbm could be gained on it, but since i don’t care about lbm, what about athleticism/energy? Candida symptoms are nearly as bad as chronic fatigue sometimes, but then again eating around 1800 kcal a day isn’t going to keep the engine rev’d, especially since caffeine is a no-no on it. But, it does seem possible that strength/agility/flexibility could be trained despite the caloric deficit.

I’m hoping anyone who has used this protocol with themselves or someone else can respond in regards to its effectiveness and what they think could be tweaked about it.

Thanks,
Franks

quack alert!

Sean,

Read the link - I don’t see how it refutes the existence of Candida overgrowths and the many shitty symptoms they bring. I see it is an allopathic physician stating a pretty standard argument againts Most allopathic physicians don’t recognize candida and really have little capability to treat it if they did - heck, those people who take treating it seriously will tell you (much like many on here will tell you with regards to LBM gain) its 99% diet.

I’m sure I won’t change your mind, but lets hope you never get it - it would be a shame to deal with something you couldn’t recognize.

And by the way, thanks for the useless response to the original post, you did not answer the question but simply criticized the subject.

Franks, it might help if you posted the symptoms for Candida. Most people don’t even know they have it. All they know is that they feel bad, low energy, mental fog, etc.

It’s an important topic, and bears closer scrutiny if you find you catch colds easily (weakened immune system), find yourself taking a round of antibiotics a few times a year, are under high stress, and are just generally run down.

TT, Appreciate the response. I’ll post some of the more obvious symptoms of Candida overgrowth. It does bear a lot of scrutiny, especially since it seems to be related to a lot of the same issues that many would say are problematic in modern lifestyle - inactivity, dysfunctional bodies, dietary deficiencies, poor sleeping habits, dehydration, adrenal exhaustion, etc…
heres some symptoms (usually its the presence of multiple symptoms that suggests candida): Emotional Problems, Poor Memory, Hypoglycemia, Hyper-Activity, Food Craving,Acid Indigestion, Tired Muscles, Psoriasis, Heart Burn, Asthma, Confusion, Bloating, Depression, Menstrual Problems, Sore Throat, Gas, Nausea, Irritability, Thrush, Anxiety, Sinus Pressure, Fatigue. Muscle Stiffness, Vaginal Yeast Infections, Fuzzy Thinking, Constipation, Intestinal Pain.

Franks,

I don’t want ot get into a debate about this, but those symptoms you rattled off are the same symptoms that people with a cold have.

I am very open to all this sort of stuff and am willing to entertain anything, so it’s not a matter of trying to change my mind. you may want to consider why you are so dead set that it is ‘for real’.

The article makes it pretty clear that candida(syndrome, which is what you are describing, as in something that is making you experience all the symptoms you talk about) is considered highly speculative and unproven. A few quick searches on medline and webmd turn up much of the same. candidas infection typically occur post operative, are ‘external’(nasal, vaginal, etc) although can appear in intestine. They are most often seen in very sick folks(aids patients) and it looks to be pretty rare among otherwise healthy adults.

Just throwing it out there man, maybe something else is going on with you whomever you know is experiencing the symptoms you listed.

-sean

Hey, there, Sean. Stephen Barrett in the article you posted does not deny the existence of Candida. His argument is that some practitioners attribute a laundry list of symptoms to Candida without clinical signs or proof.

If someone suspects they have Candida, Great Smokies Laboratory offers several assessments to evaluate the systemic impact of Candida albicans in the body.

And there is no source I respect more highly. Great Smokies is probably the premier diagnostic laboratory facility in the United States in the area of functional medicine.

Nothing wrong with a friendly debate if you were so inclined. (grin) A little scepticism combined with the willingness to evaluate something open mindedly will take you far…and keep you healthy!

TT,

Like I said, I’m totally open to all sorts of things like this.

Like you said though, skepticism is healthy thing as well.

Part of my problem with it is how it is “diagnosed” by naturaopaths and there ilk. A very good friend of mines wife was extremely ill and she went through some naturopaths looking for help when the regular docs couldn’t put there finger on it. The naturopaths conviced her that it was candidas. Only after becoming severely ill did the regular docs figure out that she really had lyme disease.

anyhow, as I said, I’m open to all of this.

cheers,
sean

Okay, I’ve got it. And I’m with you a hundred percent, Sean. Thanks for sharing that with me.

I have a strong alternative leaning, but I’ve had to go through any number of practitioners to diagnose and fix different health problems I’ve had. Not everyone does what they do well, and no healthcare practitioner bats a thousand – making that healthy case of scepticism (and powers of discernment) all the more important!

Most Natural Paths use Great Smokies Laboratory here in Canada.
The ones I have worked at do any way, both in Calgary and Vancouver.

Chronic Candidas is rare, it comes with such symptems as the fingernails developing black spots.

This is rare.
However I do think it is something more wemon need to understand.
How to eat, and understand what repeated binging on sugary foods does
I know there is allot of stigma to quacks but I think they have there place
ka outta here!

Seanc,

Sorry to hear the naturopath couldn’t accurately assess your friend’s wife’s condition and that it wasn’t clear until she became quite ill what she actually had.

However, there is not an entirely standardized diagnostic procedure in the naturopathy community for recognizing candida - lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater on that
one - a lot of naturopaths are exhaustively thorough in diagnosis and analysis of various facets of life usually unapproached by any medical doctor. And of course, no one is 100% right all the time.

The thing about candida overgrowth is that much of the symptoms can be triggered by dietary manipulations - for example, if i drink milk or eat a lot of different foods, I get severe sebhorrea. Less obvious is that the toxins released by the systemic overgrowth can affect ones mood, just like a drug or a hormone. But to catch that you’d have to pay close attention. Even worse, i find i often have nasty breath regardless of what i’ve eaten or when i’ve brushed.
However, I’m lucky that I do have a pretty strong immune system and don’t find myself ill all too frequently.

Candida is often linked with food sensitivities because in many cases a sensitivity may be symptomatic of this type of overgrowth/imbalance. It’s also very individual - people will manifest it in a variety of ways, which makes it seem more like a label for a larger category of dysfunctions or disease but it has to do with tracing the symptoms back to the issue.

best,
Franks