Aimless Ryan's Candida Blog

Acidophilus

2011-06-09T09:22:00.009-04:00

I've been taking acidophilus for maybe the last 5 or 6 weeks, without doing anything else that would be considered part of an anti-Candida diet. In fact, my diet has been the total opposite of an anti-Candida diet because I've been eating pizza almost exclusively. I usually don't eat all day, then I make a 10" pizza sometime in the evening because I'm freaking obsessed with teaching myself how to make the best pizza on the planet.

Despite this very high-carb diet, I feel better than I've felt since about September 2010.

Aside from taking the acidophilus tablets 1 to 2 times a day, keeping myself hydrated is the only other thing I've done that remotely resembles any component of an anti-Candida diet. And I really haven't even been very good about that. I've averaged probably a little less than half a gallon of water per day. I consider a gallon of water an ideal daily goal, but I haven't come close to hitting that goal in a long time.

So is the acidophilus responsible for my better health of late? I don't know, but it sure seems that way.

All I know is that I got a pizza jones several weeks ago, so I mixed up some dough and ate me some pizza. I figured my body would put up with it for a few days, then I'd start getting headaches, sinus issues, and jaw pain. But it hasn't happened. There has been a little stomach gurgling at times, but it hasn't been too bad. This really shocks me because I wasn't in really good condition even when I started making pizza every day. I felt OK but always vulnerable.

One other thing I started doing several weeks ago is something similar to oil pulling, but with hydrogen peroxide. I don't even know what made me start doing this. I think it was the always-present sore (abscess?) in my mouth, on the inside of my gums, below my bottom front teeth. This sore was getting real bad before I started using hydrogen peroxide, but now it feels like it might fully disappear soon. Even though it almost disappeared a couple years ago, when I did a die-hard anti-Candida diet, I can't remember not having this sore in my mouth. I don't know if my hydrogen peroxide treatment has contributed to my good overall health of late, but it has clearly improved my oral health, and I recommend giving it a try. It'll leave a bit of a funny taste in your mouth for at least a few days, but that goes away. Even with the weird taste, my mouth has felt a million times cleaner and healthier than before I started doing this.

I don't claim to be a Candida expert. The more I think I learn, the less I feel like I know. But I try to help however I can, and this post may be one of my most helpful posts, even though it's based on almost nothing real. Hope it helps. Good luck, y'all.

Here are links to pics and descriptions of some of the pizzas I've made lately:

Donatos Clone #1

Donatos Clone #2

Donatos Clone #3
Donatos Clone #4

Tommy's Clone #1 (This one was probably more like Shakey's. It was fucking good!)

Tommy's Clone #2

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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Optic neuritis and modern medicine

2011-04-29T15:22:00.019-04:00

I have felt pretty decent for most of this year. I haven't been on a die-hard anti-Candida diet, but I've certainly been careful not to eat much sugar or carbs. Going balls to the wall with an anti-Candida diet can just be too difficult sometimes, so I've settled into a pattern of being reasonably strict without being gonzo. In other words, I allow myself to have a treat now and then; maybe even more regularly than "now and then." But I'm scared to cheat too much because I know how easily it can cause the misery to return. I fear that misery, and I don't want to feel it again.

It's been a while since I've felt any of the symptoms that tend to warn me that the shit is about to hit the fan. My usual early symptoms include constant headaches, sinus issues, jaw pain, stomach gurgling, and a few other things. Even though I haven't felt a return of those common symptoms, I've had what seems to be a mild case of optic neuritis for about ten days. While I admit that it seems mild, it has worried me enough to write a new post here.

If you google 'optic neuritis,' you'll find a bunch of pages about Multiple Sclerosis because optic neuritis tends to be one of the common predictors of MS. Having said that, I want to make it clear that I am not worried about MS. Even though I've already had two bouts with optic neuritis in the last five years, I'm not worried because I don't think of MS as an illness. Rather, I think of MS as merely a symptom of serious Candida overgrowth. Now, I admit that I may be wrong about this, but it makes sense to me, so I'm going to keep believing it.

Why?

Because I used to trust modern medicine. Just like you, I used to go to doctors whenever my body seemed out of order. But the doctors never fixed what was wrong with me. Over and over, doctors failed to even recognize what was wrong with me. Yet they would treat me for something anyway, usually with prescription drugs, and it almost always ended up making me worse. That's basically the story of my life with doctors.

Eventually you gotta add it all up and come to the conclusion that modern medicine is not medicine at all; it's a system of pushing poisonous substances on people who don't know any better. It's legalized drug dealing, except these drugs are more dangerous than illegal drugs, and the dealers are less caring than "the man" on the street.

You have to realize that doctors aren't there to fix your medical problems. They are there to treat symptoms with pharmaceuticals; they are there to make believe that they are smarter than everyone else. You have to realize that doctors are not the answer to your problems; they're most likely the cause of your problems. Most doctors are simply expensive dope dealers, who are peddling shit that is worse than heroin. It's worse for your body, and it's probably just as addictive. It also costs a lot more money than street drugs.

In March of 2009, I finally had enough of their ineptitude, after two courses of antibiotics destroyed me, making every moment of my life totally miserable in 50 different ways. This is when I started looking for the real solutions to my illnesses. I don't let doctors touch me anymore, and I never will unless I have some kind of illness or injury that I know I can't fix on my own. Even then, I won't trust them, and I won't take their word for anything.

