Beating colds the neti way!

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I am almost paranoid about avoiding bugs.   My main worry is because I work for an awful boss who makes life very difficult for anyone who dares to have a day off ill.  Its hard to believe in this day and age but he gets away with it.   I wrote a post in November to share my ideas and tips for staying healthy during the winter.  Well this winter in the UK seems to have been the worst for stomach bugs as many friends and family have suffered.  So far (fingers crossed) I am the only one to remain bug-fee but I am not about to become complacent!  I work with the general public who often come in with colds and flu telling me how terrible they feel.  By the way I am not in the health industry so they don’t have to see me until they are better!  I want to say ’stay at home and keep your germs to yourself you selfish person!’ but I can’t.   Anyway enough ranting! 

I was really interested in a tip from fellow candida blogger Terry who recommend Neti pots. 

I’d never heard of them but I was intrigued when I did some homework on them.   It’s an ancient method used in yoga of cleaning out the nasal passages with saline solutions to improve your health and fight off infections.  I suffer from blocked sinuses frequently.   A neti pot is only £3 from Amazon so its really cheap.  I’m going to get one and give it a go!  Has any one else tried this method?  By the way you can visit Terry’s blog at http://copingwithacidrefluxandulcers.blogspot.com/

What works best?

My thanks to Teri Dourmashkin who left a comment asking me about the remedies which have helped me the most to beat candida.  This got me thinking as I’ve tried so many!  I have managed to stay ‘candida free’ for quite a while now (I get tested regularly by a naturopath) so I must be doing something right (I hope!)  so here is the list of everything I have tried and my personal comments on each one.  Please, please bear in mind that a product which didnt work for me might work for you as we are all made differently and live in different circumstances.  My main problem has been an imbalance in my gut due to food poisoning and tremendous work stress (which has now lifted).

In no particular order:-

Samento – my current favourite which is believed to kill viruses, candida, bacteria and boosts the immune system.  I take it every day.  Bear in mind that you need to start on 1 drop a day and build up by 1 drop per day until you get to 15 drops per day.  Since I have been taking it the candida has gone but my stress dropped around the same time so its difficult to know what did the trick.

Colloidol silver – a controversial one as you need to make sure you do your homework about your supplier.  I take 10ppm and it helps to kill the candida, viruses and bacteria.  I only use it in emergencies as I am not sure if the body stores the silver but 10ppm is very weak anyway.   But I used it a lot when the candida was really bad.  Its also great to apply if you get thrush.  I dont bother with canestan or other drugs now – I use silver instead.  I love this stuff!

Pau D’arco – I like this herb which is also believed to boost your immune system.  I have taken this on-off for years.  It helped me that’s for sure.

Capryllic acid – my own research shows that capryllic acid is one of the best anti-fungal remedies available.  Definitely worth a try.  I have taken it in the past and it did the trick but the candida came back probably due to my stress.

Tea tree (in the bath) – a few drops of tea tree mixed with a base oil and added to the bath seems to help especially with the thrush.  I add a few drops of lavender to improve the smell and aid a good night’s sleep.  I still do this occasionally.   I’ve also used tea tree solution to treat thrush.

Threelac – this didnt help me and I’ve heard of people who have to keep taking it forever to keep the candida at bay.  But I have read reviews from people who swear by it so the jury is out on this one.

Probiotics – I take a good probiotic every day which I hope helps but it isnt enough to kill off the candida for me.

Colosan capsules – to aid cleansing of bowls.  This didnt work for me but Milk of Magnesia did the trick!   Perhaps I didnt take enough of the colosan but with my busy lifestyle I was nervous when I read reports of some people spending all day near a toilet. 

SF722 – I used this years ago to get rid of the candida and did a great job but thanks to the incredible stress of my life the candida returned.

Yeast raiders – These are a combination of different herbs sold in Holland & Barrett.  My main problem was that the capsules were too big.  I recall almost choking on one as it burst as I swallowed it.  Frightening.  But ages later I was told I could have open the capules and stirred the contents into a drink and taken it that way. Doh! 

When my candida was really bad I felt that a combination of different remedies used in alternation was the best.  So I’d use one for one week and then swap to something else.  Also when the candida was at its worst I suffered from leaky gut syndrome so I took aloe vera and L glutamine to heal the gut lining and I took FOS along with my probiotic to try to rebalance the gut flora.  Its been years since I took these remedies so there may be better ones on the market now.

My biggest problem has been enormous stress and I have found reiki, meditation and Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life book invaluable but at the end of the day I really need to get rid of the source of the stress and I still havent managed to achieve that (yet).

