Hello everyone. My name is Kat and I have Yeast.

I have come to that realization over the last couple of years but have been riding the vicious cycle of craving sugar and feeding the yeast and craving sugar and so on. I am starting the atkins induction today in hopes that I can get a handle on the yeast and in a year or two be completely free from it. It has caused me to have depression, weight gain, irritabilty, mood swings, insomnia, headaches, low libido, dry skin, dundruff and probably a bunch of other things I can't think of right now.
I have been reading everything I can about how to help get rid of yeast and was hoping that other sufferers and survivors can give me insight. I plan on taking acidopholus on a regular basis once I get to the health food store and also to maybe take olive leaf extract.
Please feel free to discuss your experiences and anything that you feel is relative to the topic. Any remedy or suggestion is welcome. I really believe in the natural approach but for those that can and do go to the doctor please list any modern medical approaches as well.
I hope that by having this topic here that other people can become more aware of the true health issues caused by this evil demon called yeast.

Kat

Hi Kat,

I am allergic to yeast. When I eat bread, or drink coffee (mold in the beans) I have arthritis like symptoms. Since yeast needs sugar to live Atkins or any low carb diet for that matter should help. You might also look at a list of foods that contain naturally occurring yeasts, and try to avoid them too. Forget about convenience foods, many contain yeast under a variety of different names. Good luck with that. I know it can make you miserable and stall weight loss as well.

My husband has this problem. Low carb is the only thing that keeps him from having a bloating/gas attack. Also, caprylic acid supplements. The last time he saw his doctor, they gave him an endoscopy and found that he had severe esophogitis. So they put him on prilosec (for acid reflux), which seems to have also helped the bloating problem.

However, he's been back on carbs again for the past couple of months, and is now having the yeast problems once again. He's a skinny guy, too. He's never had to watch what he eats, so the low carb lifestyle is very difficult for him.

You might want to google SIBO too, to see if there's anything there that might help you. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

It's a tough problem. I don't envy you at all.

Margarita

Thank you Melodie and Margarita. I haven't been "diagnosed" with overgrowth but I know from my symptoms and from all my research that that is my problem. The low carb diet helps for sure. I was doing Kimkins so not exactly the healthiest but it proved to me that my symptoms were treatable with diet and exercise.

I was just wondering if anyone has used any of the products I have seen on-line like threelac or any of the other products that claim to treat candidas / yeast overgrowth and its symptoms.

I would hate to get taken, yet again, by some product claiming to help but does nothing but cost money. Ya know?
Thanks for the posts.

A simple probiotic will help----low carb yogurt is a good example---just make sure it says with live active cultures

Hi Dragonfly,

Low carb yogurt blended with water can make a nice "shake" that you could drink. This is actually and Indian drink called "lassi" that is used as a digestive aid. My husband makes his own yogurt (Salton Yogurt Maker), and drinks a lassi after breakfast and lunch. I think he goes a bit overboard making his own. You can get the same bacterial cultures in the yogurt that has live probiotics in it. It's not hard to find in regular grocery stores, either.

Also, check the ingredients of the supplements that you're considering ordering. I know that caprylic acid is highly recommended for yeast overgrowth ... but you have to stay low carb for a long period of time for it to be effective. You're essentially starving the bad yeast with the low carb, killing any remaining with the caprylic acid, and adding back the good bacteria with the yogurt.

Margarita

Bamgirl, that's the best thing in my opinion. Stop feeding the yeast with sugar and then crowd them out with a good probiotic. I have had great luck with Nature's Way Primadophilus Reuteri, even taken it when taking a couple of rounds of antibiotics and did't not get the usual yeast infection that sometimes comes with that, especially for people with yeast problems.

Kat,

I am starting an anti-yeast diet along with supplements to kill the yeast tomorrow morning. I am very hopefull that this program will cure my systemic yeast (same symptoms as you).

I will let you know how it goes. I am super excited to see all the symptoms disappear.

Patricia

Welcome to my forum, Patricia! It's REALLY GOOD to have you here and I hope you enjoy yourself and the support that's here for the taking.

As a Sufferer of candida, I can tell you that it is not a simple process, and just popping a few probiotics in your mouth won't solves it.

You will have to do Atkins K.I.S.S. It avoids certain things.

http://www.conniems.com/antiyeast.html
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/irock/kiss_rules.html

Those sites should help.