But back to optic neuritis... My current bout with what seems to be optic neuritis is strange because it's in my left eye, and it still hasn't been nearly as serious as the other two times this has happened to me. With each of the two previous fights, the optic neuritis was in my right eye, and it was much worse.

I don't know what to make of it all right now, and I just hope it doesn't get worse. But since it's here, I have to interpret it as a sign that I should take better care of myself. That means making a real effort to put real food into myself. That means forcing myself to drink a ton of water every day. That means using a little more discipline than usual.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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This sucks!

2011-02-10T15:20:00.004-05:00

I just want to say I'm having a bitch of a time lately. My head hurts most of the time and I'm frustrated. I usually only eat once a day because it takes so much work to prepare whatever version of chicken I choose to eat each day. When I do finally eat in the evening, it's not enjoyable. There's almost nothing you can eat anymore that won't kill you, just because of greed. Even the stuff that's supposed to be good for you is lethal.

I'm not going to elaborate about the new strategy I mentioned in the previous post because I'm not convinced that it is in any way helpful. It's already hard enough for you sift the good information from the bullshit, so I'm not going make it any more difficult.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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Time to get serious again

2011-01-08T15:44:00.005-05:00

After an attempt to get back on an anti-Candida diet a couple months ago, my motivation kind of fizzled out pretty quickly. Well, that and a new passion for pizza took me over. So for the last couple months, I've kind of hovered on the fine line between misery and contentedness (if that's a word).

I believe I mentioned in the previous post that I've had a lot of numbness in my hands and feet ever since I finished the coast-to-coast walk in September 2010. With this numbness getting worse lately, and with people telling me my feet look unhealthy, I became a little worried that it might become a very serious issue if I don't start trying to take care of the problem, which I suspect is Candida-related. So I decided Monday that it was crucial for me to get serious about eating better and taking the right supplements (raw garlic, ACV, coconut oil) a couple times a day. In conjunction with these standard components of Candida warfare, I've also begun a new kind of therapy, which I'm not going to discuss until I feel pretty confident that it's helping.

Anyway, I read a post on earthclinic.com less than an hour ago, in which someone said she successfully ridded herself of warts with this type of therapy. As her post reminded me of a couple wartlike blemishes I've had on my arm for years, I quickly looked at my arm to see if they've changed or disappeared. And yes, they are pretty much gone. I have no idea if they were there a week ago, but they're mostly gone right now. I was surprised because, as I said, these blemishes have been on my arm for many years.

I think this new therapy is probably helping a lot, but I want to give it some time before I say anything more about it. My numbness seems to have decreased quite a bit in the last five days, and my mom says my feet look a lot better already. This leads me to hope I'll be able to come back here in another week and tell you I feel really good.

If you're interested, here's a couple pics of pizzas I've made recently. Oh how I love pizza.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook.

Here we go again

2010-11-10T19:04:00.027-05:00

Yeah, so um, I haven't said anything in a long time, but I think it's time to start again. To be clear, I didn't really have anything to say for the last year or so because my experiment with the anti-Candida diet made me healthier than I'd been in years.

So if the anti-Candida diet made me feel so great, why start blogging about Candida again?

As you may already know, earlier this year I spent seven months walking from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Pier) to the Atlantic Ocean (Coney Island, NYC). That ended up being about 3,463 miles, during which I carried a backpack weighing, on average, about 55 lbs. Throughout the walk, I punished my body to an extent that you simply cannot comprehend unless you've done what I did. At the same time, I didn't eat well; I couldn't eat well, mostly because I had very little money, relying on the kindness of strangers to keep me fed.

Before I began, I wondered how the walk would affect my body's ability to keep Candida in check. On one hand, I thought the walk might make me healthier because I'd be taking in so much more oxygen than usual, which seems to be one of the major enemies of Candida. On the other hand, I knew I'd be putting myself through unbelievable stress while rarely finding an opportunity to eat the right kinds of food.

Thankfully, I can't say I ever felt a return of Candida overgrowth during my walk, which I finished on September 12. However, once I returned to the comfort of home to recover from the walk, things changed pretty quickly.

There were so many new kinds of pain following the walk. My body's muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves stopped functioning how they once did, making it difficult for me just to stand up and walk, even without the backpack. I couldn't move very well and I couldn't feel much of anything in my legs and feet. At the same time, I felt stupid all the time. Well, not necessarily stupid, but I often had a really difficult time remembering simple, common words when speaking. Or when updating my Facebook status, it was hard for me to write a simple sentence that made any sense.

For weeks I worried that the walk may have fried my brain a little. Y'see, once I descended from the Colorado Rockies on May 14, almost every day was miserably hot until late August, when I reached Pennsylvania. I had to deal with ridiculously hot days and very hot nights almost every day for months, and it definitely took its toll on me. Couple that with the work it takes to carry a heavy backpack nearly 20 miles a day, and it's not a stretch to think I may have damaged my brain.

After the walk, distracted by all the pain and weird new handicaps while trying to figure out how to recover from a unique kind of bodily punishment that almost no one else has ever felt, I think I failed to recognize some familiar feelings, like the feeling of being stupid. Then, a couple weeks ago, I got a headache that wouldn't go away. It felt like a sinus-related headache, so I mixed up a saltwater solution and performed a nasal irrigation. It didn't help.

Dealing with the pain of a constant headache while feeling stupid all the time, I started wondering if maybe these things were Candida-related. Consequently, I cut down on sugar and made some minor changes to my diet, but I didn't fully commit to a new anti-Candida diet because the anti-Candida diet takes a lot of work and discipline that I just wasn't ready to give.

