Overcoming Candida & Why I'm Here

Boldness has genius,

power, and magic in it.

Begin it now.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Some big reasons I am here in Thailand, eating healthy and studying muay thai are to correct my metabolism and get fit, but others are to improve my coordination, reflexes and reverse the muscular degeneration that my body has suffered from years of fatigue, abuse and infection.

My struggle with what I learned was Candida began many many years ago. I had symptoms of Bipolar disease, ADD, Anxiety, Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, MS and more, and nobody could find a thing wrong with me so I was just prescribed mind-numbing and altering drugs that never obviously relieved the symptoms and only made the problem WORSE.

My late teens to twenties were essentially a nightmare until I finally took matters into my own hands, realizing doctors were never going to get to the bottom of this, and started researching my history, habits, symptoms and more. I am so glad people think I'm 22 - 24 in age, because I spent too much time during those years feeling like crap and just wishing a bus would hit me than I care to admit. Just getting out of bed was a struggle, day in and day out, and I forget to remind myself sometimes (when I'm being too hard on myself) that I'm honestly just strong as hell for even still being here, because yes, I felt that bad so often that I didn't feel like sticking around far too many times than I care to admit. Some of my story can be found here.

This health challenge is what lead me to studying raw foods and a whole food vegan diet (er, to the best of my ability), among other effective health modalities. On the journey, I have learned A LOT about health and underlying causes of most "mainstream disease". I am still shocked and amazed at how FEW are aware of things like Candida and it's devastating effects.

According to world-leading, prestigious Johns Hopkins University medical textbooks that have since been edited, candida is always a precursor to Cancer and is always present when Cancer is present. Did you know that by the time cancer can be traced in the body, it has been living in you for 10 years? That 1 out of 3 people get cancer, at least? This is epidemic. People say it is genetic, but 100 years ago, people were not dying of cancer, simply put. Think about it....

Candida is also related to most autoimmune diseases. Check it out: In 1951, when antibiotics were first introduced on the market, anti-yeast drugs were always prescribed with them. A few years later, they stopped doing that. Very shortly thereafter, the first autoimmune disease was introduced......and now there are hundreds of them.

When you read the list of symptoms, you'll see the depression, ADD, chronic fatigue, insomnia, restlessness and other issues that so many complain about and are improperly medicated for listed.

Being here in Thailand is marvelous. I feel my coordination and reflexes coming along every day, and I feel more limber and energetic daily as well. I'm not perfect by a long shot, but things like 95-day juice fasts, multiple colon and liver cleases, anti-candida supplements, rife machines and other healing modalities have certainly aided my healing, and the body is a very forgiving machine.

It is still hard not to compare myself to others here, who maybe have had a less physically stressful life up to this point, but I make efforts to remind myself every day that I am doing phenomenally for myself, and when you see and experience your advancements daily, it's easy to do. Plus, nobody here judges.

I love how much stronger and younger I feel here, as if all the years of feeling 100+ years old and experiencing debilitating symptoms are just washing away. That is why I'm here, and why I knew I HAD to come here, even if I could barely lift my legs my first few days. My family, some friends . . . they don't understand it and weren't sure why I made this seemingly "eccentric" decision. But they also haven't walked in my shoes, and sometimes you just have to buck up and do for yourself, forgetting what others are saying about you.

I'm literally here on my LAST few dollars, and am a pretty poor person, even in Thailand, which is saying a lot for an American! By that I mean that I have under $1,000 spending, food and visa money for the next 9 weeks, but my housing and training are paid for, and I have a plane ticket home, etc. But hey, I'm here, therefore, I feel like the richest person in the world. My recipe book will ideally sell some more copies, since that is my start-up money I'm trying not to touch until when I get home to the states, pennyless, and I have trust in the process that good things are to come for me.

WITH HEALTH, I can achieve anything. Without it, my intelligence, creativity, relationships, career, my attitude, my will.....all of it suffers. I know this alllllll too well. I would say that I only wish I had come here sooner, but we are all always where we are supposed to be at exactly the right time, and my health challenges and experiences have only made me stronger. Still, I'm ready to move on, and am happily doing so.


THE CANDIDA EPIDEMIC: THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF MOST DIS-EASE
Millions of Americans are suffering from Candida and have no idea. I was one of them, and I was misdiagnosed up the wazoo.


Are YOU or is someone you love one of them?


Just SOME of it's many symptoms are, that many will surely recognize even if they don't recognize the term "Candida" are as follows:


Gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn or pain in the intestines• Bowel irregularities, constipation or diarrhea or perhaps alternating between both• Food cravings especially for carbohydrates or sweets.• Mood swings, depression or suicidal tendencies• Headaches or migraines• Menstrual problems, PMS or break through bleeding, endometriosis.• Respiratory concerns, asthma frequent bronchial congestion• Skin problems, dry, itchy or hives• Finger or toe nail fungus• Vertigo or balance problems• Joint or muscle pain• Bad breath In spite of good oral hygiene• Allergies…air-born or food• Malabsorption (might be indicated by vertical grooves in fingernails)• Vaginal yeast infections• Itching or redness in body creases• Acne on face, back or body• Cravings for Chocolate, peanuts, pistachios or alcohol• Adrenal or thyroid failure• Hemorrhoids, fissure or rectal bleeding• Insomnia • Chronic fatigue• Feeling cold and shaky• Weight imbalances (over or under in spite of diet)• Poor memory• Puffy, dry or burning eyes• Urinary tract problems (infections or incontinence)• Premature ageing• Chemical sensitivity (especially colognes or fabric dye)• Blood sugar imbalances


If you:

• crave sweets • feel sick all over, wake up tired, etc. • have taken many antibiotics • have seen many physicians and have not found help • developing food allergies


Then your health problems are very possibly yeast connected.....


