Just to let you know I have recently updated the Candida Plan – and the TrulyGlutenFree version, of course. I’ve rejigged the protocol as some of the products I recommended before had changed, so it was a good opportunity to research the latest approaches and bring it up to date.
As usual, my plans are not just what they say on the cover! In fact, this one has come to be used as a sort of Infection Plan really. I often find myself advising people with all manner of gut bacterial and parasitic infections to follow the Candida Plan minus the diet and with this or that tweak to make it specific for their particular issue. With that in mind, I have broadened the protocol in stage 2 (the killing stage as I think of it!) so that it is likely to help with lots of different types of infection and not just yeast-based ones.
One thing I’ve done is added some grapeseed extract because on the Doctors’ Data CSAP3 gut test that I do a lot of, I find that many of the infections tested in vitro have been successfully treated with grapeseed extract, often in combination with other things like oregano etc. That’s one reason why I really like the DD CSAP3 test; it often gives you specific info on what might be successful at helping you get rid of it. Useful stuff. It seems it is a combination of antibacterials, antifungals and antiparasitics that works best, often in rotation, so that’s what I’ve done.
The Candida Plan is essentially a diet, plus four supplement stages.
Candida Diet
The diet is nowhere near as limited as many others I’ve seen and the reason for that is that it is impossible to starve a candida through diet. The brain needs a certain amount of glucose to work so the body will simply never allow you to go that low. The trick with the diet is not to give a hungry yeast a sugary buffet to feed on, and that’s it, really. You don’t want to feed it whilst you’re trying to get rid of it once and for all. This is why candida diets without the appropriate supplement or med treatment just will not work.
Boost SIgA
The first stage is to boost SIgA to get your gut immunity nice and strong. People often miss this stage in other treatment protocols and it is really crucial – and often the reason for relapse later! You can read more about SIgA here. It is really all about how strong your mucosal immunity is (think gut, lungs, skin, nose, bladder etc). Low SIgA makes you vulnerable to infection. Simple as. And I find it low a lot.
Preparation
The second stage is preparation. This is where we continue strengthening the body and gut specifically, nourishing your liver especially so that you are less likely to get any die off symptoms. We’re starting the work here, but gently and supportively. Again, so many people I talk to have gone straight for the killing stage – and feel pretty ill as a result. There is no need to feel ill on a candida or infection protocol if you have prepared the way well enough.
The Killing Stage
The third stage is focused on killing off the baddies. This is where we add in the antibacterials, antifungals etc and build on the work we did in stage 1. The liver and gut gets even more support here.
Repair & Maintenance
Finally, we have the repair and maintenance stage. Many people just stop therapy after a candida protocol, but actually you have to continue to nourish the body and help it repair. I specifically put in some leaky gut repair here for a time on top of a wellbeing nourishing prescription to prevent relapse and keep the gut in a healthy condition.
There are also mouth guidelines, of course, because most of the infections are trying to colonise our gut through our mouths so we have to be vigilant there, too. This is why I like the BTS Candida SAPs test because it includes a mouth swab so we can check specifically for candida in the mouth.
The TGF version gives you a grain and dairy free version of the diet and all the supplements recommended are grain and dairy free too. Important for those of us with eg. non-healing coeliac disease or non-coeliac gluten sensitivity etc as a standard gluten free protocol would not remove the cross-reactive gluten foods like corn and rice and will therefore scupper your healing.
And that’s all there is to it! It takes a few months and has been pretty successful, I’m pleased to say, so I’ve not changed it too much! One day when I get a chance I may well expand it to cover specific types of common infection, but it works for now as a general all-rounder and I’ll usually tell you in your test results email what else I would add in or swap something with if you have a specific baddie I know needs a particular approach.
OK. Hope that helps. Am trying to get through all the main ebooks and update them for us, which is a MAMMOTH task! Candida Plan – check 🙂
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