posted
I've read the yeast diet links, and I have the info I need to start attacking the yeast which undoubtedly is throughout my body.
My problem is starting off. I have such intense sugar cravings that I feel like a true addict! Sometimes I literally cannot stop myself from eating sugar- any kind I might have, whether it's in the form of cereal, cookies, candy....
I realize that keeping it all out of the house would be a start, and I do this to an extent - but I can always seem to find something to curb the cravings!
My LLMD has me on Diflucan and I just started Olive Leaf Extract yesterday. I don't know how to get through the first few days of not having sugar at all. This seems so hard.
The cravings are sometimes OUT OF CONTROL.
Do I go through a few days of torture by avoiding all sweets and this will lead to fewer cravings?
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posted
Eat more often, like every two hours, and eat protein, fat, and vegetables or salad. Stay away from fruit. The cravings will subside if you feed yourself enough and remove all sugar. Good luck.
-------------------- Son, 26, Dx Lyme 4/10, Babs 8/10 Had serious arthritis, all gone. Currently on Valtrex Daughter, 26,bullseye 7/11 arthritis in knees, cured and off all meds. . Self:Lyme, bart, sxs gone, no longer treating. Posts: 496 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
What are the best yeast treatments aside from diflucan. My doc does not have me on this and I dont see him again for another 2 months.
With my bloating ect it seems as though yeast is an issue for me as well
-------------------- If you play at the beach, expect to get some sand in your shorts Posts: 223 | From central pa | Registered: May 2010
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BackinStOlaf
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23725
posted
I like Oil of Oregano for yeast.
-------------------- First Symptom 9/09 Multiple docs, negative Labcorp test LLMD: 1/10 Positive Igenex/CDC test Treatment 2/10 2/10-8/10 Amox, ceftin, zith, flagyl Currently: Bicillin, Minocycline, still dealing with severe breathing issues
Posts: 1121 | From New York, New York | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
I am a carb addict and have been through the whole craving routine a few times.
The most difficult time was (pre-Lyme) when I started dieting to lose weight, and I was eating a controlled amount of carbs. Just a little rice or potatoes in a couple of frozen meals per day, and an ounce of dark chocolate with sugar in it, and some fruit. Otherwise I was eating protein and vegetables. I guess my carbs were about 200g per day, and half or less than what I used to eat before dieting.
It was awful. I started bingeing twice a week (and I hadn't had a binge problem before that diet.) I desperately craved carbs all the time. I struggled to lose a pound a week, even though I limited my calories and kept meticulous track of everything I put in my body, with calories and nutrition info.
Then I decided to try a low carb diet. I read up on it first and planned to do it right and all at once. I expected the first week would be hell with increased cravings.
To my astonishment, I found that when I limited my carbs to 50-90g per day or less, the physical cravings went away. I could see a plate of cookies in the break room at work and walk right past it. No desperate mental struggle to keep myself away from the cookies.
Every time I let my carbs creep up, the physical cravings come back.
I also still have problems with emotional cravings--whenever I have some major stress or emotional event, then I NEED CARBS and I binge again. I am getting much better at that now and going months between binges instead of days.
The other problem is that when you have a candida flare, the candida itself gives you a physical sugar craving so that you will feed it.
My recent bout of candida a few weeks ago made me so sick that it shut down my digestion for a couple of days, and then I could barely eat anything. It was easier to resist the cravings because I was afraid of getting that ill again, and after you get past the first few days, it's a lot easier.
I think the easiest way to cope with carb cravings is to go cold turkey on a low carb diet and stay there. The key to feeling good on a low carb diet is to make sure you eat enough fat and protein. Also eat two or three snacks a day. On a low carb/high protein diet, you don't have to count calories. Avoid sugar, flour, starches, chemicals and anything made of grain, and eat all the meat and green vegetables you want. If you can't stand to go without grain, try quinoa, which is gluten free and the only grain to have complete protein in it. Make or look for products (pasta, tortillas, etc.) made from nut or bean flour, which has more protein and fiber and less carbs than whole grain flours.
If you are worried about the fat, eat "good fat" in the form of grass-fed meat, organic coconut oil and olive oil, and occasional fish (or take sfish oil capsules that are certified free of mercury, PCBs, etc.)
