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Where I’m at with my health & what you can learn from it

I’ve been following different Candida diet protocols for almost four years now. I eat no sugar, no processed foods and consume mostly organic freshly cooked foods.

During this time I managed to completely heal all the health issues I had (and if you’ve been following my health journey you’d know that there were MANY!)

From eczema to chronic bladder and recurring yeast infections to a thyroid disorder, IBS and debilitating sinus infections.

I had it all, and I’m proud to say I cured myself simply with help of a well balanced diet, natural remedies and plenty of detoxing, rest and positive thinking.

Because I have had such amazing recovery results I often extended the scope of my diet to old “beloved” sugary foods and promptly suffered a Candida relapse which is typical for a systemic Candida issue.

This has happened to me not once, not twice, no – at least four times!

The last time this happened was this summer. I had been symptom free for a while and felt awesome – but after ten days of holiday eating ice cream, pizza and enjoying some long drinks and going through an emotionally highly stressful time some familiar symptoms came back *sigh*!

It took me two months after my holiday’s overindulgence to get the Candida symptoms back under control.

But when I followed a Vegan cleanse last month I ate a ton of sweet potato and butternut squash meals which were super delicious and gave me lots of energy, but they threw me back a bit once again.

So I went back to taking some higher strength probiotics and to taking natural antifungals (olive leaf capsules rotated with oil of oregano drops).

This helped me get it all back down again. Not quite to the level I had before my holiday, but still very good.

I feel great now  but there are still signs that the yeast isn’t fully balanced yet.

So I thought rather than experimenting quietly with Candida treatments like I normally do, I’ll share here openly on my blog what supplements I’m taking and if it makes a difference. In real time! So you can chime in, ask questions or use it to get accountability for your own healthful pursuits or Candida treatment protocols.

Why try out a different Candida treatment?

The plan is to get the yeast overgrowth so much under control that I’ll be able to enjoy some Christmas cookies or the odd glass of mulled wine in December without triggering Candida symptoms. Are you on board with that?

So how am I planning on doing this?

It’s a three step approach:

1. Bring the yeast overgrowth down
2. Repopulate the gut with good bacteria
3. Support the gut lining (and if necessary fix any upcoming leaky gut issues)

4 Weeks Systemic Candida Treatment Outline:

Note: I have recently changed this protocol slightly. Now there is a gradual increase in dosages rather than starting with the full dosage of meds – this should help us feel better throughout the treatment.

Week 1:

• First 2 days take 1 capsule SF722 with every meal (so 3 capsules a day).
  
• Next 2 days take 2 capsules SF722 with every meal (so 6 capsules a day).
• Rest of the week take 3 capsules SF722 with every meal (9 capsules a day)
  

• Three times daily also take a strong probiotic such as CP1, Primal Defense Ultra (or my latest find: Syntol which also contains digestive enzymes which is great!) 20 minutes before your meal.
• Take a good multi vitamin and mineral complex before/ with meals. Also take 1 tbsp of flax oil anytime you like.
• If bloating, IBS symptoms or gas are present consider digestive enzymes up to three times a day plus gelatin, l-glutamin and slippery elm powder once or twice per day.

• Drink ginger root tea with breakfast, dandelion tea with or after lunch, lemon balm or pau d’acro tea with dinner and chamomile flowers tea when winding down.
• Cook Candida diet friendly foods, exercise regularly, stop any inflammation in your body in its tracks with herbal remedies, and get plenty of rest and sleep.
• Whenever the die off symptoms become overwhelming take less antifungals; maybe even take none for a day or two to give your body time to catch up.

Week 2:

• First 2 days take 1 capsule of olive leaf twice daily for 3 days between meals (instead of the SF722 not in addition to).
• Next 2 days take 2 capsules olive leaf twice daily for 3 days between meals (instead of the SF722 not in addition to).
• Next day take 1 drop of oil of oregano once a day with/after food with a glass of water (stop taking olive leaf caps).

• Next 2 days take 1 drop of oil of oregano twice a day with/after food with a glass of water (no more olive leaf caps).
• Three times daily also take a strong probiotic such as CP1, Syntol or Primal Defense Ultra 20 minutes before your meal.
• Take a good multi vitamin and mineral complex before/ with meals. Also take 1 tbsp of flax oil anytime you like.

• If bloating, IBS symptoms or gas are present consider digestive enzymes up to three times a day plus gelatin, l-glutamin and slippery elm powder once or twice per day.
• Drink ginger root tea with breakfast, dandelion tea with or after lunch, lemon balm or pau d’acro tea with dinner and chamomile flowers tea when winding down.
• Cook Candida diet friendly foods, exercise regularly, stop any inflammation in your body in its tracks with herbal remedies, and get plenty of rest and sleep.
• Once again, don’t rush things. If you experience a lot of die off – ease back on the antifungals.

Week 3:

•  First 2 days take 3 capsules SF722 with every meal (so 9 capsules a day).
  
• Next 2 days take 4 capsules SF722 with every meal (so 12 capsules a day).
• Rest of the week take 5 capsules SF722 with every meal (15 capsules a day)

•  Three times daily also take a strong probiotic such as CP1, Syntol or Primal Defense Ultra 20 minutes before your meal.
  
