FAQsCandida FAQs

Read answers by Erica White to some Frequently Asked Questions about Candidiasis.

Candidiasis is an overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans.

Erica White is author of 'Beat Candida Cookbook' (Thorsons), 'Beat Fatigue Handbook' (White Publications) and 'Doughnuts and Temples' (White Publications). She is also Nutritional Director and Co-founder of Nutritionhelp Ltd.

Please note that the following answers do not constitute medical advice, nor are they a substitute for specific personal advice based on a full analysis of your symptoms and history. No responsibility can be accepted by Nutritionhelp Ltd or Erica White for any effect of the general advice given on this web site in those attempting self-help treatment.

How can candida be diagnosed?

The presence of a candida overgrowth in the body is notoriously difficult to find or to prove. Although various laboratory tests are available, they are not necessarily reliable and can even be misleading. For instance, it doesn't swim around 'loose' in the intestinal tract, but lives burrowed in the gut walls. This means that not only can it go undetected by endoscopy examination, but it will not necessarily even show up in a stool specimen. Antibody tests will only be accurate if the immune system is able to produce candida-specific antibodies, but in many cases the immune system has been weakened to such an extent that it cannot perform this task effectively. An organic acid urine test might be useful as it can detect by-products of yeast produced in the intestinal tract and filtered into the urine. However, it is expensive and is frequently not necessary if an appropriate questionnaire is used, giving information about symptoms and predisposing 'risk' factors. This approach gives a candida 'score' indicating the probability and/or severity of a candida overgrowth, and is useful for monitoring progress when following an anti-candida programme. Since no harm can be done by initiating such a programme, and many people with candida can report a degree of improvement within a month, in the end this is actually the best form of diagnostic test available, and a degree of improvement will strengthen motivation to continue with the programme. You can access a Candida Score Sheet through this web site and also in my 'Beat Candida Cookbook', which can be ordered at the author's special discount price.

Why do I feel so poorly when I try the anti-candida diet?

You are experiencing 'die-off reaction' (more formally known as 'a Herxheimer reaction') which is caused by the large number of additional toxins released by candida as it is destroyed. The anti-candida diet is starving your candida to death! Try to develop a positive attitude towards it, because it's actually an encouraging sign that you're going in the right direction. Read the following answers to learn more about die-off reaction and how to alleviate it.

What sort of symptoms can I expect with 'die-off reaction'?

You might experience a temporary worsening of any symptom you've ever had before - whether it's an increase in skin conditions like eczema, or sinusitis or thrush or a worsening of aches and pains and fatigue. You might feel sick or have an upset tummy, and you could have a headache, often with a 'muzzy' head and depression or anxiety. In other words, die-off can be most unpleasant and needs to be minimised as much as possible!

What can I do to alleviate 'die-off reaction'?

Drink plenty of water, and help your liver to off-load the toxins by drinking dandelion root coffee (six cups a day would be helpful) and taking a milk thistle (silymarin) supplement. Avoid constipation - try increasing Vitamin C and add linseeds to your breakfast. If you are taking anti-fungal supplements, either reduce the level or have a complete break until things feel better. If depression or anxiety are bad, this suggests that your immune system is reacting to the die-off toxins, and you would benefit from some extra help with that. You might like to try BioCare's Histazyme supplement. Severe die-off reaction is likely to indicate that your liver is having particular difficulty in off-loading toxins, in which case it can be helpful to request a Detoxification Capacity laboratory test, based on saliva and urine specimens collected at home, so that you can receive appropriate nutritional advice to improve the situation. Both mail order supplements and information about laboratory tests are available through www.nutritionhelp.com.

I thought vitamin and mineral supplements should help me feel better, so why do I feel worse?

Just as starving candida to death with the anti-candida diet causes die-off reaction, so does boosting your immune system with vitamins and minerals. A strengthened immune system can fight more efficiently, so you are likely to experience die-off symptoms caused by the toxins released by dead candida. (See my answer to the previous question.) It is very important to take the correct levels of nutrients which your body requires, and an appropriate supplement programme can be formulated for you through the questionnaire and report system available from Nutritionhelp. This is available at a greatly reduced fee if you purchase the Beat Candida Pack.

I'm taking caprylic acid capsules to kill off my candida and expected to start feeling better, so why do I feel worse?

You are experiencing die-off reaction caused by toxins from dead candida. Before starting to take caprylic acid or any other type of anti-fungal supplement, you should first spend at least a month on the anti-candida diet and some immune-boosting vitamin and mineral supplements (preferably a tailor-made programme as available online from Nutritionhelp. see previous answer). These are points 1 and 2 of my Four-Point Plan, and even just these two points can often cause enough die-off reaction to cope with! However, after a month or so most people have come through the initial die-off effects and feel ready to start on anti-fungals. Even then, to minimise the die-off effects, you should start anti-fungals at a low level and increase only gradually - no faster than your body can comfortably cope with. Never be afraid to reduce the level of anti-fungals if die-off becomes unpleasant, or even have a complete break from them - you won't be losing time in the long run. Full details of my Four-Point Plan are given in Booklet # 2, The Beat Candida Strategy, in my Beat Candida Pack which you can order now.

