INTRODUCTION

For 1 years I have waited to arrive at a point in my journey so that I might share with others the
many things I have learned. Like many, my journey to wellness continues, but now that I have a
good grasp of what is necessary to overcome candida infections (as well as other illnesses), I feel
that now is a good time to share the knowledge I have gained with you, in order that you may
help yourself and even others.

One of the most important things that I have learned is that the human body truly is an amazing
biological system. It is efficiently designed to repair itself and keep itself healthy, given the proper
ingredients. A number of scientists have rightly pointed out that the human body is designed to
live for thousands of years, only in a world without the many biological stresses we face every
day. The tissue and cell damage we incur daily, even with a healthy diet and lifestyle, is so
overwhelming to the body, that even though the body superbly repairs itself, we still only live an
average of 75 years. The body simply cannot work fast enough to regenerate itself, being
overwhelmed with the constant onslaught of toxins, bacteria, viruses, harsh chemicals, and other
harmful substances everyday.

Sometimes our body becomes so overwhelmed that it needs a little extra help in order to be
healthy and survive. This is the case with candida infections. It is by this philosophy that I have
approached my battle with candida. I am simply trying to help my body do what it is already trying
to do on its own, which is to restore the delicate balance of intestinal flora, improve smooth
muscle response for proper bowel movement, repair any damage to bile and/or enzyme
production, and so on. Our body produces millions upon millions of cells every day, each one with
a specific job targeted to make us healthy. It knows what to do, but sometimes it cant catch up to
the damage being inflicted.

For this reason, the Western approach to medicine is, in most cases, very wrong. My case is one
of many which illustrates the reality that Western medicine often tends to hinder the bodys
natural healing process rather than help it.

My candida problem evidenced itself as it does for many other people. For over year I began to
have mild to moderate digestion issues. Eventually they became constant and annoying, until one
evening I began to have strange mental problems. Basically it felt like my nervous system was
shutting down. My wife took me to the emergency room. I told them about my digestive issues,
and after doing a PET scan, they found large quantities of stool in my intestines, gave me a
powerful laxative, and sent me home. This was only the beginning.

Around nine months later, I started working night shift for the first time. This completely destroyed
my sleeping routine, and as a result I was getting very little rest. On some days I wasnt sleeping
at all. As many know, this scenario results in heavy stress on the immune system. Without proper
sleep the body cannot adequately repair itself, and as a consequence, my digestive issues began
to worsen. My appetite decreased, I had constant stomach discomfort, I developed acid reflux,
my ears began to constantly ring (tinnitus), and I had numerous other symptoms as well. Within a
few days, my health completely collapsed. I began running a fever, I had strange pains in my
lower abdominal area, I had extreme weakness, detachment from reality, intense feelings of
nervousness, and uncontrollable convulsions over my whole body (like constant shivering).

Again my wife took me to the emergency room. They ran several tests, none of which found
anything wrong. The doctor took my wife aside and began to explain to her that he felt my
problems were mental in nature. At this point my wife was inclined to agree, since at this point
neither of us knew very much about health. The doctor ordered a strong tranquilizer and I was
sent home. Even though I returned to work four days later, the end was not near.

Eventually I went to my family doctor who ordered scans of my abdomen. He also ordered blood
tests. These tests all came back negative. He also prescribed some acid inhibitors (i.e., Protonix)
for my acid reflux. I was relieved that I didnt have cancer, but I was discouraged that no clues to
my condition were found. The fact that nothing was found only compounded my doctors
suspicion that much of my illness was contrived in my own mind.

Several weeks later, I became extremely ill. When I began to run a fever, I went back to the
emergency room, where I was diagnosed with strep throat and an upper respiratory viral
infection. I was given antibiotics and sent home. For an entire week I was completely immobile,
too weak to get out of bed. I consider myself to be fairly tough when it comes to pain and
sickness, but I truly felt as though I was going to die within a matter of days. Every day I felt like a
dead man walking. With the two infections on top of my other problems, I was at one of the lowest
points of health that the body can endure.

Reluctantly, I went back to work because I had to feed my family. Fortunately I worked a quiet
night job that required little involvement. This situation allowed me to not only continue working,
but more importantly I could spend hours researching in pursuit of what my true condition was. I
was absolutely determined to find the cause of my illness, and even though I myself began to
wonder if the doctors were right about my illness being mental, I did not give up.

As I continued my personal research, I saw a doctor almost every two weeks with different
symptoms. To put things into perspective, here is a list of symptoms that I experienced:

1. eye twitching
2. eye pain
3. tinnitus (ringing in ears)
4. periodic, dull, short earaches
5. sore throat
6. slightly stiff neck
7. hot flashes
8. low body temperature
9. muscle aches
10. periodic muscle twitching
11. frequent urination

12. slightly swollen tender gland in back of neck

13. bladder pain
14. abdominal discomfort (fullness, slight bloated feeling)
15. malaise
16. lack of appetite
17. infrequent periods of throbbing pain in right hip
18. frequent bowel movements
19. throbbing sharp pain in the back of the neck (comes and goes)
20. enlarged tonsils
21. pain in sides near bottom of ribs (on/off)
22. pain in center of chest (sternum)
23. back pain (various places)

I experienced each of these symptoms almost everyday for month after month. Even more
incredible is the fact that this isnt even a complete list! To see a doctor with these many
symptoms, only to be told that there is nothing wrong is discouraging and insulting. Many of you
have already had this experience. I pressed on, and I was only more determined to beat my
condition, with or without conventional doctors.

