03/06/2009: Jessica from Toronto, Ontario Canada replies: "The reason people Criticize the Atkins Diet is the emphasis on meat which is a major component in the acidity of westerners bodies. A high meat diet even with adequate carbohydrates (in their healthy form) is toxic. Which is why all natural health practitioners who treat Candida put their patients on a low meat protein High veg, fruit and whole grain diet. Also the meat industry notoriously puts profits before people and are a major cause of environmental destruction so it is actually conflicting information to promote a high meat diet and a people before profits message. "

04/01/2009: Sharon from Vancouver, BC Canada replies: "Historically humans have survived on whatever natural food was available and adapted. First problem; Refined grains falsely appeared cheaper to buy because refining increased the volume of food but decreased the nutritional value. Second problem; Then about 200 years ago someone learned how to refine sugar but the body has never learned how to handle the tremendous load of carbohydrates that flood directly into your bloodstream just like a drug. Third problem; Mix refined grains with refined sugar, and hey maybe add some yeast or milk, and what do you get?...You get the perfect food for yeasts, molds and fungus and a product that is not fit for human nutrition or consumption.

Dr. Atkins was a humanitarian cardiologist who came under attack in 1973 and was charged with fraud by the AMA and the FDA for suggesting to the public that our commercialized diets of refined carbohydrates was killing us with obesity, heart attacks and diabetes. He recommended cutting out sugars and refined starches to cure heart disease and he proposed that all major diseases have one thing in common and that is a "metabolic imbalance that causes carbohydrate intolerance".

In his book he opposed a diet predominantly composed of refined carbs and called our culture of "coke-cake-catsup-cookies-candy" a "killing culture". Atkins also wrote in his book that "candy bars and soft drinks should carry a warning on the package the same as on cigarette packages stating that the product could be dangerous to your health". The Rockefellers, Coke, Pepsi, Kellogg's etc. took offence to these statements and lobbied the gov. to charge Atkins with fraud in order to suppress and manipulate his information and went on a campaign to discredit his ideas. The vicious attack worked, most people still won't actually read the book for themselves but still feel they are qualified to criticise it based solely on the AMA's and FDA's propaganda.

Obesity and heart disease now affects over 35% of the population; some of our youngest generation will die before their parents and 40% of us will get cancer during our lives and yet the AMA refuses to relate the increasing rates of disease to our nutritionally depleted and toxic commercial diets.

Atkins was not rigid or dogmatic in his food recommendations as long as they where low carb. He recommended eggs, cheese, fish and shellfish in addition to lamb, veal, poultry and beef and those who have read the book would know that Atkins states in his book that the "best source of protein is EGGS". He also recommends that you eat mainly watery fruits and vegetables as opposed to starchy ones and even in his most restricted carb diet which is short term and intended to repair your metabolism he recommends using lemons.

Why was the Atkins diet really attacked? You might as well just ask yourself why America is the only advanced country in the world that does not have universal health care and why medical professionals are not trained in the bodies nutritional needs or detecting nutritional deficiencies. You might also ask yourself why the gov. has tried to ban the sale of vitamins and natural health products...could it be because it's just more profitable to keep you sick and keep you using dangerous and expensive Rx medications forever and lure you into falsely believing that commercial food products are safe and healthy.

Unfortunately, suggesting that people who are sick should focus on controversial environmental and political issues is too demanding when you understand that Candida can make life not worth living even if it doesn't kill you! Of course we should all try to reduce or eliminate our beef consumption just as we should our consumption of pollution and war fuelling oil/gas products and even those mislabelled 'friendly biofuels' that waste millions of acres of agricultural land. If you accept political/corporate explanations of global warming targeted at gaining your willingness if not your eagerness to pay billions in carbon taxes without examining the science then you are ignoring the reality of HAARP, the fact that Europeans have been attacking the northern ice shield with icebreakers for over 30 years in order to create a northern shipping channel, and that this winter 08/09 was the coldest one on record for over 30 years. The truth is that long term the earth is headed for another mini ice age cycle and political and corporate controls that only serve to manipulate and withhold information were designed for ensuring profits and raising taxes and make for extremely bad science. Just try to explain why our gov. is currently spending billions on bailing out car manufacturers who still insist on producing more gas guzzling environmentally polluting vehicles and bankers who have taken record profits and bonuses based on fraud.

