Please comment on Susun Weed letter titled "Candida is a helper. It is keeping you healthy!" - Page 8

[stilllearning85]

Whoo! Just got through this thread. Very interesting stuff! WOW..
Anyway, can anyone reccomend any books on this subject. I would love to learn more! Thanks!

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by alwaystazfan

I need to get some more cabbage and make this recipe to use so I do not over due on salt:

Caution with potential electrolyte balance. Sodium and potassium are both positive ions and you can loose a lot of potassium with diarrhea, leading to cardiac irregularities, and ph imbalances with altered osmolarity of the gut. I'd go easy! Find some professional guidance for dosing, recipe, frequency.


Pat

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by pookel

Calcium makes brittle bones, but you're supposed to drink nettle infusion because it's full of calcium? That doesn't even make sense! It's one thing to say that getting nutrients from food is better than getting them from pills - but saying pills are worse than nothing is just plain false.

The manner in which it is stated is unclear. However, calcium supplementation alone, without magnesium in balance, leads to brittle bones.

Magnesium is needed for calcium absorption. Without enough magnesium, calcium can collect in the soft tissues and cause one type of arthritis. Not only does calcium collect in the soft tissues of arthritics, it is poorly, if at all, absorbed into their blood and bones. But taking more calcium is not the answer; it only amplifies the problem. In fact, excessive calcium intake and insufficient magnesium can contribute to both of these diseases. Magnesium taken in proper dosages can solve the problem of calcium deficiency.

When calcium is elevated in the blood it stimulates the secretion of a hormone called calcitonin and suppresses the secretion of the parathyroid hormone (PTH). These hormones regulate the levels of calcium in our bones and soft tissues and are, therefore, directly related to both osteoporosis and arthritis. PTH draws calcium out of the bones and deposits it in the soft tissues, while calcitonin increases calcium in our bones and keeps it from being absorbed in our soft tissues. Sufficient amounts of magnesium determine this delicate and important balance.

Because magnesium suppresses PTH and stimulates calcitonin it helps put calcium into our bones, preventing osteoporosis, and helps remove it from our soft tissues eliminating some forms of arthritis.
http://www.mgwater.com/calmagab.shtml
http://www.beyondveg.com/cordain-l/p...-loss-1a.shtml
http://bone-muscle.health-cares.net/...-magnesium.php
http://www.vitalnutrients.net/hq_han...cium/Magnesium


Nettle tea has magnesium and calcium in balance.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...ay/ai_73959325
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/fr...on/nettle.html
http://kitchentablemedicine.com/stin...w-best-friend/
http://www.evenkeel.co.nz/index.php?...d&productId=12


HTH, Pat

[Panserbjorne]

:

[alwaystazfan]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Caution with potential electrolyte balance. Sodium and potassium are both positive ions and you can loose a lot of potassium with diarrhea, leading to cardiac irregularities, and ph imbalances with altered osmolarity of the gut. I'd go easy! Find some professional guidance for dosing, recipe, frequency.


Pat

Yah that is why I am going to making cabbage rejlac from www.healingnaturallybybee.com it does not require salt once I can get more cabbage on tues until then I will make due with what I have. I also have Morton no slat in the house which is almost pure potassium incase I feel off(which has happened before) I can take some of that.

I am not even sure if there is anyone out there that has the knowledge to guide my about saurkraut enemas lol but on the other hand I am someone who requires LOTS of salt due to adrenal fatigue anyway. The sea salt may give me an overdose of trace minerals so I am going to look for salt with out trace minerals.

Thanks

[Calm]

Originally Posted by alwaystazfan

But if you have a leaky gut couldn't the nystatin then get through?

darn good question. I haven't heard of it in the bloodstream, so if it gets through, it is in the same way as everything else does when you have leaky gut. Benign foods cause harm with leaky gut. Proteins get through causing allergy, yeasts get through causing autoimmunity, etc. I think the benefit outweighs the risk. But I will research this at some stage.

I ask because if I take 1/2 teaspoon first thing in the morning then I can bare it but if I do even smaller doses throughout the day then I feel awful. I felt like it was getting through to my liver some how. I was not taking probiocs at the same time though. Does that help with the die off reaction and do you literally take it with the nystatin are wait a few hours inbetween?