Eventually I started noticing a lot of stomach growls. Not the normal kind, either. No, this was the Candida kind. At about the same time, I recognized a familiar pain in my jaw.

That was the turning point.

To you, jaw pain may seem completely unrelated to diet and the digestive system. But I've been there before, and I vividly remember the intense jaw pain that disappeared shortly after I committed to an anti-Candida diet a year and a half ago.

With this renewed pain in my jaw, I began to remember that I'd also experienced the unexplained feelings of stupidity back in 2009, when I battled Candida overgrowth. I'd forgotten all about the feeling of stupidity, but now I started making the connections. So interestingly, this jaw pain is what made me realize I NEED to get back on the diet.

But the anti-Candida diet is so hard to follow. Other than eggs and chicken, it seems like there's nothing else you can eat. And it takes so much work to prepare these foods, especially chicken. Additionally, it's so easy to get sick of eggs, plus they don't fill you up. Considering these factors, as well as some others, once I made up my mind to try the diet again, I didn't think I'd have enough discipline to stay committed.

Fortunately, my symptoms were pretty minor compared to my first Candida fight, so I reasoned that I could take a sorta half-assed approach this time. I decided I'd stop eating the Milky Ways and other really bad Candida foods, but I'd still allow myself to eat some of the non-allowed foods, like an occasional bowl of Corn Flakes.

With my half-assed approach, though, the headaches and stomach noises and confusion continued. I was not beating the Candida.

So a few days ago, I decided I absolutely must make the commitment again because I don't enjoy being miserable. I realized I have to dive in to the anti-Candida diet once again, and I have to discipline myself at least until my current symptoms are gone. And right now that's what I'm doing. I'm back in the middle of a battle, and I'm going to win again by attacking the problem.

* * * * *
If you are having trouble committing to an anti-Candida diet, I urge you not to give up. You can't just change all your eating habits in an instant. You're going to screw up, OK. So when it happens, give yourself a break and stay focused on your objective. If you break down and eat a candy bar after a couple days of the anti-Candida diet, not all is lost. It's merely a setback, and you get to start again. Except once you start again, you'll be stronger and more disciplined than the first time you started. This time you'll be able to go four or five days before you break down and eat that candy bar. And by then you will have already noticed your cravings for sweets have diminished big-time, which makes it that much easier to stay true to the diet. Before you know it, you'll be feeling better than you've ever felt.

You just have to train yourself. You have to create new habits. Once you do that, it'll be relatively easy to get the job done.

It's been only a few days since I resumed the anti-Candida diet, but I already feel better. I don't feel GOOD yet, but I do feel better. And there are still a few rules I haven't followed as closely as I should. Like drinking water. I've made an effort to drink a lot of water, but I haven't been gonzo about it. So I'm going to work on that in the coming days.

But here's what I have been doing pretty well:

Eating foods that don't feed yeast (mostly eggs and chicken, with peppers and garlic);
Not eating foods that do feed yeast; in other words, NOT CHEATING.
Taking a couple shots of Bragg apple cider vinegar each day;
Consuming a couple spoonfuls of chopped raw garlic each day;
I've also begun making an effort to eat a few spoonfuls of coconut oil each day
Yesterday I bought some Stonyfield Farms plain yogurt, which I'll be eating at least once a day, adding chopped strawberries and a packet of stevia to each bowl.

There may be a few other things that I'm forgetting right now, but I think I've listed the biggies. I should be exercising as well, but I admit I haven't been doing that. (I'm a little burned out after walking across a continent.)

And here are the biggest signs showing the anti-Candida diet is already helping me conquer my current battle with Candida:

I found the motivation to write all these words;
I currently possess enough mental clarity to have written a fairly long blog post, which I couldn't have done just a few days ago;
This one is for you to decide: Hopefully I've made sense in this post and my words have been easy to follow. If so, it's more proof that the anti-Candida diet will help you with your problems, as long as you put in the work to do it right.

Chances are that I'll probably do some re-drafting in the next few days, to make this post as helpful as possible. Hopefully you got something from it.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook.

On the road

2009-08-11T10:18:00.007-04:00

Wow, I just noticed there is a follower of this blog. (Oh, it's GloZell. Didn't expect that.) Sorry I don't have much to say lately, but I'm low on time because I'm on the road and I probably will remain on the road for at least a few months.

Now that I'm on the road, it's pretty much impossible to adhere to the anti-Candida diet. The good news is that straying from the diet has not made me feel horrible (yet?). So if you're thinking about trying the diet, go ahead and do it for at least two weeks. I think you'll like the results, and it probably won't take two weeks to start feeling better.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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Getting un-carried away

2009-07-06T22:08:00.006-04:00

In case there is anyone following this blog, I just want you to know I haven't quit the blog and I haven't quit the anti-Candida diet, nor do I intend to. It's just that my mind has been on other things lately and I don't think there's really been much to say.

I've lost 10 or 15 pounds in the last 2 or 3 weeks, due to a combination of reasons. (At 5-foot-10, I now weigh less than 140 lbs, so I really didn't need to lose any weight.) The first reason I've lost weight, I guess, is that I kind of got sick of spending so much time cooking and preparing anti-Candida meals, in addition to constantly reading new stuff about Candida. At some point I became fed up with structuring my whole life around fighting Candida, so I took a break from what had become something of an obsession. But instead of reverting back to my old eating habits any more than I already had, I just kinda stopped eating. I thought about trying a fast, but I wouldn't call this a fast because I have eaten something every day, I think.