The reality today is that about 97% of N. Americans are carnivorous and about 1% are strict vegans who use no animal products and about 2% are vegetarians who do not usually use animal products except for eggs, milk and cheese. Any vegan will find a low carb diet almost impossible unless he lives almost entirely on nuts but 'vegetarians' who eat animal products can easily substitute eggs or cheese for meat protein with full approval from Dr. Atkins. Many people including myself believe it's hypocritical for 'vegetarians' to condemn those who eat chicken or beef but feel it's perfectly acceptable to eat a chicken embryo and wear leather Birkenstocks. Vegans who are hostile, dogmatic and radical against all meat eaters or Atkins but have never even read his book also naively play very nicely into the secret agendas of the commercial food producers.

It is estimated that up to 80% of the population suffers from Candida related diseases and a low carb diet is absolutely necessary for a sustained recovery. There are many good low carb diets and the main point is to be aware of your consumption of carbs by getting a carb counter and then counting them. While the average N. American today consumes 200-300 grams of carbs per day, a low carb corrective diet should consist of from 10 to 50 grams per day depending on individual tolerance levels.

The Dr. Atkins diet can quickly and easily teach you how to stay on a low carb diet, for weight loss or carb restriction diets-but first you have to actually read the book!

After you have carbs under control, are feeling healthy and happy, maybe then you might like to investigate the vegan lifestyle. We can best heal ourselves and the world by developing an attitude of compassionate understanding that facilitates a genuine dialogue because real changes in our global perspective are never achieved by self serving attacks, self declared claims of moral superiority, criticism or nutritional dogmatic beliefs that only serve to create more confusion in the lives of millions of people who are already suffering.

Dr. Atkins exposed our commercialized diets as detrimental to our health in 1972 and his work has been consistently and repeatedly vindicated by over 20 independent scientific studies over the past four years from 2004-2008. The medical validity of the Atkins Diet has been proven by research out of Harvard, Duke University, the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Atkins tried to warn Americans in 1973 that their diets are killing them and his book is much more than a diet book, it's an education you need to help you reclaim your health since it can quickly and easily teach 97% of you how to stay on a low carb diet which will help you lose your cravings for sugar, starch, alcohol and caffeine by restoring your normal carbohydrate metabolism; plus as a little bonus it is an effective diet for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. If you'd like to find a natural cure and a simple treatment method to correct a "metabolic imbalance that causes carbohydrate intolerance" the Aitkins Diet can teach you how to stay on a low carb diet without suffering...but first you will have to open your mind and actually read the book!"