Celebrate your awfulness! That's die off. Does it feel like a hangover with diarrhea, throbbing behind the eyes, blurry vision, crankiness, sleepiness, tired-but-wired, sugar cravings... etc? Die off. It is burdening your liver, but no more than the chronic living yeast (which also die often anyway) in the gut were doing to your liver. Probiotics won't really help much with die off, but activated charcoal will.

Put a heaped teaspoon of charcoal powder in a glass of water and stir well. Drink through a straw of down the hatch. Brush teeth as charcoal is black and gritty.

Charcoal is wonderful for gas and bloating as it binds the fermentation and toxins.

Charcoal can constipate some people.

What is activated charcoal powder?

Charcoal is a fine, soft, black; dust like powder with no odor or smell. It’s bland tasting and it is insoluble in water or alcohol. It’s that simple.
It is a non-toxic product that can be taken internally or applied topically. The beauty of charcoal is – it’s a harmless substance when ingested, inhaled or applied to the skin. It can be adapted for personal, health and household use. It helps to eliminate toxins and many poisons from the body.

How does activated charcoal work?

Charcoal influences the body by using the process of adsorption. ADSORB is an important word here. Adsorption is a process in which atoms and molecules move from a bulk phase (such as a solid, liquid, or gas) onto a solid or liquid surface. Too technical for you?

A simple way to describe the process of adsorption is the way water passes into a sponge. It pulls the water to it and retains it until squeezed out. In the case of charcoal we have a sort of ‘live electrical sponge,’ where it adsorbs living and nonliving substances which has the opposite electrical charge. So, when a material adsorbs something - it attaches to itself - by chemical attraction.

candidayeastthrush

Other things for die off:

To help with die-off reactions, you can:

* give more proteases (something like Purify, Repair, Peptizyde, Peptidase Complete, Vitalzym, ViraStop, Wobenzyme, etc. between meals...like 3-4 capsules every 3-4 hours)
* give more vitamin C or other antioxidant to help with general detox
* Epsom salts baths help with calming and detox
see Epsom salts
* lots of pure water to help flush the gunk out
* rest, rest, sleep, rest
* Activated Charcoal which helps absorb toxins
see Activated Charcoal

enzymestuff.com

Update:***Graphic***
I added a magnesium flush last nite on top of the saurkraut juice enema. I saw some black things shaped like a C floating in the toliet. I do not remember eating anything that shape or color. Would this have been parasites? If so any idea which one? I had been dxed with lyme about 6 yrs ago and am wonder if this could be a left behind co-infection. I have read about vit c and salt treatment for co-infections. So maybe between the acidic nature of the saurkraut, the salt, and the probiotic value I knocked the hell out of them!? Either way I am feeling SO much better without die off! That I am going to do small dose of retained saurekraut juice everyday and then on the 3-4 day(inc the mag flush and increased vit c). I will do a regular one with watered down juice like I did yesterday. I think I will keep this regime for about 2 wks and see how I do. Which means I need to go buy more cabbage today and order more salt too. Gotta go.

It could be parasites. Some only take a water enema to dislodge. And like candida, they ain't keeping you healthy, hence why they are called parasites - they are using your body as a host and you get nothing in return. Some yeasts feed off dead waste, so at least you get something in return. Malaria, for instance, will just give you Bali Belly in return. Giardia will just give you hell for a year. Tapeworm will mimic IBS and suck all your nutrients away so you are a skinny nutrient lacking shell. I don't consider parasites a win-win relationship. At. All.

If you thought I was ravy and passionate about yeast, you should see me get on my parasite bandwagon! I was totally in love with them a couple of years ago. And I can assure you, they cause more ill health in our modern culture than we know at this stage. In other cultures and in eras gone by, peoples used to parasite cleanse regularly. We don't do anything like that in our ultra-convenience clime. The closest we get to the Aussie Coories and Native Americans in this regard is to give a chemical "worming" pill to our kids if their nappies get full of noodles. : So we're totally swarming in parasites. For many of us, they don't do much damage, they just make sure we are never quite in perfect health. But for many of us, they are killing us softly.

