Hi everyone,

I recently figured out that my abounding health problems are almost definitely due to Candida. After graduating high school I took a year off to travel and build my clothing line which I began in my senior year. Just after graduation I got mono. Prior to this illness I had been in very strong health. I knew something was wrong as I tried to get back into to my exercise routine but couldn't. In my mono-induced malaise, I didn't think too much of it. Also, during the summer following my graduation, I took a course of antibiotics to deal with an small infection caused by a bee sting. I took a trip to Kauai Hawaii in the following october, to go surfing. While there, my diet was very poor (including lots of sugars) and I was quite stressed out as I went on a very low budget (trying to camp) and my ill health became increasingly apparent.

Upon returning home, I got tests, and found out that I had had mono. Also, during this time period I started to accumulate a wide variety of symptoms from chest pains to anxiety to tingling limbs as well as debilitating mind fog and fatigue. Later that year (April I believe), in desperation, I fasted for four days and went on a raw food diet for eight. This helped me for a number of months, until, during a painting job (interior house painting), I developed a potent sinus infection. I got antibiotics for this (oops). Since this point, I have not made a full return to health in any way shape or form.

I am currently functioning to a minor degree. I am attending Sarah Lawrence College and having a very hard time. I can get up and I can go but only kind of. When it comes to CLEAR and THOUGHTFUL studying, I'm doing so much worse than I know I can. Additionally, I feel very alienated from my peers as none of them are suffering from a systemic infection as I am.

Three weeks ago, I started Oregano Oil, a probiotic blend (although I've just read here that individual probiotics are better), chlorella and Olive Leaf extract. I have cut out all sugars and complex carbs and I eat potatoes and rice very occasionally. The only thing I'm having trouble with is coffee, as that is what is keeping me in school. This week, I switched my probiotic to Syntol AMD (two a day), I added Candidate, and Candi Clear as well as glutamine and methyl b12.

I have been feeling the benefits in a big way and gained a vague sense of hope that I had pretty much given up on. But while things have been getting better in many ways, I feel like I've kind of kind hit a plateau. Maybe this is the candida building up resistance but I just started a new anti-fungal so this should not be happening, right? I also have had a couple of sleepless nights lately (maybe the glutamine or b12).

I really dont know what to do or how to handle this. I feel like I shouldn't be in school right now, but I also don't feel like I can just take a break from life to get better. I'm not expressing my duress very well right now. But suffice it to say that I've broken down crying more than once this week. I am, as anyone who has know me for awhile will tell you, a very grounded and calm person. But right now and really since getting back from hawaii, I've just been completely turned on my head.

Anyways, I just thought I would share and see if anyone has input on a good direction to take from here. I've heard both the rave and not-so-rave reviews about threelac and am wondering if I should give it a shot. I've got an appointment with my mainstream, although pretty open minded doctor set up for the middle of march during my spring break. Maybe I should try Nystatin or Diflucan. Maybe I should use my tuition insurance to my benefit and head home to try and regain my health. I need something to change though and I'm just really, really lost.

I know that no one has the answers but I am so grateful to anyone who has input to share.

Thank you so much for listening,

Francis

Hi Francies,

So sorry to hear of your struggles but please know that you are not alone. I was diagnosed with CFS aged 12 after a prolonged viral infection - suspected glandular fever. But this followed a year in which I was given 6 courses of antibiotics for various ear and throat infections. So the triggers for our illnesses appear to be rather similar.

I managed things quite well until I was 16/17 when I became a lot sicker after living a typical British teenagers lifestyle with plenty of the wrong foods, alcohol, parties etc. I also continued to be given antibiotics for every little infection by my doctor until I began to read about Candida and put the pieces of the puzzle together! You might want to read my article - My Candida Hell: Chronical Ethanol and Acetaldehyde Poisoning - just so you don't feel so alone with this.

As things got worse I began to struggle academically when previously I had been a top student and found things easy. I know it is hard but please try not to get angry with yourself or in any way blame yourself for struggling at college. We can only do the best we can under our present circumstances.

Only you can decide whether to stay in college or take a break to focus on regaining your health. I can't tell you what to do. What I will say is that in hindsight I pushed my body way past its limits in stubborn ignorance of my illness, did all the wrong things and ultimately made my condition 10x worse. Oh and had no choice in the end but to drop out of my computer science bachelors degree course at university. The good news is that 10 years on I went back to university and got a degree in nutritional medicine with top honours!

