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[tenured_feminist]

Not my health issue but someone I know. I'm somewhat concerned because this person is several weeks into a cleanse primarily using dietary manipulation. I'm somewhat open to alternative medicine, but I can't find much reassuring information about candida as a disorder that established alternative traditions have recognized and treated effectively.

1) Does anyone out there believe that candida overload can genuinely cause problems outside of the context of really severe immunosuppression? and if so, 2) can you give me a quick credible explanation of how the diet would possibly solve the problem, given that my very basic understanding of the human digestive system is that the point is to break things down into . . . well . . . sugars? Good links appreciated.

[macaroon]

Oh no!  Is your friend seeing any real doctors?

Thing is, candida overload is rare to begin with unless there is some underlying problem.  We've all got these bugs living on us, and for the most part, our body keeps them in check.  If the infection has gone beyond a touch of thrush, a run of the mill yeast infection, or a bit of the athlete's foot, something is seriously out of whack.  Candidiasis, while annoying and can certainly be a health problem of it's own, is often a symptom of another more serious health issue. 

[sikora]

If this person is a woman with repeated yeast infections, and she is sexually active with a male partner,  it may help if her partner is treated,too, even if he is asymptomatic. He can take a dose of Diflucan.  Anyway, that's what a provider told me. 

[biomancer]

Candida are normally suppressed by acidity in the oral and vaginal mucus.  If your friend is on a diet that has altered the mucosal pH, the candida can go bonkers.  Yogurt is a really good way to help restore the balance (though many "cleanse" diets are often dairy-free - but a soy-based yogurt with live active cultures will work almost as well as a real yogurt with live active cultures).

That being said, I second Sikora's suggestion that her partner get treated too, and Macaroon's point that a massive candida overload is usually a sign that there are other, bigger problems - often of the immune system.  Many of the "cleanse" diets that I've seen are not well balanced (some of them are downright ridiculous), and should not be continued for more than a few days, because the diets often do not contain adequate amounts of required vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.  This could be weakening her immune system (and other systems), but can be rectified by going back onto a normal balanced diet.

[tenured_feminist]

Yeah, this is what concerns me. There is allegedly apparently a candida syndrome that isn't just a vaginal yeast infection gone bad but a systemic infection that causes a whole host of vaguely defined symptoms ranging from exhaustion to moderate digestive discomfort to depression and anxiety. My friend has eliminated both sugars and carbohydrates from her diet, including all fruits except (for reasons I cannot comprehend) pomegranates and cranberries. This has been going on for more than two months.

Unfortunately, "Western medical professionals cannot be trusted because they want people to stay sick so they can make money." Ordinarily, I'm very much live-and-let-live, and I do think there are some things that conventional Western medicine doesn't do well. But I'm mulling over trying to figure out how to say something if it seems that this (BTW pretty much unsupervised, "I got it off the internets!") practice is actually dangerous.

[inthelab]

T_F, disseminated cadidiasis is no joke, but as you cannot force the person to be treated, what else can you do?  Point out who depends upon the person for income/nurturing/whathaveyou?

Also, the person may have something far more serious going on, for which the DC is a symptom (I don't want to be alarmist and I certainly don't have all the facts, but some really bad things popped into my head when I read your post).

[tenured_feminist]

I have no reason to think that this person is HIV positive. And she exhibits no symptoms of candidiasis.

[inthelab]

1) Does anyone out there believe that candida overload can genuinely cause problems outside of the context of really severe immunosuppression? and if so, 2) can you give me a quick credible explanation of how the diet would possibly solve the problem, given that my very basic understanding of the human digestive system is that the point is to break things down into . . . well . . . sugars? Good links appreciated.

1) Unless you are immunosuppressed, as Biomancer pointed out, Candida is kept in check (in all the mucosa, not just the vaginal mucosa, but mouth, nose, etc.).
2) Diet AFAIK would not do much other than to replace needed bacteria in the alimentary canal if one took antibiotics (and it seems that's not the case here).  IOW, diet will not cure candidiasis.  Once the yeast infection is there, eating yogurt will not cure the vaginal yeast infection.

3) Why are you certain it's Candida as opposed to another entity altogether?

[inthelab]

I have no reason to think that this person is HIV positive. And she exhibits no symptoms of candidiasis.

Not a diagnosis; and other conditions can lead to DC.  So why do you think the symptoms are due to Candida?

[tenured_feminist]

I'm skeptical. But I am asking because I'm willing to believe that my rationalist bent is leading me to be unreasonably skeptical of something I know little about.

Why candida? The symptoms that led her to self diagnose, as I understand it, were headaches, intestinal discomfort, and exhaustion. This link isn't precisely what she's been doing, but I think it gives you a sense of what is going on with people who believe that this syndrome exists outside of the context of severe immunosuppression caused by other conditions.

I don't think it's at all a bad thing to eliminate processed foods from one's diet and cut down on sugars, caffeine, and alcohol. But I'm worried that the diet is at this not (or at least no longer is) completely benign for my friend, who has lost a LOT of weight.

[inthelab]

Well from the new info provided, it really could be anything, including a combo of calorie reduction plus some unspecified bug going around. 

[macaroon]

Wow - I checked the link.  I'm sure biomancer will chime with agreement, here, but those folks know absolutely NOTHING about gut flora.  It's complete and total baloney.  

I looked at the diet, though - and it doesn't look too bad.  Is she feeling better, even though she's losing weight?  

Best wishes to your friend.  I know how hard it can be to get people to see the real doctor.

[biomancer]

Wow - I checked the link.  I'm sure biomancer will chime with agreement, here, but those folks know absolutely NOTHING about gut flora.  It's complete and total baloney.  

I looked at the diet, though - and it doesn't look too bad.  Is she feeling better, even though she's losing weight?  

Best wishes to your friend.  I know how hard it can be to get people to see the real doctor.

Oh, bloody hell.  Yes, these folks haven't the foggiest clue what they're talking about.  I agree with Macaroon - the diet itself is not too bad (though cutting carbs completely is a very bad idea for a lot of other reasons), but their science is sorely lacking.  The symptoms they list are vague enough that they could be anything, and to presume that they're due to a gastrointestinal candidiasis makes no sense at all.  This looks to me like a website looking to profit from gullible hypochodriacs.  TF, I hope your friend isn't a member of that genus, and I hope that she will see reason (and a medical professional with some form of recognizable accreditation) soon.

[tenured_feminist]

<headdesk>

[inthelab]

<headdesk>

Did something new happen?