Finally I wouldnt have got this far without the invaluable help of a naturopath.   Candida creates temporary food intolerances and he tested me to enable me to cut out these food types.   I met so many people with candida who try to guess what foods to cut out and they seem to live on very restricted diets without any real idea of what is upsetting their system.  It is worrying as any restricted diet puts your body under stress as the ideal is a varied diet.  So cutting out food types unneccessarily at a time when your body is already dealing with candida isnt a good idea in my book.   Of course all candida sufferers need to limit their intake of sugar, alcohol and fermented products.  If you cant find a naturopath then as a last resort you could try dowsing. 

I hope this summary is a help.  If I think of anything else I’ll add it.  If anyone has any questions I’d be more than happy to answer them.

love and light

Katie x

Update Jan 2010

I have just re-read my list and remembered something that has helped me loads not just with candida but other health issues too.  Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).  I strongly recommend it.  You may feel odd tapping but it has worked for me.  No need to pay someone, just learn teach yourself!  Download the Manual and learn the Basic Recipe  http://www.emofree.com/   Happy tapping! 

Katie x

Avoiding colds and flu

Well the winter weather seems to be on its way here in the UK as its definitely become a lot chillier.  I am still being very careful about my diet and I am trying to avoid sugar as I know it feeds candida but I also heard that it lowers the immune system and can promote ageing! Yikes!  Although my candida appears to be low (for now!) I am always a bit paranoid each winter about avoiding bugs.  This is partly because being run down helps the candida to thrive and also because my boss and work colleagues are very unsympathetic to anyone who is ill.  Heaven help anyone who has a day off ill as their reputation is blackened.  The implication is they are unprofessional and unreliable.  Can you believe it?!   I live in hope of my boss and his evil favourites getting some lurgy!! (nothing serious you understand just a bad cold or flu would be great!)  Interestingly my boss had a heart problem and was rushed to hospital but made sure that his evil team kept it a secret from everyone.  How weird.  Anyway last winter I asked everyone for their tips on avoiding winter bugs and here were the best ones:

• drink lots of fluid and keep warm, especially your nose! (thanks Djinn!)
• wash your hands regularly (long enough to sing happy birthday to yourself so they are really clean!)
• take a probiotic
• essential oils eg lavender, tea tree can be used in air purifiers or in the bath (just a few drops)
• I love 100% natural tea tree candles
• get lots of sleep
• eat garlic
• exercise regularly
• keep a positive attitude

Personally I find the last one the hardest.  The more I worry about things like being ill, the more likely I am to get ill.  I am relying on positive affirmations and personal goals to focus my mind elsewhere.  I am a big fan of EFT (tapping) and so I was very interested to watch this video from Carol Tuttle who explains how to use tapping to avoid colds and boost your immune system.   I’ve no idea how it works but its got to be worth a try!

wishing you all good health,

love & light, Katie x

I’m back!

Hello and a big sorry for not being back here for ages.   The reason is simply that I’ve been feeling miles better and for the first time in years I feel like I am finally getting my life back together.  My job has been such a source of stress and worry that its prevented me from living a full life.  Isnt that awful?  The stress made me ill and worn out and I never had the energy or enthusiasm for life really.  I can only really see it now things have improved.  Basically my work has become a lot easier and my bully boss is no longer allowed to bully anyone.  The bitchy women at work have had to start being nice and seem to have conveniently forgotten their past behaviour which is galling but at least it makes the atmosphere bearable.   The result is that I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  Not surprisingly my health has improved drastically.  I have run out of liquorice tablets which I used to support the adrenal glands and to prevent waking up at 4am panicking about something or other.  And I have been sleeping fine without them!  Now I must be honest and explain that I am not 100% yet.  I still have a few health niggles but after such long term stress (since Nov 2004) I cant expect miracles overnight. 

But I am trying to make up for the ‘lost’ years and I am certainly a lot happier.   I know there will be people reading this who have candida and can’t avoid the stress or worry in their lives.  All I can say is that if you can avoid the stress then please do it as the one thing which makes me mad is thinking back to the so-called friends who all told me that it was my reaction to the stress which was making me ill and I needed to ‘change my attitude’ else the problem would follow me.  What a load of rubbish!   My motto is ‘if its making you ill then try to avoid it’.   By the way the two people who made me feel the worst as they repeatedly told me that I was making myself ill (so by implication its all my own fault) have both recently come under a lot of stress themselves.  They dont know each other and coincidentally both of them suffered major stress through their own mistakes which is interesting in itself.  Karma?  Anyway the pair of them have had big health problems as a result of the worry.  Their problems are in no way as serious as mine so its interesting that they are both struggling to cope.   How would they have coped if they were me?! I haven’t repeated their own advice by the way as I think it’s appalling advice to someone who has serious problems.  No sane person can ignore serious worries and problems.  I had people who had deliberately set out to ruin me and tried everything in their power over many years to do so.  And they nearly succeeded although I dont think they realise that.   I believe in karma and I’ve told them so.   At least one of them had the grace to look sheepish and agree.  So I will just get on with my life.   I think the best revenge is to be successful and happy.