• Take a good multi vitamin and mineral complex before/ with meals. Also take 1 tbsp of flax oil anytime you like.
• If bloating, IBS symptoms or gas are present consider digestive enzymes up to three times a day plus gelatin, l-glutamin and slippery elm powder once or twice per day.

• Drink ginger root tea with breakfast, dandelion tea with or after lunch, lemon balm or pau d’acro tea with dinner and chamomile flowers tea when winding down.
• Cook Candida diet friendly foods, exercise regularly, stop any inflammation in your body in its tracks with herbal remedies, and get plenty of rest and sleep.
• Go easy on the antifungals – it can be beneficial to take less, but to rest more, do more exercise and help your body’s detoxification processes before taking more med.

Week 4:

Repeat week 3 but alternate between olive leaf capsules, oil of oregano and SF722. Take just enough to experience some symptoms, but not so much that you are struggling. As soon as you are symptom free ease down the dosages in the same way you started it, take one capsule/ one drop less per meal for a day or so or two, the next even less until you take nothing.

It is still recommended to carry on with the Probiotics and the Vitamins to strengthen your immune system. Good luck! Let me know how you are getting on if you’re following along!

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Do you have to stick to this treatment plan religiously?

You could of course swap some of the antifungals out for different ones like grapefruit seed extract or a wormwood complex (which has the added bonus of killing parasites).

I just picked these based on the research I have done and because I have already tried most of them myself and know that they work for me.

I know from past experience that by following this routine I can create a little buffer, so Christmas won’t throw me back completely.

If your Candida issues are still in full swing you have to be prepared to go through this regime a few times. You cannot cure a systemic Candida infection in a matter of weeks. It takes months, and you might have to take breaks from it as well. I found it beneficial to have a few weeks every now and again without taking any supplements (except vitamins…) just to give your body a breather and a chance to heal all the imbalances stirred up from the dieting and the meds you’ve been taking…

If you are experiencing a lot of die off symptoms already it is wise to support your liver by taking a milkthistle supplement and by getting things moving with a colon cleanser like Oxygen or one of the Renew life cleanse products. I personally just took magnesium and ate a lot of cooked brown rice, celery and hummus, used lots of olive oil on salads and drunk water with lemon juice. That works just as well…

I’ll try out a different Candida treatment: SF722 – heard of it?

For 2-4 weeks I’ll be trying out a new Candida treatment that I am curious about. It’s called SF722.

It contains undecylenic acid in a base of pure, extra-virgin olive oil. Formula SF722 is meant to aid in the establishment of healthy gut and vaginal flora which is essential in treating stubborn (systemic) yeast infections that have been going for years.

I’m also going to take a different probiotic supplement from what I normally take.

This one contains Bacillus Coagulans which was specifically formulated to work with SF722.

Rotating supplements is the way forward

As Candida is such a tenacious and adaptable organism I will rotate the treatment every 3-4 days with either Oil of oregano or olive leaf tablets, which are a super boost for your immune system.

I will also take digestive enzymes which I haven’t done before.

I’m a little bit skeptical whether it will be necessary, as my digestion is working fine now. But I am curious as I know some of my readers swear by it, and if it supports the digestive process by breaking down foods to ensure proper elimination (and therefore no foods will be lingering in your gut to cause bloating) so much the better!

Shall I skip the Leaky Gut meds?

I don’t envisage to experience a lot of die off as my symptoms are minimal and only occur when I eat sweet foods (which I plan to avoid during the next few weeks). But I still have some gelatin and slippery elm powder that I can take should I encounter leaky gut symptoms. Luckily I pretty much cleared up all the debilitating IBS style symptoms that I used to get.

How does this relate to you:

If you suffer from a yeast overgrowth from taking antibiotics and years of unhealthy eating habits then you must first ask yourself what kind of symptoms you have (check this list if you’re unsure).

Then you need to figure out how long you’ve had these symptoms (as you can estimate it will take you a month for every year you had it to get rid of it.) Chances are if you feel groggy all the time, you crave bread or sweet things and you have recurring sinuses issues and thrush then you don’t just have a simple yeast infection; but a systemic one.

No need to panic. It just means you’ll have to follow a long-term treatment approach.

Every time you cheat on the diet, it can set your recovery back by one to two months. Yep.

If I say “cheat” I don’t mean nibbling a tiny piece of dark chocolate…. I’m talking eating a couple of slices of cake with refined sugar or drinking a couple of cocktails and staying up late and the next day eating a take away…. And for as long as you have Candida, you are likely to also suffer from secondary health issues like dysbiosis and a leaky gut (which can cause allergies and pain and bloating in your lower abdomen).

I know it is frustrating, and it can feel as if you’ll never get better. But you will get BETTER!

• You’ll just have to be committed to sticking with the diet, keep cheat days to the absolute minimum and do your utmost to streamline your digestion and heal any symptoms.

There are several different Candida diet approaches and Candida treatments out there. I’m not saying this one is the best or the only one. You have to find what’s right for you.

That involves testing.

Whether you work with a naturopath/ doctor or you go it alone, and I’d like to point out again that I am not qualified to give you medical advice. I am only sharing with you what is working for me, so you have a base to work from with your own research and treatment planning.

I just want to encourage you to keep eating healthily, and to never give up hope. You will get better!

Have faith, and keep working at it ?

If you’re curious about the results of my case study then check out the second part of it here.

… and if you’d like to follow my health journey along join my email list below.