From The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates:

Candida overgrowth is a vicious cycle. Our diets are full of sugars that feed the yeast. In women, pregnancy and the use of birth control pills create hormonal changes that encourage yeast and overgrowth. Antibiotics, found extensively in our food supply and prescribed by doctors, kill not only bad bacteria but also the friendly bacteria that normally inhabit our tissues, so this sets up an environment where yeast can multiply uncontrollably. A normal, strong immune system can keep yeast under control. But when yeast do overgrow, they release toxins, which weaken the immune system. At this point, the weakened immune system can no longer defend against germs, bacteria, and viruses, so these organisms multiply and quickly invade tissues and organs, causing infections. If you take antibiotics to get rid of these infections, the cycle starts all over.

Some of the most important current medical research involves the immune system and diseases related to a weak immune response, such as AIDS, Epstein-Barr, cancer, and other serious conditions. Candida is not a disease in itself; it is a condition indicating an internal imbalance. Its symptoms may mask, overshadow or accompany the presence of other diseases, such as AIDS and cancer. So if your immune system is occupied dealing with candida, it does not have the strength to fight these other critical illnesses. The good news is that candida can be corrected naturally using an anti-yeast diet. This is in fact the ONLY way to correct systemic candida.

A few people still regard candida as a "fad" or a fake disease, but this misunderstanding is starting to clear up. Patients whose recurring symptoms and complaints cannot be resolved by traditionally-trained doctors and specialists often are referred to psychologists for treatment. Yet when these patients begin a yeast-control diet and lifestyle, they respond splendidly, and their symptoms clear up.

Candida grows in your intestines. According to antibody studies done at the Atkins Center, a yeast or fungal infection is involved in more than 80% of all cases of Crohn's and Colitis. When the immune system is weak, candida easily overruns the intestinal tract and the vagina, sinuses and surfaces of the tongue. It also can burrow deeper into various organs. A carpet-like mass will wrap around the spinal cord and the nerves and often accumulates at the base of the brain. It can mass around the heart and the liver and it can affect the reproductive organs even causing endometriosis in women.

Candida grows in your blood and is then called a systemic infection. The fungus (yeast) thrive on your own nutrients (minerals, proteins, and fats). This creates further deficiencies, especially for minerals (iron, selenium, zinc, etc). Without minerals your blood remains in an acidic condition.
The most important organs for creating energy are your adrenals and your thyroid. They both need an ongoing steady supply of minerals. When you are low in minerals you'll have very little energy. Feeling exhausted, you then crave carbohydrates for short-term energy. Trying to keep a level of balance in your bloodstream more minerals are called from various places (bones, teeth) and a vicious cycle develops. Your blood continues to become even more acidic and the yeast infection escalates. Viral infections and cancer grow and expand in this acidic condition.

Candida floods your body with a toxic by-product called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the compound that produces the symptoms of an alcohol hangover. This serious toxin poisons tissues, is not easily eliminated and accumulates in your brain, spinal cord and muscles. Remember your heart and your intestines are muscles. You can now understand your symptoms of brain fog, muscle weakness and even pain.

From Rob Cooper at www.FormerFatGuy.com:

Candida Yeast is a negative YEAST INFECTION that begins in the digestive system and little by little spreads to other parts of the body. It is a strong, invasive parasite that attaches itself to the intestinal wall and becomes a permanent resident of your internal organs. It is causing numerous health problems and discomfort for over 30 million men and women every day and it is estimated that nearly everyone has or will have a moderate to serious Candida condition eventually in their lives.

It is a major contributing factor to the cause of:

• Chronic Fatigue • Immune Weakness • Allergies • Systemic Degeneration

A Candida yeast cell produces over 75 known toxic substances that negatively poison the human body. These toxins contaminate the tissues where it weakens the immune system, the glands, the kidneys, bladder, lungs, liver and especially the brain and nervous system.

Candida yeast can become so massive and invasive that is enters the FUNGAL form where it provides very long, root-like structures that penetrate the mucous lining of the gastrointestinal wall. This penetration breaks down the protective barrier between the intestinal tract and bloodstream, allowing many foreign and toxic substances to enter and pollute the body systemically.

As a result, proteins and other food wastes that are not completely digested or eliminated can assault the immune system and cause tremendous allergic reactions, fatigue and many other health problems. It also allows the Candida Yeast itself and bacteria to enter the bloodstream, from which it may find its way to other tissues, resulting in far-ranging effects such as soreness of the joints, chest pain, sinus and skin problems, etc.

An autopsy done on a lady who had died of heart failure for no apparent reason, found that her heart was encased with Candida yeast. Vaginal yeast infections are more prevalent today than ever, and they will never completely go away until the Candida yeast has been cleared from the intestinal area. To make matters worse, Candida can be sexually encouraged from one person to another.

The best book to get on this topic is called Sick and Tired: Reclaim Your Inner Terrain by Robert Young, PhD, and I HIGHLY recommend it.