BTW Do take probiotics though, fill those spaces the dead yeast leave behind. That's your best hope at getting rid of the problem for good.

Trivia for 500 Alex...
Natural remedies for one parasite often treat the lot of them. Hence, grapefruit seed will kill not only yeast, but bad bacteria, protozoa (one-celled parasites), viruses, and so on. The reason is based in polarity in many cases.

We are all highly charged, electrical machinery. We can make globes light with just our body current with the right circuitry attached to our hands (just for those new to the concept). Our elements are positively and negatively charged. So are the elements in our parasites/yeasts/etc. The "good" guys run on the same polarity as us (-ve), hence why those "zappers" only kill bad guys when the current is passed through our bodies. With this in the arsenal, herbs, etc often target the +vely charged parasites.

Another way good guys are distinguished from bad is whether they are aerobic (run on oxygen) or anaerobic (don't run on oxygen). Hence why oxygen therapy works - if you add an oxygen atom to an anaerobic microbe - ZAP! Peroxide used in medicine or in households runs on this science - it is water with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2), and this extra oxygen molecule is taken up by the microorganism that doesn't like oxygen and dies. The body produces its own hydrogen peroxide as part of the immune system, as it has the intelligence to know that this will keep good guys livin' and bad guys dyin'. In the right purity and potency, ingesting peroxide is a brilliant health remedy, but do seek pro advice on that as many mistakes are made and it is also rocket fuel in the right potency!

These are just two ways in which science has learned how nature sifts the good from the bad. There are countless other ways, most of which we have no inkling of as yet.

Another thing to remember when deciding for yourself if something is "friendly" or "foe-ly" is if is comfortable in your body AS IT IS, without changing it in a negative way. For example, yeast. Yeast in the gut are not comfortable as they like it to be ALKALINE, and when given half a chance, they will change it to alkaline - this messes your digestion something awful. This is not beneficial to you or the "friendly" microorganisms, but IS beneficial to yeast. See what I'm getting at? This is another way nature fights the bad guys, is creating and maintaining an inhospitable environment.

I say all this because I've been asked how good and bad are distinguished privately and I thought it was something more than one was wondering about.

[Calm]

I thought this was a good read:

Moldsurvivor.com

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by alwaystazfan

Yah that is why I am going to making cabbage rejlac from www.healingnaturallybybee.com it does not require salt once I can get more cabbage on tues until then I will make due with what I have. I also have Morton no slat in the house which is almost pure potassium incase I feel off(which has happened before) I can take some of that.

I am not even sure if there is anyone out there that has the knowledge to guide my about saurkraut enemas lol but on the other hand I am someone who requires LOTS of salt due to adrenal fatigue anyway. The sea salt may give me an overdose of trace minerals so I am going to look for salt with out trace minerals.

I don't know the proper salt/water ratio, but I wouldn't do NO sodium either. Remember that recipe from Dionne for dehydration? Maybe that could be a guide. And careful with potassium. Girl, you are scaring me. Electrolyte imbalances are very serious and there is a delicate balance, especially going from the other end of the gastric system. You don't have the "checks and balances" built in. The gut is so absorptive.

I wouldn't be too worried about trace minerals in sea salt though. We evolved from the sea.


Pat

[alwaystazfan]

Originally Posted by Calm

Celebrate your awfulness! That's die off. Does it feel like a hangover with diarrhea, throbbing behind the eyes, blurry vision, crankiness, sleepiness, tired-but-wired, sugar cravings... etc? Die off. It is burdening your liver, but no more than the chronic living yeast (which also die often anyway) in the gut were doing to your liver. Probiotics won't really help much with die off, but activated charcoal will.

It is just all over awful but no diarrhea(that would actually be welcome some lol) the biggest thing is trying to care for a 2 yr old while feeling like that. Thanks for the die off suggestions. I still have refills left so I think I'll go get another bottle next week.

As far as parasites I agree with you they zap you. The hardest thing is getting rid of them while nursing and then getting them out of my son. Any suggestions.