Also I took this from ADBB. It is called the 'Spit Test' to see if you have candida.

Kat,

I forgot to say that after reading this webpage http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/4966/index.html and doing some online research, I have decided to go with the supplement called Formula SF722 by Thorne research.

I took my first dose this morning.

Thanks Dave. I took a look at the sites. It is exactly what I needed. The only thing I question is that I am not sure if I will be getting enough fat in this way of eating, or am I? Would the fats come from the oils and meat fats or what? I am not very good at understanding nutrition so excuse me if I sound stupid. But it almost sounds a bit like Kimkins only not so much "counting" carbs.
So if I just stick to eating veggies (not starchy ones but greens and such) and meats (all kinds as long as they are not processed) then I should start feeling better?
I don't drink sodas or eat fruit so no worries there. I always drink water and take multivitamins.
Anyway, Thanks Dave I really appreciate your help.

Oh, a topic I am waaaay too familiar with. My oldest kiddo and I both have issues with systemic candida.

Personally, I think the yogurt you make at home--at yog it for 24 hours--is way more effective than the yogurt you can get in the store. There's a diet called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that's all about healing the gut and killing the bad gut bugs. A cornerstone of this is the 24-hr yogurt. It apparently takes 24 hrs for the good culture to eat up all the lactose in the milk.

There's an enzyme product called Candex that is supposed to dissolve the outer shell of the yeast cell and dissolve them that way with no die off.

I've been taking a really strong probiotic called VSL #3 www.vsl3.com. It's much more potent than anything you can get in a health food store (HFS). Some researchhers in Italy have discovered the people need a lot more probiotics that the 5-10 million CFUs you'll find in HFS probiotics. There are 450 billion in VSL#3. There are trillions in 24-hr yogurt.

I've rotated anti-fungal herbs for my son, but he and I have both ended up on Rx anti-fungals to take this stuff out. Caprylic acid, oregon grape root, pau d'arco, grapefruitseed extract, raw garlic...are all good to rotate. There's a lot of good information at www.modernherbalist.com.

Jill

Jill ~ Have you tried Olive leaf extract? I read that it is both an antiviral, anti-baterial and anti-fungal herb. I have taken it before but not along with a lowcarb diet. I usually took it for cold and flu season. It helps a lot
with keeping us from getting sick.
As far as the making your own yogurt, I wish I knew how and had the organization skills to do those things with a 2 1/2 year old running around but I just can't wrap my head around stuff like that.
I will look into your links when I get the chance. I may just go to my local health food store (it is the Edgar Cayce store so they know a lot there) and talk with some people there to get some ideas as to where I should start (besides the low carb diet).
Thanks to everyone for your information.
Keep it coming.

Hi, all,

I was directed over here because I was asking about a vegetarian friend who thinks he may have celiac. Someone suggested that he may have yeast instead. Can someone point me to a list of yeast symptoms?

Thanks!

Here you go :

http://www.candidasymptoms.net/

I didn't know anything about spit tests so I have never tried that, but I had fairly bad symptoms of yeast that are now gone. I stopped feeding the yeast and I took large doses of probiotics. But this was after I took Lugol's Solution for a month. I felt sick and nauseous at first and almost quit, but then I read that nausea is a symptom of yeast dying off. So I kept it up. The symptoms were gone in a couple of weeks. I then took loads of probiotics. I have heard that most people don't take nearly enough to make a difference or take them long enough. I took Primadopholus brand. About 10 caps a day for a month and then took a break and did another month. All my symptoms are gone now. I still take the Lugol's for other reasons, but not the Primadopholus. I don't want to be unladylike, so I won't discuss in public my previous symptoms, but if anyone wants to know, I will discuss it in PMs.



Kristine

So, I was reading the Atkins chapter on yeast reactions, and realized I have ten of the symptoms (I've had them as long as I can remember, but still). I have seven symptoms that are listed on that website Paty posted. I did the spit test this morning, and it started getting stringy after only a few minutes. When I checked on it about an hour later, it was almost completely dissolved, with a few cloudy specs. I think I'm going to try to do that KISS thing, and see if I improve at all. I think I'll keep the SteviaClear liquid Stevia, just because it has grapefruit seed extract in it, so that'll give me one probiotic, at least. Stevia's natural anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?

