How Candida Wrecked My Life

Candida or Candida Albicans to give it's full name is a yeast overgrowth in the gut which is triggered by an increase in stress due to the rigours of life, in my case surgery for a benign tumour that was diagnosed in 1992 and operated on to correct the leak of CSF (cerebro spinal fluid) through my nasal passages when the tumour had reduced from it's original size and thus creating a space through which the fluid could escape. I was in hospital for around 6 weeks undergoing 2 operations to seal the leak and additional surgery to have a shunt installed to relieve the pressure forcing the fluids through the channel between the brain and the pituitary gland.

After leaving hospital and beginning my recovery I then found myself having repeated infections which were treated with antibiotics, Diflucanozole, anti fungal creams and after almost 18 months of this I began to find that my energy levels were beginning to remain particularly challenged by any exertion over time. Activities I had previously found to be tiring left me completely exhausted requiring a number of days in bed and feeling completely unable to get up or do anything. At the time I had no idea what was causing the problem and my doctor visits revealed that they also had a "mental block" on offering a solution. At around the same time I was in contact with another post operative patient who had found he was also suffering from the same symptoms of fatigue and disability to function and for the time I became aware of Candida as a possible problem for myself. In the course of conversation he talked about using grapefruit seed extract to deal with his condition and yet at the time I didn't actually think I had the same problem. I continued to believe it was actually something else but in time and research through visits to the library and online I found that it was indeed Candida Albicans causing my diificulties.

I found a book on "Candida Diet" by Karen Brody and working alongside other avenues of recovery I began the process of dealing with my health which at the time was a mess. The effects on your health are more complex than a single indication of something being wrong but as it takes over your well being a whole array of symptoms are exhibited, ranging from; lack of concentration, sleepiness, spots (whiteheads) on the arms/shoulder (a sign of internal toxicity), weepy eyes in the morning, aching joints and back problems and there may be a host of others which affect sufferers as there are a whole variety presented by those who contract the condition and each individual will find they have a unique profile.

Our health is the least thought of problem until you are ill and then it suddenly becomes priority "uno" and the dependence on those closest to you becomes and absolute must as well as the health services that we have paid our dues through work to offer you the cures for your problem There is however a growing and better informed public with the advent of Internet health sites and the shift to complementary healing resources, homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine (Deepak Chopra) amongst those I have utilised in my recovery journey. The issue with many 20th Century diseases that are now recognised as being a product of the lifestyles we have are dealt with in a totally different manner and the intervention of holistic practitioners to offer a package of "cures" no longer come in a single pill which corrects a large number of wide ranging symptoms. It is now understood that the person must be seen in the entirety of their circumstances and no longer with a narrow view of the patient/the problem and a solution.
In time I eventually found companies and their websites offering products to deal with it and amongst those I tried; Aloe Vera juice (Forever Living Products), Colon Cleanse (The Campaign for Truth in Medicine), Lactobacillus Powder (LifePlus), Colonase (LifePLus) and OTC Homeopathic remedies from my local supermarket (Tesco), amongst those I found to have beneficial effects alongside the removal from my diet of anything with yeast or fungal forming foods like ;mushrooms, nuts, soya beans, and cheese. The next time you visit your local store to shop for foods without anything like that in the ingredients listed may give you an eye opener to what we really consume on a daily basis.

The initial response was to find a cure while I continued to eat what I'd eaten before and therein lay the problem as the source of the problem was always being ingested and so any use of "cures" would always be countered by this. Once I implemented the change in my thinking and removing the foods which were in effect producing the problem my recovery would commence and gather pace with the reduction in my diet of the danger foods. I would eliminate as well as yeast (bread in its various forms), many foods also contain yeast as a flavouring agent, sugar (sucrose used in many products you wouldn't expect), cows milk (lactose = milk sugar),
(fructose = fruit sugar). Further reading on Sugar can be found here on this website.

The use of probiotic foods which generate a healthier digestive system would be an essential part of the whole ongoing process of reaching a point where I was able to feel "normal" once more. The sense of feeling perpetually tired and all the associated aches that I'd attended physiotherapy for and the osteopath when my back went belly-up meant an answer had to be found to just feel human once more.

The mind/body connection that effectively tells us we are sick and suffering is a primary area of interest where our knowledge is surpassed by the body's own defence mechanism to issue pain as a warning to the person who is "oblivious" to the turmoil that is ongoing in their system. It's hard to perhaps conceive, other than food which really is "off", that certain food types have the effect of being a poison in the case of nuts which are a known cause of anaphylactic reaction which is a terrifying experience for the recipient. Often the "sufferer" discovers the problem without warning but once identified must carry the antidote to ensure they are not exposed to the potential loss of life that would ensue.

More common allergies are also a source of incompatibility with foods that are down to the individual body type that we are given genetically, where one finds foods that do not agree with us and not down to an aesthetic choice or simple taste reaction.

Candida once it has become a part of your life must controlled, I avoid the use of the term cured, through an awareness of diet change to cancel the impact it would otherwise have. Having an extended period of avoidance is essential and then a gradual re-introduction of the "danger" foods as mentioned above are possible and if you find that there is a reaction in your life then it's a matter of making the necessary adjustment to restore your feeling of "normality".

I welcome comments from candida sufferers and the chance to illuminate further on this fairly unknown condition which has a massive impact on those who are affected by the circumstances that bring it into their lives.

A Return To Food In Relation To Your Health

From birth to death we eat on a daily basis and for some of us this is not an issue while there has in the last few years a growing number affected by intolerance to ingredients such as gluten, yeast and cows milk amongst the "culprits". A visit to the supermarket reveals the addition of alternatives for those who suffer due to their digestive problems of gluten free, yeast free and lactose free foods which are an essential part of their diet, as the consequence of eating the former can be best described as catastrophic.

This blog will record and attempt to unravel my eventual discovery of the food related digestive problems that I developed after I had surgery in 1993. The occurence and experience of Candida Albicans impacted on my daily life to the extent that I sold my business, found it hard to stay in remunerative employment, eventually having to declare bankruptcy and retain my sanity in the light of those life events.

If you have suffered with the same kind of symptoms and been reduced to having little quality of life then feel welcome to share your response here.