Healing The Gut Tribe! - Page 3

[BookGoddess]

I'd like to know if Candex has eggs because DD is sensitive to eggs. But from the online research I've done, it looks like Candex is composed of purely vegetarian ingredients. http://www.smartbomb.com/pe00902.html
If someone knows otherwise, please tell us.

[changingseasons]

Maybe I will email all the companies. I think the Candex made me nervous because it said "free of" a bunch of stuff, but not corn... and the Candidase said free of corn but then said something else that made me nervous... and the then third one said egg.

ETA:
Ok- got one response back from Enzymedica (for Candidase):
"Are ('are' not 'our' ) products are Vegan and are free of soy, egg, wheat/gluten, corn, or legumes"

So maybe I will go back and get that one.

[spunky]

healing and nursing

I have skimmed through the cheat sheet and this thread. I, nor my children, have any severe or diagnosed problems. I know I need to go through some gut healing measures but I am nursing a 4.5 yo and 2 yo. How slowly should I go through a yeast kill off and is one method recommended over another?
My 4.5 yo son has a few behavior issues and sometimes can't breath well that I think could be helped by a better diet. I don't think he has allergies and haven't done an elimination diet. I figured probiotics for him - anything else?
Thank you

[WildCanaryCait]

Book Goddess, thanks for the reminder about the smtwtfs...lol. I buy Blue Ice HVCLO from Green Pastures, get my butter oil from them also.

Charlie went to the dermatologist yesterday...she told him it's psoraisis. He also has a tiny bit of fungal stuff. He doesn't remember 'which' type of psoriasis she said. Her first suggestion was three different prescriptions for cortizone/steroid/urea softener stuff. Lovely. She suggested we could use it on Aidan's feet for three days, no more....NO thank you. I didn't know psoriasis was so ....heriditary?
So...I am back to how to best help Aidan through our diet changes and supplements. reading reading reading........anyone have experience with this? I am concerned about overdoing all these supplements.

[changingseasons]

Just got a response about Candex (also got a response about Candidase, which I added to my earlier post). My original question was "Can you tell me if any of your ingredients contain, or are derived from: dairy/beef, soy, egg, wheat/gluten, corn, or legumes?"

The answer I got was "None of those ingredients are present in the Candex." I really hate vague answers like that, because many people think that they can say they product doesn't contain a food because it's been processed and the proteins have been removed... but DD reacts even if it's a derivative and labeled 'hypoallergenic'. So maybe I will call them.

[xekomaya]

You got the customer service answer. I would call, and when you get an answer, ask that they mail/fax you a letter stating such on their letter head. They discuss this on the pecanbread list all the time so I assume most companies will be willing if they really don't contain your allergens.

I would also take the list of ingredients and see if they will look up what each one is grown on/derived from for you one by one.

[changingseasons]

I tried calling and just got voicemail, so I responded back to the email and asked again about derivatives. Then said on second thought, could they just tell me what the ingredients are derived from since I have such a long list of allergens? That way, I can just check each one myself.

We'll see what they say...

[changingseasons]

Oh- and I just wanted to post about something that we were talking about a while back... HONEY.

I stopped eating my raw honey because I had a feeling that it might be adding to a possible yeast problem for a couple reasons: 1) I craved it BAD, which usually means that your body is trying to avoid withdrawal, and 2) I kept having mystery rashes pop up. So I stopped the honey, didn't see any immediate improvement. The rashes slowly faded, but I didn't attribute it to the lack of honey because they took so long to go away (and I was expecting immediately changes). Well, I caved and bought a new jar of honey on Sunday, and what do you know? The rashes (which were almost completely gone) are back FULL FORCE the next day. So I definitely have to cut out the honey for now. And I'm pretty positive that it's yeast now... the rashes are behind my knees, the inside of my thighs, and my belly button (of all places!). So hopefully these people will get back to me soon about the Candex ingredients and I can start killing off some yeast.

Thought it was interesting though, since honey is always on debate for whether it helps/hurts yeast.

[theboodges]

Hello! I would like to join in this thread too! I have been learning about healing the gut for a few years now. DS has had extreme medical issues and met the criteria for autism at one point. After lots of research and trial and error, we know now that as his digestive flora get out of balance, the autism type symptoms increase, and his ability to fight off normal colds/flu really decreases.