It'll be hard giving up fruit and nuts for the time being, but we'll see...I do wonder though, does this clear up the symptoms, or just help you lose weight? Also, do you guys have any other suggestions?

TigerEyes ~ Great name! The diet helps "starve" the yeast but it doesn't always get rid of the problem. YES! it does relieve the symptoms but it takes time. It all depends on how bad the yeast has gotten, how much overgrowth there is. If it isn't a chronic case where you have infections every month or chronic symptoms, then a probiotic AND the diet will help you keep the yeast in check and the symptoms should subside slowly as the toxins leave your system and the good flora are able to fight off the yeast and keep it from growing. It takes time. Relief from some of the symptoms is noticable within the first weeks.
Personally I have seen my skin get better and this is my 11th day on the diet. However my depression and fatigue is still around. So some symptoms will be relieved before others. Like I said... t does take time and it is a serious thing. One "cheat" will "feed" the yeast and it will be harder to keep it from growing.
Look at the links that Paty and Dave posted on the first page of this thread and it will give you more info.
You can also look up yeast overgrowth on any search engine and find simple explanations as to how the yeast survives in the system,what it does to our bodies when it is out of control and how to get rid of it.
Paty and I are doing a strict diet along with probiotics and a anti-fungal formula called SF722 made by Thorne Research.
I just got my order this afternoon for the SF722 but have been using a 50 billion culture probiotic called Ultimate Flora by "Renew Life" since Monday. It is a 14 day supply but should be enough to replenish anything I have lost in the past to help fight infection.
I don't think the Stevia should be a problem unless you are the type of person that has a reaction to those types of sweeteners. I have tried all the artifical and natural sweeteners and have not been able to use any of them because I either have a gastrointestinal reaction or a mood reaction. In any case the stevia is better than using the artificial IMHO.

I hope this helped. Just let us know if you have any more questions and I will do my research to help find the answers.

Thanks, guys. One thing, though... I did something like this KISS thing when I did Atkins Induction last week (although I was keeping in dried spices at the time), and I got horribly sick. I only lasted six days on Induction before I started adding back fruit and nuts (to make myself feel better, which worked). According to what I've now read, I might've been sick because of the poisons released by the dieing yeast. Any suggestions to make this attempt a little less traumatic?

Tigereyes,

Quick question for you : Is this your first time doing LC or are you familiar with Atkins?

What you experienced is more likely what a lot of low carbers call induction flu. It is normal and common to feel lousy for a few days when you cut carbs drastically. The only cures is to drink enough water and to tough it out.

It is my personnal belief that this KISS thing alone won't cure a case of systemic yeast in only a few days so I doubt that you had a die-off reaction.

I also want to add that the cravings are a sign that the yeast is lacking its food but after a few days they go away.

After 18 days, I think that a piece of cake would be nice but it's not the same feeling as desperately wanting it. It's difficult to explain but this diet sounds worst than it actually is. I litterally eat to live and can easily pass on everything I love foodwise.

As far as making the diet less traumatic, I say decide that you want to get rid of the yeast more than you want to eat __________________ and live by that decision. It is kind of a mind over matter type of deal.

Kat wrote to me that she is treating this like she would a cancer and that is exactly how I feel and act too. Right now, I have no idea how I will eat when I am done with the strict part of the diet (I will keep at this until x-mas). The main items I mean to add in January are low GI fruits, flax meal and a little cheese.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you have any more questions.

I've been doing low-carb since the first of July, but last week was my first "hard-core" Atkins Induction experience. I had heard of the "Atkins flu", but this was kinda different in that I felt fine for the first few days, and then I started to have digestive problems (excessive gas, diarrhea, etc.). Now, I WAS eating bacon and sausage patties at the time, that my cafeteria provides (I've since found that they contain less-than-desirable ingredients, as well), so I don't know if those processed meats were what was making me sick, or the Candida, or what. I know better to stick with the whole meats this time, so we'll see how it goes.

Also, I'm not really doing this to lose weight. I'd just like to be able to breathe without wanting to slug whomever in the vicinity is wearing perfume or cologne, or is a smoker. Getting rid of this OCD and post-nasal drip would be nice, too... Basically, I'm just doing this for my health. It shouldn't really be a problem for me to stick to foods I know are healthy unless I start getting sick again.

