"Hundreds of possible symptoms may appear in many different combinations. Because of the confusing symptoms, CRC (Candidiasis) is difficult to diagnose, and because CRC is not yet fully understood, many medical professionals are skeptical about its existence and thus unlikely to diagnose and treat it."
from Candida-Related Complex: What Your Doctor Might Be Missingby Christine Winderlin

The good health I’ve enjoyed for 40+ years came to a long pause about two years ago following a stressful event where I was forced to quickly leave my home and relocate under very disturbing circumstances.  The tension and uncertainty were awful and the event was highly emotional and upsetting.  I didn’t eat right during that time - lots of coffee and quick fixes for meals - and I couldn’t sleep most nights.  By the end of this 10 day event I had a patch of eczema on my neck.  As I settled into my new home, the stress factor decreased, but the eczema got worse.  Soon my entire neck was covered with the rash which itched so badly that I couldn’t sleep.  Hydrocortisone creams worked initially but with diminishing returns.  My skin was getting thinner and more irritable and the hydrocortisone wasn’t helping the itching anymore.

Seeking help and wanting several opinions, I visited allopathic and naturopathic doctors simultaneously.  The allopath prescribed an antihistamine with something to help me sleep and some stronger hydrocortisone cream.  The naturopath tested for allergies and began NAET testing and treatments on me.  At this same time a raw foodist friend felt convinced I had Candidiasis and recommended that I modify my diet.  I went on the raw foods diet for two months and although I felt overall in better health for awhile - my rash symptoms were unaffected.  At some point, the diet also seemed to stop working. I felt worse than I had before I started it.  I know now that I was most likely experiencing Candida die off which actually causes worsening symptoms but at the time it seemed the diet was making me sick.  To add to this both my allopathic and naturopathic doctors frowned on the raw foods diet - believing it taxed the digestive system.  From where I stand now I think this is actually true.  With Candida there’s enough to contend with and the predigesting role that cooking plays may be important when the Candida is really out of control.

Although the allopaths prescription abated my sleeplessness a little - everything remained pretty much the same.  As the NAET treatments with the naturopath progressed my symptoms got worse.  In fact following one NAET treatment, the rash flared up dramatically and covered every inch of skin on my body including the soles of my feet with itching blisters and rashes.  Alarmed, the allopathic doctor then put me on Prednisone.  This "miracle" drug did in fact cause all of my symptoms to disappear immediately.  The Prednisone fooled me into thinking I was finally cured.  My judgment was impaired by the drug. While my rash completely cleared up I also started craving sweets like an addict.  Although I’ve always had a sweet tooth I‘ve never been a binger.   While on Prednisone, I was craving and eating a whole box of cookies at once.  I thought the cravings were strange but was just so happy to have some relief from my rash that I ignored the food binging and weight gain I was experiencing.  When the Prednisone treatment ended, my intense cravings for sweets abated and all of my rash symptoms immediately came back with a vengeance.  I spent the following summer essentially laying on the couch trying to get well enough to get back to living.  I was exhausted, depressed and my face was covered with a terrible rash that itched constantly.  I continued NAET treatments during this time thinking it must be allergies.

Of course, I didn’t know then that taking cortisone drugs like Prednisone is one of the leading causes of Candidiasis.  Nor did I understand that as long as I had Candidiasis my body would treat any substance as an allergen making the NAET treatments of questionable use for me. I read today that there are NAET treatments specifically for Candida Albicans and one’s own blood which may have helped me but I was aware of those choices at that time.

As time went by, new symptoms appeared.  My vision was blurred and I had eye floaters which interfered with my ability to wear my contact lens.  I’ve rarely caught colds or gotten the flu in the past and then I’ve quickly gotten over them but now one case of the flu lasted three months and left me with a permanently stuffed up ear, impairing my ability to hear.  I felt nauseous and or dizzy almost every day.  My neck was so sore I couldn’t turn my head for months and then I contracted frozen shoulder on one side, making something as simple as getting dressed a painful chore.  I had been doing yoga but as my shoulder got worse I could no longer do many of the poses.  I had gained weight during the Prednisone fiasco and couldn’t lose it.  My feet tingled so badly at night that I wanted to jump out of my skin and I couldn’t sleep at night.  The smell of strong perfumes and cleaners freaked me out - they smelled so vile that I had to leave rooms or stores where heavy scents were used.  By this time I was becoming very depressed and often angry.  I wanted to find some hope but nothing seemed to work!

What I now find most frustrating, interesting and hopeful and would like to share with others fighting Candidiasis is this.  The allopathic doctor openly scoffed at Candidiasis as a possible reality.  Instead she prescribed a drug that causes Candidiasis. The naturopathic doctor was more open to the idea and even prescribed Nystatin and suggested a diet.  However, she also was skeptical and didn’t explain the reality of Candida die-off which led me to believe the diet was making me sicker instead of better.  Also, due to lack of information and a brief period on what I thought was the Candida Diet,  I came to cringe at the thought of it as "the steamed greens and rice" diet; an unbearably boring and tasteless diet one was expected to stay on for months or even years.

Somewhere along the road I was so frustrated that I typed in a long string of my symptoms in to the Google bar.  I got back reference after reference for Candidiasis.  I couldn’t deny that every health problem I had been experiencing was a well documented Candida symptom.  Even more important, I realized that the Candida diet and treatments would initially make me sicker; that die off and its symptoms are a clear sign that one does in fact have Candida.

The Candida Diet and the recommended antifungal supplements are steadily causing my symptoms to disappear.  In fact after a month on the diet and supplements I feel almost back to healthy normal.  I know though that it will take a long time to reestablish the balance of flora in my digestive tract and plan to stay on the diet for many more months - possibly a year.

Now that I’ve discovered that the Candida Diet is NOT an eternal round of steamed greens and rice, the diet doesn’t even feel like a diet of deprivation.  I’ve found new ways to cook food that not only taste delicious but leave me feeling healthier and happier.

The reality was and is that I do have Candidiasis and it took me to find that out.