04/01/2009: Bob from Memphis, TN replies: "That was right on target. I love the fact that you mentioned so many times "if you just read the book". I have talked to sooo many people over the years that claim to have read it and actually never did. What a funny thing to lie about. Anyway, I was a runner for about 10 years, started after I quit smoking in 1990. In the 90's of course, is when everything you heard was about how fat makes you fat. So, as long as it didn't contain any fat you could eat it and not have to worry. Pasta, bread, coke, potatoes, sugar, and on and on, the wonderful world of fat-free products was born. How many hours I spent reading labels in the grocyer learning how much fat was in what. Well, in about the year 1999 I came down with severe arthritis in one of my knees and after trying to nurse it back over a year the orthopedic told me I would have to give up running. In case you didn't know, telling a runner he can't run any more is pretty devastating. They did tell me I could find something else to do such as biking, walking, swimming, etc. I tried several different things and everything seemed to still bother my knee. So, I wasn't really getting much aerobic activity. For the first time in my life I started putting on some weight and I didn't like it. Keep in mind I am still eating the fat free lifestyle. A lot of pasta, bread, all that good starchy fat free stuff. I decided to try the Atkins diet. I worked with some rather large people at the time who had gone on it and had lost significant amounts of weight. So, I bought the Atkins book and read it from cover to cover. Absolutely the most boring thing I had ever read in my life, but I did read it. In the year 2000 I started keeping a daily journal of how much I weighed and what I ate. I went on a strict diet, using the atkins method and the weight started coming off. Keep in mind I am not a big person and had only put on maybe 15-20 pounds. But, if you are not a very big person that can be quite a bit of weight. Anyway, this many years later I have gone on it and gone off of it. It doesn't take long if I go off of it that I start putting on some unwanted pounds. If I start eating pasta, rice, potatoes and sweets I start putting the weight back on again. In a couple of months probably 15 or so pounds. And, no I don't eat large amounts of food if I go off it. I am very conscious of portions and I am not a snacker. So, after many years of analyzing this subject I will still get into arguments with people about what has caused the world to become so fat. And rightfully so when you "still" today have nutritionists who preach to the world that fat is what makes you fat. Now keep in mind that fat is not good for you. And that is why the original writer's post is so right on target. The people who have never read the Atkins book think you are going to live on eggs, bacon and cheese for the rest of your life. This is so absulutely untrue. I explain it to paople like this where anyone can understand it. Fat makes you fat on the inside not on the outside. In other words fat does clog your arteries, cause heart problems and on and on. But, it is the sugar and starch that people consume huge quantities of that is killing so many people. My theory is if our government would make it illegal to sell flour and sugar this nation would be much healthier for it. But, of course, that is not going to happen. So, people ask me well what do you eat. I tell them, anything I want except for flour and sugar. And, when I feel like splurging, which we all have to do once in a while, my poison of choice is pasta or a homemade scratch dessert. Lean meats, veg's, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains are the way to go. Even potatoes and corn once in a while aren't going to kill you. The amount of starch and sugar that the average overweight American takes in in a single day is staggering and they can't figure out why they won't lose weight. One of these days this country is going to realize that when you go to a fast food joint it is not the fat that is making the world so overweight it is the buns-flour, fries-starch, giant coke-sugar, fried chicken-the flour coating, the meat and cheese were the best part of the meal. The best diet that I have found that works for me becuase I will be the first to admit, I love sugar and starch, is: meat, veg's and fruit during the week and pizza or pasta on saturday night. Everyone has to find what works for them. Good luck!"

04/01/2009: Bessie from Calgary, Alberta, Canada replies: "Thanks Sharon for such an informative and interesting post! I did read several books by Atkins years ago but I didn't really apply anything I learned (a bad habit of mine). However, I'm determined to slowly wean myself away from refined carbs (bread and pasta are the worse for me). Thanks for the reminder that a healthful diet is within our reach. Cheers!"

[YEA]  02/09/2010: Trisha from Orange, California replies: "Sharon, thank you so much for writing that out. I agree 100 % with what you are saying. I really hope other people read what you wrote, it is life changing. I wish I was paying to see you as a doctor and not the one I go to now! :("

02/09/2010: Someone Who Cured Candida Naturally from Spice City, Mi replies: "So Phoenix, what advice or experience are you offering exactly? I come in peace, but I gotta call you out a bit here.

Have you had firsthand experience with Candida? If so, please share with us your wisdom and share loudly. That's kind of why we're all here and reading.

Can't take the fact that Candida may be widespread? Get out of the kitchen! Search Wikipedia for often-suppressed natural health information!? Are you for real! (Hey, I mean no harm...but really!? I swear you are blowing your allopathic medicine-worshipping cover) If not, what purpose does your post serve? Well!?

Some of the statements you make are untrue; at the very least, WIDELY open to debate. WIDELY. Please refrain from sharing your hasty google search 'findings' as we here know how to do that for ourselves, thank you.

