ByColleenHuber
Candida's Fuel of Choice: Sugar
Yeasts, such as candida, feed on sugar. Women with recurrent vaginalyeast infections may begin to feel as if candida is a permanentfixture of their bodies, and indeed it can carry with us all ourlives. That does not mean, however, that candida has to be in controlof your life. John Parks Trowbridge, MD and Morton Walker, authorsof The Yeast Syndrome, are medical mavericks in their diagnosisand treatment of yeast complications. These are the same complicationsthat their conventional medical colleagues insisted could not existbecause they had never been taught about them in medical school.
Yet, time has shown that Trowbridge, Walker and other health professionalswho have worked with candida patients have accurately identifieda relentless and ubiquitous pathogen in the common Candida albicans,along with the many havoc-wreaking antibodies that it generates.
Trowbridge and Walker found that patients for the most part showedcomplete improvement in about 10 days. But very tenacious casesmay require up to three years before displaying a complete recoveryof symptoms. Naturopathic physicians at the Southwest NaturopathicMedical Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., have developed an eating planthat deprives candida of its fuel of choice: sugar. Melons, mushroomsand other foods are also limited for a time.
The duration of this diet corresponds to the severity of the symptoms,varies somewhat according to individual needs and is generally followedfor as long as the patient continues to have symptoms.
Resisting the Sugar Urges
The hard part of this diet for someone with a heavy candida loadis eliminating sugar, since the candida in the body is screamingfor sugar.
Since eliminating sugar is a huge step in your life, it meritsadvance planning and preparation. The first step should be modulatingyour blood sugar by switching some sweets to complex carbohydrates,including whole vegetables. Supplements such as glutamine (an aminoacid), fenugreek, chromium and other nutrients are used by naturopathicphysicians to help their patients eliminate sugar cravings.
It is best to use these while in the care of a naturopathic physician,in order to choose the most appropriate of the available forms,correct dosing and combinations.
Not all of these need be used. It is important remember when quittingsugar that your body is fighting as hard to overcome these cravingsas a heroin addict feels during withdrawal or a smoker trying toquit. (Nicotine is the most addictive of the three.) This also meansthat the worst part will be the first 48 hours of abstinence. Afterthat, it definitely gets better.
The first two weeks will be a little less comfortable than afterward,but the reward for persisting is that after two weeks you will feelhealthier in every way than you have ever felt.
Positive Affirmations And Sugar-Free Cabinets
Those who quit extremely addictive substances say that it is moreeffective to affirm, "I will not eat sugar today," ratherthan say, "I will never eat sugar again," which is toodaunting. Just affirm each day that you will not have sugar thatday. This will help break up your job into manageable pieces.
Also, henceforth, you are not allowed to own, borrow, taste orhave in your possession any sugar or sweets. Feel free to informany sugar-offering person that this is your contractual agreement.
To get through moment-to-moment cravings, you can massage all ofboth ears, in order to cover the acupuncture points for addiction.Also, take a few slow deep breaths. Greater success is likely ifyou convince your entire household to take a sugar-free plunge withyou. That way you can keep temptation out of your house, which is90 percent of the battle.
Finally, get involved in a new hobby or activity, preferably onethat involves the hands, such as art, music or gardening. Theseactivities will help you get through the first two days successfully.
ColleenHuber, 46, is a wife, mother and student at Southwest Collegeof Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz., where she is trainingto be a naturopathic physician. Her original research on the mechanismof migraines has appeared in Lancet and Headache Quarterly, andwas reported in The Washington Post.
Herdouble blind placebo controlled research in homeopathy has appearedin Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, European Journalof Classical Homeopathy, and Homeopathy Today. Her website NaturopathyWorks introduces naturopathic medicine to the layperson andprovides references to the abundant medical literature demonstratingthat natural medicine does work.