To be clear, I never really reverted back to my old diet. I just slacked off a little bit for a couple weeks. For the most part, I've felt very good since a week after I started the diet (early June, I think). But I know I'm nowhere near finished with this fight, and I don't want to wipe out all the progress I've made.

However, I'll be hitting the road in less than two weeks to do another round of Aimless. I'll probably be on the road for several months, and I will usually be broke and kitchenless. Consequently, there is no way I'll be able to maintain a diet remotely resembling an anti-Candida diet unless I eat nothing but granny smith apples, which is probably what I'll try for a while.

The good thing is that I'll be getting way more than enough exercise. I'll average about ten miles walking per day (if not more), carrying at least 50 pounds of gear at all times. Some days I will walk around 30 miles and some days I'll hardly walk at all, but 10 to 15 miles is normal. I can tell you from experience that this can be pretty damn brutal, particularly in conjunction with all the other aspects of tramping (like basically being homeless). So hopefully it won't be too much exercise and will not push my body so hard that Candida starts taking over again.

Oh yeah, and I quit smoking about three weeks ago. I only smoked 4 or 5 cigarettes a day, which I really don't think caused me much harm, but I guess there just comes a time to stop giving your money to people who don't deserve it, so I quit.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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After nearly four weeks...

2009-06-17T15:30:00.010-04:00

This is kind of an update, I guess. Not much to report, though, because the anti-Candida diet has made me feel tons better. Almost four weeks into the diet, I have felt fantastic for at least the last three weeks.

The last couple days, however, I've felt some minor symptoms like headache and nausea. Nothing like the headaches and nausea I had before I began the anti-Candida diet, though. Not even close.

I suspect one of two possible causes for these symptoms:

Candida die-off, or
Slacking on my diet.

Here's why I think it could be die-off: I gave myself a garlic enema two days ago. (Yeah, I know it's funny. Get over it.) Sending raw garlic straight to the source (my intestines) certainly may have caused some pretty serious die-off, but I really can't say for sure.

Here's why I think it might be my diet: I've eaten some things the last couple days that don't fit into the anti-Candida diet. It's not like I've gone on a binge or anything, but I've certainly loosened up the rules. The no-no items I've eaten include Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, milk (with the cereal), sour cream, cheddar cheese, and corn tortillas. I'll get back to the program and see if that makes a difference.

I don't know; maybe it's a combination of both prospective causes. Since I never experienced any serious die-off symptoms when I began the diet, I don't know what true die-off feels like. But because I'm pretty sure I've already killed off a lot of the pesky Candida, I also don't think the dietary cheating is responsible for the slight return of symptoms. We'll see.

And if you're wondering why I never experienced any serious die-off symptoms, it's probably because I've forced myself to drink tons of water. Probably at least a gallon of water per day (which is supposedly a lot more than adequate for a 150-pound guy like myself).

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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Garlic

2009-06-17T14:57:00.008-04:00

From Fungus Focus:

According to a research report from Loma Linda University, garlic extract strengthens the immune system by helping the body's white blood cells gobble up enemy germs. Garlic has demonstrated significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans in both animal and test tube studies. Greater anti-Candida activity has resulted from exposing Candida to garlic, than to nystatin - the most common prescription drug used to fight Candida. No clinical studies of garlic in the treatment of candidiasis have yet been conducted. However, some doctors suggest an intake equal to approximately one clove (4 grams) of fresh garlic per day; this would equal consumption of a garlic tablet that provides a total allicin potential of 4,000 to 5,000 mcg.

Garlic is commonly used to fight infection, increase circulation and help prevent cardiovascular disease. Garlic has been known to detoxify the body by cleansing the kidneys and increasing urine flow. Furthermore, Garlic's healing properties make it an ideal agent for fighting colds and flu, bacteria, and fungi. Garlic has also been used for lowering cholesterol, reducing high blood pressure, and treating respiratory problems such as bronchitis and asthma.

What they're saying here is that there is absolutely no need for you to take any prescription drugs to combat your Candida overgrowth. There is basically only one drug that can even help at all, but this drug is less effective than simple, cheap garlic. Additionally, with garlic you'll never have to worry about side effects.

I just ate ten spoonfuls of raw chopped garlic. That's equivalent to about one head of garlic.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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What's the cause?

2009-06-10T00:29:00.034-04:00

Have you ever wondered what causes your chronic illness or illnesses? Yeah, well so have I. Not just my own illnesses, but some of your illnesses, too. So I did a little digging, and here's what I found out about the causes of many common contemporary illnesses (listed in alphabetical order):

Acne
"The cause of pimples is unknown." -acne.org

Asthma
"The exact cause of asthma isn't known."
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

Attention Deficit Disorder
"Despite intensive research, the exact origins of ADD and ADHD have yet to be determined." - The Health Center (See my note near the end of this post.)