[QUOTE=Calm;12065518
BTW Do take probiotics though, fill those spaces the dead yeast leave behind. That's your best hope at getting rid of the problem for good..[/QUOTE]

I am trying to get better at remembering to take them beyond the saurkraut juice. The actual cabbage hurts my stomach as does any veggie right nwo so I try to stick to fat and meat. I am upping my acid and enzme intake to help.

I am really enjoying this thread and learning alot.

I do believe in energy modalities! and have found a naet practioner near by that I am going to check out too.

Thanks
Kara

[WuWei]

Ok, high doses of activated charcoal can bind with and eliminate healthful substances, such as vitamins, hormones, medications, and nutrients.
http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Inform...h/charcoal.htm

Grapefruit seed extract: it is concluded that the potent as well as nearly universal antimicrobial activity being attributed to grapefruit seed extract is merely due to the synthetic preservative agents contained within. Natural products with antimicrobial activity do not appear to be present.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...?dopt=Abstract


H2O2 Ingestion: Hydrogen peroxide was once used for cleaning wounds but research has shown it is too harsh for wound care. It kills healthy tissue, is cytotoxic, and actually delays wound healing. http://www.emedmag.com/html/pre/err/0804.asp

Surgeons using hydrogen peroxide to clean deep surgical wounds have accidentally triggered gas bubbles in the bloodstream (known as a gas embolism), a potentially deadly condition.
http://firstaid.about.com/od/firstai...ess_wounds.htm

The release of hydrogen peroxide in our bodies not only kills bacterial cells, but kills our body's cells too.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...2940.Me.r.html


I can go with 2000 year old probiotics/kefir. I can't quite get to intentional ingestion of caustic substances. Or substances which neutralize nutrients, YMMV.

Pat

[alwaystazfan]

Originally Posted by WuWei

I don't know the proper salt/water ratio, but I wouldn't do NO sodium either. Remember that recipe from Dionne for dehydration? Maybe that could be a guide. And careful with potassium. Girl, you are scaring me. Electrolyte imbalances are very serious and there is a delicate balance, especially going from the other end of the gastric system. You don't have the "checks and balances" built in. The gut is so absorptive.

I wouldn't be too worried about trace minerals in sea salt though. We evolved from the sea.


Pat

Yah I could easier make the saurkraut with the electrolyte drink ratios. Good idea thanks

[BeingMe]

Originally Posted by firefaery

Can we start a new thread? Cause I think I love you.

Soooo, in this instance I would say this was a pre-existing circumstance. A baby grown in the body of a yeast infested mama is also going to be subclinically deficient in certain nutrients. No, any intervention isn't going to help, and yes the journey through the vaginal canal is going to be problematic, but the baby is entering the journey with sub par reserves. That's where I'm coming from with this. Yes yeast is an issue, but of note also is the grounds in which he was grown and what reserves he had to begin with.

I understand what you are saying and I don't think supplements are helpful in general. But I think it's essential to establish a baseline and sometimes supplements can really be a huge help in doing so. I tend to prefer food and homeopathy but there are cases in which supplements can expedite the journey and I have no qualms with using them in those instances. Again, we're not talking about $300 a month in bottled synthetics. I am talking one or two well chosen supplements (determined by either physical examination or a hair/urine analysis of the nutrient profile) to tip the scales. I would do this especially if it were clear that nutritional needs were not being met through food alone.

Regardless, great discussion and I'd love to continue. It's always nice to puzzle through things with a like-ish minded person. Funny how much we can expand our views at times.....I'm always willing to do that.

This is my daughter. I honestly believe my 11 years of birth control, along with a 27 years of bad diet, and abx during labor are what has thrown my daughters body off. She often gets bowel movements that smell like one I use to have after a hard night of drinking..like they are fermented and alcohol smelling. She also gets red bumps on her chest after too may fruits or breads, has never slept well, has behavioral issues (overreacts to people leaving and other such things), and is majorly speach delayed (barely says 2 words at 28 months). I have taken her to a naturopath who I honestly felt wasn't experienced, and waiting till we can get more money before I can try someone new.

