When you go on a Candida Diet, it’s already hard enough that you have to restrict or eliminate certain foods, but dealing with candida die-off can make the whole situation not only more difficult but sometimes simply and completely horrendous.
Candida Die-off is something that I personally dealt with (and yes, it was bad), so I wanted to talk about what die-off is and how you can best deal with it.
This is so important because candida is bad news. And you need to get it out of your life, but if the getting rid off part is horrible you might be tempted to stop and that’s the last thing you want to do.
Let’s figure out more about candida die-off symptoms and learn how to deal with them so you can tackle this beast that is candida, and win, without knocking yourself out in the process!
What Is Candida
First, let’s briefly touch on what candida is.
Candida is a common name for the fungus Candida albicans. This fungus is present in everyone to some extent, but when it grows out of control, it becomes a problem. Candida is responsible for female yeast infections, thrush, some breast infections, skin eruptions, nail fungus, and more.
Candida is fed by sugar and carbohydrates. And this makes sense because candida is a yeast, and we all know how yeast grows when you add sugar to it, right?
Well, when you add sugar to candida, it grows. And when it grows too much you have candida overgrowth, but people who deal with the situation simply say that you have candida, meaning that you have way too much of it. The candida is thought to grow and become invasive, even digging into intestinal walls and leading to leaky gut and more.
Candida Epidemic
It’s clear that we have an epidemic of candida going on as people eat way too many sugars and refined carbohydrates. In fact, all carbs feed candida, but some are worse offenders than others. For example, sugar feeds candida more than sweet potatoes due to the higher glycemic load.
Evidence (and possibly part of the cause) of the candida epidemic is the huge amount of advertisements for vaginal itching and yeast infections. Clearly, tons of women are dealing with this issue (why else would the drug makers spend that much money on all of those commercials and ads?), they are told to take drugs to deal with it, but no one is talking about how to get rid of the problem. Couple that with the horrid diet in most of the Western world, and you’ve got a mess.
Add to that the fact that apparently, the anti-fungals meds cause the fungus to mutate, making it harder to fight, so the infections just get worse and worse.
Candida is not something to mess around with. It can be just an itch and some other discomfort, but when it gets really bad it can affect one’s daily life and candida can even cause death. Yeah, really–it can be that bad.
What is Candida Die-Off
Candida Die-off is what is known as a Herxheimer reaction. The Herxheimer Reaction is really a Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction, discovered by 2 dermatologists who saw reactions related to the treatment of syphilis treated with mercury.
It’s thought to be symptoms of toxins being released by dying organisms, hence the name “die-off.”
When you reduce candida’s food (starches) and try to kill it off, the candida fungus dies, releasing toxins into the body. And toxins are, well–Toxic! So your body gets flooded with toxins and gets overwhelmed.
Hence, you don’t feel well. You can get all kinds of symptoms from candida die-off, and they aren’t pleasant, so let’s learn what they are and how to manage them.
Candida Die-Off Symptoms
There are many possible candida die-off symptoms that you might experience. Here is a list of them:
- Nausea
- Flu-like symptoms
- Acne or other breakouts
- Headache, fatigue, dizziness
- Swollen glands
- Insomnia or other sleep problems
- Bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea
- Joint or muscle pain
- Elevated heart rate
- Chills or cold feelings in extremities
- Itching, hives, and/or rashes
- Sweating
- Fever
- Depression and/or fatigue
- Vaginal itching
- Vaginal, prostate, and/or sinus issues or infections
- Lethargy
My Experience with Candida Die-Off
When I finally had my “come to Jesus” moment about my candida situation and started on my sugar-free life, I read up on the candida diet and decided to plunge in. I was so desperate for healing–I had a lot of itching, brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, and more.
I was ready for change.
The Candida diet program that I decided to go with was on the Whole Approach site. {Side note: I’m not sure about the whole program, or what else might have been going on with me, since I ended up feeling worse after doing the protocol, but just wanted you all to know that. It might have been that going too low carb messed with my thyroid as mentioned in this post about thyroid healing.)
The program recommended about 1/2 cup of gluten-free grains or starchy vegetables at each meal. Well, I figured that if eating 1/2 cup of grains or starchy vegetables at each meal was going to help me, then none would help me even more.