Autism
"There is no known single cause for autism..." -Autism Society of America

Bipolar Disorder (Manic-depression)
"The cause of bipolar disorder is not entirely known." -Psych Central

Canker Sores
"The precise cause of canker sores remains unclear..." -Mayo Clinic

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
"The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is unknown." -Medicine Plus

Crohn's Disease
"The cause of Crohn's disease is unknown." -medicinenet.com

Dandruff
"The exact cause of seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff) is unknown. Most experts do know, though, that it is not caused by poor hygiene." -Medical News Today

Eczema
"The cause of eczema (atopic dermatitis) is unknown." -eczemaguide.ca

Epilepsy
"Seizures are symptoms of abnormal brain function. With the exception of very young children and the elderly, the cause of the abnormal brain function is usually not identifiable." -Epilepsy Foundation

Fibromyalgia
"The cause of fibromyalgia is not known." -WebMD

Headaches
"Experts do not agree about what causes headaches, but they agree that more studies are needed." -eMedicineHealth

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
"The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not known." -WebMD

Migraine
"The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood." -womenshealth.gov

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
"Experts don't know the exact cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder." -WebMD

Optic Neuritis

"Optic neuritis in young adults is believed to most commonly develop when the immune system attacks myelin covering the optic nerve, resulting in inflammation and damage. It's not certain what causes your immune system to attack its own tissue." -Mayo Clinic

"While other disease processes can cause optic neuritis, MS is the most likely cause in a young, otherwise healthy individual." -National MS Society

OK, so what causes MS?

Multiple Sclerosis
"Doctors still don't understand what causes MS..." -WebMD

"While the cause (etiology) of MS is still not known..." -National MS Society

Yeah, that's what I thought. Now tell me what causes the immune system to attack the myelin covering the optic nerve. I already know what causes it, but I want you to explain it to me, doc.

Pre-menstrual Syndrome
"Experts say that the definitive cause of PMS is not yet known." -ehealthMD

Psoriasis
"The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown." -skincarephysicians.com

Schizophrenia
"There are many theories about the cause of schizophrenia, but none have been proven." -WebMD

Tourette Syndrome
"The exact cause of Tourette syndrome isn't known, and there's no known way to prevent it." -Mayo Clinic

OK, so let me get this straight: Doctors have no idea what causes any of these things, yet doctors continue to treat all of them with prescription medications anyway? Does that seem wrong to anyone reading this?

In just one sentence I've already identified two things these conditions all have in common. But there's more: Another thing they all have in common is that they are Candida symptoms.

Taking it a step further, all but a couple of these conditions can be explained by Candida. And unlike the medical establishment's approach, it all makes sense when you look at them as symptoms of Candida overgrowth. Additionally, Candida overgrowth does have a cause. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine does not even recognize the existence of Candida overgrowth (because it doesn't show up on MRIs). Worse, they treat many of these Candida symptoms with precisely the same medications that are responsible for causing Candida overgrowth.

This list only contains conditions that didn't require tons of detailed research. There are plenty more illnesses out there that your doctor knows nothing about but doesn't hesitate prescribing dangerous medications for them anyway.

ADD Note: I have taken medication for ADD since December 1992. Although I willingly take this medication every morning, I really don't even like calling it ADD anymore, first of all because it is not a disorder; it is simply a difference in how some people's brains process information. In fact, I'd call it an attention surplus because that's what it really is. The only reason it seems like an attention deficit is because "non-ADD-brain" researchers don't understand that the "ADD brain" is constantly trying to focus on 20 different ideas that are boucing around inside the head at any given time. When you're trying to focus on 20 different ideas at the same time, none of the ideas will receive as much attention from your brain as your teacher or parent expects from you. But every once in a while you get one of those magic moments in which you are able to turn off all the unwanted thoughts and focus on the most important one. It's during these moments that brilliant, world-changing ideas are born.

In the 16+ years since I began taking Dexedrine (or occasionally Adderall) for ADD, I have never experienced any side effects. If the medication didn't help, I wouldn't take it. After all these years, it's difficult for me to imagine that I could make the foundation of my "ADD" go away just by changing my diet for a while. However, now that I'm learning about Candida's link to all these illnesses, I envision a day when I will be able to focus and concentrate without the aid of Dexedrine.

Do doctors or scientists know why Dexedrine helps treat ADD? Nope. They just know it minimizes the symptoms. In my case, it also addresses the problem, and I consider myself lucky to not feel any side effects. But I also wonder now if ADD medication played a role in feeding Candida or allowing it to take over my body. I don't think it plays any role, but I'm going to try to find out.

I'm not out to debunk all the illnesses that other people suffer from. I'm just out to find an answer, and in finding that answer I'm willing to crush my own long-held beliefs if the evidence tells me I should.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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A very clear sign

2009-06-09T23:29:00.009-04:00

For literally as long as I can remember, there has been a bump (or small lump) on my gums behind my bottom left front tooth (beneath my tongue). I wouldn't call it a canker sore, and it's definitely not a cold sore or fever blister. I really don't know what to call it, but it is annoying and I've always just figured I'd have to deal with it forever.

Whatever I should call it doesn't matter anymore, though, because it's gone. A few minutes ago, as I ate an apple, it was there and then it was gone. No pain and no blood. Now, as I run my tongue against the spot, I can barely feel any sign that it was ever there.

I had actually noticed that the sore had been shrinking lately, only since I've begun the anti-Candida diet. Almost three weeks into the diet, there is no doubt that my Candida treatment caused this sore to disappear, so I'd say it's a very good sign of things to come.

There's one thing I wonder about, though. Did oil pulling have anything to do with the disappearance of the sore? I've been oil pulling for two or three days now--since yesterday, I guess--so oil pulling may have played a role.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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Oil pulling

2009-06-08T13:34:00.002-04:00

I've been reading about oil pulling today. Lots of positive testamonials. Here's a good page to begin learning about oil pulling.

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Candida questionnaire

2009-06-07T12:25:00.006-04:00

Here's a good Candida questionnaire (PDF) from The Yeast Connection. Print it and follow directions to find out if your problems are (or may be) caused by Candida overgrowth. I have not answered this questionnaire yet.

