I've already restricted my diet for anti yeast and I'm doing grapefruit seed oil, wild oregano and probiotics. Are there any other natural or other means that work?
I've tried Diflucan and Nystatin for yeast, but those didn't seem to do the trick for me either.
Is there something specifically for the mouth...that would work better?
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Thrush
Geranium.
The Cherokee boiled geranium root together with wild grape, and with the liquid, rinsed the mouths of children affected with thrush.
Persimmon.
***
The Catawba stripped the bark from the tree and boiled it in water, using the resulting dark liquid as a mouth rinse.
You've already received some great advice. So interesting.
If the yeast has become resistant and you want to use a new prescription:
Voriconazole
Here's a link about it:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/issues/v38n2/32301/32301.text.html
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Mo has used a coconut oil:
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/what_is_virgin_coconut_oil.htm
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Here's is a great discussion----read how Mo got rid of her systemic yeast problem:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/031649.html
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As soon as you're much improved, add in Blackstrap Molasses. Yes it has sugar, but it has accompanying minerals & so absorbable. It will energize you and build you up. It's really powerful stuff and so under rated.
I just mix a teaspoon about 2 - 3 times per day into tiny bit of water & stir. It tastes horrible, but the payoff is too great to ignore it.
I use: "Plantation Barbadoes Unsulphured Molasses" in glass bottle $5 from health food store. (Please, don't use grocery store molasses---bad.)
Don't overdo on the Molasses as they can have a laxative effect.
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You probably already know this, but to cut off the yeast's food supply is as important as the meds.
If you can eat meats/ proteins/eggs and vegetables (with low glycemic index; no potates, bread, rice, starches, white flour) for about 2 weeks it will give you a head start.
You will crave sugar or starches like you wouldn't believe. One doctor told me to use almonds and green apples as a snack.
When you get tired of drinking water, as a treat, try Gerolsteiner carbonated mineral water in glass bottles at grocery store $2.19 for 1 liter. (Hard to find & the website is in German; health food store didn't even carry it.)
When improved:
Add in a packet of Emer'gen-C by Alacer, (Lemon Lime) to the Gerolsteiner. I saw it yesterday at our new The Vitamin Shoppe and it was cheap. You can order their catalog.
Once it's under control you could add in some fruits. (But grapes have lots of sugar in them)
A very strict anti-candida diet
says eat only meats/protein for 2 weeks, but this might throw some into ketosis, so you need a doctor for that. (You'll be burning fat at a rapid rate and overload the kidneys.)
Also, if a person only eats meat, you won't be able to produce seratonin to help you sleep. You need complex carbohydrates/low glycemic veggies.
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Essential fatty acids softgels (Twinlab), magnesium citrate caps and B6 play a big part in candida according to the book "The Yeast Connection" by William Crook, MD.
Also be sure and take a good vitamin & mineral supplement daily for your basic foundation.
That should include chromium 200 micrograms to help with sugar cravings and stabilizing blood sugar levels.
I buy extra chromium and take 200 micrograms at each meal-----but that's just me.
Here's a 2-page printout of basic nutrients the body requires----- see it as a kind of insurance. I've yet to find such a comprehensive supplement in a health food store, but you can use it as a guide.
However, I wouldn't start on day one with Vit. E 800 i.u.; ramp up slowly over a couple of weeks.
(you'll have to click on X to remove that orange pop-up to get to the 2-page vitamin guide.)
http://www.drwhitaker.com/c/store_daily_prod_forwar_pop.asp
I know Dr. B. recommends www.pharmanex.com in his Treatment Guidelines.
If you really want to spend some bucks on vitamins: go to www.vitacost.com
They also have a good library research at that site.
Once ALL the yeast is gone you might consider Xango to stay healthy. Contact Lymetoo.
Hope this helps.
Jan
[This message has been edited by Recipegirl05 (edited 16 March 2005).]
1. Forgot to add Lymenet's Crime of Lyme recommends taking enzymes daily for fungus.
I would definitely try to find something in capsule form rather than hard tablets for better absorption.
A person really needs enzymes (i.e. lipase for fats & others) to enable the body to break down the essential fatty acids supplements-----that also fight fungus.
2. To further strenthen the immune system, consider reviewing this information I just posted abour thyroid.
My LLMD says you need a good working thyroid to fight all infections. Fungus is a sign of a sick body and/or taking ABX.
I want you to get all the way well-----not half-way.
I sound like a broken record re: thyroid, but I just know how much it helps people who need it. You'll live longer if it's treated.
Also, as you know, Lyme screws up the hormones throughout your body.
Treating the thyroid correctly is quite complicated. It's not as black and white as the thyroid lab results appear to be. Traditional docs believe the lab reports.
They will not treat you according to symptoms. (same thing as the LD problem)
When the new synthetic thyroid hormones hit the market, the Barnes Temperature Test was removed from the Physicians Desk Reference.
The late Dr. Barnes prescribed Armour Thyroid which contains both T3 & T4.
My entire family with LD takes Armour Thyroid prescribed by our LLMD.
Below is the extent of my knowledge about thyroid. I just point folks to how they might get help.