Again, I ask you: Have you firsthand experience with Candida? Because I have, and cured myself...and learned SO much in the process about the complexity of the thing... Millions of dollars of research haven't exactly been thrown at the thing like it's a Pink Ribbon cure you know.

And, I'll have you know that it was the Yeast Connection book that did help immensely, along with independant articles/research put into very disciplined practice. I also connected many dots from the book as to causes, which would not have been well understood or examined without the education found in that book. And talking with others (for one, a naturapathic physician who also had Candida) further helped to validate my findings.

Yes, this is such a complex situation, and I am only one unique individual with my own unique health record. I do believe there are other methods that could be helpful than what I did; that there is no 'black and white' cure all, that lifestyle changes may be necessary for the duration needed to achieve cure, and there is so much still to learn. Wow, big surprise!

Compared to other conditions, the info on Candida is extremely sparse. It is only yet begun! How can you come here and claim to know it all! (Notice there is no question mark at the end of my statement. You don't need one when you know the truth: that your post is bankrupt)

If you have absolutely no firsthand experience, or a helpful idea, please limit yourself to subjects you know more about instead of trying to discourage and belittle people who seek healing and true contributions, whether negative or positive."

02/10/2010: Cindy from Ch, Wi replies: "i would be interested in knowing how you cured your candida, thank you"

02/11/2010: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa replies: "Personally, I think this is a very important dialogue to have. To be honest I was perplexed too at phoenix's post questioning the candida issue being as widespread as it is. I have done quite a bit of research over the years and have helped people overcome it and really believe it is a major problem here in America. Perhaps, in Australia you aren't seeing it. Maybe your diet's are better there. Not so here in the US. Candida is a very serious problem but, yes there are people who could mistake it for other imbalances in the digestive tract.

We should look at this. What can lead to C. ?(for brevity's sake I will call it C.) It is caused mainly from a combination of way too many carbs in the diet, sugar, processed foods, really anything not close to original source, rampant use of antibiotics here in the US and also poor environments too such as molds or fungus growing home/workplace.

C. is a yeast or mold form itself. It can affect the skin, throat=thrush, organs and in women manifests as yeast infections. It is this alone that women are more affected than men due to our delicate balance that is apparent when it is thrown off. Everyone should know that there are candida tests that one can find all over the internet. If you question it in yourself I would recommend going over the test.

Symptoms that must be present in order for it to really be C. are: abdominal gas, headaches/migraines, excessive fatigue(and I mean really gassed-out type), serious cravings for sugar and/or alcohol, high anxiety- a strong indicator, vaginitis, rectal itching, the inability to concentrate/think clearly, hyperactivity/mood swings, itchy skin, diarrhea, acne, eczema, depression, poor memory, low sex drive, muscle weakness, toenail/fingernail fungus.

Now, understand that I named all of these because many of them are present for it to be truly C. They may not all be present simultaneously but you will swing through many of them. And there just may be all of them at once! It can get worse too once it infiltrates organs leading to leaky gut, nervous disorders to name a few. That's when life becomes unbearable and there are many that have this.

Phoenix mentions Dr. Andrew Weil and his caution about overreacting to C. due to a single book but that single book made people aware of this major issue that the medical community still does not give credibility to. Weil is a part of that community and often, though he is "open" to alternatives is to me a "safe player" trying to make himself look good in both camps. I find he plays the line often. Don't get me wrong- he definitely serves a purpose- to wake those up who totally swallow the medical community's not-so-sound advice. Because he himself is an MD, it turns their heads and at least gets their attention to perhaps question some things. So, in that sense, he is doing a good service. Then, there are some of us who question everything and have for a long time so we don't need his authority to "have permission" to do this. That being said, I say that C. is much more rampant than the medical community gives credence.