Using a different questionnaire (long version--second test on the page), my score was 198 just two weeks ago. (Any score over 140 in men indicates that "yeast-connected health problems are almost certainly present.") However, after adhering to the anti-Candida diet for the last two weeks, my score is down to 93. (Scores over 90 indicate that "yeast-connected health problems are probably present.)

With just a little more work, I'll be comfortably under 90, which will put me in the range that suggests "yeast-connected health problems are possibly present." Of course, I didn't have to retake the test to know I feel way better now than I felt two weeks ago.

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Candida spit test

2009-06-02T23:48:00.012-04:00

OK, so this acne-related web site disputes the validity of Candida spit test results (scroll to the bottom of that page for spit test info), saying almost everyone 'fails' the spit test and that all the web sites with spit test directions are trying to sell you something. In their argument against the spit test, this web site begins its case by stating, "First, nobody explains how the spit test diagnoses Candida."

But I've looked at a lot of web pages about Candida, and most of them are not trying to sell me anything. (Or maybe I just instantly hit the back button every time I realize I'm on a web site that is trying to sell me something.) Anyway, I have learned enough to know that I have no reason to buy anything from any web site for Candida treatment. (Threelac comes to mind.) Mostly my treatment involves some things that cost nothing, and other things that are just a normal part of a grocery shopping list. ACV, coconut oil, garlic, and good foods.

Furthermore, I have read explanations for why the spit test is a pretty good indicator of Candida, though I wouldn't call it a diagnosis, nor has it been presented to me as a diagnosis. It's just a preliminary indication, which probably is pretty reliable if you 'fail.' The problem, in total constrast to the acne web site's claim, is with some people who don't fail. To the best of my understanding, some people who do have Candida don't receive positive results from the spit test.

Looking deeper into the acne web site, I see that their dietary recommendations are very similar, if not identical, to the anti-Candida diet. They vehemently attempt to assert that acne and Candida are not related, yet they propose the exact same 'cure' for acne as Candida web sites suggest for 'curing' Candida.

The creators of this web site seem to have a militant agenda to make their readers believe acne and Candida are totally unrelated, which, for all I know, may be true. It doesn't add up, but it may be true. This is one reason why I advise you not to just believe everything you read, including the things I write. There is bogus and conflicting information on a lot of Candida-related web sites, but if you look and learn, it all starts to add up. You have to decide for yourself which information makes the most sense.

--
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Apple cider vinegar

2009-06-02T19:00:00.011-04:00

There are two kinds of apple cider vinegar:

The crap you get at the grocery store; and
The kind that works.

Most, if not all, of the ACV you'll find at the grocery store is pasteurized. This includes Heinz and Meijer brand ACV. It might help a little, but it's not what you want (if you want to get rid of your Candida overgrowth).

What you want is organic, raw, unfiltered ACV.

Last night I found what I was looking for. I bought two quarts of Bragg ACV from Whole Foods Market. It's pretty expensive--$5.69 per quart, at least where I bought it--but it's an expense you can deal with because you need it.

Here's why I know there's a difference between the two varieties of ACV: I have tonail fungus. The pasteurized stuff I used yesterday didn't do anything visible to my toenails. But today, after adding a little of the Bragg ACV to the other vinegar, then soaking my feet in the mixture, my toenails were different. The most noticeable difference was that some of the crusty outer layer came off of a few nails.

This stuff (the Bragg ACV) is making a difference. The other stuff did not.

--
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Finding the right combination

2009-06-02T17:36:00.001-04:00

Almost a couple weeks into my anti-Candida treatment, I've been learning a lot and settling into some behavioral and dietary patterns. Here are the main components that have been helping me fight Candida overgrowth so far, along with my primitive explanations for why these methods have helped me:

Garlic
Apple Cider Vinegar
Diet (starving the Candida)
Exercise
Water
NOT CHEATING ON THE DIET!

Garlic
As an integral part of the anti-Candida diet, raw garlic is more a supplement than a cure; it's just part of the fight. Garlic has anti-fungal properties, and Candida, as you should know, is a fungus.

Raw, Organic, Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Same as garlic in ways. It's not the cure; just an important part of the fight. From what I've read, ACV is very acidic, but in the stomach it ends up making your body less acidic and more alkaline, which is one of your major objectives when fighting Candida.

In addition to drinking a shot of ACV every morning and evening, I've also been soaking my feet in ACV for at least half an hour a couple times a day, to fight athlete's foot and toenail fungus. It almost immediately fixed the athlete's foot (a few days), and it seems very clearly to be helping the toenail fungus. However, it's going to be at least a few months before I'll know for sure how effectively it works on the nails. (The anti-Candida diet will probably do more than the external application of ACV to help my toenail fungus in the long term.)

Diet (starving the Candida)
NO sugar (not even from sweet fruits). NO carbohydrates. NO dairy products. NO alcohol. This stuff feeds Candida, which makes you miserable. (Read more below in "NOT CHEATING ON THE DIET!")

Exercise
Exercise combats Candida overgrowth in at least two ways. First, it causes you to inhale a lot more oxygen than normal. (Candida doesn't like oxygen.) Second, it makes you sweat out toxins that can't leave your body in any other way (for example, through urination).

Water
Drinking lots of water keeps you hydrated and helps you flush toxins (or bad shit) out of your body. You probably do not hydrate yourself enough. Consequently, your body is unable to expel all the toxic crap you've put into yourself. If you just start drinking lots of water, you will probably begin feeling better just because your body will finally be able to evict the bad shit that's clogging up your whole freaking system.

