hi all im new to the site but found loads of great information on candida.

i am pretty sure from reading articles here and elsewhere online that i have a big candida/yeast problem so want to try treating it.

i was wondering what experiences others have had. is it best to use drugs or are herbs as effective? how strict does the diet need to be? are there other things i really need to do?

sorry for all the wuestions. hope someone can help me.

Hi Jenny,

I'm glad you found some useful information on the site already

Your question is a tricky one and I'm not sure there is a correct answer at this point; it's more a question of trial and error and what works best for you.

You can try to determine if you have a Candida/fungal gut dysbiosis using a diagnostic test such as the Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) from Genova Diagnostics or a similar test from other labs. These can identify the particular strain of fungal organism you have a problem with and often identify which drugs and herbs they are most sensitive to.

Then obviously you use the drugs and/or herbs which are best at killing your problem organism.

If you don't want to take that route then it's a matter of weighing up potential side-effects. Some drugs (Diflucan, Sporanox etc) can be harmful to the liver which is likely to be impaired already in those with Candida/gut dysbiosis. Obviously herbs also aren't free from side-effects, a particular one may cause digestive upset for example.

Some people recommend rotating different herbs to prevent the fungus from becoming resistant to a single one. Whether this is required or not is open for debate.

Personally I have found a large range of antifungals, both drugs and herbals, to be effective at killing Candida in myself (judging by die-off reactions). With that in mind the choice my be down to side-effects, price etc.

In terms of diet the important thing is to get rid of sugar of any kind (sucrose, fructose, corn syrup etc) and refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice etc) as well as food additives. Most Candida diets also recommend excluding fermented foods such as vinegar because you are likely to have allergies/sensitivities to any yeast and yeast products.

Also, remember that treating fungal gut dysbiosis is not just a matter of using antifungal drugs or herbs. You also need to use probiotics to add back the friendly bacteria, work on healing an inflammed and damaged gut lining, and improve immune function by correcting nutrient deficiencies and making appropriate lifestyle changes.

You can find more information on these issues on this site and others. Take a look here:

Antifungal Treatment

Leaky Gut Syndrome Treatment

Probiotics & Prebiotics