I've heard about different types of natural antifungals. Which should I take?

Caprylic acid is an oil found in coconuts. It is an excellent substance for dealing with candida in the intestines and, to some extent, it is also absorbed into other tissues of the body. However, being a long-chain fatty acid, it has some difficulty in penetrating fatty cell wall membranes. On the other hand, there are anti-fungal plant oils which have a short-chain fatty acid structure, and these are able to penetrate outlying tissues (muscles, joints, skin, sinuses, etc.) far more easily, so supplements containing the oil of Oregano, for instance, are often very helpful once gastrointestinal symptoms have improved but other symptoms remain. Other anti-candida agents include Olive Leaf Extract, Liquid Propolis, and supplements of the herb Uva ursi - but never take more than one type at a time, because you could be asking for a double dose of die-off reaction! A more detailed description of natural anti-fungals and their uses is provided as an instant download in Booklet # 2, The Beat Candida Strategy, in my Beat Candida Pack which you can order now.

In the 'Beat Candida Cookbook' you advise gradually increasing antifungals till you are on a high level. Wouldn't this make you feel ill even if you had got rid of all candida overgrowths?

No, once candida is fully under control you can take any type of anti-fungal at a high level without experiencing a single symptom! You would only have die-off symptoms if there was any candida still around for the anti-fungal to destroy. This is why increasing anti-fungals to a high level is a good indication of whether or not you have really brought all candida overgrowths under control.

I've been taking acidophilus supplements. Would that be why I'm feeling worse?

Quite possibly. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the types of friendly bacteria which is needed in our intestines to keep candida under control. When you take it in supplement form, it will push back some of the overgrowth of candida, and dead candida releases toxins which cause 'die-off reaction'. I include acidophilus supplements in my Four-Point Plan as point 4, to be introduced at the same time as anti-fungal supplements. If you take them any sooner, it will simply add to the die-off effects being caused by points 1 and 2 of the Four-Point Plan (the anti-candida diet and the immune-boosting supplement programme). Full details of the Four-Point Plan are given in Booklet # 2, The Beat Candida Strategy, in my Beat Candida Pack which you can order now.

If I have to vary the number of antifungal capsules I take - either increasing or decreasing them - should I also vary the number of acidophilus capsules I take?

The usual number of acidophilus capsules is two daily, one with breakfast and one with your evening meal. You don't need to increase them when you build up the anti-fungals. The only time it can be helpful to take more than two daily is if you have had a tummy bug or if you have had to take a course of antibiotics. In those cases, I recommended six capsules daily for two weeks, in order to restore the levels of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Will I have to stay on the anti-candida diet for life?

Most people will be able to leave the anti-candida diet behind once they are fully well - and have remained fully well for a year after that! That follow-on year on the anti-candida diet is essential in order to consolidate the newly-established healthy balance of bacteria which will just have been achieved in the intestines. By then your taste-buds will have changed so much that you shouldn't find it a problem to stay on the diet for another year. After that, you should be home and dry - but of course if you went back to eating the very foods which helped to make you ill in the first place (sugar, stimulants and junk foods) you could expect it to make you ill all over again! If you determine to live a healthy lifestyle and eat a healthy diet (including fruit, wholemeal bread, and possibly cheese and wine), you can expect to stay in the best possible health for the rest of your life without a return of candida symptoms. You can read my guidelines for a General Healthy Diet in Booklet # 7, Guidelines for a General Healthy Diet - What to aim for when you're well!, in my Beat Candida Pack which you can order now.

Why does the anti-candida diet have to be so bland and boring?

I know you don't believe me right now, but in due course you will find it neither bland nor boring! The problem is that sugar, sweetened foods and salt have the effect of deadening our taste buds, so when we first eat food without sugar it seems to have no flavour. The good news is that your taste buds will come alive again - and then you will find that there is far more flavour in natural foods than you ever imagined possible! In the meantime, make good use of herbs and mild spices to give your food some interest. And with a whole new range of foods to discover that you've never before considered, the diet really doesn't need to be boring. Try some of the recipes in my 'Beat Candida Cookbook' which can be ordered at the author's special discount price. One client told me that all the food for his 40th birthday party was prepared from my cookbook - and every single plate was left bare!

Why do my candida symptoms become worse when I've been stressed?