Do you know why you have to pee so much when you drink beer or coffee? It's not the result of some magical property in these drinks; it's because you're basically poisoning yourself when you drink these beverages, which is why you feel buzzed or energetic afterward. When your body detects the poison, the body's job is to get rid of the poison, which it does by making you urinate. To make sure you expel the poisons ASAP, your body also borrows fluid from elsewhere in the body, which dehydrates you and leaves you with a hangover the next morning.

NOT CHEATING ON THE DIET!
Although it is very important to put the right things into your body in your fight against Candida, it is more important to keep from putting the wrong things into your body. Every time you put sugar or carbohydrates into your body, you feed the Candida. Until you stop feeding the Candida, the Candida will continue using your body as a hospitable host. Unless you starve Candida, it will continue to thrive and reproduce, and it will take over your whole body once again as soon as you revert to your old dietary and behavioral patterns.

You have to kill all the excess Candida by starving it before you can expect to start living how you used to live. Even if you maintain a disciplined routine of consuming plenty of raw garlic and ACV, in addition to exercising and drinking lots of water, Candida will remain a nuisance in your body for as long as you keep feeding it the sugar it needs.

Not cheating on your diet is probably the most important part of the fight against Candida.

Some other things that will help you beat Candida

Acidophilus
35 percent hydrogen peroxide
An alkaline pH

Acidophilus is a probiotic supplement that helps you return beneficial bacteria to your body, which you probably killed by taking antibiotics. However, until you kill the Candida fungus that moved into the bacteria's homes, these bacteria will have nowhere to live and probably will not help you much.

I don't know much about 35% hydrogen peroxide or pH yet. When I learn more about these things, I'll write about them.

--
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Minor setbacks

2009-06-02T13:35:00.009-04:00

Friday night (four nights ago), after not eating all day, I ate a beef brisket sandwich at a Columbus Clippers baseball game. To stick as closely as possible to my anti-Candida diet, I could have eaten the meat without the bun, but I chose to eat my sandwich the way it was delivered to me (with only meat and bread). I felt a little foggy later on, and I also experienced a little head pain, but this was nothing like the pain and "brain fog" I experienced before I began the anti-Candida diet.

The following day I also ate a slice of pizza--1/8 of a 13" pepperoni pizza--to which I also had a minor adverse reaction. One clear effect is that my head was even more foggy Saturday than it was Friday, along with more minor head pain. This time, though, I also felt a little pain in my jaw whenever I opened my mouth wide, which is one of the many symptoms that made me miserable until recently. This wasn't so bad, though.

Then yesterday as I drove into town to buy some anti-Candida products, I stopped to offer a ride to a guy I saw walking out into the middle of nowhere. I expected to be home within two hours of leaving, but I ended up driving this guy around for two hours. Consequently, I was hungry before I even started my chores, so I stopped to get something to eat at Sonic. I ordered a double cheeseburger combo with a "Route 44" Dr. Pepper (44 ounces), which I knew might cause a Candida feeding frenzy within me.

Strangely I didn't feel much of a reaction to the poor meal choice. As I walked around the grocery store later on, I felt a little dizzy and fuzzy in the head, but I didn't feel any head pain or worsening of any other symptoms. About 20 hours later, I still haven't felt any kind of major effects. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Even though I haven't felt any signs of regression, I'm sure my unauthorized meal yesterday has slowed my progress, particularly the huge Dr. Pepper. If you are on the anti-Candida diet (or if you are thinking about beginning the diet), I do not recommend straying from the diet like this. Maybe you can do it once a week after you begin feeling better, just for a treat to keep you sane, but probably not any more frequent than that. And leave the Dr. Pepper behind. Order water instead.

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Sinuses AOK

2009-06-01T21:42:00.005-04:00

Now about ten days into my anti-Candida diet, I've noticed the last few days that my sinuses are great. No pain and no congestion for the first time in a long time. I don't know if this is from the foods I've been eating (or, more specifically, not eating) or if it's a result of the apple cider vinegar or the tons of raw garlic I've been eating, but my sinuses feel fantastic. No minor pain. Nothing. No trouble swallowing, either.

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Anti-candida diet: The first week

2009-05-29T02:15:00.020-04:00

What led me to the anti-Candida diet?
About 10 weeks ago I visited a doctor, ailed by what I thought might be a sinus infection. After asking me a few questions and looking up my nose, the doctor confirmed my suspicion and quickly prescribed the antibiotic Amoxicillin for treatment of sinusitis. After ten days of treatment, I felt better but not healed, so she wrote me a new script, this time for SMZ/TMP DS 800-160 (generic for Bactrim). By the time I finished the second prescription, I felt better in some ways, but I also felt worse in a lot of other ways.

Over the next month and a half, my health went downhill big-time. Ever since I ended the antibiotic/antibacterial treatment, I've been in nearly-constant pain and discomfort all over, which just kept getting worse. Here's a list of my most noticeable symptoms:

constant headaches and head pain
jaw pain
tooth pain
eye pain
vision disturbances (specifically optic neuritis)
clumsiness
emotional instability
neck pain
tender throat
sinus inflammation
nausea
uncomfortable digestive gurgling
chest pain (respiratory)
confusion
"brain fog"
forgetfulness (I felt very stupid)
unexplained general pain
fatigue
and surely some other things I can't think of right now.