So what can I do for her now? I give probiotics, minerals (1/4tsp of concentrace), vitamins (1/2tsp of brainchild), and clo. Should I stop any of these, or change some? I'm trying to get bone broths into her, but veges are the hardest. As you can imagine she loves bread, and I have her on kamut yeastfree bread.
Thanks for this wonderful thread!!

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by alwaystazfan

Yah I could easier make the sauerkraut with the electrolyte drink ratios. Good idea thanks

But. There is always a But. It is necessary to have the correct salt content to avoid growth of pathogens in the ferment, until the lactic acid is produced at day 2-4. So, perhaps, do the sauerkraut per the fermenting instructions of 5-10% brine.

And then dilute it after the ferment is completed, with (non-distilled) water for the enema. You need the electrolytes in "normal water" (whatever that is).

Disclaimer: I do not recommend this practice.

Pat

[alwaystazfan]

Originally Posted by WuWei

But. There is always a But. It is necessary to have the correct salt content to avoid growth of pathogens in the ferment, until the lactic acid is produced at day 2-4. So, perhaps, do the sauerkraut per the fermenting instructions of 5-10% brine.

And then dilute it after the ferment is completed, with (non-distilled) water for the enema. You need the electrolytes in "normal water" (whatever that is).

Disclaimer: I do not recommend this practice.

Pat

From:
http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/pre1.php

"Cabbage Rejuvelac {Probiotic}
Rejuvelac is a fermented drink. Cabbage is a vegetable that is teeming with lactobacteria, which makes up 95% of the good bacteria in the digestive tract. No starter is needed for making this rejuvelac. The rejuvelac seems to be more successful using green cabbage which is organic or certified organic, however purple cabbage can also be used.

Ingredients:
3 cups cabbage, fresh, coarsely chopped and loosely packed


1st Batch: 1 3/4 cups water, nonchlorinated - see note


2nd & Subsequent Batches: 1 1/2 cups water, nonchlorinated, plus 1/4 cup of fresh rejuvelac (from the prior Batch)
Note: The water must not contain chlorine. In order to remove the chlorine boil the water for 30 minutes or leave the water in an open container for 24 hours.

How to Make the 1st Batch of Rejuvelac (takes 72 hours):
Start one morning by putting the cabbage and the water in the blender.


Start the blender at low speed and then advance the blender to high speed and blend for 10 seconds or less. Be careful not to blend it too much.


Pour the blended cabbage and water into a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid (a quart jar is excellent to use).


Ensure there is at least 1 inch of space above the mixture/liquid to allow room for expansion, and screw the cover on tightly.


Keep the jar in a place that is about room temperature for 3 days. Room temperature is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Celsius.


After 3 days (72 hours) strain off the liquid rejuvelac, and save it (liquid) in a glass or jar, and discard the cabbage - the cabbage can be used to make other dishes, i.e. sauerkraut, kimchi, etc. - see Uses for Leftover Cabbage from Rejuvelac.


It is the liquid that is the fresh rejuvelac, which you drink for its probiotics.


After straining off the fresh rejuvelac liquid make your 2nd batch of rejuvelac, which uses 1/4 cup of fresh rejuvelac from your 1st batch, as follows:
The first batch of cabbage rejuvelac takes 3 days (72 hours) to ferment, but the 2nd and all subsequent batches take only 1 day (24 hours) each.

How to Make the 2nd & Subsequent Batches of Rejuvelac (takes 24 hours)
Put 1 1/2 cups of purified water and 3 cups of coarsely ground, loosely packed fresh cabbage in the blender.
Start the blender at low speed and then advance the blender to high speed and blend for 10 seconds or less. Be careful not to blend it too much.


Pour the mixture into a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid and add 1/4 cup of the fresh rejuvelac. just strained off from the previous batch. Leave at least 1 inch of space above the mixture/liquid to allow room for expansion.


Screw the cover on tight, shake, and let it stand at room temperature until the next morning (24 hours).


After 24 hours strain off the liquid rejuvelac, and save it (liquid) in a glass or jar, and start your next batch.
How to Make Cabbage Rejuvelac without a Blender
Chop up 2 1/2 cups of cabbage very fine (replacing the 3 cups in the recipe above), and use the same amount of water (1 3/4 cups).


