Archive for February, 2006

what to do if you think you have candida (or another digestive tract disease, or inflammation)

Posted on February 28, 2006. Filed under: Candida, The Dyingness |

This is just based on experience, so it definitely has to be catered to your circumstances, but I thought it might be helpful (after speaking to a new friend about similar health issues) that I post what processes you should go through and which specialists you should see in order to ensure that you have all of your bases covered and that someone will (hopefully) find a solution to your problem.

First of all some symptoms: chronic pain in the abdomen (small intestine area or could be ovaries, but likely small intestine), lack of focus, low b12, low iron, (inability to absorb nutrients), throat painful (inflammed can sometimes close up), tongue red and painful (I have ulcerations or blisters on it — yuck), general feeling of poor health, some vomitting, nausea, my eyes also often burn, I have severe weight loss (but you could have weight gain as a symptom).

Go to your family doctor and complain about the abdominal pain while also adding the other symptoms in there. Ask to have an ultrasound done. This will likely not show any results.

Ask your family doctor to refer you to a GI (specializes in digestive tract complications). The GI will likely do a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy. If no results are found (likely) then they will do a catscan (likely no results here either).

Now you can rest assured that it’s not some massive growth taking over your abdomen, but you still don’t have answers.

Make sure you get your ESR tested. This number should be around your age, plus 10, divided by 2.

At the same time that you’re going the “traditional” medical route also go for the real traditonal medicinal route through naturopathy.

Ask about Candida and have a food sensitivity test done. This can be done through Koru, which is really cool. You hold onto a copper post in one hand (connected to a computer) and another copper post pokes your other hand. this creates a complete circut and the computer is able to read levels that your body can accept for hundreds of foods. Don’t be worried if you cry (lots of people do when they’re told that the foods they love are what is part of the problem).

Now that you’ve got the naturopath under your belt (and you’re likely no longer eating sugar or wheat or dairy (to give your digestive tract a break because these are really hard to process) you can ask the GI to refer you to both a gynecologist and a rheumatologist.

The rheumatologist is key (especially if you have a high ESR) because they specialize in disease. Candida also often grows in an immuno-deficient environment, so if you have an auto-immune disease it is likely to grow in your body. Candida occurs when the body is stripped of its natural flora (often by a combination of using steroids such as the birth control pill and the overkill of anti-biotics that doctors like to prescribe — which reminds me that another symptom is being ill and unable to shake it repeatedly). When the flora is compromised then the candida yeast can flourish and it starts to take over everything and can attack any area of your body.

Oh, and vitamins. Chances are you’re not absorbing much — but if you try an elimination diet you should take vitamins. Especially calcium (with magnesium), and a b complex pill (or two), a multi-vitamin doesn’t hurt. BUT make sure you aren’t buying the crap filler brands — go for one of these three brands — natural factors, sisu, or progressive. These are all natural and don’t have added chemicals or by-products in them. Also gluten, dairy, and sugar free.

So, if you think you have the dyingness, make sure you try to get in touch with all of the professionals on this list. They should be able to (one day) figure things out. I’m feeling better at the moment — but know it’s just a matter of time before things decline. So, let me know if you have any successes or additions to the health plan.

For more information on what to do with your diet, and regarding supplements and anti-fungals visit this post: https://doth.wordpress.com/2006/06/02/more-candida-advice-and-lessons-learned/