Candida Article #4: More Gentle Approach

Should you always go for the most aggressive possible anti candida programme?
 

What to do if you're too sensitive to use our strongest anti candida products.

Although I get calls from customers all the time who ask me to suggest the strongest possible anti candida programme the truth is such a programme is unsuitable for some people. This may be because their candida problem is very severe, or it may be because they are very sensitive. These people tend to feel worse instead of better when they try to use what for the majority of people are our stronger products. Some examples of products which are too strong for some people include Threelac, Fivelac, Thyme  Formula and Cat's Claw. 

I do not recommend these products for those individuals (at least not initially) if they make their symptoms worse instead of better, I don't subscribe to the view that the most aggressive approach is the best one in every case, and I do not believe that you need to feel even worse before you get better. The above mentioned products as with all natural approaches, are usually excellent providing you are able to tolerate a reasonably robust approach.

But here's what I recommend if you are one of those people who require a more slow and steady approach. You will still be able to get better, it just may take a bit longer:-

Deal with the candida toxins first and prior to doing anything to eradicate the candida.

Herbal Products

I think Wild Endive Formula is helpful for all candida sufferers, but is especially valuable for the severe cases or sensitive people. According to my mentor, candida produces over 150 known toxins, which are, as their name suggests, toxic to the body. These people should use one of the two main products designed to help with reducing candida toxins: Wild Endive Formula or Wild Endive Formula A as their primary product for at least two months. They are almost the same, but the 'A' formula is a ginger free version which has no anti-candida action at all, whereas the non 'A' formula may have some very minimal anti action. If ever that doesn't work, or isn't sufficient (which is pretty rare) we recommend Burbur-Pinella. In sensitive individuals or people with very severe candida, they should ONLY use one or both of these products, combined with the nutrients below, and a colon cleanse product before doing anything else - for anything from 4-12 weeks. And just doing these things will often get people feeling a lot better. 

Nutrients

All or any of the other products in the section "Candida die-off" will enhance the effects of using Wild Endive Formula or Burbur-Pinella. Molydenum. Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin C and Omega 3 oils are all very useful. In the rare instances of those who cannot tolerate botanical food supplements, these should be used as an alternative for reducing candida toxins.

Clean Your Colon

An equally important thing to do to assist  / prevent die-off is to clean your colon. This is good for everyone, but is essential if you are constipated. Any of our colon cleansing products will be useful both for the candida and the candida toxins. Did you really think you could eradicate candida if your guts were full of gunk? Of course you can't. These products use oxygen to gently cleanse the colon, remove impacted faecal matter, and at the same time create a terrain in the colon that is unfavourable to candida and other harmful microorganisms. 

For those who are ready for attack the candida, but want or need to to do it gently:

You can still use Wild Endive Formula, but you can add in more products at this stage. We have quite a wide range of products, so this is not a fully comprehensive list. Also you do not necessarily need all of them. Read the detailed web pages and listen to your own intuition. The list below is of some of the products we regard as being on the gentler side. Although the stronger products generally work faster, this is not the case for everyone, as different things work for different people. Therefore anyone who is not getting better on any particular regime after 8-12 weeks may want to consider these products. We would like to suggest not to phone us to ask which one is the best. This is really a waste of time as their is no single product which is comprehensively the best product for all the people all of the time. But our favourites would include one or more of the following : -

Oxygen Elements Max and Oxylift are two similar products both designed to flood the body with oxygen. You don't need both of them. View both of them, and choose whichever one your gut feeling tells you to go for. As candida is anaerobic, this has a powerful anticandidal effect. They also create an environment where candida and other dysbiotic microrganisms don't thrive in the first place. These products belong in this article on a gentle approach providing you start on a low dosage. We recommend sensitive people to start on just one drop twice per day in a little water, and build up to the label dosage of 7 drops 3 x per day over a few weeks. A lot of people underestimate these products, and frequently ignore my advice to take them, or dabble with them rather than follow my suggestions. This begs the question of why they ask for my advice in the first place. My advice is not to underestimate them. They are powerful, and very helpful. They will also help to super charge your immunity and you will get a lot less colds and flu's when taking them. 

Oregano Formula is a blend of Oregano, Lemon Balm, Ginger, Yellow Dock, Cinnamon, Echinacea and Rosemary  - all of which have anticandidal activity. Like our flagship product, Thyme Formula, Oregano Formula contains 7 herbs all of which are traditionally used to combat candida, but do so much less aggressively. Like with all botanical food supplements, if you dabble with it, you are wasting your time and money. We recommend taking the label suggested dosage for at least 2-3 months to test whether its working, and often 6 months or more to eradicate candida. If you feel you are ready to go for something more aggressive, then you can replace Oregano Formula with Thyme Formula after 2-3 months, but don't read into it that we are suggesting that Oregano Formula is weak and ineffective. This is not the case. 

The active ingredient of this product, caprylic acid has long been extolled for its anti candida properties and is very widely used in natural medicine. Whilst this is true, we still regard caprylic acid based products as gentle rather than aggressive.

Although our most popular anti-candida probiotics are Threelac and Fivelac, for some sensitive people, they are too strong, and in that situation, I usually recommend starting with one other probiotic products instead. The first is Bio-Kult. Originally formulated for children, but frequently used by adults, Bio-Kult is a 14 strain probiotic which comes in a 30, 60 or 120 capsule size pack size. Although it is in some sense gentler than Threelac and Fivelac, this does not mean it is inferior. Once again it's just a question of individudal results varying, and we do find that some people find them more effective than Threelac or Fivelac.

Latero-Flora

As an alternative to Bio-Kult or Symbion, a lot of people who are super sensitive do very well with this single strain probiotic. The fact that it's a single strain greatly reduces the chances of intolerance, andis super easy for th body to handle. Contains the Bacillus laterosporus (B.O.D.™ strain) probiotic, which is very helpful for candida and food intolerances. On our main web page, you will see some impressive reviews from customers, showing that single strains can be useful in some cases. 

Heal the Leaky Gut / Relieve Irritable Bowel

In most cases we take the view that one should eliminate candida toxins, then eradicate candida and then heal the leaky gut which accompanies virtually all cases. However some people whose guts are very inflamed may need to consider using products like Marshmallow Formula, Colostrum, MSM or Glutamine to soothe and heal their guts. These products are all found in this section of the web site. It's probably also worth mentioning that these products tend to help heal or at least reduce food intolerances.

How To Know When You Are Better

To a large extent it will be obvious because you'll feel so much better. You'll have more energy, have less aches and pains, your immune system will be stronger, digestive difficulties will diminish, in many cases anxiety and depression will lift and your skin will be radiant. However feeling better isn't good enough for you, we find this free candida test to be a reasonably accurate guide as to whether the treatment is working. We suggest doing it once every month or so to assess progress.

Wishing you all candida free good health
Mark G. Lester - Director, general busybody and clever cloggs, The Finchley Clinic Ltd

This article was originally written for a newsletter in September 2009, and updated in December 2021.

* Legal Disclaimer: The article above is not a substitute for conventional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, and is not written by a medical doctor. Always discuss any health problem you are concerned about, and any product you are considering taking with your doctor. No matter how frustrating it may be if you don't think you are being taken seriously or  feel you are being listened to, which sadly we get a lot of complaints about, we are legally obliged to advise you to always consult your doctor on any health concerns you have.