Put the cabbage in a glass jar and pour the 1 3/4 cups of water over it. Follow the rest of the recipe above.
What Should Good Quality Rejuvelac Taste Like?
Good quality rejuvelac tastes similar to a cross between carbonated water and the whey obtained when making yogurt. Bad quality rejuvelac has a much more putrid odour and taste and should not be consumed.

Avoid using tap water because chlorine will interfere with the production of the bacteria. Boil tap water for 30 minutes uncovered to remove chlorine or let tap water sit in an open container for 24 hours.

If the rejuvelac is to be kept overnight, refrigerate it. Discard any rejuvelac on hand 24 hours after it is poured off of the cabbage.

How to Take Rejuvelac
Drink 1/2 cup of cabbage rejuvelac three times per day, preferably with meals.

To implant a healthy population of lactobacteria in the intestinal tract take cabbage rejuvelac for 1 to 3 months or longer."

I figure I could add the electrolyte ratio to this when i use it. Otherwise I have been diluting the saurkraut juice just because one 2 qt jar does not give me a whole lot and if I want it to last till fri of next week I need to milk it.

This is NOT for everyone. I am the first to do this that I know of but as said before you need to be in tune with your body and do what you feel is right for you.

[Calm]

Hmm Pat, if I didn't know better I'd think you just scanned all my suggestions and did a search to find a way to discredit as many as possible. If you're gonna do that, I'd suggest better sources, and better tid bits than this gem:

Grapefruit seed extract: [/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]it is concluded that the potent as well as nearly universal antimicrobial activity being attributed to grapefruit seed extract is merely due to the synthetic preservative agents contained within. Natural products with antimicrobial activity do not appear to be present.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...?dopt=Abstract

Wow, so it's the preservative that is the universal antimicrobial! I bet they're in a real hurry to patent that amazing find. And I guess those without that magical preservative just don't work. And I do so love the phrase "do not appear to be present". Just like those darn stem cells that didn't seem to be present in breast milk... until they were. I bet the researchers put them there. Shhhh.

Ok, so I'm being facetious. But I do get tired of the same ol' "quack watch" stuff that uses fear mongering on the one hand and on the other declares that naturopaths are using fear mongering. They can't "see" how homeopathy works, nor can they see energy medicine or the many other elusive things mechanics. And probably won't for some time. We are infants in the game of science.

Quackwatch folk are also quick to say that H2O2 is toxic (hence why I mentioned it is rocket fuel, and I wasn't joking). But it is a magical healer, it really is. Perhaps you could read some of the oxygen therapies books out there, just a search of amazon for that phrase will return some things.

Too much of anything can kill you. In fact, they showed that lettuce is toxic by feeding rats too much lettuce.

On this thread, people have admitted to taking hydrochloric acid!

Because it is what the stomach produces doesn't make it less than almost the most acidic substance there is. That stuff eats through steel. It's about how and how much, not just a substance as it stands alone.

H2O2 IS too harsh for wound care, if you use it at 30%. I have gone through so many bottles of the stuff here, I brush my teeth with it, I remove moles with it, I clean benches and chopping boards with it and I drink it and give it to my daughter to drink. My whole family has used it, as have many other families I know of, for decades as it is all about the strength. Each application requires a different strength, for example, I rinse my mouth with 3%, I spray my bench with 6%. If I ingested 10% I'd probably die. Yes.

At what point does lettuce go from feeder to healer to killer? Same deal.

As for the accidents surgeons have done, well, we all know about them. Perhaps they could use better training instead of blaming the "tools of the trade".

More info on the false information about oxygen therapies (not to mention the cover ups, if you're into them) can be found in Ed McCabe's books, and various sites if you do a google for "oxygen therapies".
Aside from my family this stuff is my life, I don't drop remedies lightly and I would not endanger other mothers. I have given cautions where they have been needed.

Kefir is brilliant. I love it and brew it daily (I made a strawberry one today!) and I love the tried and true, but it is an old fashioned remedy trying to do battle in a modern world. And the modern world is plagued with chemical bombshells that are wearing down our natural arsenal in much the same way as it is wearing down nature herself.