This stuff was constant and it was driving me absolutely nuts, so I scoured the internet for answers. For a while I feared that I might have meningitis or a brain abscess, among other undesirable or deadly maladies. But then I started reading about Candida overgrowth. I'd already come across this condition once during my search, but I didn't look into it. Honestly, I can't even remember what made me click the "Candida" link this time, but I did, and quickly everything started making sense. It connected my recent illness with some issues I've dealt with off-and-on over the last five or ten years, including athlete's foot, toenail fungus, rashes, other skin conditions, numbness, and anxiety, as well as some of the symptoms I listed above.

Beginning the Candida diet
One week ago, after reading about Candida overgrowth, I began a Candida detox, which means I eliminated sugar, carbohydrates, and dairy products from my diet, along with other types of food I don't normally consume anyway, like alcoholic beverages. For the last week, my diet has consisted of only a handful of different foods, including eggs, chicken, fish, granny smith apples, raw garlic, peppers, berries, almonds, pecans, apple cider vinegar, acidophilus tablets, and tons of water, along with some exercise (though not as much as I've intended).

Before I began this anti-candida diet, I ate the same thing almost every day. Usually I would eat a couple bowls of Frosted Mini Wheats in the morning. (Sometimes instead of cereal, I would eat a few "fun size" candy bars.) And almost every evening I would make myself a pepperoni pizza (from scratch). Maybe a little candy at night, too. So essentially my diet consisted of a lot of carbs and sugar.

In the week since I ditched the cereal, pizza, and Milky Way diet for the anti-Candida diet, I have noticed a dramatic improvment in my health. Pretty much all my symptoms have diminished drastically, and many have disappeared. Right now I feel pretty good, and it seems like I'm going to keep improving, as long as I stay disciplined. But I know I'm nowhere near "cured" yet.

I've read a lot about die-off symptoms that occur shortly after you begin an anti-Candida diet, which happens because your body becomes overloaded with dead microorganisms (or waste) that the body simply cannot process very quickly. According to a lot of the information I've read, die-off usually can be felt in the form of the same symptoms you had to begin with, although it's not the same thing. I can't say for sure that I've experienced this die-off yet. Maybe it's because I've forced myself to drink lots and lots of water, which has enabled my body to flush out the waste efficiently. Or maybe I just haven't experienced die-off yet. That's why I created this blog; to share my experiences as they happen so other people can learn from them.

I'll try to keep updating this blog as my condition changes.

--
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Introduction

2009-05-27T22:52:00.008-04:00

Hi, I'm Ryan and I recently realized I have a systemic Candida overgrowth, which basically means my body has been taken hostage by a fungus (or yeast, Candida Albicans). I did not receive this diagnosis from a doctor; I figured it out on my own after months of scouring the internet for clues about what may be wrong inside me, then finally putting the pieces together about a week ago. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the only way to diagnose Candida overgrowth because modern medicine has lost sight of its ultimate objective, which is to heal by eliminating the cause of our illnesses, not just symptoms.

I suspect you found this page because you are miserable and your doctor's orders haven't helped you. Consequently, just like me, you've been searching all over the internet for an answer. Am I right?

Well, now that you're here, let me help you confirm one of your suspicions: Yes, the chances are very high that your doctor is a moron. Sorry if my bluntness offends anyone, but I'm a no-bullshit kind of guy. I know you've suspected for years that your doctor is an idiot, so I just want to let you know that you've been right the whole time. The sooner you accept this as the probable truth, the sooner you can start feeling better.

Now let's get started...

Candida overgrowth is a little-known but widespread condition which I suspect may be the cause of many (or most) common human illnesses, including skin disorders, mood disorders, and neurological disorders. The last week has been a "Eureka" kind of experience for me because I think I've finally found an explanation for why I've been miserable for so long, experiencing nearly constant headaches, confusion, uncoordination, nausea, skin problems, and a long list of other issues.

Many common illnesses are probably not illnesses at all. More likely they are symptoms of Candida overgrowth. Unfortunately, as I said before, medical professionals are trained to treat symptoms instead of the underlying problems that cause our symptoms. As a result, we're all messed up inside, largely because our doctors have helped us destroy our immune systems by prescribing us antibiotics.

Antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria inside us, which allows the opportunistic yeast Candida Albicans to replace the good bacteria that once kept the yeast's growth in check. With our contemporary diet, which is high in sugar and carbohydrates, Candida can then easily find a paradise within our bodies because sugar is yeast's favorite food. When yeast has an adequate supply of sugar, the yeast reproduces and takes residence where good bacteria once lived, and it all goes downhill from there.

There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic idea of how this medical condition starts. To find out more about Candida overgrowth, start here. Don't just look at one of the search results; look at as many as you can because this thing is a big puzzle. However, most of the puzzle's pieces are not in the same box. You'll probably have to look around at a lot of different web sites if you can expect to put the pieces together. But it'll be worth it if you're patient because you'll need to know about Candida either now or in the future if you want to feel alive.

Candida overgrowth treatment is not a kooky "alternative" to modern medicine. This treatment is simply science that has been ignored by an industry that once was grounded in science.

I created this blog because I have recently begun learning about Candida overgrowth and I want to share my experiences with people in hopes that it may help others. I'm not an expert about Candida, but what I've read about how we get it and how to get rid of it makes a lot of sense to me because it's the same process that leavens pizza dough. Having experimented with pizza dough almost daily for the last 12 years, I understand that process very well, and I hope I can use that knowledge to help myself and you understand Candida.

So this blog is kind of a public diary of my journey through Candida detox and all the steps that follow it. I hope my upcoming documentation of this process can help you understand the similar journey you may be about to begin.

--
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