We have used some of the same strategies and some different ones than I have seen here so far though. Definitely done a lot with probiotics, modifying diets, trying gfcf, etc. We also had luck with ParaGone for cleansing yeast, and whole leaf aloe juice for rebuilding the mucus lining in the inestines. We have tried a few different enzyme products, and after trying different combinations of treatments they do appear to be a very important factor. We also do cal/mag/vit D, fish oil and a multivitamin. I think the most amazing part of the whole cleansing and rebalancing was how strong and balanced his immune system was! He went from the kid that caught everything and had breathing problems to not catching anything! DD, all the daycare kids and I all had a rough case of the flu last winter, and all DS had was a slight runny nose for a few days! So absolutely amazing!

Now DD is having some issues. She has a dairy and soy intolerance, and generally has really loose stools. Her immune system seems pretty solid though, no signs of environmental allergies, and she usually does better in not catching or quickly getting over colds than her peers. So I am back to researching again, to decide whether to try the same route or something different with her.

And as for the honey changingseasons, have you considerred that your reaction may be from the pollen in it? I recently met someone that has gotten rid of his seasonal allergies in less than 2 years by drinking tea with honey every day. He used to need prescription meds to function, and then was still uncomfortable. Apparantly the pollen is present in small amounts in the honey, and when taken regularly it acts like an allergy shot, gradually building up your tolerance. My gut feeling from honey is that it also feeds yeast, although I feel better about sweetening foods with it than some other options. Just thought I would share in case you might have more than one reaction going on!

Looking forward to learning from all of you!

Have a good afternoon!

Christy

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Maybe I will email all the companies. I think the Candex made me nervous because it said "free of" a bunch of stuff, but not corn... and the Candidase said free of corn but then said something else that made me nervous... and the then third one said egg.

ETA:
Ok- got one response back from Enzymedica (for Candidase):
"Are ('are' not 'our' ) products are Vegan and are free of soy, egg, wheat/gluten, corn, or legumes"

So maybe I will go back and get that one.

Yes all Enzymedica enzymes are fungal based (and no fruit sources such as papaya and pineapple which some are sensitive too) and have no fillers. Candex doesn't have proteases and Candidase does. Which means that the first is "gentler" if people are sensitive to proteases. I was when I first tried them, they made me hyper, but I got used to them and worked my way up. Proteases not only kill off bad bacteria but also the celllular debris from killed off yeast, and thus reduces die off.

[changingseasons]

That is great to know - thanks Jane!

[changingseasons]

Well, even with the vague responses, I went and bought some Candex tonight at Fred Meyer (I was kind of leaning toward the Candidase after Jane's explanation, but Fred Meyer didn't have it and I don't have time to go to the HFS this week.) So I guess we'll see how that goes! Keep fingers crossed that DD doesn't react to it.

Ugh- then I have to wait to start the EPO I just bought to make sure she doesn't react to that too. I'm on day 2 of my coconut oil trial, and she's already reacting ... so I really hope these go over ok.

[momofmine]

I just wanted to say, there is so much helpful info being shared here, and thank you! I am not dropping out of the thread, but will be gone for about a week and a half. But I'll be back!
Thank you!!

[BookGoddess]

I bit the bullet and bought some Candex from a local hfs. I gave it to DD with a bit of rice milk. I only gave 1/2 capsule. She got very irritable after about an hour and started crying for no reason and wouldn't stop. It was so unlike her. We thought it was a die-off reaction. I gave her one activated charcoal capsule and in about 6 minutes, she was fine and in a great mood. I thought all the other antifungal products we were using was doing something but I guess she still has enough yeast to cause a die-off reaction.

[changingseasons]

I thought that the whole point of Candex was that it's not supposed to cause a die-off reaction. Interesting. I just started taking it this morning, so I guess we'll see what kind of reaction I get!

Also, how old is your DD? Tell me about the activated charcoal- have you used that for quelling reactions and had good luck? I have been wondering if that was safe to give to babies.

[changingseasons]

OMG- It's been about an hour and a half since I took the Candex, and I am DEFINITELY feeling a reaction.

