Mainly directing this at powerlifer, but would appreciate other input.

What is the best way to incorporate these items into a raw vegan diet? I don't have any digestive issues as far as I know, but I have had a crappy diet for most of my life, used a ton of antibiotics as a kid, and have what I believe to be systemic fungal issues (itchy scalp, fatigue, toenail fungus). I usually add about 1 cup of cococonut water kefir to fruit smoothies as my first meal. Sometimes I drink raw ACV plain or put it on salad as my last meal. Just wondering how much I should use of each and when I should use them. Also is there anything else I should be considering? I otherwise eat lots of fruit and greens in general, take b12, d3, and kelp. I should probably get more exercise too.

Hey Jonathan,

From a medical point of view i don't believe in the whole systemic candidiasis/fungal theory that most of these candida websites make out. Systemic fungal issues rarely happen in healthy individuals i.e not with severe immuno-compromising issues such as cancer etc.

Anyway fermented foods are best consumed first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. This is when your stomach acid is lowest and thus repopulates the gut flora better rather than with taking as part of your smoothie.

A cup morning and night is great for the kefir, for the raw ACV 1-2 tablespoons is fine mid-meal for increasing stomach acid if that is an issue.

Fatigue can be caused from a variety of different conditions, ill always believe the main being poor adrenal gland function especially if stressed or have other adrenal gland related symptoms. But in honesty there are many other issues which can cause fatigue.

Have you taken care of the toenail fungus, again its localized i don't believe in the systemic issue being the cause from a medical point of view. But there are a few tools you can use to get rid of that if interested.

That's great information, thanks. I guess I have to drink the kefir straight then. It's not very pleasant to do so, but I will if it's more effective. I usually drink a quart of water in the morning as well. Should I drink the kefir first and wait a bit to prevent dilution? Or does it matter? I might continue to add it to my smoothies as well. It gives them a really nice taste, just like fruit flavored yogurt.

I'm not sure if stomach acid is an issue for me. I've been taking the ACV because I heard it was a remedy for toenail fungus, both directly on the nail and taken internally. Anyway, I definitely have not solved the toenails yet. They are worse now than ever. I've tried many things over the years, but currently I'm trying to go barefoot as often as possible, clip and file my nails down regularly, stick to a raw vegan diet, and take the kefir and ACV. I also wear toe socks to prevent contact and moisture between my toes. I've tried various soaks (vinegar, h2o2) and topical applications (vicks) in the past, but I find them to be a messy hassle. I might try applying tea tree oil right before I put my socks on, but I'd honestly prefer to see them heal from the inside out. I figure a healthy body should be able to rid itself of the infection without topical treatment. And I take that to mean that my body is not very healthy right now... which itself is a much bigger problem than the appearance of my toenails...

For the fatigue, perhaps I will try the adaptogenic herbs you recommend. I did go to school for engineering so I suppose I've had a fair amount of stress. I think I saw an article on your site. I'll check that out. Would I take them and expect to see an energy boost similar to taking caffeine or other stimulants?

Sadly you wont see any energy boost like your would a CNS stimulant such as caffeine with adaptogenic herbs. Although very small amount such as american licorice, korean ginseng and rhodiola rosea have mild stimulative properties. Those i prefer to avoid as i don't recommend stimulants plus there are much better adaptogens such as schizandra berry, jiaogulan, ashwagandha, siberian ginseng, maca root, suma root, chinese licorice, reishi mushroom etc. You will notice a mild energy boost, i.e if you have trouble waking up in the morning a dose of these will get you a little moving, or if your struggling to stay awake but need to whilst working a night job a dose will keep you naturally going. But they wont harm your adrenal glands or stimulate your CNS in a way say caffeine would.

These adaptogenic herbs restore adrenal gland function whilst providing a natural energy boost.

Your toenail fungus sounds quite stubborn, you should try thyme oil which has strong anti-fungal properties more so than tea tree oil. You can even apply some of the kefir to your nail.

Even though water can dilute stomach acid, id recommend taking the fermented foods first thing and last thing before bed. Nothing wrong with adding a little to your smoothie also.

A girlfriend of mine conquered a very stubborn case of foot fungus with a nightly soak in hot water and tea tree oil. I think she may have started out with a twice daily soak actually. Anyhow, that followed by a topic treatment of the thyme oil and maybe some colloidal silver might do it. I also quite like MMS (miracle mineral solution) for disinfecting things, perhaps as a last resort you could soak in that if the oils and silver don't work for you.

a friend of mine soaked in a strong black tea to kill a really persistent foot fungus, but one night she soaked to long and all the skin came off her foot the next day, and the layer underneath was extremely sensitive... so it seems black tea is very strong,so my suggestion would be to make up a small amount of really strong black tea, and dab it on to the affected areas ( that is if any of these other great suggestions dont work for you) the other suggestions given here are all awesome as well, just thought id offer another option.

