Candida Cleanse
Posted in Uncategorized on 05/01/2010 02:39 pm by LaurelWe are doing the cleanse thing again– or should I say, Esther is. It is actually much easier for her to do that at school, because she can make her own food choices. The cleanse is so radical that I can’t adapt a whole family menu to it. Anyway, the symptoms started coming on in February, just little things here and there, and she wanted to put it off, so we did. By April, she was feeling pretty miserable with both physical and emotional symptoms, and could no longer ignore it.
Each time different symptoms predominate, and this time the emotional ones were overwhelming. She would literally sit there and cry for no reason, for hours at a time– that was very weird. On top of the pain in her ears and face, the tiredness, nausea, and so on, she was almost to the point of non-functioning. I’m not sure it is wise to let it get that bad before doing something about it, but it has to be her decision. She is nearly finished with the Candigone and Candex treatment now, and will follow with a month of preventative measure using Candex and Pau D’Arco.
Pau D’Arco is the bark of a Brazilian tree that has been used for decades medicinally. It is a natural anti-fungal and anti-viral– how cool is that?! The best way to get it is by steeping the bark for tea, several times a day, but a more convenient method is taking it in capsule form. The funny thing is that no one knows exactly WHY it kills the candida albacans, although everyone agrees that it does so quite effectively. And it does so with minimal side effects, too.
It appears that a twice yearly cleanse is the norm for Esther at this point, but if she feels well in between, that is bearable. We were up to visit last week and she honestly looked the best she has in a couple years. Her color and her weight were good, and she has the energy to stay up till midnight hanging out with cute boys, just like any college sophomore.
While we were visiting she cooked lunch for the two of us in the dining hall, some delicious concoction she made up herself. I’m calling it Chick Peas and Broccoli Stir Fry.
05/03/2010 at 10:32 am
Esther HAS looked so much better the last couple of times I’ve seen her…her color has really been good and it looks like she put on just a little weight, which makes her look healthier.
I’m curious about Pau D’Arco…I think I’m going to have to look it up, sounds very useful.
05/03/2010 at 2:03 pm
Like any drug it has its side effects, but used in small doses it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I suspect the tea would be a safer way to use it, since you would be getting a more whole, natural product and in less concentration. I just really don’t want to deal with forcing that issue several times a day!
High doses can cause severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and internal bleeding. (translated: Use with caution!) Here is a site that has more information, from a natural medicine perspective: http://www.allnatural.net/herbpages/pau-d-arco.shtml
It is often used in fighting candida overgrowths– it is one of the ingredients in the cleanse product called Candigone. I don’t want Esther to use it long-term, but it should help with the follow-up.