You said:
I have been suffering with a systemic candida for nine years now, I have had the sensation of skin crawling many times which I believe is caused by the candida. I have also had a inflamed liver from the candida for eight years. I have had full body itch severely which I believe is from thecandida as well as bile acids backing up in my bloodstream.it's possible your liver isn't functioning well and that's causing theitch. There is a blood test for serum bile acids which is a really good indicator of the bile acids backing up in into your bloodstream and could tell you if that's what's causing the itching.but also candida causes severe itching, so if you have systemic candida, that could also be causing it.

Could I ask you HOW you deal with your liver problems? Personnally, I eat aloe gel straight from the leaves - that helps a little, especially when gallbladder kicks in. Very soothing.

Treating candida and liver - very tricky. Is there anything you could suggest? The way am eating now - meat, vegetables and eggs I feel is so not great for the liver.

Thanks

The big problem with Candida is not the presance of the fungus itself, but the byproduct of its fermentation in the gut... This byproduct is ethanol, and liver problems associated with candida are most likely ethanol related.

Nothing protects the liver better from ethanol damage (or any other insult) better than PPC (polyenylphosphatidylcholine). Brand names PhosChol and HepatoPro.

www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/mar00-report.html

Overlooked & Overworked
Preventive maintenance for your stomach, liver and pancreas
by Karin Granstrom Jordan, MD

PPC Soy derivative
Phosphatidylcholine (the main component of lecithin) is an integral part of cell membranes, essential for their structural and functional integrity. Cell membranes act like gatekeepers, allowing nutrients into the cells but blocking damaging toxins from gaining entrance. A new extract from soybeans called PPC (polyenylphosphatidylcholine) has been shown to enhance cell membrane function throughout the body.

PPC is approved for the treatment of chronic liver diseases in many European countries and is actually listed in the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) of the United States. An accumulating body of research suggests that PPC's umbrella of protection may extend from the liver to the stomach, pancreas and cardiovascular system. PPC is well absorbed in humans and animals when taken orally. There are no known contraindications, side effects or interactions with other drugs, even with consumption of large quantities of PPC.

A characteristic feature of liver disease, regardless of its cause, is the increased deposition of collagen, the connective tissue protein. This increased collagen accumulation could result from enhanced collagen biosynthesis and/or decreased collagen breakdown. PPC appears to increase collagen breakdown by stimulating collagenase activity in hepatic stellate cells preventing the development of fibrosis and cirrhosis (Li J et al., 1992). Several studies have focused on PPC and its effect on collagen and fibrosis.

A baboon study (Lieber CS et al., 1994) confirmed earlier results (Lieber CS et al., 1990) showing that in the baboon, feeding of ethanol (a form of alcohol) results in hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis even when associated with an adequate diet. This effect could be prevented by supplementing the diet with a 94-96% pure PPC preparation. None of the eight animals fed alcohol with PPC for up to 6.5 years had progression to fibrosis or cirrhosis as had 10 of 12 unsupplemented baboons, a highly significant difference. Another study (Ma X et al., 1996) revealed that PPC reduces hepatic fibrosis induced by either carbon tetrachloride or human albumin in rats, and that PPC not only prevents the development of fibrosis but accelerates the regression of pre-existing fibrosis. The study further suggested that the protective effect exerted by PPC against fibrosis is due, at least in part to increased collagen breakdown.

Hi Dechan,

Some ideas to help the liver.

Reduce the toxic load with high dose vitamin C, activated charcoal and/or bentonite. If digestion is poor then an enema or colonic is one of the quickest ways to improve transit time and thus the stress on the liver.

A combination of pantethine and molybdenum may also help process acetaldehyde, one of the primary toxins associated with Candida. I have seem a little improvement with 450mg of pantethine and 2 drops daily of molybdenum.

Other options are N-acetyl-cysteine, which is metabolised by the body into glutathione, or even straight liposomal glutathione. This is a fairly new product so not much research is out there, however if it does was it claims it can, results could be dramatic. If you do take NAC, its recommended you take twice the amount of vitamin C with it.

I've also seen good results from Tribulus, although I've not deeply looked into any research. You can read Maff's thoughts on Tribulus here.

http://www.ei-resource.org/myblog/Liver-...nxiety.html#comments

Keep on truckin'

Hi Dechen,

Some great advice from both Bolam56 and Konnor that I can't disagree with.

I'd add that SAMe is another nutritional supplement that is widely used in medical settings to treat liver diseases and like PPC and NAC has a lot of rewsearch to back up its use for this purpose. SAMe is involved in a cycle of metabolic reactions that can either lead to glutathione (the major antioxidant and detoxifier in the body) or homocysteine which is toxic and implicated in cardiovascular disease and mental decline. It is important to take adequate amounts of folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 to make sure glutathione is the substance that is increased.

