One of my favorite quotations is from Thomas Edison: “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile in life: first is hard work, second is persistence, and the third one is common sense.” When it comes to treating Candida, I believe it is common sense to track your symptoms. Having a record of your symptoms over time helps you discover what is and isn’t working in your treatment plan. Based on that information, you can tweak your treatment to ensure you meet your recovery goals.
In my years working with clients, I have come to realize that many people do not have a system in place for tracking their progress. For example, they don’t do before and after testing, and they don’t follow their symptoms over time.
Further readings:
- 10 Psychological Effects of Having Candida Yeast Overgrowth
- Everything You Need To Know About Candida Glabrata
- Geotrichum and Yeast Infection: Are They Connected?
- Recurring Ringworm: Can It Be Candida?
- Can Candida Cause Canker Sores?
Many people I see say after a month, “I don’t feel any better,” but when we explore it further, we discover that some improvements have occurred. The “big problem” that initially brought them to my office may not have improved much, but there have been other improvements. These improvements don’t get noticed because symptoms aren’t being tracked.
On page 134 in my Candida Crusher book, there is a very handy chart called the Candida symptom tracker. I suggest using this chart to rate your symptoms at least every two weeks. In the chart, write down the symptoms that you are trying to address with treatment. For example, that may include fatigue, bloating, constipation, headache, and a variety of other symptoms seen with Candida infection. Rate the severity of each symptom using a 0 to 3 scale. “O” means the symptom is absent, “1” indicates a mild symptom, “2” a moderate symptom, and “3” a severe symptom. People most often come to see me for their grade 3 symptoms, but when I explore further, they also have several mild (1) or moderate (2) symptoms. Make sure you date your symptom scores so you can see the changes over time.
By establishing a symptom baseline before starting treatment, you can track your progress. The tracking chart will tell you in black or white whether your symptoms are getting better, getting worse, or staying the same. The patterns of improvement revealed in the symptom chart allows you to tweak your treatment plan in response to the progress you are making. You can make changes in your diet, your supplementation, and your lifestyle based on how your symptoms are changing over time.
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