One of the conditions I continued to come upon was systemic candida. I passed over it many
times as I was more concerned about other possible causes like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and
Lyme disease. At some point, largely on a hunch, I decided to try an OTC drug called AZO Yeast.
This is a homeopathic remedy marketed towards women with yeast infections. It was rather
embarrassing to buy. In fact a few times I even had my wife to buy it. Within the first few days that
I started taking it, I started feeling significantly better. It was at this point that I knew I was on to
something, but I had a long way to go.

It was around this time that I discovered the Curezone forums. I carefully ready many posts which
were immensely helpful and insightful to me. I used Curezone many times as a starting point into
other areas of study. It was from Curezone that I learned many important things that I could not
have learned elsewhere. I learned from the experiences of others about the importance of foods
to eat, probiotics, leaky gut, substances to avoid, symptoms to look for, and so on. It was also
from Curezone that I was able to finally and accurately diagnose myself with Candida overgrowth.
I found out from Curezone that those long worm-like strands coming out with my bowel
movements were mutated strands of Candida. I felt very embarrassed afterwards because before
I had asked my doctor for a worm treatment!

I also found the site Earthclinic.com, which contains a wealth of information about alternative
medicine remedies. Granted, this site is largely based on anecdotal evidence, but my opinion is
that overwhelming anecdotal testimony is often more convincing and medically significant than a

technical explanation.

So now that Ive given a brief introduction about how I found out I had candida overgrowth, let me
explain what I have done in order to treat myself. This section will be more from a technical
perspective:

TREATMENT:

Before I begin, I think it is important for me to say that I knew virtually nothing about alternative
medicine when I started. Besides taking the usual OTC drugs, I was the type who simply went to
the doctor when I got sick.

That being said, the remedies that I tried were not necessarily in any particular order, nor did I
have any specific course of treatment plan. My basic approach was to learn about possible ways
to help myself. If a certain remedy seemed convincing and safe, then I would try it. So if you are
reading this looking for a specific plan to follow for your own treatment, then my little essay will
disappoint you. Besides, Im not sure a specific plan for candida overgrowth can be devised since
everyones needs are different.

One of the first things that I tried was hydrogen peroxide, particularly the inhalation method
suggested by Bill Munro. Hydrogen peroxide is a substance that occurs naturally in rainwater, and
it is even produced in our own bodies, so to ingest or inhale it with caution is scientifically
plausible. It was one of the first significant ways that I treated myself for candida infection. It is by
no means a cure-all, but it is very powerful and effective at destroying harmful organisms in the
body, including candida, and boosting the immune system. When I started taking hydrogen
peroxide, my recovery accelerated exponentially. I was able to feel more alive and able to do the
work that I needed to do. My body began to cleanse itself through increase mucous production.
My bowel movements became much more regular, and I began to sleep much better as a result.
As an unintended side effect, my teeth became several shades whiter and my gray hair regained
its color. My wife even noticed this.

A good brief essay on hydrogen peroxide can be found here, as well as links to Bill Munros
inhalation method:

If you try hydrogen peroxide, please do your homework so that you know what you are doing. It
can be dangerous.

A second remedy that I used was the balancing of my bodys pH. Actually I never measured my
pH level, but I do understand that harmful organisms like candida proliferate more easily in an
acidic environment. This was not a significant remedy for me, but nonetheless important. By that I
mean that I didnt notice major improvements, although with the simultaneous effects of hydrogen
peroxide which were profound, I can see how improvements from pH balancing remedies might
be overshadowed. To facilitate this desired effect, I drank water with lemon juice (not the kind with
sodium benzoate, which is very bad for you), and I also periodically consumed 2 tablespoons of
unfiltered apple cider vinegar at my discretion. There is a great discussion of the many uses for

unfiltered apple cider vinegar at earthclinic.com.

A third remedy I used was fasting. Fasting has been practiced for thousands of years for a variety
of reasons, one of them being for health. It gives the various systems of the body a rest, allowing
removal of toxic sludge, cellular debris, and other buildup to be removed without having to deal
with newly arriving substances. Especially when the digestive track is already working hard to
control the overpopulation of candida, a rest is often very helpful. While fasting, the energy and
resources that are used for digesting food can be diverted to the task of reducing the candida
population. In this way the body is deprived of sugar, and as a consequence candida is literally
starved, sometimes to the point of death - this is good, obviously. Also if the gut is sore and
inflamed, resting is much needed, just like any other tired muscle needs resting.

