Need Direction, Several Issues

[Saphire]

Hello
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> September of 2013 I developed several symptoms that ended up being candida. I had candida on the top of my eyelids as well as other places I will not mention. I had been to several doctors that used me as a guinnie pig but could not tell me what was wrong with me. I have a friend that knows a holistic nurse practitioner and I went to her. She took one look at me and immediately told me it was Candida. Unfortunately, I refused to do the diet for candida to the point of it getting so severe that in February of 2014 I finally broke down to start the Candida diet. From there I went back to get blood testing done. This is when I found out that I have lots of food allergies, hypothyroidism, and progesterone was very low and estrogen very high and sever adrenal fatigue. Also forgot to add that 10 years prior to this I had my left ovary taken out due to a cyst that was the size of a grapefruit that had erupted. This led into excessive bleeding so a year later they did the oblation procedure. I have not had normal periods, if any at all.
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> From Feb 2014 till May 2016, of course I followed a very strict Candida diet. In those 2 years I could not even hardly workout, which I was use to going to the gym 2hrs a day, 3x a week, I was put on Armour thyroid and lots of other supplements for the Candida. I gained 15 lbs, which was hard for me to understand seeing how strict my diet was. Eventually I could only take short 10 min walks 3 x a week or I would get exhausted. I was not having any outward candida symptoms by the beginning of 2016
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> Fast forward to May 2016. I fell upon Forefront health on the internet. This gentleman, Tom Brimeyer is all about hypothyroidism. My Practitioner is not helping me any, just taking my blood work to check my thyroid numbers every 6 months. So I thought what the heck and started his plan in May of 2016. The first three months I had a lot more energy than I had in the last year. I am now 6 months into this program and have been following it at least 90% of everything required. However, last month my estrogen spiked ( I deal a lot with estrogen dominance, this time aS one of the worst) and I had candida come out on my eyelids again. So I started taking the Progest-e 6 drops in the morning and 6 in the evening before bed. Some of the Candida is gone, but not all the way. I am experiencing fatigue off and on as well as bouts of depression here and there.
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> A couple weeks ago I fell upon another man on the internet that was pretty similar to Tom at Fore front. His name is Danny Roddy. So I read some of his articles which lead me to Ray Peat. Now he does it a little different than Tom. I haven't been drinking as much milk with a tbs of sugar(as he suggest to do) in it with most of my meals. As well as, Tom has you drink only half of the shakes he suggest for snacks. Which means half the sugar. I notice that the example of eating plan Danny gives, does have more sugar incorporated in the meals. At this point what can I loose, So I thought I would give what Danny suggest to do and see if I could see any difference. My only concern is Tom says to eat tuber type vegetables and Danny says none. I cannot seam to get my pulse rate over 68 beats per minute nor my temp over 96.9. I have started taking w grand about 3 wks ago and could see a difference, this actually when my temp got to 96.9. I tried the DR diet and gained another 5lbs.



I am depressed gaining weight and not being able to work out on a consistently.

Also, I live in Indiana. The Dr I have been using is really not focussing on my thyroid, so I need someone that is looking at my temp. Also, seeing how i upped my dosage to 2 grains a day and will need a Dr for refill seeing how she had me on 1grain.

I also recently stumbled across stop the thyroid madness which concussed me with what I have been doing, especially with the sugar. I am so desperate to stop gaining weight and be able to work out. I just don't know what direction to take.

I am a type of person. That needs instructions and layout plans, especially when,it comes to eating. That is one thing I liked about Tom from Fore fronts plans.
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> So in saying all this, I would love any opinion/suggestion ??



Thanks

Michelle

 

[Blossom]

Hi Michelle from Indiana!

I'm from Indiana too. I just wanted to say I'm glad you found the forum. I will reply more tomorrow.

 

[Queequeg]

Hi Sapphire,
I am sorry to hear about your long battles but I think you have found the right group of people here to help. I am going to suggest something not out of the RP playbook but I think it may help. Others will be better able to give a RP approach.

Ready.... Turpentine... Please continue when you have stopped laughing:)

I am not sure if you have discovered Dr Jennifer Daniels, but she came up with a protocol that seems to be working for many people on the net. Turpentine has been successfully used for centuries to get rid of all sorts of parasites and especially candida Google Candida Cleaner or Dr Jennifer Daniels. I actually started a thread on this board Turpentine Miracle Medicine Or Snakeoil? which give some more info.

I started taking Turpentine for increased energy, mental clarity and other general health effects. Two weeks in and I' m still alive. The thread didn't seem to get a lot of interest here, but others on the site have had success with it. Lots of youtube success videos/comments have also been made. Listen to some of here podcasts/interviews and maybe give it a shot.

