The Candida Cleanse
Symptoms such as fatigue, headache, several different gut issues, bloating, memory loss, depression, anxiety, dizziness, sugar cravings and lack of good sleep are far too common.
Symptoms such as fatigue, headache, several different gut issues, bloating, memory loss, depression, anxiety, dizziness, sugar cravings and lack of good sleep are far too common.
One of the top contributors to these symptoms is a fungal or candida yeast overgrowth. It is important to test to make sure it is yeast because parasites, SIBO, gut dybiosis, and autoimmune issues can also present similar symptoms. The best tests are from Genova or Doctors Data Laboratories. You can also test for Candida antibodies in the blood. Test kits and lab test can be ordered at the office of a Functional Medicine Practitioner.
Ok, so I tested it and low and behold…. I have Candida!
What is Candida?
Candida is a type of yeast normally found everywhere in our environment and in small amounts in the human body. In Chinese medicine we call this condition "Dampness". Numerous factors can lead to an overgrowth of dampness (candida) including physical or environmental toxins and emotional stressors. Too much dampness can cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous symptoms. It is estimated that nearly half of all North Americans suffer abnormal amounts of Candida. It’s all about the balance. Drugs can also wipe out good gut flora along with the Candida.
The waste product of Candida overgrowth is a toxin called acetaldehyde. If Candida is built up in the body, acetaldehyde can overwhelm the body tissues. The poison is transformed into ethanol and converted by the liver to alcohol. This depletes the body of magnesium and potassium, which are absolutely necessary for alkalinity and the integrity of tissue strength. Furthermore, this waste by product can compromise our immune system due to the overwhelming demands on the body's important organs to neutralize these toxins.
Another consequence of these demands is an overall deficiency of oxygen and acidity in the body. This slows circulation and causes problems with the bodies natural detoxification pathways; impacting every system in the body as it is starved for oxygen and nutrients. Beyond subtle annoyances such as bloating, poor digestion, sugar cravings, and anxiety, this toxic internal environment is preliminary and can contribute to long-term life threatening inflammatory illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Helping with a Cleanse
To prevent Candida from hijacking your gut, I recommend doing this cleanse once a year as part of your health routines. This cleanse can help prevent disease and has a subtle weight loss side effect that no one seems to mind. Length of the cleanse can vary between 10 - 21 days depending on the individual’s needs.
Here is an outline of a suggested lifestyle, diet and supplementation for a basic routine yeast cleanse. Your health care practitioner can specify this based on your personal diagnosis and health goals.
Supplements:
Probiotics first thing on an empty stomach.
Wait 20 minutes until eating or drinking anything other than water.
Follow up with juice from and half a lemon and 1-2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar, and 1 tsp. chlorophyll.
Colloidal Silver one hour after waking and also at bedtime.
Chinese herbs several times a day for lymph, urinary and bowel support. Formulas may vary for patient’s constitution.
High doses and rotation of four different Antimicrobial herbs, four to five days each.
Magnesium and Potassium is essential each morning and night to help alkalize.
Pau d'arco, gymnema, monolaurin, sacromyaciis boulardi, caprilyc acid, berberine and oregano oil can be part of the protocol.
Lifestyle Recommendations:
Avoidance of alcohol, coffee, fruit juice, soda, stress and smoking. Helpful treatments include regular green coffee bean enemas and or colonics, grounding (earthing), daily skin brushing, acupuncture, lymphatic drainage massage, and daily use of an infrared sauna, yoga or other light exercises.
Food Recommendations:
Foods that should be avoided are dairy, gluten, or sugar of any kind including natural sugars in fruit. It is important to keep your simple carbohydrate intake low so that your blood sugar stays stable and you avoid any inflammatory insulin spikes. It is also suggested you avoid all processed foods especially those containing mold toxins and yeast. Examples include peanuts, mushrooms, vinegar (with the exception of apple cider vinegar), sugars and all flour products.