Sorry if this sounds a like a rant!  I meant to be positive   It’s just that it’s dawned on me how time I have lost and how much my health has suffered because of these people.

love and light, Katie x

The link between frustration and candida?

Hi everyone!

Just an update.  On Friday my candida symptoms suddenly reappeared.   I noticed too that my mind started to get over active.  Since Friday I havent slept well with lots of tossing and turning while my mind worries constantly.  Bizarrely worries that I havent even thought about in ages suddenly seemed over whelming.  I am sure that the candida somehow makes me more anxious.  I know the mind affects the body but I also think it works the other way around too.  

Anyway what prompted this sudden step back?  Sheer frustration and feel trapped.   I am very interested in Louise Hay’s view (in her book You Can Heal Your Life) that our own particular thought patterns lead to specific ailments and illnesses.   She suggested that it accounts for about 80% of illnesses and it certainly makes sense with me.   In the past during times of stress say exams I would get coldsores or headaches.  Now I just get candida.  But my stress now is rooted in frustration with my work situation primarily.   That frustration reared its head on Friday and the old feelings of doom resurfaced.  (Basically a few events made me wonder if my bullying boss will ever leave or will I ever manage to get another job / set up a successful company).  In the past I have used EFT to treat the candida and I am going to try it again.  If anyone is interested here is a case study of someone with thrush (yeast infection) who used EFT to treat it.  She also mentions the underlying emotions which she feels led to the candida.   http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/candida-relief-karen.htm

love and light

Katie x

The benefits of getting even!

Feeling happy!

Hi as you may know I believe that stress plays an enormous part in my candida problems.  I recently returned from holiday with the candida virtually gone and no symptoms at all.  I’ve felt great!  I expected to resume my stressful, frustrating job and for the candida to return.  But developments at work have been very interesting!  Basically my boss is a bully and he has caused many of us (me included) years of stress and worry.  We’ve tried to speak up to the bosses above him but to no avail.  Even when the Finance dept notified them of his fraud, they just told him off and life carried on.  Anyway the staff all got together and went to the bosses as one voice.  What a difference!  To be honest there was one person who was encouraging them and that person was very brave and had nothing left to lose.  Her bravery inspired us!  And now our boss is worried and stressed!!!!!  I cant believe it!  I believe in karma and to see it actually happening before our eyes is absolutely marvellous!  We are all feeling so much better, elated in fact.   I know he may not lose his job despite the catalogue of bullying, errors and sheer imcompetence which was presented to the bosses.  But its sooo nice to see him stressed for the first time ever.   And physically I feel great!  No more relying on natural laxatives, no more stomach pains at night and no more candida problems.  I never dreamt that I would feel so much better.   It just goes to show how much stress I was holding onto inside, if you know what I mean.

I’ll keep you informed about developments but I dont have high hopes that he is booted out.

Katie x

Hello

Hi everyone

I hope the wet British summer isnt getting you all down.  I managed to get away to the sun for a few weeks and its done me the power of good.  As you know my job is stressful and I was starting to worry for my mental wellbeing.  However after a few days I started to feel a bit better.   I managed to stick to the diet 90% of the time and I took my lactase enzymes so I could enjoy some milk and a few mouthfuls of ice cream.  Interestingly on my return my acupuncturist could tell I had eaten some of the wrong foods (gluten was the main one) as my body was out of balance.  However I had a check up with my naturopath who felt that the candida levels were very low indeed.  But I am l taking Pau D’arco to be on the safe side.  I believe strongly that stress is an underlying factor for me so I wont be too disappointed if the candida makes a return in the coming weeks.   I am working hard to launch my own business as I face redundancy.  As I live on my own and a mortgage this is quite a worry but I have always dreamt of being self employed so I am treating this as a golden opportunity. I am quite excited!   I am using EFT (emotional freedom technique) and I was interested to read on the EFT site that a candida sufferer treated the candida through using EFT to tap for frustration.  That is one of the overwhelming emotions that I have experienced in recent years and the more frustrated I have become, the more the candida has taken a hold.   I am always interested in the link between the mind and the body.  For example why one stressed person will get a migraine and another gets candida.  I recommend Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life book as Louise addresses this issue.   I’d be interested to hear other people’s opinions.