 

[DrJ]

@Saphire Did you ever try taking flowers of sulphur? If you search for it on the forum, you should find some information. Sulphur is capable of killing most types of fungus as far as I know, and doesn't have any ill effects besides possibly making the bowels move too fast in small doses. I have used DMSO, which is a form of sulphur that easily absorbs into body tissue, to get rid of toenail fungus. It absorbs right into the toenail, and it only took about 10 days of once daily application to completely eliminate the toenail fungus. Also, I recommended flowers of sulphur to a friend whose cat had a candida infection, and it eliminated the symptoms in 3 days by giving the cat just a pinch per day. Might be worth looking into.

 

[X3CyO]

A peat diet fixes all those problems over time.

Sugar, Coconut Oil, and most importantly Activated charcoal. Preferably all together.

I understand that turpentine works as a great antibacterial, but a lot of information shows that it raises prostaglandins as well (something ray is very much against).

Sugar in high amounts is kind of like salt in that it squeezes the water out of bacteria within the stomach, and over time pushes it down moreso towards the lower portion of the intestines.

I dont believe bacteria is 100% bad, but i do believe it needs to be in the correct areas in the correct amounts to workout.


Starches are only avoided because of the issue of perabsorption, where starch granules get into the system, and basically can travel anywhere within the body, sticking to spots it shouldnt, and causing blood circulation to stop in certain areas leading to tissue death.

But its not the worst thing to deal with and as such is preferable than to be in a caloric defecit.




The whole point is to speed up your metabolism, fill up on nutrients, and that kicks the immune system into a positive overdrive which eradicates most issues.

Whenever my friend gets a yeast infection, she uses coconut oil, and the issue goes away by next day as an example.

Candidia is of course a much more serious issue, but it is of the same type, and thus requires just more attention and repetition to cure.

The coconut oil and sugar will up your calories while also burning themselves off your body by speeding up your metabolism.

As for activated charcoal; if you have any problem involving the digestive system, for the most part, activated charcoal will help.

Endotoxin, poison, drug overdosing, stomach lesions, bacterial overgrowth are the main ones.

People have throughout time used salt, sugar, activated charcoal, and coconut oil for very similar issues with very similar successes, and I hope that you use these strong peat tools in your adventure.

 

[Saphire]

@Saphire Did you ever try taking flowers of sulphur? If you search for it on the forum, you should find some information. Sulphur is capable of killing most types of fungus as far as I know, and doesn't have any ill effects besides possibly making the bowels move too fast in small doses. I have used DMSO, which is a form of sulphur that easily absorbs into body tissue, to get rid of toenail fungus. It absorbs right into the toenail, and it only took about 10 days of once daily application to completely eliminate the toenail fungus. Also, I recommended flowers of sulphur to a friend whose cat had a candida infection, and it eliminated the symptoms in 3 days by giving the cat just a pinch per day. Might be worth looking into.

I am actually on my second day of flowers of sulphur. I have read to only take a pinch for three days. Is this correct? Are you suppose to take it before, after or with a meal? I have notice I only have a Candida flair up when my estrogen is at its a highest, usually 1-2 weeks before a cycle.

 

[Blossom]

I'm glad you've gotten some excellent input already @Saphire!

I'm going to tag member @mayweatherking to your thread because he has also had long-term fungal issues. I had chronic yeast infections too and they did improve and eventually resolve within the first year of peating by improving my metabolism (which is actually a work in progress) and using flowers of sulphur although I needed to use a once yearly dose for a couple years. I haven't needed it so far this year.

 

[Orion]

I am actually on my second day of flowers of sulphur. I have read to only take a pinch for three days. Is this correct? Are you suppose to take it before, after or with a meal? I have notice I only have a Candida flair up when my estrogen is at its a highest, usually 1-2 weeks before a cycle.

1 teaspoon (5g) per day is recommended for 3 days. Probably best taken away from food. I have been taking raw carrot or activated charcoal about 1hr after the sulfur.

 

[mayweatherking]

I'm glad you've gotten some excellent input already @Saphire!

I'm going to tag member @mayweatherking to your thread because he has also had long-term fungal issues. I had chronic yeast infections too and they did improve and eventually resolve within the first year of peating by improving my metabolism (which is actually a work in progress) and using flowers of sulphur although I needed to use a once yearly dose for a couple years. I haven't needed it so far this year.

Nothing worked to get rid of it. had to use pharmecical power to make it go away. but it didnt fix my main.problems, it just fixed the fungal side effect. id say estrogen is the reason for it. im playing with progesterone preg and dhea to.work that.out now along with thyroid and vit D and diet. all I.have to.say is... damn strap in and do it up.. anythig can heal

 

[Queequeg]

I understand that turpentine works as a great antibacterial, but a lot of information shows that it raises prostaglandins as well (something ray is very much against).

