Tag Archives: Candida Treatment

Questions & Answers

Cupping And Bee Venom: Not The Answer To Candida

I’m a beekeeper, so I’m very familiar with bee stings. What I’ve noticed in my eighth year of beekeeping, is that I don’t really notice the stings anymore. I understand why this happens, and it has helped me understand that bee venom is not harmful to the average person.

When you first get stung, your body produces a lot of histamine, an anti-inflammatory chemical. Histamine counteracts the response to the bee venom, which includes the chemical Phospholipase A.

There are several toxins in the bee venom. If you get stung, the trick is to get the barb out instantly with your fingernail. If you do that, you’re not going to feel much other than a little bit of an itch.

The bee venom triggers a histamine response, which results in redness, swelling, itching, and pain.

A study in Switzerland found out that when beekeepers get stung several times early in the season, they have a robust histamine response. However, over time one of their immune cells called regulatory T cells downregulate the histamine response.

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Some studies, particularly those out of China, have shown that bee venom can help people with inflammatory conditions. It’s referred to as Apitherapy or Bee therapy. As for as Candida goes, I don’t see any particular benefit from bee venom therapy.

Cupping has been part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

when cupping is used on the traditional acupuncture points, it can have quite a significant effect on pain. But, I don’t think cupping has anything to offer when it comes to Candida.

Some studies have shown that cupping is beneficial for neck pain and menstrual cramps. I think cupping is a lovely part of the acupuncture system. It’s quite pleasant, it’s different from hot stone massage, but you’ll probably find it quite an enjoyable experience.

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Questions & Answers

Gerd: Why You Have It And What To Do About It

I have seen a vast number of clients with GERD over the years.

By the time people would come to see me, they were sick of taking proton pump inhibitors, but they were being driven crazy by the reflux.

Your stomach is like a cement mixer. You chew food; it goes down the esophagus, through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and into the stomach. The LES is designed to stop food from going back up the esophagus.

Once the food is in the stomach, it is mixed up with gastric acid and digestive enzymes. The resulting substance is called chyme. Chyme consists of the results of mechanical and chemical breakdown of food, water, hydrochloric acid, and digestive enzymes. Chyme moves into the small intestine for further processing.

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It’s essential that the stomach thoroughly churn up the food and break it down using the digestive enzymes. However, many people eat quickly and without chewing their food enough.

If you eat small meals and take your time eating and chewing, your digestion will be much more efficient. You’ll also be satisfied more readily.

There are common causes of GERD that can explain about 90% of cases.

Firstly, overeating food can contribute to GERD. It’s a particular problem if you eat a big meal and then lie on your back. Eating too quickly and eating the wrong kinds of food also increases the risk of GERD. Spicy, fatty foods and alcohol can all increase GERD as can smoking. So can garlic, onion, and tomatoes.

It’s easy to eat too much if you are sitting in front of an 80-inch television.

Another factor associated with GERD is being overweight. Abdominal fat can constrict your stomach and contribute to reflux. The same thing happens in the later stages of pregnancy.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen can trigger GERD. There are other medications such as blood pressure drugs that can do the same thing.

If you want to reduce your symptoms of GERD, avoid snacking close to bedtime. Take a look at your lifestyle and make healthy changes.

The problem with GERD isn’t only the primary symptoms but the impact it can have on the small and large bowel.

As tempting as it is, I highly recommend that you don’t take anti-reflux medications. Instead, focus on eating smaller meals, avoid trigger foods, increase your activity, and reduce your stress. In many cases, making those changes will significantly reduce your GERD.

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Questions & Answers

The Connection Between Glycemic Index And Weight Loss

Does the glycemic index (GI) matter for weight loss?

Firstly, what’s the GI index? Before the GI index came out, carbohydrate counting was one way that foods and meals were analyzed.

Carb counting has been replaced by the glycemic index, a tool that is particularly useful for people with diabetes. The GI measures a food’s ability to mount an insulin response.

It’s a little bit like flammable substances. If you throw gasoline on a fire, you’re going to get an explosion. That would be the equivalent of a high GI food. White rice and potatoes have a high glycemic index.

Foods with a high glycemic index break down quickly and trigger an insulin response. An insulin spike is associated with an increased risk of cancer, diabetes, and circulatory problems.

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Insulin is essential for blood sugar control, but in excess, it can be terrible for your health.

