Re-balancing candida on a vegetarian diet. I'm really desperate. Please help!

[justgonnadoulait]

My 12 month old daughter has had mucousy diarrhea for about six months now.  I've tried every elimination diet I can think of, including the top 20 allergens and salicylates.  Nothing worked.  A couple of weeks ago we got a painful diaper rash and after about a week I figured out it was caused by candida.  I've been doing a natural remedy of my own creation and it's working really well.  Until today.  She finally pooped after a couple days of not pooping, and it clearly hurt her bum and when I changed her, the diaper rash in general was worse and specifically there were new tiny open sores.  

The hospital put her on IV antibiotics after birth (without my consent).  I've had her on probiotics ever since.  I finally saw a doctor who agreed to do a stool sample specifically looking for candida and hopefully we'll get the results back soon.  In the meantime I'm pretty sure that is the problem.  She's still almost exclusively breastfed.  Her symptoms get worse and she is clearly uncomfortable after eating solids.  Luckily she hasn't been all that interested in food until recently, but as she is now a year old I'm eager to heal her so that she can start eating foods that her body needs.  Her feeling crappy after eating veggies would make sense if it's candida.  Also earlier today, really eager to help her poop I gave her a little prune juice, and now I'm worried I've just added a lot of fuel to the fire.  

When I look up how to do a candida cleanse I feel totally hopeless.  I've never eaten meat in my life so doing an almost all meat diet isn't an option.  And I need a variety in my diet to stay healthy while I nurse.  I'm really not ready to wean her and she's not ready to wean.  It would break our hearts.  The joy on her face when she nurses to alertness in the morning is perhaps the best part of being a mom.  

Surely there are things toxic to candida that can help re-balance without us only eating meat.  What about coloidial silver?  I need your help ladies.  After six months of this I just feel like curling up and crying.  And with her molars coming in, this diaper rash, and my inability to fall back asleep easily I haven't had a good night's sleep in a couple of weeks and I'm really fragile.  Needing help and support please.

Thank you ladies!

[tribalmax]

Hey there...we are vege also and have had yeast struggles from time to time (like most folks I am sure).  WHat natural remedy are you doing? My kids both had pretty severe food allergies and our struggles with yeast definitely originated with their exposure to foods (before I figured out what they were sensitive to). DD was allergic to garlic and DS was/is allergic to corn. So it is not just about the top 8 allergens. Food diaries and elimination diets are about the only way to figure it out.

But it could also be as simple as your probiotic being grown on a dairy medium. Most are -- even if they say dairy or milk free. Only a few probiotics are actually not grown on dairy. So if she is dairy sensitive (which is the most common sensitivity) and you are eating dairy or taking probiotics, she could be reacting. Also look into the magnesium connection with constipation/allergies and lack of sleep.

I am off to get my 2 to bed now but will be around later if you want to brainstorm more. As far as safe things that are anti-yeast, cutting out sugars and carbs of course, but also GSE is safe for nursing moms and kids. I use it in my OJ (8-10 drops/8 oz). You can also do sitz baths in sea salts/vinegar/TTO and other anti-fungals.

Oregon grape root is anti-fungal and safe for nursing and children (Herbs for kids has a OGR tincture that has doses for young kids) as well as Olive Leaf Extract. Uva Ursi is also anti-fungal but probably wouldn't be my personal first line of defense. The key to yeast is to rotate the herbs you use every 3-5 days because yeast are opportunistic little buggers and develop resistance quickly.

Good luck!! My kids were just about the world's worst sleepers -- they used to wake up every 30-45 minutes night or day screaming. :(

But they are almost 5 and 8 now and they sleep soundly. So you will and can get through this.

Hang in there!!

Rachel

[CatherineDavies]

Hi there. I am a Holistic Allergy Specialist based in the UK.

I have just read your post and I really feel for you. It could be that your daughter is allergic to your breast milk. Don't worry though I am not suggesting that you give up breast feeding! It is such as wonderful experience for both you and your daughter.

The good news is that you and your daughter's energy systems can be re-balanced in relation to whatever you are allergic to. Elimination diets can be effective but while you are breast feeding you need lots of nutrition to keep your strength up.

I have developed an Allergy Balancing System which you can do yourself but I feel that you need to act quickly so that your baby is comfortable. I am a mum myself so believe me, I know how important that is!

I would recommend contacting Sandi Radomski or find a NAET practitioner. They will be able to determine what you are both allergic to and then re-balance you both. The work I do is based on the work of Sandi Radomski (Allergy Antidotes) and Dr Devi Nambudripad (NAET). I have had many successes in clearing allergies using what they have taught me.

Sandi Radomski in particular is concerned about the trauma of birth and how it affects us right through our lives. We can now go back and heal this trauma. Her vision is that we have practitioners in hospitals to work with babies after they are born. Healing the trauma there and then!

Gosh I hope I am not complicating things too much. It is actually quite a simple proceedure and very effective.

You will get through this. You just need a bit of help. I am here for you if you need any more advice.

With love and light,

Cathy x

[MichelleWinicki]

I think part of the challenge is trying to get this issue under control without the use of the right dietary supplements. 

Even many adults can't control their candida problem strictly through diet, if you're a vegan or not.

Many use a combination of diet and dietary supplement to get the job done, and that might be what you want to consider in this case.  Some of those products are perfectly fine for a 12-month old.

If you can find that right balance now, it may be beneficial in the future in case this becomes more of a life-time condition.

[mumkimum]

We didn't have as extreme an issue as you describe, OP, but I do remember enough struggles and worries about diaper rashes like you describe with dd1 and minor yeast-ish issues while we were nursing.  