One of the effects of stress is to trigger the release of the body's sugar stores into the bloodstream, and this gives your resident candida a wonderful picnic! If stress (past or present) is playing a part in your life, it could be helpful to consider a laboratory test (based on saliva samples collected at home) to investigate the levels and patterns of behaviour of your adrenal stress hormones, so that you can then receive appropriate nutritional advice to support and correct the situation. Unfortunately, once the adrenal glands have been 'over-stretched' by having to cope with stressful circumstances, they remain over-stretched even when the circumstances have gone away, but an appropriate nutritional programme can help to put them right - and this can be a major step in your progress to overcome candida. Information about laboratory tests is available through www.nutritionhelp.com.

How long will it take before I am well?

How long is a piece of string? Truly, I can't answer this question because everyone is completely different. It depends on so many factors like how long you have had a candida problem, how many antibiotics and/or steroid medications you have taken (including whether you have taken the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy), whether there is (or has been) stress in your life, whether the situation is complicated by allergies, whether you have a very toxic liver - and, perhaps more than anything else, how well you keep to the anti-candida diet! For the vast majority of my clients, it is true to say that after one year on the anti-candida four-point plan they feel better than they have felt for years - some might be completely well or might even have been feeling really well for some months before that. For others, it does take longer - but even they are able to say that they know they are moving well in the right direction.

My year-old baby has severe eczema which gets worse with lots of foods. I now believe that I have candida; could it be my baby's problem too?

It certainly could! If you were carrying vaginal candida at the time of giving birth, it would almost certainly have been the first microbe which entered your baby's gut through his mouth on his journey through your birth canal. Prior to birth, a baby's intestines are completely sterile, and in a healthy situation the first microbes to get in are friendly bacteria provided by the mother's breast milk. However, if candida gets in first, the battle is on from the baby's first moment of life in the world. The baby is then likely to suffer from colic, nappy rash and/or eczema, and will be predisposed to food sensitivities, ear problems and asthma. Unfortunately, antibiotics and steroid treatments simply make the matter worse. However, the good news is that even a small baby can win a battle over candida; keep your baby's diet strictly within the anti-candida guidelines and introduce appropriate friendly bacteria by giving BioCare's Bifido infantis (order through www.nutritionhelp.com), starting with a quarter teaspoon in cool boiled water once a day. After a week increase to a quarter teaspoon twice a day, after another week increase to a half teaspoon in the morning and a quarter teaspoon at night, and in the fourth week increase to a half teaspoon morning and night. Continue for as long as necessary - and don't forget to give your baby a good multivitamin/mineral supplement appropriate for the baby's age. The anti-candida diet guidelines are available free of charge in my free booklet 'Candida - and How to Beat It!'. The anti-candida diet also forms part of the contents of Booklet # 2, The Beat Candida Strategy, in my Beat Candida Pack which you can order now.

Why is it so important that I give up tea, coffee and chocolate?

Tea, coffee and chocolate all contain natural stimulants which have the same effect in the body as stress; they trigger the release of the body's sugar stores into the bloodstream, which provides a picnic for your resident candida and encourages it to thrive! Cola drinks have a similar effect, and so do 'energy' drinks like Lucozade. As far as candida is concerned, you might just as well be eating sugar!

You advise getting rid of house-plants. Why is this?

The problem is not with the house-plants themselves, but with the soil they are planted in. Obviously, for plants to thrive, the soil must be kept moist - and moist soil produces mould spores which become airborne. Because you are boxed into a room with these spores, you can't help but inhale them - and this will trigger unpleasant reactions in someone whose immune system has become hypersensitive to an overgrowth of yeast in their body. People are often as loath to part with their house-plants as if they were pets, but I cannot stress too strongly the importance of asking your friends to take them in and give them a good home - until you are really well. Not only will this help to reduce the symptoms you have to endure, but it will lighten the load on your immune system, making it easier for your body to fight back at candida and bring it under control. For this very reason, don't be surprised if at first you feel even more ill when your house-plants have gone; removing the mould-load has enabled your immune system to kill some candida and you are experiencing that most encouraging phenomenon, die-off reaction! Read my earlier comments about alleviating die-off symptoms, and hang in there until this phase has passed. There's a very good chance that in a month's time you'll be feeling much better than you have for some time.
While speaking of the effects of mould, do look out for damp and patches of mould in your home; they will have the same effect as damp soil. And if you live in an area with trees, beware of that musty smell of mushrooms which you can smell in the air, usually in the weeks before Christmas, when the leaves on the ground have become damp and mouldy. That scenario can play havoc with many a candida-sufferer - but in time, as you follow my anti-candida four-point plan, it will stop happening and will never happen again!

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Take a look at the Home page of this web site to see all that you will receive when you place your order for my Beat Candida Pack !