yeast, Kombucha, and an update

[Guest guest]

Hi, Caren. I had posted with info on Kombucha. It is widely thought to be

health-giving. It is a mushroom used for tea (and included in several other

asian dishes). The " mother " is the origin mushroom, and you can use it to

cultivate its " offspring " , something like sour dough.

A person suffering from a systemic Candidiasis yeast overgrowth should avoid

foods that are fungal or yeast-promoting. Mushrooms are a big no-no. The biggest

is sugar...as the yeasts feed on this or foods (i.e. starches) that produce

sugars. Although Candidiasis can be the source of vaginal yeast growth, you

don't have to have a vaginal infection. In fact, yeast overgrowth occurs in both

males and females. It is produced in the intestine and permeates cell walls as

it grows and, some believe, morphs and invades the body. Some consider it the

culprit in " leaky gut syndrome " .

Antifungals are used to treat this, as is a diet free of yeasts, sugars,

fermented products. Malt which is found in many, many products (maltodextrin) is

the result of fermentation. Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages are

fermented, and can be contaminated by the source yeast from which they are

produced. Also they are high in quick acting carbohydrates, again the food (as

they transform to sugars) that feed the yeast.

If you think you have this overgrowth (many symptoms will overlap those of

arthritis: depression, brain fog, acid reflux, lactose intolerance, etc.) you

can go on a yeast eliminating diet. (Note: we need yeasts in our body and it is

impossible to eliminate them totally...so the overgrowth is the unhealthy part).

After trying the diet and weighing the results, you can " try out " foods, drinks

that you like. My daughter goes off the diet now that she is much better. She

does know that she has to watch it. She never, never eats anything with

sugar...this causes depression, fatigue, and headaches for about 3 days after

for her. But she is now able to eat cheeses (not the real moldy ones

though)where she had really bad lactose intolerance at one time.

Hope this helps.

Re: my dr's tests. I have wanted to post on this but my health has just recently

stabilized. If you remember I thought I'd have to go off AP. I was very upset by

this as I beliieve that AP has given me my life back, slowly after 2 years of

use of Minocycline (Brand name from Canada).

I began having shortness of breath over a 6-month period. Then noticeable

wheezing and then breathing " attacks " right after taking the antibiotics. I

tried switching to DX. Same result. Then went off altogether for about 3 weeks

and began getting my old RA symptoms.

I began having other random symptoms...heart pains, etc. Talked to Dr. S in

Iowa...a kind, kind doctor, who had me try Azithromycin. This seemed to work for

2 weeks (4 doses = 250 mg x twice per week) and then I developed the same thing.

Then I became " sensitized " to foods I would normally eat. Had a breathing attack

eating peanuts. Same with dairy: milk butter, cheese + white flour products +

wheat. This signaled to Dr. S that it may be that the dosage (although it was

taken in dosages that are recommended in the " low dose antibiotic therapy " ) may

be too high, resulting in " super-sensitization " of my body many things, and not

an allergic response or lung disease. Meanwhile my breathing attacks got extreme

and i could no longer breath in any reclining position. I had to sit straight up

at night to breathe while sleeping. I made several trips to emergency rooms. No

comment. And no help.

Dr. S took me off anything...to " clear things out " ...for 10 days. I cut out much

of my usual diet...and I already had a very healthy diet...mostly vegetarian.

Then I was to start low, low, LOW dose AT/AP (125 mg Zithro x 2 per week). He

also thought the heart and neck pains could be due to Connective Tissue disease,

another rheumatic disease, and said that it is very common that more than one

rheumatic disease is involved at any one time.

I started the 125 mg dosing last week. I have had two more doses. I also have

Sjogrens, which had started to return very strongly once the ABX were stopped,

but has now abated. My neck and heart pains only occur rarely (so I think Dr S

was right on this - CTD). And the RA pain in my hips, knees, and feet is also

gone! Just like on the Mino.

I am so grateful for this group in encouraging me to contact Dr. S. I am also so

grateful that many of you urged me to not give up on Antibiotic Therapy. Indeed,

my future looked very grim and I fell into a depression, thinking I was to slide

back to a point of invalidism and the severe pain of before.

Right now I am following a very restrictive diet, as I am still sensitive and

they can cause me to have a breathing attack. But I at least am reasonably sure

I will recover within a few hours. The ABX at this dosage is working. =) And no

signs of breathing reactions from the ABX right now. I still have a low level of

shortness of breath that does not go away. But it is not detectable sitting or

resting or mild activity. It is detectable if climbing steps, walking more than

1/2 mile, or lying down flat. In fact I still don't lie down flat, but can now

lie at a mild incline. All in all I feel pretty good and am grateful for each

day and it is a beautiful Fall here in the midwest this year.

Thank you, Debbie, for being the " expert " on pulmonary issues. I tried several

times to get pulomonary tests at the ERs, unsuccessfully. I am waiting now to

see if that last low level shortness of breath gets better, worse, etc. And

gathering back some strength and energy. I do want to see what is really going

on in my lungs. At the ERs I had 2 chest xrays..which as you had said... do not

show enough to be conclusive at early stages of lung damage/disease. So the

jury's still out there. I still want to get the pulseoximeter and think it would

be a great relief when SOB occurs to know what is going on blood oxygen-wise. I

have thought of you and your challenges...hope your tests resulted in good news.

Thanks, as ever, to Dolores. I am also thinking of you with your mother's

decline. You have a great heart.

Sally, keep hanging in there. Only a few months to go til you hit the 6 month

mark. Had you considered intravenous AP (usually Clindamycin) to

jumpstart...though this can have bad Herxing. I think Dolores has posted on

this.

Best to all,

o

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> I cannot find the thread, but recently someone said that kombucha promotes

> yeast in the body- someone with a daughter on an anti yeast diet. My

> question is, will your daughter ever be able to drink alcohol? I wonder

> sometimes if I will be unable to drink at all for the rest of my life.

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