We are vegetarian and remained such - and I had a lot of luck with TTO, Coconut oil, and ACV (topically, mainly, for dd) and I also used GSE for both of us (though I found it somewhat less effective than the others).  

I'd make sure you're looking at your own eating and adding what you can (raw garlic, coconut oil, etc. - whatever seems to work best for you) to help support yourself and kiddo while nursing.  I found that made a difference when I was paying more attention myself to help us both stay balanced. 

Tribalmax has some good advice upthread - there are some good old threads here I remember finding for advice too (for combined yeast/candida/allergy/breastfeeding issues), so see if you can trudge through some old ones and you may find some additional info if you need.

[justgonnadoulait]

I'm so grateful that all of you have taken the time to respond.  Unfortunately I'm at the very, very end of my day (usually waking around 3 am and being unable to get back to sleep) so my brain isn't working so well.  

I've done a lot of reading, though not nearly as much as some of you, and I just feel a touch overwhelmed at the possibilities of what could be an issue for her.  I think I should indeed do an in depth food diary.  It never occurred to me for example to go off garlic after my initial try of going off all alliums and strong spices when she was really little.  I feel very disheartened at going on another full elimination diet because, especially as a vegetarian that leaves me with almost nothing to eat.  Every food seems like a possible culprit, and when I consider delayed reactions it seems impossible to figure out.  

All of you provided information that makes me feel hopeful.  The problem is that I just don't know which path to start on.  Quite recently, feeling desperate for flavor and calories I just started eating anything I want and her poop don't seem any worse, and she seems to sleep better, and I'm much happier.  

I'm looking forward to getting the results from her fecal candida analysis, and I hope it's illuminating.  

I'd like to know more details from all of you.  It will take me a bit to sort through all the information especially because most days my husband works really long hours and with all the things I need to accomplish it doesn't leave me much time to sort through a bunch of new info even though I think it's really important.  

Tribalmax, can you recommend one, or a couple of probiotics suitable for youngins that isn't grown on a dairy base?

Catherinedavies, can you tell me more about NAET?  Iv'e heard good and bad about it.  I'm always keen to educate myself further.  

MichelleWinicki, can you help guide me towards supplements?  I agree with what Tribalmax had to say about rotating supplements, but I don't really know where to start aside form GSE.

What I'm most frustrated about is how many healthcare people I've seen and how most of them tell me they just don't have knowledge about the specifics I need information about.  I've just about given up on every kind of doctor.  Most are a waste of the precious little money we have.

Again, I really appreciate the time y'all took to answer.

So very warmly,

Me

[RickiH]

Hi There,

I had SEVERE candida issues 3 years ago and embarked on the anti-candida diet. I am vegan.  I managed to heal and to do it on the diet I felt comfortable with. I'm still followed a modified version of the diet.  I've posted a bit about my experience, and all the recipes on my blog after March 2009 are suitable for the anti-candida diet in varying stages (the early stages closer to March 2009, obviously).  I did eat tofu, which some diets don't include.  With the help of my naturopath as well, I ate well, detoxed, changed my lifestyle and am happily maintaining today. It can be done. Not sure if this will let me add a link, but the blog is Diet, Dessert and Dogs (http://dietdessertndogs.com).  You can look at my Candida FAQ page or search the recipe index.  Good luck!

[CatherineDavies]

Dr Devi Nambudripad developed NAET by accident really. She was allergic to most foods. One night after an allergy attack to carrots she put in her accupuncture needles and fell asleep. When she woke up she realised that she still had the carrots with her on the bed. She felt much better and was able to eat carrots without any reaction. Somehow her body had re-balanced itself to the carrots.

In my work we are working with the body's energy system. If the energy of a substance is not in alignment with your energy then it will cause a disruption, which produces symptoms. This is how I see see an allergy. You can be allergic to absolutely anything even so called 'healthy' foods, supplements and people!

I therefore recommend that you clear the allergies that are causing the symptoms rather than trying to take things to fix them. This is my opinion based on what works for me, my clients and my family. Always work alongside your doctor so that they can keep an eye on symptoms, especially where children are concerned. At the very least to keep them comfortable whilst going through treatment. Although this treatment can work very quickly.

I would highly recommend phoning Sandi Radomski to see if she can help. I don't know how much she charges but I do know that she does telephone/skype appointments. Just Google her name. NAET is also really good but I suppose it is all down to the practitioner. Maybe that's why you have heard good and bad reports.

I would say go with what feels right for you based on the suggestions here and the research you have done.

I hope that helps.

With love and light,

Cathy x

[CatherineDavies]

Dr Devi Nambudripad developed NAET by accident really. She was allergic to most foods. One night after an allergy attack to carrots she put in her acupuncture needles and fell asleep. When she woke up she realised that she still had the carrots with her on the bed. She felt much better and was able to eat carrots without any reaction. Somehow her body had re-balanced itself to the carrots.

In my work we are working with the body's energy system. If the energy of a substance is not in alignment with your energy then it will cause a disruption, which produces symptoms. This is how I see see an allergy. You can be allergic to absolutely anything even so called 'healthy' foods, supplements and people!

I therefore recommend that you clear the allergies that are causing the symptoms rather than trying to take things to fix them. This is my opinion based on what works for me, my clients and my family. Always work alongside your doctor so that they can keep an eye on symptoms, especially where children are concerned. At the very least to keep them comfortable whilst going through treatment. Although this treatment can work very quickly.

I would highly recommend phoning Sandi Radomski to see if she can help. I don't know how much she charges but I do know that she does telephone/skype appointments. Just Google her name. NAET is also really good but I suppose it is all down to the practitioner. Maybe that's why you have heard good and bad reports.

I would say go with what feels right for you based on the suggestions here and the research you have done.

I hope that helps.

With love and light,

Cathy x