Treatment 1: The Candida Cleanse

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The candida cleanse helps to rid the body of excess candida through the flushing of the

digestive tract, and the introduction of healthy candida fighters found in fermented vegetables

and kefir.

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You really have two options for a cleanse: a liquids-only cleanse or a gentler cleanse with

food. You may also opt the most thorough gut reboot, starting with the step one cleanse and

then move to the step two cleanse. The whole process will set the stage for starting the

candida diet as well!

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Step One: Liquids-Only Candida Cleanse (Duration 1–2 Days)

Start by making a vegetable broth from organic onions, garlic, celery, kale, sea salt and pure water. Let simmer and strain. Discard the vegetables and refrigerate the broth.

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Throughout the day, sip on warm broth; it’s imperative that you drink lots of water to help your body expel all the toxins in your system. While this is not a long-term cleanse, it can be repeated as needed every few weeks. It can also be used as a jumpstart to the food cleanse below.

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Step Two: Steamed Vegetables (Duration 3–5 Days)

By eliminating grains, sugars, fruits, starches and alcohol from your diet for three to five days, you can make great headway in your fight against candida overgrowth.

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Mostly, eat fresh, organic vegetables that have been steamed. For this cleanse stage, keep away from any starchy vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, sweet potatoes and white potatoes, which may contribute to sugar levels and feed the candida. Continue to drink plenty of pure water, a minimum of 72 ounces per day, to help flush the candida and by-products from your system.

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During this time, no more than once a day, you can eat salads made from leafy greens (like romaine) or bitter greens (like chard) and topped with just a bit of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice).

During either of the candida cleanses above, you can use bentonite clay to help surround the toxins and efficiently remove them from your system.

 

 

Treatment 2: The Candida Diet

This is a diet to not just discourage candida; it’s the diet to help you rid your body of candida! This is also a great next step if you have already started with the candida cleanse.

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1. The first step of the diet is to boost your immune system through the elimination of sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates. These items are contributing to the growth of the candida in your system.

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2. Step two is to replace these foods with organic vegetables, including carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and asparagus.

According to ancient Chinese medicine, warm starchy vegetables support the spleen in clearing candida from the body. While I don’t recommend these vegetables during the “cleanse” stage, the regular candida diet includes warming fall vegetables that nourish the spleen, such as sweet potatoes, yams, peas, mung beans, lentils, kidney beans, adzuki beans, carrots, beets, corn, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, zucchini, yellow squash, rutabaga and pumpkin. These should be the main sources of carbs that satisfy your cravings for sweets as well.

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What about grains? Some grains like quinoa, barley, teff, sorghum and amaranth and a starch like corn can help to dry the overly damp gut, so one serving a day (no more!) of those grains can work for most people with candida.

The same story follows for cold foods, which shouldn’t be consumed more than once per day. Therefore, don’t have a gut-friendly smoothie on the same day you have a salad. Your candida gut will heal most from warm nourishing foods.

As with any food, however, it’s always important to monitor how you feel after consuming a meal when you have candida. Some people who suffer stomach distress after eating any kind of starch, for instance, should avoid starchy vegetables like corn, peas, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, zucchini and yams. Instead, they should eat non-starchy vegetables — typically the flowering parts of the plant — like lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes.

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Also, keep fruit intake low as well as natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.

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3. Add cultured dairy, preferably goat milk kefir, for healthy probiotic foods can effectively kill the candida in your system. Kimchi and sauerkraut are good additions to your diet as well as unsweetened cranberry juice, as it creates an acidic environment that makes it difficult for candida to thrive.

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Fermented vegetables contain microflora that helps to protect the intestines. Regular consumption can help improve the immune system, making the body less hospitable for candida. Begin with a half cup per day of sauerkraut, kimchi or other fermented vegetables as part of a new eating plan dedicated to bringing your body back into a healthy balance.

The candida diet helps to provide beneficial bacteria, regulate appetite, and reduce your cravings for refined carbohydrates and sugars.

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Treatment 3: Supplements, Essential Oils & Coconut Oil

Research shows that candida albicans, the strain of candida that leads to systemic candida overgrowth is often resistant to both fluconazole and itraconazole, the drugs most often prescribed for candida.

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1. Coconut oil can effectively fight candida due to its antimicrobial properties. The combination of lauric acid and caprylic acid found in coconut oil, kills off harmful candida through both ingestion and topical application.

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2. Milk thistle supplements help to cleanse your liver from prescription medications (steroids, birth control, antibiotics, as well as others), environmental pollution, heavy metals, and the remnants from both chemotherapy and radiation.

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As mentioned above, some prescription medications, and cancer treatments can lead to candida overgrowth. Milk thistle, along with the candida diet, can help your body recover and create an environment where candida ceases to thrive.

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3. Vitamin C helps to boost adrenal glands, and helps to restore your immune system. I recommend 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice per day.

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4. Clove oil, oregano oil and myrrh oil help to kill a variety of parasites and fungi, including candida, in the body. Lavender oil also inhibits the growth of candida and is effective at preventing the spread of the infection.

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For example, by adding a couple of drops of clove oil or lavender oil, mixed with coconut oil during your cleanse, you can help to kill off the offending candida. Because these essential oils are powerful, they should only be taken internally for 10 days or less.

Also, for oral thrush, use three drops of clove oil with one tablespoon of coconut oil and swish in the mouth for 20 minutes.

 

 

Candida Die-Off Symptoms You May Experience

Rapidly killing off candida in your body creates a metabolic reaction that releases over 70 different toxins into your body. Symptoms that show the candida cleanse and the candida diet are working include:

• Impaired brain function

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Dizziness

• Intestinal distress including bloating, gas, constipation and nausea

• Sweating and fever

• Sinus infection

• Skin breakouts (not limited to face)

• Typical flu-like symptoms

 

When you start experiencing the candida die-off symptoms, rejoice! These symptoms usually clear up in seven to 10 days. The candida is leaving your body, and within just a few weeks, you will notice an increase in energy and focus, as well as relief from other symptoms you have experienced.

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After your symptoms have subsided and you have completed the cleanse and the diet, you should continue eating a diet that is high in protein and high-fibre vegetables, and limit grains, fruits, sugar and high-starch vegetables like white potatoes. Continue to consume fermented vegetables and kefir to help your body stay in balance and keep the candida at bay.

 

 

 

 

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  *By Dr Axe