There are several diets that help Candida. One is GAPS and then The Specific Carbohydrate, which eliminates carbohydrates because they are poorly broken down in the intestine and can feed the candida. Drugs can work great and wipe out candida quickly but they can cause other issue by wiping out your good gut flora along with the yeast. These diets are great, but a super low carbohydrate diet can produce ketones. Ketone production can actually feed the Candida. So you may want to make sure you’re not in ketosis by using ketone strips and eating some of the allowed fruit in the GAPS or SCD. The best diet is a low fodmaps diet. With the low fodmaps diet there are some starches that are allowed.
Top Candida (dampness) fighting foods are the following: Adzuki Bean, Alfalfa, Anchovy, Celery, Daikon, Dandelion greens, Garlic, Green Tea, Horseradish, Jasmine Tea, Job’s Tears, Kidney Bean, Kohlrabi, Lemon and Lime, Mackerel, Marjoram, mung beans, Mustard Leaf, Onion, Parsley, Pumpkin, Radish, Scallion, Turnips and lots of clean water
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar with meals and 1-tablespoon Coconut Oil in-between meals.
Detailed Dietary Recommendations:
DAIRY PRODUCTS – (one serving daily):
Live yogurt cultures/ probiotic kefir (coconut or organic raw dairy if tolerated)
Raw organic butter (Kerri gold Brand) or Ghee (pure)
AVOID:
Buttermilk/ Cream, Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Cow's and goat's milk and cream, Cream Cheese, Sour Cream
MEATS, POULTRY, FISH- (one serving daily):
Eggs (free range/organic), Grass Fed Beef or Wild Game, Wild fish like Salmon and Sardines (Limit Big fish such as tuna and swordfish), Free range organic Chicken or Turkey, Organic Deli Meats, Bone broth from organic and grass fed bones.
AVOID:
Commercially raised meat, Farmed fish, Processed meat, Pork
GRAINS- (limit to one serving daily):
Quinoa, White rice, Teff, Homemade Sourdough Bread, Sprouted Ezekiel Bread
AVOID:
Rye, Barley, Wild Rice, Oats, Kamet, Tapioca, All wheat and white flour products, gluten
BEANS & LEGUMES- (soak overnight or sprout to reduce toxicity and tough digestion and limit to one serving per day):
Black Beans, Fava Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Mung Beans, Pinto Beans
BEANS TO AVOID:
Adzuki Beans, Carob, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Soybeans, White Beans
NUTS & SEEDS (limit to one serving of activated or sprouted nuts/seeds per day):
Coconut (fresh, dried, milk and cream/unlimited amounts), Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pecans, Walnut, Pine Nuts, Hemp Hearts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Flax and Chia Seeds.
AVOID (may contain mold, aflatoxins and fungus):
Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Chestnuts, Peanuts (actually a legume)
VEGETABLES (Unlimited amounts allowed):
Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Bamboo Shoots, Beets (limited), Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots (limited), Cauliflower, Celery, Chives, Collards, Cucumbers, Daikon, Dandelion, Eggplant, Endive, Fennel,Garlic (fresh), Green, Beans, Kale, Kelp, Leeks, Lettuces, Mustard greens, Océan Vegetables, Okra, Olives, Onion, Parsley, Parsnips, Peppers, Pumpkin, Radish, Rhubarb, Rutabaga, Spinach, Sprouts, Squash, Swiss chard,Tomatoes, Turnips, Water Chestnuts, Watercress, Yams/ Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini
AVOID:
All starchy vegetables, Corn, Peas, Mushrooms (except medicinal), Potatoes
FAT FAVS to starve the Sugar bugs:
Coconut Oil (may cook), MCT Oil (may cook), Grapeseed Oil and Avocado Oil (may cook) Hemp Seed Oil (don't cook), Black currant and evening primrose (don't cook), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (don't cook), Sesame Seed Oil (may cook), Flax Seed Oil (don't cook/use within 2 weeks of opening)
AVOID:
Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, Safflower Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Peanut Oil, Soybean Oil, Old
SWEETENERS:
Stevia, Xylitol, Eyrithritol, Monkfruit, coconut sugar and raw honey (limited)
AVOID:
Aspartame (Nutra Sweet),Barley Malt, Brown Rice Syrup, Brown Sugar, White cane Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Fruit Juice Sweetener
DRINKS:
Herbal Teas (fresh/dried), Mineral Water, Green Tea, Yerba Mate, Organic Coffee (limited amounts), Kombucha (limited amounts)