love Katie x

Update

Hi everyone!  It must seem like I am obsessed with my digestive system at the moment!  I wanted to give you an update 1 week after my colonic hydrotherapy treatment.  I have been taking the milk of magnesia each evening which seems to be helping to keep me ‘regular’.  I saw my naturopath who seemed surprised that the colonic had been painful so my experience is obviously not typical.  I am due to return for two more treatments.  To make those treatments easier I am determined to try to ease my ‘impacted’ colon.  I suspect other candida sufferers may have sluggish digestive systems so I hope my experiences are helpful.  Now I understand that the candida thrives in a sluggish bowel, regardless of what I eat (or rather dont eat) or what I take (capryllic acid) then I am focussed on making sure my bowel is working well.   I tried the Colosan tablets again last night (4 capsules) and this morning the capsules worked!  Colosan has extra ingredients to boost oxygen levels in the gut so my naturopath was keen for me to give Colosan another try.  I suspect that my bowel was so impacted last time that nothing would shift it (I took 6 over 12 hrs last time).   I hope this is not TMI (too much info!) as I really want to help other candida sufferers.  All I say is that your bowel is sluggish please try different things to get things moving otherwise the candida may go crazy.

Love and light

Katie xxx

Colonic feedback

Hi everyone.  Well I finally plucked up the courage to try colonic irrigation (also called colonic hydrotherapy).  My candida seems to have gone mad and my usual methods of controlling have not worked.  My digestive system has become really sluggish and I have almost constant bloating and a dull ache from stomach cramps.  It hasnt been this bad in years.  So I found a therapist who was a member of the Guild and was known to me through personal contacts.   Now I did plenty of homework but I wish I had read this page of reviews before I went so that I was prepared http://www.irritable-bowel-syndrome.ws/colonics.htm   If you are thinking of having it done I strongly recommend you read this link to get a broader idea of what it could be like as my experience may not be typical.

Well I’m not going to lie and say its was fine.  It was a bit embarrassing – I am glad I chose a female therapist!  I found the whole experience quite uncomfortable and at times painful.  She did warn me that if you have gas in your system it can get uncomfortable.  At times my cramps were almost unbearable and I felt light headed (I have low blood pressure).  But the therapist said that quite a lot of candida came out.  She said I had it really bad.  Some normal waste also came out but she said that my bowel was impacted and has given me tips to encourage my bowel movements.  These include drinking lots of water with fresh lemon first thing in the morning and (short term) taking milk of magnesia before bed.  After the treatment finished I had to sit on the toilet while the rest of the water and waste came out.   Lots of waste came out which was great but by then I felt shivery and weird.  Luckily I had a friend on standby to drive me home.   When I got home my stomach seemed a lot flatter and I had lost 1 or 2lbs.  But last night the cramps were still there and I had to take a painkiller to sleep which has been the case for several weeks now. I have an appointment with my naturopath this week so I’ll find out more then as I wonder if I have something else going on.

So in summary what did I think?  Well during the treatment there were times when I felt close to tears and I was promising myself I would never put myself through it again.  But these moments passed as the cramps eased when she massaged my abdomen.  I can tell it helped but I havent felt sufficient benefits yet.  I am going again in a fortnight as she estimates I need 2 more treatments.   I hope it is easier to bear next time.   It is expensive though – £70 a session!  I am in the wrong profession!  Only joking – there’s no way I would want to do that for a living!  Has anyone else found colonics beneficial for candida?

Katie x

Colospan Update

Hi its been a while since my last post as I have been far too busy with work.  It seems to rule my life   Anyway I finally plucked up the courage to buy some colospan and give it a go.  I gave it a lot of thought and read up a lot.  I realised that I needed to take it on a weekend as I cant spend all day on the loo in work!  I tried the capsules and the recommendation was 1 per 25lbs of body weight.  I am 125 pounds so thats 5 capsules.  I read a review about a lady who took 6 and went to the toilet a lot.  So I thought I’d start with 3 on the Friday evening and see how I got on.  The next morning I took another 3.  And absolutely nothing happened.  I was tempted to take another 3 that evening but I had a function that night and family visiting on Sunday.  I was very disappointed.  Basically Colospan works if you have the time (and privacy!) to keep taking it until it works and then you can be near a toilet until I presume it stops working.  All in all it was too unpredicatable for my busy life.  Another expensive mistake on the path to clearing the candida….  Anyway I am now seriously considering a colonic irrigation treatment.  My candida is definitely back with a vengence and I am so sick of living on this stupid diet.   My digestive tract is very slow and I dont ‘go’ as often as I should.  Has anyone else tried this?   I’m still doing my homework on it but I am 80% certain its a good idea!