The plateau you mention in your treatment might be down to relying on coffee which contributes to adrenal fatigue - which is heavily linked to Candida/yeast overgrowth. You might do much better if you drop the coffee. I have found herbs known as adaptogens to be very helpful for supporting adrenal function and energy, mood and cognitive performance. Some good ones include panax ginseng, licorice and Tribulus terrestris.

If you want to try a prescription antifungal it is worth knowing that nystatin is the safer option to begin with. It is not absorbed into the bloodstream so is non-toxic. It is still highly effective at killing Candida/yeast in the gut...which is where most problem growth occurs. Drugs in the class to which Diflucan belongs (the 'azoles') are inherently toxic to the liver so need to be used very cautiously since those with Candida-related illness generally have overburdened livers to start with. You would need to discuss all of this with a suitable doctor of course. I would recommend seeking out a naturopathic doctor (N.D.) near you.

I hope some of this has been useful. My thoughts are with you. Take care.

Maff
do you have any resources for reading about coffee and candida?

thanks

None off the top of my head True. It's not a straight forward subject as the connection isn't direct. Any stimulant such as caffeine causes a stress reaction within the body which is the opposite of what we want when we are trying to fight a Candida infection as it takes resources away from the immune system and when it is chronic it causes immune suppression. Additionally stimulants can cause blood sugar imbalance and hypoglycemia, deplete important neurotransmitters causing fatigue and mood and cognitive dysfunction, and generally exacerbate all the symptoms we associate with Candida-related illness.

Hi Frances,

I am really sorry to hear you are dealing with this! You are most definitely not alone. I have been dealing with candida for 6 years now, although only knowing what the issue was for around 2 years. Mine started after a long period of antibiotic use (like 8 months or so)uti's and kidney infections being the culprits and i was such a mess. After i stopped taking all the antibiotics I was so fatigued, my digestion was an absolute mess, i was horribly congested, levels of anxiety i could not get control of, I couldnt think straight at all and had NO idea what was wrong with me. I saw so many western doctors and none of them were helpfull. And all of this was directly after I had graduated from design school and had just started working my first job post-graduation.

I didnt have the option of taking any more time off from work (from all the infections alone i had to leave town and live with my parents for 2 months) so one thing i found incredibly helpful for energy and to help with some mental stamina was chinese medicine/acupuncture. There are really great herbal formulas that can help keep you functioning if you need to keep moving. (as well as help your immune system) Another thing i wanted to suggest to you is a program by an herbal medicine dr in northern,ca called "the modern herbalist" modernherbalist.com/ he uses the rotational approach where you rotate 4 antifungals every 4 days so it makes it super hard for the candida to become resistant.This program was the first thing that got my candida under control. He uses good quality antifungals and free phone consultations which is nice to talk to someone who has alot of experience in this area.(and i tried EVERYTHING) Seems like this approach or the combination of several antifungals together (or i have combined and rotated at the same time) work the best!
Another thing i wanted to share with you is a product called kolorex. (I have posted on this site before about it) its a product made out of a prehistoric plant from new zealand called the horipito plant that has incredible antifungal properties. There have been tests done comparing it to diflucan and it held up quite well. It has been a great help to me and is the strongest natural antifungal i have found. You can also get it in tea form which is really good. both products you can find on amazon!(also raw garlic and unrefined coconut oil work really well fyi)

Unfortunately this is such a difficult illness to deal with and takes huge lifestyle changes to get it under control. I have been treating it for around 2 years now and while i am doing soooo much better i still have to live a certain way...i can not stray from the diet, get lots of sleep, no drinking or smoking, i still take several natural antifungals a day with probiotics and colostrum.(a whole other product thats great but this email is becoming epic so i will stop) I also take a chinese medicine formula from an herbalist who is totally amazing...but its hard to find one who knows how to deal with candida specifically. BUt i feel pretty good these days and i seem to keep improving all the time so i remain hopeful that eventually it will subside.

Hang in there and know that it will get better! Finding this website was a good thing...its been a great resource for me and just having some folks to ask questions to has definitely made a difference!Take good care!!

I tried the thereelac and it gave me bacterial overgrowth and the mds but me on antibios and I got worse.. Just a heads up . The best advise I cangive is stay on the diet, keep stress low..get rest.. don't get too obsessive (hard not to do) stay positive keep rotating the antifungals ie horipito grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf, oregano, rx diflucan can be hard on your system but they worked for me better than the nystatin I too struggle with coffee..try to stick to organic when you cheat ..brown rice not white and not too much grains or fruit sugar..i stick to green apples and berries in the am when I can tolerate better...hope you feel better candida sucks!