I hope you have time to review it.
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Here's some background info about low thyroid:
Many Lymenetters have their own thyroid stories----all different.
Not all, but some Lyme patients have low thyroid function due to LD.
OTHER REASONS can cause this condition, too.
Diagnosis & treatment of low thyroid can be complicated just like LD.
Side effect:
Treating low thyroid can take the struggle out of life for some! It gets the toxins out of the cells and oxygen in.
Here's the deal: Your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) thyroid lab test can be normal, but your body may NOT be absorbing thyroid hormone.
Symptoms speak louder than a piece of paper. Inconclusive lab tests can possibly give the false illusion that everything's normal. Can't think of anything more frustrating.
Thyroid tests can be ``normal,'' but if you have low ``early morning'' body temperature, it can be an obvious sign you need treatment.
Here's the shocker: According to the late Dr. Barnes, if your early morning temp is below 97.8, by even a fraction of a degree, you probably have low thyroid even in the face of a "normal" thyroid test.
The late Broda Barnes, M.D. devoted his entire life to treating patients with low thyroid.
He linked low ''early morning'' body temperature to low thyroid function.
The ``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Temperature Test'' was first published in the Physicians Desk Reference, but later removed when the new synthetic thyroid meds hit the market.
Case histories are discussed extensively in his classic book, ``Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness.''
The Broda Barnes, MD Foundation still exists today to get the word out. The home test is listed at the bottom of my reply.
Just FYI:
Did you know the official range for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) on thyroid tests has been changed?
The new official range for TSH is 3 as of 2002. (It used to be 10 - so get your lab work & check it over; old labs may not have modified their TSH values)
Depending on whose research you believe:
Men feel better with a TSH of 1.
Women usually feel better with a TSH of 2.
Perhaps Armour Thyroid (contains both T3 & T4) or, whatever your Doctor prescribes might help.
The TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test alone is simply not enough testing.
If your LLMD doesn't have time, ask your Primary Care Doc for TSH, T3, T4, TSO tests. (TSO is thyroid antibody test ---- to test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis).
Here's the catch:
The thyroid lab tests will always have to be run & you will probably have to find a "special" doctor to prescribe the natural form of RX Armour Thyroid or necessary treatment.
RX Armour Thyroid will cost like $10 a month----very cheap. Thyroid revs the metabolism to get the toxins out & the oxygen in the cells. It impacts every organ function & helps fight infection, if you need it.
Three Ways to Find a Thyroid Doctor:
Got insurance? Request that your PCP run a test for thyroid function to include: TSH, T3, T4, TSO. (...,if needed, write the 4 test names on a post-it note & take with you to the Doctor.)
Get a copy of the test results & take to a thyroid friendly physician.
Go to: www.thyroid-info.com
to find a thyroid physician in your state. Patients even rate the doctors here. This is a great site.
The 2nd site to locate a thyroid Doc is: www.armourthyroid.com
Physicians who are members of ACAM (American Academy for Advancement of Medicine) will usually prescribe the necessary thyroid RX.
Go to www.acam.org
And click on ``Public.''
Traditional doctors will rarely treat "sub-clinical" hypothyroidism with a normal thyroid blood test.
I don't claim to understand the science behind hypothyroidism, but I can point you in the right direction for help.
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TEST DIRECTIONS
``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Temperature Home Test"
Place thermometer at bedside when you go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, place the thermometer under the arm for 10 minutes----- if it's an old mercury kind. Do this for 2 days in a row depending on Doctor's instructions.
Do not talk, move, or get out of bed before finishing the temp.
These are only the basic instructions.
Each physician is different as to how many morning temperatures they require. Some say 5 days in a row at the same time of the morning.
I believe the original test was for l0 days in a row. The Doc will usually add the temperatures together just to get an average temp.
SYMPTOMS
Here are some low thyroid symptoms taken from the book by Stephen Langer, M.D.,
"Solved The Riddle of Weight Loss.''
Symptoms can be very mild or extreme in severity.
(Remember, you don't have to have every symptom to have hypothyroidism----maybe just a slight headache at the end of the day; difficulty getting up in the morning; recurrent infections and weight gain)
Fatigue
Feeling cold, particularly the hands & feet
Weight gain or inability to lose weight,
despite constant attempts at dieting
Lethargy
Dry, coarse skin
Swelling eyelids
Coarse hair
Pale skin
Enlarged heart
Faulty memory
Constipation
Hair Loss
Labored, difficult breathing
Swelling of the feet
Hoarseness
Nervousness
Depression
Menstrual problems in females
Low libido
Impotence
Heart palpitation
Emotional instability
Brittle nails
Muscle weakness, pain
Pain in joints
Poor concentration & memory
Anemia
Atherosclerosis
High cholesterol levels
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Headache is a huge under the radar symptom which I've learned from my own family. We all have LD & all take Armour Thyroid.
Hope this helps.
Bye.
[This message has been edited by Recipegirl05 (edited 16 March 2005).]
I have heard that taking garlic capsules is great as well. I've never tried it though.
Good luck and hope this helps.
[This message has been edited by jmardis (edited 16 March 2005).]