Now, here are some key players in helping the immune system fight C. Remember, acidophilis is a natural enemy of candida. But, there are other wonderful herbs to help that are very powerful and can only help the body. They are reishi and chaga mushrooms which are from Chinese medicine and are adaptogens. Also, horsetail and pau d' arco which can both be taken as teas and can wipeout candida as well. I would also recommend an alkaline diet or at least adding in rawfoods as vegetables, and green juices.

The die-off can be a problem as it can occur in layers. You can file through symptoms and then stop and then another die-off will occur and more symptoms, etc. Drink plenty of water and on 1-2 pinches of sea salt to one liter of water. It is important to re-establish a healthy terrain in our body. Remember we are an ecosystem within our own body and we must help it flourish properly. Eat whole foods, take herbs that can heal and help the immune system, exercise within reason, rebounding is excellent to clean the lymph system, find peace within (which could be difficult if you have a serious case of C.!)

Some other healing key players: colloidal silver, zeolites, msm, coconut oil and there are more but I just feel that to get this info out is a must.

And I applaud "Hi Someone Who Cured Candida Naturally" for challenging this post as I was bothered by it but was going to blow it off. I woke up this morning feeling I had to come here and say something on this. I hope it helps someone out there. I have watched people really suffer from this affliction.

Peace, Lisa"

02/11/2010: Someone Who Cured Candida Naturally from La, Mi replies: "Hello again pheonix: i admire the way you handled my post. That's strength of character for sure!

I understand where you are coming from. Encouraging people to get a second opinion, or a third or fourth, as well as really listening to their body and gaining more insight into that 'intuition' is key. But i think that goes for anything on this site, (or for anything in life?)

But, suspicion that it's 'real', and insinuation that people may be making up the condition or being hypocondriach, seems only to detract... That is the main 'beef' i had with your post. I feel that may not have been your intention. i'm here to learn too. I'll move on.

To answer the questions:

I noticed candida symptoms in may 2008. It came on suddenly and i believe, after my research, that my main contributing factors were: 1)viral (had mono earlier that year) 2) worn adrenals (main trigger of elevated symptoms?) 3) slight vitamin deficiency from taking bc pills (was off them for many months, but have always struggled to maintain sufficient iron) 4 )i had taken antiobiotics in my lifetime, though not in years. Just to throw that in.

Slowly i noticed more and more things as time went on (about a month).

I did not go to a doctor or anything like that. I researched symptoms and somehow narrowed it down to candida. This was not overnight like most ailments i've had; this was much more digging and re-evaluation. But, i had some very tell-tale unique symptoms which fit the bill. It was not easy to pin this down. I had to put the puzzle pieces together of the very minute and 'odd' symptoms i was having.

But i am familiar with this process. I have cured myself naturally many times and know to listen to my inner voice or higher guidance, and this has brought much success. This is important to note as it is certainly an element.

I got rid of it basically by following the diet in the yeast connection book to-the-letter. Eventually i added more protein into my diet (just my own idea...i certainly needed it). I also followed a garlic (yeast killing) regiment, and then a probiotic regiment. I have other posts here that describe that in detail.

Around september of that same year, i was feeling recovered and began to introduce the 'forbidden foods' back into my diet slowly, and to drink wine again; things like that.

Been feeling fine since then with no relapse, no attention to special dietary habits (i eat raw, but i can eat honey, etc). Basically, it's forgotten.

This is all I can say and please do with it what you will. If it wasn't candida, whatever struck me sounded just like it, and following a combined, puzzled together regiment banished it away. It certainly was no 'vague-cure-all' type of thing. This was an intense strategy that took immense patience.

I do see your point about possible 'fad' ailments being tacked onto any complaint. But i think that advice for people trying to steer clear of that is to be thoughtful and mindful, do tons of research, get professional assistance...and read lots of earth clinic : )

I wish you best of luck in pinning down the source of your joint pain pheonix. & best of health to you!

Thanks also lisa. I have read many of your posts and always enjoy the insight you bring."

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