My mouth is very dry, I feel bloated- gassy & burping, a little nauseous... just a little off. No, make that a lot off. Definitely not a good feeling. Oh- and as I'm typing this, a headache has just appeared.

Is this a die-off reaction?!? And if so- should I just struggle through it, stop the Candex, or start with less (I took the suggested 2 caps)? Also, if I'm getting this much of a die-off with my first dose, does that mean that I'm just seriously overloaded with yeast?!?

I'm always nervous about reactions.... what if this is an allergic reaction instead? How would I know the difference?

I am really not feeling good....

[joybird]

Sounds like die-off to me. It very very unlikely to be an actual allergy. I would take this as a good indication that you have lots of yeast to deal with and continue with the Candex.

I got die-off from Candidase even though it has high proteases in it. I have no idea why the Candex people say their product doesn't produce die-off symptoms. I mean, why wouldn't it? The yeast are being killed off and there are no proteases in the formula to lessen the reaction.

Don't worry! If you are too uncomfortable you could lessen the dose but at this point you might as well go whole hog at it and see what happens. Do you have any high-protease enzymes you could take? That is supposed to help. The charcoal that someone mentioned might help too. And lots of Vit C.

I've tried lots of yeast things (Oil of Oregano, GSE, enzymes) and the only ones that have given me serious die-off are enzymes. First when I started digestive enzymes with meals and then when I took the Candidase.

[BookGoddess]

ChangingSeasons- The activated charcoal capsule I gave my preschool aged DD is fine to take. It's what hospitals give if you go with an overdose of medications. Charcoal can absorb more than its weight in toxins. When I suspect a die-off reaction, I give the activated charcoal mixed in some liquid. The pill is black so when it's mixed with something it looks very black therefore perhaps gross to some kids. I use a cup with a lid on it so DD won't object to the color. Activated charcoal isn't something you'd give everyday with supplements or medicines. It will absorb all those because it's not selective about absorbing just toxins so you give it only if the situation calls for it. HTH!

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by joybird

Sounds like die-off to me. It very very unlikely to be an actual allergy. I would take this as a good indication that you have lots of yeast to deal with and continue with the Candex.

I got die-off from Candidase even though it has high proteases in it. I have no idea why the Candex people say their product doesn't produce die-off symptoms. I mean, why wouldn't it? The yeast are being killed off and there are no proteases in the formula to lessen the reaction.

Don't worry! If you are too uncomfortable you could lessen the dose but at this point you might as well go whole hog at it and see what happens. Do you have any high-protease enzymes you could take? That is supposed to help. The charcoal that someone mentioned might help too. And lots of Vit C.

I've tried lots of yeast things (Oil of Oregano, GSE, enzymes) and the only ones that have given me serious die-off are enzymes. First when I started digestive enzymes with meals and then when I took the Candidase.

Interesting. So my other problem is that I'm breastfeeding DD, who is still almost primarily EBF- so having serious die-off will just flood her with those toxins, won't it?

Ugh. This is so frustrating... trying to heal her and me at the same time...

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

ChangingSeasons- The activated charcoal capsule I gave my preschool aged DD is fine to take. It's what hospitals give if you go with an overdose of medications. Charcoal can absorb more than its weight in toxins. When I suspect a die-off reaction, I give the activated charcoal mixed in some liquid. The pill is black so when it's mixed with something it looks very black therefore perhaps gross to some kids. I use a cup with a lid on it so DD won't object to the color. Activated charcoal isn't something you'd give everyday with supplements or medicines. It will absorb all those because it's not selective about absorbing just toxins so you give it only if the situation calls for it. HTH!

Good to know- thanks. Maybe I will go get some today.

[joybird]

Yeah, it's a catch 22. But what else is there to do? If you have yeast overgrowth, they are secreting these toxins all the time anyway, which is perhaps part of the reason for your dd's eczema. I think taking a strong protease with the Candex will help clear out some of the toxins before they get to your milk. Also the charcoal, since it is not absorbed into the bloodstream. I know, it sucks thinking you are giving her even more to deal with. But you'll probably be nursing for quite a while to come so you might as well deal with it now. I might not say that if we were talking about a newborn but by her age her liver and kidneys are capable of dealing with more. You could also start taking some milk thistle for liver support. The benefits will be passed on to your nursling.