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Black tea is rich in tannins curator which have been shown to have anti-fungal and astringent properties.

cool

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

powerlifer when I took a lot of antibiotics some years ago I got a lot of local yeast infections (thrush, fingernails,itchy scalp and athletes foot). At the same kind I got major fatigue and sleepiness. I did not have that before. I also got a lot of other symtpoms on the candida list coincidentally at about the same time.
How would you explain them (ie the fatigue) if they are not due to candida ? i am curious - I have also wondered if the candida theory is really true but in my case I did get all these things after taking antibiotics.

one thing that helped me a lot for clearing localised fungal infections from a 10 day fast where i took coconut water. So far they have not returned....

Local treatments that I have found good are grapefruit seed extract mixed with coconut oil and neem oil.

Candida and candidiasis is very real, just in most cases not to the extent these candida sites make out that its the root of all diseases and ailments. I would say its as overblown as the acid/alkaline and parasite theory. Systemic candida mostly only occurs in severely immuno-compromised individuals and can be deadly.

Lack of flora that had been killed off, low stomach acid and poor nutrient absorption in turn, other opportunistic microbes can be causes. The main issue being a lack of good bacteria from being killed off.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

I suffered from severe candidiasis for a large part of my adult life. I went mostly raw/vegan during my last pregnancy, when I was diagnosed (again) with Gestational Diabetes. I was also informed to take barley grass juice concentrate. After 3 to 4 days of being completely raw, along with barley grass, my skin completely cleared up and a short time after that, my scalp had cleared up as well. I noticed the first few days (this may be TMI) after eliminating, there were black floating specks in the toilet. I was a bit freaked out, because black in stool is likely blood, but I did some research and found that it was die-off. Anyway, the bumps I had on the tops of my arms for most of my life also disappeared, no more sores in my mouth, etc.

I had to have an emergency c-section with my daughter, which meant, I was given IV antibiotics in the hospital. I'm still mostly raw, but it's been a bit tough since the baby was born, plus, we have a 3 year old son who is not taking well to raw food at all, so we eat a little cooked organic food with him once or twice a week, so we can be eating as a family and not him eating something different. Anyway, my skin is now horrible, my mouth has sores in it again and my scalp is itchy and out of control- along with really bad cravings for sugar and carbs. I am breastfeeding, so I cannot take barley grass juice, as I have read over and over that it will dry up your milk supply. My naturopath has given me the okay to take candex, but I think it's upsetting my babies' tummy and it also doesn't seem to be working.

I do take probiotics in the morning and evening, but I am getting very frustrated! I am eating more fruit now than when I was pregnant on account that I had G.D. and had to watch my carb intake.. I know fruit contains sugar but I want to keep carbs up for making rich milk for my growing baby. (I don't eat all fruit, just more than I used to.. i eat tons of greens/seeds/nuts/veggies as well)

Ugh. Fungal issues are terrible! I feel your pain and I hope someone has more ideas that are safe for breastfeeding.

Aloha nui loa

merry, did your fatigue and other candida symptoms clear up eventually? If so what do you attribute it to?


I finally went to the doctor to resolve my toenail issue, and he prescribed lamasil, which I have been taking for a few days. He said it was very safe and I trust this particular doctor so I haven't looked into the side effects much. Anyway I hope if helps more than it hurts. I even wonder if it will help with my fatigue, itchy scalp, and other "candida symptoms". When I told the doctor about the other symptoms he just said it was "normal" and "part of getting older" or some crap. Obviously I'm not happy accepting that.

I'm using MMS topically to clear up an infection on my thumb and it's working GREAT! Not MSM, MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution).

To reduce candida you can take a competitive yeast Saccharomyces boulardie 3 capsules/day for 3 weeks. If you notice fermentation in the GI tract and gas you can kick back the anaerobic overgrowth by taking a dropper full of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide in a glass of non-chlorinated water, on an empty stomach, to reduce the load of opportunistic pathogenic microbes. But the main approach to keeping your respiration and ecology aerobic is to not give the bugs sugar and carbs in the first place, and to even keep fruit to a minimum. Activated charcoal is a binding agent that is taken orally, will help to absorb those toxins in the digestive tract and prevent them from being absorbed, so can be taken during die-off phase to prevent autotoxication, and reticulation of toxins into the liver. Drink Plenty of Water and Eat lots of Fiber - to flush the Candida toxins from your system as quickly as possible and restore your body's proper pH levels to kill the candida bacteria from the inside. You can use Bovine colostrum and probiotics during the repopulation phase and you can also make Sauerkraut with kefir powder for repopulation.

The liver most actively performs its functions at night, so you need to stop the overgrowth of anaerobic feeders in the GI tract overnight and thereby prevent the liver from being inundated with toxins and unable to do its work properly. Candida Away is a chitin inhibitor. By preventing the outer chitin layer of the yeast cell wall from being created the yeast becomes weak and exposed to your natural defenses that will attack and kill the Candida. Take one capsule of Candida Away and 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil before bed and let it absorb throughout the night it will be optimal.