[WildIris]

At the risk of sounding like a small child trying to join a complex conversation among adults, I have some simple (stupid?) questions to ask...because I am simultaneously amazed and confused by conversations about healing candida and parasites and so on.

How do I know if I really have candida/yeast? What are the symptoms? The only test I keep hearing about is the spit test... is there anything more sophisticated than that?

[WuWei]

Not trying to discredit. Each raised a flag of concern and caution. I appreciate your information. And suggest informed dosing for those inclined to experiment. Each of our comfort levels with alternative therapies will vary; and we each rely on different beliefs.

Pat

[caspian's mama]

stopped reading around page 4 cuz my eyes got woozy. but i wanted to ask where to find (or how to make) that "water kefir". i had no idea there was a non-dairy alternative. ds likes yogurt and i like tempeh but those are pretty much the only fermented foods we eat and sometimes i just feel like having more options. (ruthla's pickles sounds pretty darned tasty though. and i love my ACV; i just can't think of enough ways to use it.)

also, i just wanted to b*tch a little about having an abx IV during my labor. i did a buttload of research and, otherwise, had a perfectly "natural" birth, start to finish, but i wish i'd looked into beta strep further, instead of letting myself be swayed by fearmongering. :

thanks for the link. i susun weed just because, when i was bored working at wild oats and flipping through all the ref books we had there, hers was the only one to mention cannabis in a favorable light- even during pg, gasp!

[Calm]

How do I know if I really have candida/yeast? What are the symptoms? The only test I keep hearing about is the spit test... is there anything more sophisticated than that?

I've asked a doctor and he said there really isn't a way to test for general overgrowth of candida. The only way is for an enlightenened doctor to know which diseases are actually candida in origin, such as eczema, psoriasis, UTI's, thrush, multiple sclerosis, lupus, IBS, Crone's, and so on, esp if a person has more than one. A history taking would also confirm, and this is how many diseases are diagnosed, esp "psychiatric" ones (disclaimer: I don't believe in psychiatry!). A symptom pattern is also a way to diagnose. An actual test isn't possible in many diseases. Instead it requires putting pieces of a puzzle together, looking at non-specific tests and seeing a pattern. I know I'd recognise a candida infection in a person by symptom pattern. There is a way to check for candida in the stool but it is not very accurate.

I just looked online and found this, it is a questionnaire:
how to test yourself for candida
scroll past the spit test.

Not trying to discredit. Each raised a flag of concern and caution. I appreciate your information. And suggest informed dosing for those inclined to experiment. Each of our comfort levels with alternative therapies will vary; and we each rely on different beliefs.

Because I feel I'm rambling, I try to be brief. I'm enjoying it but the topic really is book length. So I just note the things people may benefit from and they can research it. No one can diagnose or prescribe online, and I am not about to either. For the most part, giving dosages is actually too specific and prone to errors - everyone is an individual and their needs would differ. "Two drops for an adult" or something like that is like a prescription. People sometimes pm me for more specific info, and even then, not being able to see them I hesitate with giving specific instructions. If anyone would like more info, they can ask. Otherwise, just enjoy a little info, someone's not so humble opinion and check things out. Those inclined to experiment need to note my occasional "see a professional" statements. Sorry I jumped on your info, Pat. Tis true we all have our own ways about things.

Kelly, water kefir is also called Japanese kefir. I have always liked kefir but since DS has milk allergies, I had to change. Pat mentioned culturing it in things other than milk but I was still worried about the crystals themselves as they have casein but her advice had me start looking it up and I found the water kefir crystals. I bought mine on ebay, but there is some philosophy behind them that means they should be given away. So much for that! Here's some on ebay

Although you can go to this place and they will send you free ones, apparently. Although every one who answered my request wanted to charge me 15 bucks plus postage except for one guy.
Here's a pdf all about water kefir

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by Calm

I just looked online and found this, it is a questionnaire:
how to test yourself for candida
scroll past the spit test.

There is also a pretty detailed candida questionnaire in Digestive Wellness (by Elizabeth Lipski), which BTW is a MUST READ for anyone with gut issues.