Candida is a type of yeast which, under the right circumstances, can grow to biblical proportions inside your digestive tract. If this happens then there are literally hundreds of symptoms that can be generated. In naturopathic medicine we are taught that a diagnosis of Candida overgrowth (candidiasis) is a "garbage can" diagnosis. What this means is that there are so many symptoms which are associated with candidiasis, that virtually anybody coming into any doctor's office could reasonably be diagnosed with it - because they will inevitably have one or more of the symptoms associated with it. There are some wholistic physicians who just assume that everybody has a problem with candida and the first thing that they do (without any lab work to verify it) is treat the candida. I am not an advocate of this approach. Conventional medical doctors are not even aware that Candidiasis is a real thing, so they are of no help to us. (No surprise there.) 

There is a lab in Illinois (Doctors Data) which has the BEST test on the market to determine whether or not you really have a yeast problem. The name of the test is: Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology x 3.[1] In the same way that not all nutritional supplements are created equally, not all diagnostic labs are either. Doctor’s Data uses a very high-tech diagnostic technique (MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry) to analyze the stool sample for yeast, microbes, and parasites. It is a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool which has a very high degree of sensitivity and specificity. If you have an overgrowth of Candida in your digestive tract, then this test will determine that. Additionally, if Candida is found, the lab techs at Doctor's Data will culture it in a petri dish, and then attempt to kill it with a number of different drugs and nutritional supplements. Part of the report that you are sent when their analysis is complete is a description of which of these yeast killing products works best. Because conventional medical doctors are in the dark regarding Candidiasis, if you have been struggling with strong and persistent symptoms, but the MDs lab-work shows that you are perfectly healthy, then you should be tested for candida overgrowth.

MY Rx: In addition to the 90 EN:

• Flora Fx. 3 bottles per month (2 caps 3x daily). When we are attempting to kill yeast in the body there are 3 parts to the strategy: Kill it with a drug, and herb or a nutritional supplement; starve it with a low-sugar diet; and out-compete it by introducing Good and Healthy bacteria into the digestive tract (pre and Probiotics).

• Sweet-Eze: 1 bottle per 75 pounds per month, in divided doses taken at the Same Times Each day. This is to help your body be more efficient in metabolizing sugar. If sugar lingers in the blood for too long, it will feed the yeast. Not good.

• Good Herbs Antimicrobial Support: 1 bottle per 50 pounds per month for 1 month ONLY. The dose is: 1 teaspoon per bottle per day.

• Whatever nutritional supplements that your test results show kills your bugs the best. For 1-2 months only.

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[1] You can order this test yourself at: www.directlabs.com