Appreciate the info. Just a minor correction. Turpentine is not just a great antibacterial but is also a great antifungal, antiviral as well as antiparasitic treatment.

I think getting the candida under control and quickly is the major priority regardless of impact on prostaglandins. Since treatment time is limited to a couple of weeks or a month, the prostaglandin impact would also be limited.

I do realize that it is not for everyone but just thought I would put it out there for the OP.

 

[Saphire]

I worked tirelessly on getting rid of the Candida for over 2 yrs. I can't even begin to tell you everything I tried, I never have tried the turpentine though. However as soon as I started the Ray Peat eating, especially with all the sugar, I did not have any symptoms until a month or so ago when my estrogen spiked really high. I don't think I need to focus on the Candida as much as my focus needs to be getting my thyroid healthy and my estrogen balanced. At this time I can apply another thing to think about let along add to my supplement/pill regime, just to stressful enough to keep steady with RP eating plan and everything else I am dealing with right now. I posted not because of the Candida, but for more direction with eating, exercise and a doctor. U am grateful for your input though. Thank you so much!

 

[Blossom]

I posted not because of the Candida, but for more direction with eating, exercise and a doctor.

As far as eating goes there isn't one or two specific menus that people here follow although there are general concepts that we *mostly* agree on such as getting adequate carbs (generally favoring sugar over starch), enough protein, balanced protein and choosing saturated fat over pufa. There's much more of course like getting adequate nutrients and choosing certain fibers etc but it's all here for you to read. There is a ton of room to experiment with what works best for you. I did see that you read the dietary guidelines and that's a good place to start. I'm not sure anyone here would be able to tell you exactly what to eat though and guarantee good results just because everyone is different.

www.functionalps.com has some good stuff on exercise if you haven't seen it already. @tca300 or @Ewlevy1 might have some helpful information to share on exercise as well.

As far as doctors go many of us here doctor ourselves as much as possible and we don't have a database on Peat friendly doctors. There are some Peat style practitioners in addition to the two you have mentioned already that do consultations though. www.biochemnordic.com is one I have used and another is member @Mastemah. I'm not 100% sure either of them are consulting at the moment so you'd have to check with them.
Hopefully that helped a little.

 

[Queequeg]

I worked tirelessly on getting rid of the Candida for over 2 yrs. I can't even begin to tell you everything I tried, I never have tried the turpentine though. However as soon as I started the Ray Peat eating, especially with all the sugar, I did not have any symptoms until a month or so ago when my estrogen spiked really high. I don't think I need to focus on the Candida as much as my focus needs to be getting my thyroid healthy and my estrogen balanced. At this time I can apply another thing to think about let along add to my supplement/pill regime, just to stressful enough to keep steady with RP eating plan and everything else I am dealing with right now. I posted not because of the Candida, but for more direction with eating, exercise and a doctor. U am grateful for your input though. Thank you so much!

You are welcome. Others on here know much more than me w/ regard to RP and I think you are getting some good advice. You know what is best for you so keep trying and stay strong:)

 

[tca300]

If your calories are the same as they were before and your gaining weight on the same amount of calories, I suspect your T4 portion of your thyroid supplement is turing into Reverse T3 and lowering your metabolism. Or your gaining weight like most do on a Ray Peat inspired diet because it stimulates metabolism and makes you hungrier, therefore you are more likely to over eat. I would keep exercise to a minimum, just easy walking maybe, while your healing, weight loss is 90% food anyways, unless your a professional athelete that exercises hard for 5+ hours per day, then calories burned through exercise actually play a big role. As mentioned above Flowers of sulfur is helpful for candida, then working on thyroid, maybe experamenting with a higher ratio of T3 to T4.

 

[Velve921]

I worked tirelessly on getting rid of the Candida for over 2 yrs. I can't even begin to tell you everything I tried, I never have tried the turpentine though. However as soon as I started the Ray Peat eating, especially with all the sugar, I did not have any symptoms until a month or so ago when my estrogen spiked really high. I don't think I need to focus on the Candida as much as my focus needs to be getting my thyroid healthy and my estrogen balanced. At this time I can apply another thing to think about let along add to my supplement/pill regime, just to stressful enough to keep steady with RP eating plan and everything else I am dealing with right now. I posted not because of the Candida, but for more direction with eating, exercise and a doctor. U am grateful for your input though. Thank you so much!

Hey Sapphire,

I will speak from my personal experience regarding exercise. In your state of fatigue nutrition ,supplementation, and stretching can be your greatest attributes for energy. I would highly recommend looking into ELDOA; Dr. Murer is based in Indiana and is an instructor. I'm almost 3 years into my healing stage and lifting 1x a week with daily stretches is the best balance I've found right now. It was hard for me to give up training and my physique; however, if I could do this process all over again I would not change a thing. In my opinion, you need to get your energy levels up so you can enjoy life as much as possible; working out should only be meant to energize not deplete. ELDOA can be a great avenue to create energy; Haidut has posted studies about stretching generating ATP.

