Yeast/Candida and Nursing - HELP!!

[zoe77]

I have a 19 month old son that I am still breastfeeding. Recently I have been trying to figure what is causing some suspected food intolerance reactions (flushed cheeks, red ring around anus, yeasty diaper rash). Over the summer he had a rash around his mouth and we were able to get rid of it by eliminating berries from his diet. Recently I suspected a salicylate sensitivity so we went on a low sals diet. I also decided to eliminate dairy since it's usually the numer one culprit. So after two weeks off dairy I gave my son some yogurt (I know, it takes closer to 6 weeks to eliminate dairy, but I wanted to see what would happen). Well he obviously had a reaction because the next evening he had a bumpy rash around his mouth and the red ring was back with a vengence along with lots of bumps (yeast) that extended out to his butt cheeks (they are usually confined to the red ring).

Some other background info is that during my pregnancy I was told I had candida overgrowth and when my son was a few months old I was on diflucan for about 6 weeks for thrush on my nipples.

So now I am suspecting candida in both my son and I and I have been researching ways to heal us both. One that I have been considering is Bee's Anti-Candida Diet. Does anyone have experience with this diet while breastfeeding? Isn't it dangerous to detox candida while breastfeeding because it's holding mercury and will release it into your system?

I am reading so much and just getting more and more confused.

Any insight is GREATLY appreciated.

THANKS!!

[zoe77]

Bump. Anybody???

[BrayJJ]

I just wanted to say my son and I are currently battling the same thing (He has brain damage though) I think the source of his unhappiness and pain is the yeast. His GI prescribed diflucan for him, but it's way too harsh. Not sure if it's the die-off, or if it gives him stomach pain.. but either way we couldn't do it. We've tried so many natural remedies and nothing gets rid of it. He literally poops out and reaks of yeast.

I'm curious to see if anyone else replies to this thread.

HUGS

[WuWei]

Where to start? Help 101

I'd focus on improving stomach acid and opening detox pathways before addressing candida.

What would you like more information about?


Pat

[zoe77]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it all out.

I guess what I really want to know is if having candida die-off is safe while breastfeeding.

I am having a hard time pin pointing what is causing my sons red ring diaper rash (had another bad flare up this weekend that involved diarrhea and a little blood). There is just SO MUCH info and a lot of it seems to be contradictory.

I've almost got my husband on board to go see a chinese medicine dr. that uses bio-set to determine allergens. I saw her many years ago, and again when I was pregnant. I feel like I need guidance.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by zoe77

I guess what I really want to know is if having candida die-off is safe while breastfeeding.

I am having a hard time pin pointing what is causing my sons red ring diaper rash (had another bad flare up this weekend that involved diarrhea and a little blood). There is just SO MUCH info and a lot of it seems to be contradictory.

I don't believe die-off is beneficial while breastfeeding. It is important to increase nutrients to digest foods effectively in order to detoxify food by-products and anti-nutrients, otherwise the toxins just overwhelm the body. Zinc, magnesium, food folate, B12...

Have you eliminated all dairy casein sources? Dairy exposure is everywhere. Here is a list of hidden diary: http://www.kellymom.com/store/handou...dden-dairy.pdf

Have you eliminated the top 4 or top 8 food allergens completely for two full weeks, all at once?

Have you added dairy-free whole food probiotics?

Do you have/had any mercury fillings in your teeth?

Have you tried Epsom salt baths?


Pat

[zoe77]

I do not currently have any mercury fillings in my teeth. I think I maybe had them in baby teeth, but not 100% sure.

I was told by the chinese medicine dr. that I had candida and mercury (most likely inherited from my mother). I found this out when I was pregnant (the candida was causing pain and that is what led me to her, at first I thought it was my gall bladder). Since I learned about it while I was pregnant I never had a chance to try and detox since I've been breastfeeding since the birth.

I'm pretty sure my son is not getting any hidden dairy. I will be more diligent with labels.

I have not eliminated any of the other top allergens yet. Is that the best course of action, to eliminate them all at once and then add them back one at a time?

My son has been getting epsom salt baths, about every other day. I am also supplementing myself with B6 and we are both taking a probiotic (Udo's Choice).

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by zoe77

I have not eliminated any of the other top allergens yet. Is that the best course of action, to eliminate them all at once and then add them back one at a time?

I don't believe there is a "best" course of action. Each person's needs and issues are different. Usually, eliminating dairy completely will provide significant improvements. And is 'easy enough' to do. I don't recommend a TED for any duration due to the nutrient deficiencies which could develop. And eliminating one culprit food, but leaving in 2, 3, 10+ others doesn't improve the situation by just rotating which culprit food is removed while leaving the other culprit foods present. A two-week top-8 common allergen removal could provide huge relief and then you can add back one food at a time and identify the culprit food more quickly.

If removing the top-8 doesn't do it, it is more complicated. The key is to be sure you are getting adequate nutrients and calories during the elimination diet. There are some testing alternatives to identify some 'best guess culprit foods' and they vary in accuracy depending upon the age of the person tested. But, the 'gold standard' is food journalling. And then a rotation diet to provide adequate nutrients and limit food intolerances.

The 'big eight' account for over 90% of the food allergies in the United States. That is IgE allergens, not food intolerances. http://allergies.about.com/od/foodal...odallergyc.htm

wheat
soy
shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
peanuts
eggs
milk
sesame
celery

Here is a most/least allergenic foods list: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp#T041805

The key to food *intolerances* has to do with nutrient deficiencies and the ability to detoxify the byproducts and anti-nutrients in food. Adequate stomach acid is the first step to digestion (well, chewing food well, rather than eating in a hurry is critical too!). Zinc helps here. Sauerkraut and cabbage help also. Zinc is in pumpkin seeds.

B12 is necessary for stomach acid and detoxification. Methyl-B12 is a sublingual source. Meat is another source. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...rient&dbid=107

Magnesium is necessary for efficient liver detoxification. Many here use Natural Calm, the magnesium citrate is absorbable and palatable. Bone broths and Nettles infusions are other sources of magnesium.

Omega 3 fatty acids is another important nutrient. Many have added 'natural vit E' sourced from soy, however. We use fermented CLO.

Here is a whole list of nutrients and which foods are most nutrient-dense sources. http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php


HTH, Pat