BIG MISTAKE.
I had candida die-off like you wouldn’t believe.
Sorry for the TMI, but I had lots and lots of gas, abdominal distress, and even GREEN STOOLS. I distinctly remember sitting on the sofa and looking up conditions associated with green stool and well, some of them weren’t things I wanted to face.
Turns out it was all just really bad candida die-off, and my green stool was candida die-off stool. Nice, huh?
I guess I had one nasty candida infection.
Yeah, sugar and I aren’t friends any longer.
How to Manage Candida Die-Off
Some people think that having a lot of candida die-off symptoms is a sign that you are doing the right thing. Others, however, think that the die-off means that you are putting too much stress on your system and that you will, in effect, jeopardize overall healing. I tend to think the truth is somewhere in the middle.
It’s good to know that things are moving in the right direction, but too much stress is not good for your body.
There are a number of things you can do to minimize die-off symptoms and help your body deal with the elimination of candida toxins more effectively.
Reduce the Intake of Anti-fungals
If you are taking anti-fungals to speed up the removal of candida, just back off of them.
Don’t Limit Carb Intake Too Severely
But do avoid traditionally-sweetened treats. Try cycling in healthy carbs in the afternoon and evening meals. There is quite a bit of research showing that’s great for your adrenals and thyroid healing too.
Improve Liver Health
Since the liver filters all kinds of toxins, taking care of your liver during times of detox is crucial. Die-off stresses your liver, so take care to support yours as much as possible.
Drink More Water
Water helps flush out toxins.
Drink lots of it and please be sure to read how to make tap water safe.
Reduce Probiotic Consumption
Probiotics compete with the bad guys. That’s a good thing but slowing down the process can help manage die-off.
If you have histamine intolerance, low-histamine probiotics are the way to go.
Reduce Consumption of Candida-Fighting Foods
This will help reduce die-off symptoms.
Rest
Rest rejuvenates. This will also allow your body to deal with the stress of die-off by taking time to rest.
Take Toxin Binders
There are a lot of products that you can use to bind up the mycotoxins released when candida dies. One powerful option is zeolite. I had an amazing experience with liquid zeolite highlighted in this post on heavy metal toxicity.
Activated Charcoal is another good one to consider. One of my practitioners recommended taking Yin Chiao Jin to help minimize die-off symptoms. Personally, I think the first two options are best.
Eat More Fermented Foods
Fermented foods have beneficial bacteria that help deal with inflammation and they help process waste products. This Easy Homemade Sauerkraut is a great one to keep in your kitchen at all times.
Stay Regular!
If you are at all constipated during candida treatment, your body won’t be able to remove toxins from your gut. Do whatever you can to stay regular. You can try things like magnesium, taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance, or enemas.
Strata Flora is a fantastic probiotic blend that almost always helps us “go” :).
Sweat a Little
Do anything you can, from a walk to some rebounding, to sitting in a sauna.
Gentle exercising is best since besides releasing toxins through sweating you also will stimulate the lymphatic system.
Breathe Deeply
Deep breathing brings more oxygen into your cells and boosts the immune system. In–out. In–out…
Take Vitamin C
Vitamin C boosts the immune system and helps support your body during times of stress. We really like this Sodium Ascorbate. This Adrenal Tonic is loaded with vitamin c and would be a great thing to sip on all day while dealing with candida die-off.
Increase Antioxidants
Antioxidants help your body deal with the oxidative stress and increase of toxicity in your body from candida-die off. Juicing is one great option as is increasing your intake of most of these superfoods.
Try Adaptogens
Adaptogens help your body handle stressors better. There are many kinds of adaptogens–one thing to keep in mind is that some are mushrooms. Typically one would avoid mushrooms on the candida diet, but medicinal ones are considered to be fine.
How to Avoid Candida Die-Off
The best way to avoid candida die-off is basically to not get candida in the first place. However, since you are reading this post, I’m assuming that you, or someone you know, already have it. Sorry about that. I know it’s rough.
So the next best thing to do is to not go full force into the candida diet, or at least include SOME carbs into your candida diet when you do change up your eating. Basically, don’t do what I did.
Go ahead and attack the candida, but not too hard.
And remember–Eat. Some. Carbs.
