Yeasty Beasties and Other Fun Stuff

Back in July, I had oral surgery and was given a powerful antibiotic that, I was told, would probably give me a yeast infection. Okay, I've had them before, they're uncomfortable but treatable. But, how was I to know that the yeast infection the periodontist was talking about was in my digestive system and not the other usual place that women get them?

The antibiotic worked, there was no infection as a result of the surgery. However, in August, I began to feel queazy in my gut and to have other uncomfortable experiences with my digestive system. I won't go into details, you'll just have to imagine the outcome (pun intended).

So, I went to a naturopathic doctor and she ran some tests that came back showing I had 2 kinds of nonpathenogenic yeasts and 2 kinds of slightly pathenogenic bacteria encamped in my digestive tract. Yummy. They were having a lovely time, I was not.

How do you get rid of these guys? The protocol is to "starve 'em, kill 'em, and replace 'em." I have been taking acidophilous (to replace the yeasties and bad bacteria with good bacteria) and some anti-candida (yeast) meds for almost 3 weeks now and I have been on a strict diet (no sugar, no fruit (it has sugar), no vinegar and other foods that have been fermented in their making, no cashews and peanuts because they mold, no foods that have yeast in them, but I can have lots of lovely vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, other than peanuts and cashews). I have lost 7 pounds and I like this diet, except for the no fruit and no vinegar part. It is very healthful, very good for you.

Another bonus to not eating foods with sugar, including sorbet, rice milk, and butter, is the aches and pains in the muscles around my knees have disappeared. That means, the sugar was causing inflamation in my joint muscles there and the inflamation is gone. Wow!

That is a great reason not to eat sugar.

Butter has sugar in it, but ghee does not and ghee is the golden liquid that happens when you melt butter. The white particles are sugar. You can make ghee yourself or you can buy it at the natural health food store.

I'll just have to give up sorbet, but I have found dry roasted almonds and pistachio nuts help when I have a sugar craving, so I can find ways around needing sorbet. And, instead of drinking rice milk, which has sugar in it, I drink organic soy milk.

Who knew what I was eating had so much sugar in it? Now I know and I can and will do better.