anti-fungal diet

strict rules

If we accept the premise that candida may be an endocrine disorder, then the key to getting rid of candida for good is to stop this imbalance.

Step One: As candida aggravates any endocrine disorder, reduce candida overgrowth. Classic candida therapy has four aspects to it:

Diet, restricting banned foodstuffs including allergens.
Anti-fungals to kill the candida - there are good quality herbal alternatives.
Repopulation of the digestive tract with good bacteria e.g. acidophilus.
Dietary supplements as needed to boost the immune system and help with digestion.

All practitioners have their own regime which they advocate. We provide general guidelines to all members, and individual support on request.

Step Two: Consider how you have disrupted your endocrine system. You are unlikely to get well if the disruption is ongoing e.g. by taking the contraceptive pill or HRT. You may want to take expert advice on alternatives. We particularly recommend this if you are menopausal.

Step Three: If you can't work out what may have caused your candida (or are undecided how to proceed) you may benefit from expert help. We can help you find a practitioner, many of whom are using electronic machines to take the guesswork out of identifying causes.

Step Four: Get tested - don't self-diagnose. If you see a good practitioner, they will order tests if they are necessary, or your GP may be willing to do so. There are some fabulous tests available now, we particularly like Great Smokies' 28 day saliva test, Female Hormone Profile. The results are given in an easy-to-understand format. Please don't assume that you are low in oestrogen just because you are a female in your forties - remember that high oestrogen is a cancer risk, so you need to be sure!

Step Five: If you discover that dental mercury amalgam is poisoning your system, be sure to follow the correct procedure to remove ALL mercury from your body. If you don't, then changing your fillings is unlikely to give you the health improvement that you are hoping for. The body will not give up mercury if it is deficient in any mineral, so address that in advance of treatment. After the fillings have been changed, the mercury has to be removed from the blood and then from receptor sites. There are various protocols for doing this - we can put members in touch with the Mercury Amalgams Helpline.

Step Six -women only- : If you are sure that your oestrogen level is suboptimal, there are a number of herbal supplements that can help - known as phytoestrogens. These can remove excess oestrogen or increase oestrogen activity by unblocking receptors. They help to rectify whatever imbalance is found. They are precusors to hormones but not hormones themselves. We recommend that you stay away from all hormones including so-called 'natural' progesterone cream which can have some very nasty side-effects. Remember candida loves progesterone, and excess progesterone can transform itself into oestrogen or testosterone causing those hormones to rise dangerously.

Herbs include:

Black cohosh
Red Clover
Siberian Ginseng
Dong Quai
Wild Yam
Licorice root (not with high blood pressure)

Avoid or reduce:

Hormones in milk or meat
Soya is beginning to get a bad press. It has been reported that animals fed soya have had their intestines ripped by its long strands. This sounds like bad news for candida sufferers, but we await further evidence.