Hello. I was wondering if someone could explain why cream would be off limits. I am currently doing Atkins and love having cream back in my coffee. I have reviewed the KISS sites but I did not understand why dairy was excluded. Thanks.

The lactose contained in dairy is in fact a sugar and the yeast feeds on sugar. Anything that ends in -ose is a sugar like sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose etc.

Tiger Eyes ~ I was just wondering if you were getting enough fats in your diet when you felt sick. It is possible that, even though you were eating LC, you might have been eating low fat as well which is not so good for the body and can make you feel nauseas, headachy and tired.
When I started last week I didn't have any of the symptoms I did when I did Kimkims because I made sure to eat fatty meats and use olive oil in everything.
I am, however starting to have some gas but I also started taking a probiotic and the SF722 to kill the yeast. I am also thinking that the gas is from my digestion of all the red meat I have been consuming.
On the yeast diet you should not eat anything processed. No sausage or bacon. I know it is hard but it needs to be done if you have a chronic yeast problem.
Paty is right about the KISS diet not curing yeast in days. If you look at the personal sites of those with yeast or had yeast it will take years to get rid of yeast without an anti-fungal and even then you have to be very strict in your eating (No cheating).
I'm with Paty on the issue of doing this the right way and making sure that the yeast is under control before adding any "extras". There are no quick fixes for yeast. If you go to the site she listed previously it will give you a different diet menu that includes some cream in your coffee or cheese (as long as it is heated) But Paty and I are taking this to the strictest of diets to make sure that we are doing it right and that there is no chance that we are feeding the yeast.
In the meantime I have found a way to combat my cravings by thinking of the yeast as another entity other than myself (Kind of like alien). If I crave something I say to myself "It is the yeast talking, don't feed it" And I also tell myself that I will not let the yeast WIN. I am very competitive like that so I will not allow myself to have certain foods because I see the yeast feeding on it as soon as it gets in my system and then I see the yeast laughing at me because that means it will continue to make me miserable. It has kept me in line for 13 days now and like Paty said the cravig are completely gone. The only cravings I have now are mental ones that are very controllable since my head is a lot clearer as well and I don't tend to dwell too much on the things I can't have. I also remind myself that if I have anything with sugar in it I will have to start all over. It isn't like a diet where you cheat and get back on the wagon and don't lose much ground. Yeast takes advantage of that slip up and puts you back at the starting line. That is another thing that keeps me in check is that I don't want to have to start all over again since I am doing so well.
I am not sure if I am making any sense with this but it gets better once you get past the cravings and realize that it is the yeast talking and not your body needing anything in particular.
Dr. Atkins recommends some supplements for cravings for sugar and carbs in his DANDR book.
Like Paty said, I am treating this like a cancer. If the doctor told me that if I don't start eating Low carb and take a daily antifungal supplement then I would become severly depressed,overweight,have skin problems,severe chronic constipation, muddled thinking and concentration, insomnia and will ultimately be diagnosed with MS,Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, or Lupus and that I will deteriorate until I die a premature death (not from the yeast but from it's toxins' effects on my body). Would I do what he says and eat right and supplement to get rid of the yeast? ABSOLUTELY!!!!
Just because I haven't gotten to the point of a major illness doesn't mean I am going to wait for a diagnosis. This part of my "Treatment" is only temporary as later I will be able to have my sweets in moderation and will be aware of when I need to cut back. I am now knowledgable of the health risks of eating sugars and carbs and will be able to take better care of my body after I get to a balance within.

This is a journey to better health, both mentally and physically, for me and I need to start taking myself seriously or I won't get better and will remain miserable within my own body.

I know it can be done and this time I have to be determined not to let anything (cravings or social pressures) keep me from accompishing my goal. Paty is a wonderful support for me since she is doing it as well. It helps me to feel accountable in a way because I know that she is staying strong and is feeling better and wants to know how I am doing as well. I would hate to have to tell her I blew it all for a candy bar.
She inspired me to do this with her information and support.

I tend to be chatty so sorry if this is too long.

Thanks for all the advice!

Oh, believe me, I was definitely NOT holding back on the fat. I tend to eat a lot of hamburgers covered in olive oil, and I sometimes even drink avocado oil straight.