Candida is one of those scary words these days! Everyone is frightened of it and thinks they need to somehow get rid of Candida. Let me tell you that Candida naturally resides in the body and can live in there quite comfortably for your whole life and never cause you any problems. It is actually supposed to live in there.
The trouble only happens when Candida become systemic – it spreads to other part of the body.
The way that you can tell if your Candida has become systemic is if you suffer from frequent thrush or your digestive system is often more on the “soft side”. There are other symptoms but it is often hard to distinguish what we are really dealing with. They include a mucous layer on the tongue and feeling foggy brained.
One of the ways that are often recommended to handle Candida is to reduce any sugars in the diet. Though this will provide great benefit to your health – High sugar diets are never a good idea!, it will not be significant enough to provide any real relief long-term from Candida itself. See, our bodies will simply convert chemicals to ensure we have enough glucose in the body. We do need this stuff for other duties – so it is not just a case of cutting out sugars and starving out Candida that way.
The better way to deal with Candida is through a three pronged approach – Reduce the sugary foods for sure, then hammer it with strong herbs that reduce it’s systemic nature and then provide your gut with the necessary bacteria to live with it comfortably.
There are three key herbs you want to use to control Candida (though there are many that can help in this department). The best ones in my experience are Wormwood, Walnut Hulls and Cloves. You can also use Pau D’Arco tea and some of the aromatic herbs like Myrrh, Oregano and Peppermint. Drinking of tea of Rosemary would do wonders for Candida.
For the topical side of things – that nasty thrush. The best remedy is making a diluted bath of Apple Cider Vinegar with water. This really helps get back the natural balance of bacteria to protect the area and gain the necessary relief – that itchy feeling is nasty!
The best way to build gut flora is to feed your body with lots of good fermented foods and to initially take a probiotic to get the balance right. My favourite is Coconut Kefir. It is super easy to make and doesn’t require ongoing effort – just top up as you use it.
The other fermented foods you could add are home-made Sauerkraut and Coconut Yoghurt – made with probiotics.
I aim to have at least one fermented drink or food in my diet each day and it has done wonders for my health.
The interesting thing about Candida is that is actually throws out our natural balances in various different ways. It will contribute to the toxic load in the body but more interestingly, it will affect already high levels of Oestrogen’s.
So, get onto those herbs and add those super fermented foods and you will feel so much better.
Any questions? Please feel free to ask in the comments section below.
Having discovered the cause of her endless pain at the tender age of 19, Melissa has dedicated her life to finding a way to just live a “normal” life with Endometriosis. She explored all the recommended options including hormonal treatments and after 7 operations decided that there must be a better way for her body. She was tired of dealing with symptoms and covering up her pain with pain-killers! After starting her personal blog in 2010, she started to explore natural healing methods including diet and lifestyle changes. Her research to finding a way to heal from Endometriosis has turned into a huge passion not just for her body and its amazing abilities but to help empower more women with Endometriosis, so they too can lead a normal life. Find me at endoempowered.com.
