Candida Success

Shelley is 30, she has had candida for 10 years, diagnosed for four years.
She works as an administrator for a dance charity.

Shelley is 30, she has had candida for 10 years, diagnosed for four years.
She works as an administrator for a dance charity.

Shelley suffered from severe candida symptoms: bloating, stomach cramps, nausea, lack of energy, feeling very ‘spaced out’/disconnected and quite frequently she felt pins and needles in her hands and feet and as if she was going down with ‘flu. She was also afflicted with haemorrhoids which were worsened by her candida. She also had a strange lump in the left hand side of her stomach – it had been checked out and deemed ‘OK’ by orthodox medicine. And she also kept losing weight.

In 2001 she was diagnosed by an holistic therapist using the Vega Method (electric energy pulses). This test confirmed she was intolerant to dairy, gluten, wheat and a number of other foods and substances. These results, together with her medical history led to a diagnosis of candida. Shelley followed the candida diet from this point onwards (and is still on it). Following a couple of months later after the die off effect had passed she started feeling much better and could lead a normal life again. However, she started becoming unwell again despite sticking to the diet in 2003. Towards the end of that year her health had severely deteriorated and her diet was more restricted than ever. She couldn’t eat potatoes or pulses and began to feel very frail. Then she started taking supplements as below for about six months but saw little improvement.

Shelley tried various natural methods – aloe vera juice, probiotics, herbal supplements, etc and went on the Candida Diet (which she still follows).

After all this self-help she decided to seek a professional’s advice again and in February 2004 scoured the internet for a possible solution. This led to her having weekly hourly one-to-one yoga therapy sessions. These proved successful in alleviating some of her symptoms.

However she was still unwell and decided in April 2004 to consult a naturopath. She followed a rather painful and unsuccessful bowel cleanse and then a course of probiotics. Her symptoms continued to improve but Shelley puts this down the yoga sessions and daily practice at home. Then her naturopath suggested she take Candigest Plus which she has also heard about via the Candida Society. Within a few weeks the aches, pains and nausea disappeared. She felt less lethargic and more positive. Her stomach cramps and bloating eased and the lump went away. Over time she managed to introduce more foods into her diet (such as potatoes, pulses and some processed foods) that previously had
caused her such discomfort. And she has gained weight. She feels much better now.

Shelley has now reduced her dosage from six tablets a day to one a day (gradually over a four month period). She tried coming off the Candigest Plus but became unwell almost immediately. So she is taking the Candigest Plus and a probiotic capsule (also from Immunecare) for maintenance.