Both myself and Konnor have had good results with Tribulus terrestris, a herb which improves the flow of bile which is important for ridding the liver of toxins. Other herbs have similar effects and are called \"bitters\" in Eastern medicine; some examples include artichoke and dandelion.

Thanks guys,

PPC? Never heard of this. It is interesting though that you should mention the deposits of collagen in the liver. My liver feels just overloaded and frantic. Just went for acupuncture and doctor said - it's blocked.

So increasing the bile flow, I read coffee enema increases bile flow.

I am already taking 1000mg vitamin C a day, maybe it's not enough.

What I feel though is I need a thorough and long cleanse - like a program or something to detox all the garbage caused by candida. I was told by a doctor I have the liver of an alcoholic. And I never even drank a drop!!!

What could panthetine be? Molybdenum must be a trace mineral.

About tribulus, isn't it used in ayurveda for testosterone production or something? Wouldn't want to grow a beard. In ayurveda, the supreme herb for liver would be phyllanthus niruri (chancra piedra)

I also heard about alpha-lipoic acid, being used in Europe to restore the liver. What are your thoughts.

Thanks for all this good advice; something has to happen.

With Vitamin C the trick is to maintain adequate blood levels continuously throughout the day (and night)...

Better to take 250mg four times a day than 1000mg (or more) once a day, or you might try 500mg three times per day.

With PPC and the liver (\"the liver of an alcoholic\"), PPC has been shown to be such a powerful liver protectant that studies with baboons showed it could prevent cirrhosis even when 50% of daily calories consumed were pure ethanol!

Brand names are \"PhosChol\" (Nutrasal) and \"HepatoPro\" (Life Extension).

More info here, at Life Extension: www.lef.org/magazine/mag2005/jul2005_aas_01.htm

PPC or \"polyenylphosphatidylcholine\" is a polyunsaturated form of Phosphatidylcholine (the main component of lecithin). Matt has said in previous posts that he had trouble taking the PPC, but had good results from a \"triple strength Lecithin\" supplement. If you can't get a hold of some PPC, you might try this.

Below is the abstract of the study by Dr Lieber.

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\"Chronic administration of a soybean-derived polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC) extract prevents the development of cirrhosis in alcohol-fed baboons\".

Attenuation of alcohol-induced hepatic fibrosis by polyunsaturated lecithin
Charles S. Lieber, M.D. *, Leonore M. Decarli, Ki M. Mak, Cho-Il Kim, Maria A. Leo
Section of Liver Disease and Nutrition, Alcohol Research and Treatment Center, Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine (CUNY), New York, New York
Correspondence to Charles S. Lieber, (151/G), Alcohol Research and Treatment Center, Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468
Presented in part at the International Symposium on Phospholipids held December 4, 1989, in Cologne, FRG.

Funded by:
Department of Health and Human Services; Grant Number: AA03508, DK 32810
Department of Veterans Affairs

ABSTRACT
Characteristic features of alcoholic liver injury include fibrosis and striking membrane alterations, with associated phospholipid changes. To offset some of these abnormalities, a 10-yr study was conducted in baboons: 12 animals (eight females, four males) were fed a liquid diet supplemented with polyunsaturated lecithin (4.1 mg/kcal) for up to 8 yr, with either ethanol (50% of total energy) or isocaloric carbohydrate. They were compared with another group of 18 baboons fed an equivalent amount of the same diet (with or without ethanol), but devoid of lecithin. In the two groups, comparable increases in lipids developed in the ethanol-fed animals, but striking differences in the degree of fibrosis were seen. Whereas at least septal fibrosis (with cirrhosis in two) and transformation of their lipocytes into transitional cells developed in seven of the nine baboons fed the regular diet with ethanol, septal fibrosis did not develop in any animals fed lecithin (p < 0.005). They did not progress beyond the stage of perivenular fibrosis (sometimes associated with pericellular and perisinusoidal fibrosis) and had a significantly lesser activation of lipocytes to transitional cells. Furthermore, when three of these animals were taken off lecithin, but continued on the same amount of the ethanol-containing diet, they rapidly (within 18 to 21 mo) progressed to cirrhosis, accompanied by an increased transformation of their lipocytes to transitional cells. These results indicate that some component of lecithin exerts a protective action against the fibrogenic effects of ethanol. Because we had previously found that choline, in amounts present in lecithin, has no comparable action, the polyunsaturated phospholipids themselves might be responsible for the protective effect. (HEPATOLOGY 1990;12:1390-1398).

Post edited by: bolam56, at: 2009/10/12 00:23<br /><br />Post edited by: bolam56, at: 2009/10/12 00:27