You can use stevia for sweetener and almond flour to make biscuits, pancakes, etc. If you eat any fruit, stick to berries, melon, apples--the ones that have more fiber and less sugar, and only a small amount and at the end of the meal. If it makes your candida flare up, then don't eat it.
Eat all the green and salad-type vegetables you want, but stay away from everything starchy like potatoes and corn. Beans have a lot of protein and fiber so they could be okay in small amounts, but they also have a lot of carbs. Meat, eggs, and nuts are better protein sources with minimal carbs. Cheese may or may not be okay with candida--you can always try and see how it affects you.
Now that I have gotten past the bad candida attack and got it under control in a week or two, I still have thrush on my tongue in the morning whenever I eat carbs the previous day. Sometimes my abdomen gets bloated too. My improved (lower carb) diet has done the most to control my candida, I think. I haven't had another major outbreak like that first one.
I used Fluconazole (Diflucan) for 26 days, stopped all abx for 8 days then restarted only one until I was done with the Fluconazole (per my LLMD's instructions). I also used Garlinase garlic pills, grapefruit seed extract (GSE), and Solaray Yeast Cleanse.
Be careful with the GSE, as it is believed to hit Lyme cysts and/or to increase or decrease the amount of other drugs in your system. Start out with a little at a time to see how it affects you, don't take it close to your other drugs, and ask your LLMD's advice or at least research drug interactions before you use it.
Diflucan is rumored to hit Lyme as well as yeast, and to potentially cause liver problems. My doc said you can't take it at the same time as Biaxin or it could cause some kind of heart problem.
I had a bad 2-week herx while on all the anti-yeast stuff, and my spleen got swollen. I don't know which factor or combination of factors was responsible.
One more diet hint: eat things that are salty. Use sea salt on your food to taste. Drink a lot of water and lemon water (or add stevia for lemonade), and decaf green tea. The first week or so on a low carb diet, you can get a bit dehydrated and your electrolytes can get out of balance, so you can feel a bit faint or low on energy. That goes away in a few days, and then you feel great. It happens because carbs make you retain lots of water.
As a bonus, you may start to crave salty snacks (like nuts) instead of only sweet snacks.
-------------------- Don't forget to laugh! And when you're going through hell, keep going!
Bitten 5/25/2009 in Perry County, Indiana. Diagnosed by LLMD 12/2/2009. Posts: 756 | From Inside the tunnel | Registered: Jan 2010
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canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 22149
posted
Oil of Oregano, Caprylic Acid, Clean diet
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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DIET, DIET, DIET is the key. Then, be sure to follow the 5 step plan outlined below. It was developed by my naturopath. It works.
"Successful control and elminiation of a Candida Albicans overgrowth requires a multifaceted program as described below. Failure to follow ALL the steps simultaneously will result in slow progress and will lengthen healing time significantly. The program should be tailored to the individual and must balance the need to eliminate the Candida and deprive it of its food source while insuring proper nutrition for the individual."
Five Steps to Candida Elimination:
1. You must starve it into submission by eliminating its food source.
2. You must kill it with anti-fungal herbs and supplements. [e.g....garlic, onion, caprylic acid, Pau D'Arco capsules or tea, clove, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, tea tree oil, Echinacea, Goldenseal, black walnut, MSM, barberry root, uva ursi, neem leaf, biotin]
3. You must reestablish the proper balance and quantity of probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. [...multi-strain lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus capsules with FOS should be taken between meals to maximize repopulation of the digestive tract by beneficial bacteria.]
4. You must reestablish proper levels of all B vitamins (yeast free) and utilize other immune enhancing supplements to boost immune system function. [e.g ... B complex vitamins (yeast free), biotin, beta 1-3 glucan, colostrum, maitake mushroom, vitamins A, C, E, zinc and selenium]
5. You must cleanse and heal the digestive tract to promote proper elimination of toxins and Candida and assimilation of nutrients. [e.g...chlorophyll, MSM, omega 3 fatty acids found in flax seed and salmon oils, GLA found in borage, evening primrose and black currant oils. Pantothenic acid, digestive enzymes between meals]
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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