What's the cause?

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

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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.

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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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Anti-candida diet: The first week

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 improvement 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.

--
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond.
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