It’s important that your insulin levels be even and well-controlled. This is a boon for your physical and mental health, as well as your energy levels. If you think of diesel, a substance with a much lower flash point than gasoline, it doesn’t have the same explosive effect when you throw it on fire. It’s very underwhelming.

When it comes to the glycemic index, the slow-burn equivalent of foods would include legumes like chickpeas and vegetables. Foods that break down slowly in the gut will stimulate a slow insulin response. It’s really in your best interest to keep insulin tame.

Research tells us that you’re not going to lose a ton of weight just by eating low GI foods. However, eating like that will still improve your blood sugar, which has other benefits. A stable blood sugar helps stabilize your mood and your energy.

The low GI diet is not the most effective way to lose weight. There are other issues to address, including lifestyle, hormone levels, and stress, if you want to lose weight.

If you’re a larger person, it will take your body time to transition to a new way of eating and living. But in the end, your efforts will be worth it.

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Questions & Answers

Mealtime And Weight Loss: What You Need To Know

Does mealtime matter when it comes to weight loss? Only if you’re serious about getting healthy.
It does matter, but you don’t have to be like Dustin Hoffman in The Rain Man. “It is three minutes past noon. I need to eat food.” You don’t have to be rigid to that extent.

I prefer to eat on instinct these days, meaning I don’t look at the clock. When I do eat, I eat at regular times. I always eat breakfasts, I always eat something in the middle of the day, and I always eat something at the end of the day.

If I snack, it will be on something healthy like grapefruit, avocado, hummus, or a small serving of nuts. I might have four Brazil nuts, and I can chew on one of them for 25 to 30 minutes. Timing is everything but not down to the second. You don’t have to be inflexible.

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Breakfast is not important for everybody. Some people aren’t breakfast people, and that’s okay.
I used to be one of those crazy food police. “What you didn’t eat breakfast? You need to eat breakfast.” Now I accept that Some people don’t feel like eating at eight o’clock in the morning. I feel like eating at nine or ten.

Some food in the morning is better than none. It could even be just an apple, although I recommend having some protein in the morning.

Eating at predictable times will get your digestion working more regularly and keep your energy levels stables. Your mood and thinking will also be more stable.

Lots of things will work better if you do them regularly. Now it’s the same thing with exercise. Does it matter? Well, I think it does. I think everybody agrees that exercise is an excellent thing to do. But you’ve got to find the type of activity that you like.

I’m a gardener and beekeeper. I easily keep my weight down because I’m very active and I enjoy exercise.

As you get older, activity is more and more important socially and for your health. I recommend sticking to healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits. Regular healthy habits are an investment in your well-being for years to come.

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Questions & Answers

Itch Receptors And Irritable Bowel Syndrome

About nine to eleven percent of the people in western countries suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Based on my years of practice, I think there are a number of factors that contribute to IBS symptoms.

I’ve worked with IBS patients now for many years. Some of them experience abdominal pain so bad it’s debilitating, and they can barely work. They can barely move.

Not all IBS patients have abdominal pain, but many do. The pain can range from mild to incapacitating.

A study conducted at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, found that people with IBS have itch receptors in their small bowel that are particularly activated in the presence of IBS. When these receptors are activated, they can trigger pain. These receptors are trigger-happy in some people, although research is still ongoing to determine what does and doesn’t activate these itch receptors.

Further readings:

When someone has IBS for a long time, there is a reconfiguration of the neuronal pathways in the gut.

There are many causes of IBS. I don’t believe that we can lay all the blame on the reconfigured neurons.

What are the possible causes of neuronal dysfunction in the gut? Every time I’ve had my IBS clients do a comprehensive stool analysis, I have found something out of order. It could be bacterial overgrowth, it could be yeast or parasites, and sometimes it’s all three.

If you have IBS, I suggest having a comprehensive assessment of your GI tract by a gastroenterologist. Then, go to a naturopath or functional medicine doctor and get a stool test. See if you have SIBO or small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO).

Next, treat the abnormalities in your gut. Clean up your diet and work on your stress. Once you’ve done all that, reassess your IBS symptoms, including abdominal pain.

if you have got Irritable Bowel Syndrome, find the cause. And if you can’t find the cause, maybe you can mitigate the symptoms. Over time, most of the IBS patients I’ve worked with have had a significant reduction in symptoms.

Look at the cause. Identify it, treat it. It makes a big difference.

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