I found that for me personally, I needed to fast at least a week before significant results occurred.
My method for fasting was to drink plenty of water always with lemon juice (fresh squeezed is
vastly superior). When I started to become weak, I ate a small snack of fruit or nuts consisting of
about 80-150 calories. If the body becomes too starved, ketoacidosis can set in and the bodys
pH can drop to hazardous levels. In this matter fasting becomes ineffective for its purpose.

A more traditional method that I used was probiotics and antifungals. Repopulating the gut with
intestinal flora is a necessary part of treatment protocol, as is direct eradication of candida.
Eventually I learned that the two should not be used together, since the antifungals kill some of
the probiotics. The best method I found was to rotate probiotics and antifungals on a week by
month basis. Take antifungals for a week, then switch to probiotics for one month. Some
recommend different variations on rotation. The important thing is to rotate antifungals frequently,
because like many organisms, candida can become resistant over time. So it must be kept on its
toes, so to speak.

It is very important during the probiotic period to consume foods that nourish the good bacteria in
the gut, mainly fresh fruit like bananas (which contain FOS). Some are of the opinion to avoid
sugar altogether. This may be true in the case of severe candida infection, but once the infection
becomes more stable, regular consumption of fresh fruit is very beneficial for healing, especially
when taken with probiotics. I do however recommend complete avoidance of refined sugar, which
has many negative qualities in the body and should be avoided even by healthy people.

As far as substances used, I found particular effectiveness using Dr. Ohhiras probiotics, which
can be found at iherb.com for a good price. They are a bit expensive, but are well designed for
delivering essential bacteria into the gut. They are worth every penny in my opinion. I used these
for several months straight following Dr. Ohhiras recommended protocol. I also consumed
fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, and kombucha. Besides probiotic benefits, these
substances also have pH balancing effects, as well as vitamin and mineral content. I found that
the dairy in yogurt and kefir was a bit hard on my digestion, so after several months I stopped
making kefir, but I highly recommend it. Kombucha is also an amazing beverage. I really dont
understand why companies dont market kombucha as an energy drink. It is more potent than
anything currently on the market. I found myself becoming addicted to the caffeine in kombucha,
so I eventually stopped making it after several months, but I also highly recommend this as part of
protocol. Im sure I will be making these products again in the future at some point.

For antifungals, I mainly consumed foods with antifungal properties, particularly garlic. I also used
supplements containing the usual potion of Pau Darco, black walnut, oregano oil, and so on. A

decent product I used was called Candida Clear by NOW foods, although I think the best way to
take antifungals is in pure form. Rotating fresh garlic, oregano oil, and black walnut extract is a
very powerful antifungal combination in my opinion. Grapefruit seed extract is also an absolutely
necessity in terms of antifungals.

It is also important to know which antifungal drugs affect the flora in your intestines. There are two
posts on Curezone that I know of which give helpful insight on this matter:

The last treatment that I used is something that I came across within the last few months, and I
am very excited to talk about it. Its known as the Oil Protein diet by some and the Budwig
Protocol by others, named after the late German scientist Johanna Budwig. The premise is that
substances rich in omega-3 fatty acids provide an essential abundant supply of electrons for
healthy cell production and division in the body. Without the supply of electrons, cellular
reproduction is severely limited and often stagnated in many cases. This leads to poor production
of cells for all systems of our body, or even cellular mutations. And everyone knows that diseases
like cancer are the result of cell mutation.

Dr. Budwig found that the delivery of omega-3 fatty acids to cells required water solubility of the
fats. To accomplish this, the fats must be bonded to sulfur-rich protein. The bonding of fat to
protein is a natural occurrence in the body, but to speed up this process, Dr. Budwig found that
high-speed blending of quark or cottage cheese with flax oil at a 2:1 ratio provided an excellent
source of water-soluble fatty acids for use by the body. The effects on the health of her patients
were tremendous. Even those who were sent home to die of cancer within a matter of days
usually recovered using her protocol, because once cellular activity was restored, the systems of
the body could do their job of making the body well.

So how does this apply to candida overgrowth? If we understand that candida is the failure of the
immune system to control the candida population, then we can begin to see the connection. Let
us take the common white blood cell produced by the body, used to ward off infection. Some
white blood cells are designed to fight fungi like candida. In an environment where white blood
cell production is slowed, the overpopulation of candida can more easily occur because there are
not enough white blood cells for the job. This is only one example, since there are many
protective systems of the body which require efficient cellular reproduction to work optimally. It is
easy then to see how this protocol applies also to a disease like candida.

So it is my belief that this protocol is even more significant for use than even hydrogen peroxide
and certainly probiotics or antifungals. Why? Because restoring the health of cellular life on a
direct level means restoring all the systems of the body that normally do the things that we are
forcing the body to do through the use of things like probiotics.

Along with a proper diet, the use of the oil-protein protocol inevitably means the proper
repopulation of intestinal flora; it means the eradication of overpopulations of candida; it means
the restoration of the nervous system, which has profound implications of health for the digestive
system, which largely depends on efficient communication from electrical impulses from the brain.