I have to bring this up again because I feel it's not discussed enough and I've seen the results with my athletes, Epsom salt baths can yield unbelievable benefits. 1-7 baths with 1-4lbs per bath before bed time are my standard doses to consider.

Stay positive my friend; you have a lot of love and support from people on this forum around you.

 

[michael94]

Candida is your friend...We would've aged rapidly and/or died a long time ago if it weren't for candida protecting us from toxins and actual pathogenic organisms. H. pylori is another bug that is symbiotic with humans... Actually most of the population has an overgrowth of candida, it just comes with the territory of being unhealthy and having poor digestion. Our #1 method of keeping the liver and G.I system clean/healthy is bile, and many are severely lacking to say the least... Bile is also responsible for removing toxins from the body ( urine is a buffer for excess minerals/vitamins outside of extreme cases ). Thyroid and estrogen health follow with a healthy liver. 90% of people have not had a truly healthy liver since they were 7-8 years old ( or something like that ). Herbs and supplements cannot fix physical obstructions blocking bile flow into duodenum and poisoning hepatocytes with stagnant bile. Well some can definitely help, it is just a very slow process.

Turpentine is very nice and cannot hurt but it is not a 100% cure, at least not in severe cases. A benefit of turpentine is it's lovely piney smell...

 

[HLP]

You are the track here. I agree with shutting down the exercise with the exception of walking. Rest as much as possible and keep your life quiet. Healing requires energy and focus. It likely took you several years to get to this state of health, so be patient because things will improve with time. Try to keep meals small but often with the focus on Peat foods. Enjoy sugar instead of starchy foods except for well cooked potatoes. Moderation is the key but don't just focus on weight loss. Being strong and healthy come first.

 

[Saphire]

If your calories are the same as they were before and your gaining weight on the same amount of calories, I suspect your T4 portion of your thyroid supplement is turing into Reverse T3 and lowering your metabolism. Or your gaining weight like most do on a Ray Peat inspired diet because it stimulates metabolism and makes you hungrier, therefore you are more likely to over eat. I would keep exercise to a minimum, just easy walking maybe, while your healing, weight loss is 90% food anyways, unless your a professional athelete that exercises hard for 5+ hours per day, then calories burned through exercise actually play a big role. As mentioned above Flowers of sulfur is helpful for candida, then working on thyroid, maybe experamenting with a higher ratio of T3 to T4.

Thank you for your thoughts on this matter. I don't count calories, should I be? I had gained the first 15 pounds before the RP diet, I was on the Candida diet. Once I started the RP diet 6 months ago I gained an additional 5 pounds. What would be your suggestion on the higher ratio? I am currently taking 60 mg of armour NDT 2x a day. Still dealing with temps no higher than 96.9. With me not having a Dr to refill my armour is kinda tricky to up the dose because of running out sooner.

 

[tca300]

@Saphire Its helpful sometimes to count calories to see where your metabolic rate is at, also to make sure your not eating too little or too much. Unfortunately thyroid supplementation is not a one size fits all, I cant tell you what ratio will work for you. Ray has mentioned that for most people armor thyroid is ok, but sometimes when a persons health and liver aren't working well a higher ratio of T3 to T4 is better. I think Armor is about 1:4 ratio currently. Carbohydrates are extremely important for good thyroid function, but many neglect protein, which is 100% nessesary for optimal thyroid function. Ray has reccomended 80-100 grams per day of animal protein, including a few tablespoons of gelatin, if you have to be physically active, more than that is probably nessesary. If you use regular store bought gelatin, make sure to heat it up until clear, or see through, otherwise it can cause digestive issues, stirring it up in cold water until clumps are gone, then heating it on the stove or in the microwave works. Making jello, gummies, or cooking up gelatinous cuts of ruminant animals works too. If your not eating enough Protein, or if your cholesterol isnt high enough, thyroid supplementation wont do anything. When I first started years ago my temps were in the 95's and lower 96's, now I never see below 98.2. Keep pushing forward, learning, and experimenting, you will make progress. Unfortunately when we spend years and years harming ourselves ( unintentionally ) or spend years unknowingly in a hypothyroid state, it can and usually does take years to get better or improve. Its a slow process, to reverse damage, but dont give up!

 

[Orion]

Adding to tca300, you should have your cholesterol at or above 200 to take thyroid. Thyroid, vitamin A and cholesterol are needed to manufacture your protective steroids; pregnenolone, progesterone and DHEA. Taking thyroid with low cholesterol can backfire. Sucrose, fruit, honey, OJ, juices can all raise your cholesterol quickly.