My Health Journey – Part 2: Candida and My Early Attempts at Healing

The First Clues: Candida and My Early Attempts at Healing

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

Steve Jobs

Initially, it seemed like every time I tried something to figure out what was going on with my health, I received the same news, “everything looks normal”. I knew eventually I would find a thread. I hoped there would be a silver bullet, but anything that provided some answers would be incredible. If you want to know how I got here, you can read the first part of my story here.

The Mysterious Symptoms That No One Could Explain

Have you ever gone to the doctor and been told things were ‘normal’, even though you knew they weren’t? Medical gaslighting is a major problem and unfortunately something many of us with gut issues have faced.

The Symptoms I Was Experiencing

At this point, the symptoms I was experiencing were fairly manageable. In most cases they were just annoying or mildly embarrassing. The main issues were:

• Digestive issues: bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements, food intolerances
• Skin: Dry skin, rashes, hair loss
• Brain fog, fatigue
• Aversion to heat and cold, and quick to sweat

While I didn’t know then, these symptoms pointing to a variety of things going on. It wasn’t until much later that I understood my body was screaming for help, I just didn’t know how to listen, and how to support it.

The Search for Answers: Dismissed by Conventional Medicine

Going to doctors was beyond frustrating. The typical interaction went something like this. I would explain my symptoms and they would do regular blood tests. After the tests came back, they would prescribe me a cream. In a rare case I was referred to a dermatologist. I was thinking “finally, a specialist will be able to figure it out”. I was sure that someone with more specific training would have answers. Unfortunately the same thing happened. Everything looked normal, no additional tests were conducted and I left with a topical steroid cream. Driving home that day I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I couldn’t understand why these “experts” weren’t listening to me were incapable of offering me anything that could actually help.

Finding The Right Practitioner

After striking out with traditional doctors, I quickly turned my attention to other types of practitioners. My first attempt was to work with a naturopath. If you aren’t familiar with naturopaths, they typically do a wider range of testing, but cannot prescribe medications, only herbs. I set up an appointment with a highly rated naturopath locally. The introductory session was 90 minutes and she asked me a wide range of questions that I never thought might be linked to my health issues. For the first time I felt seen and heard. That was refreshing and desperately needed. At the end of the session she recommended a stool test as she suspected some underlying issues. I was excited to try a different type of test, although the thought of doing stool testing wasn’t overly appealing.

If you would like more information on finding a practitioner, check out our guide here.

Discovering Candida Overgrowth – The First Clue

A few weeks after completing the stool test I got an email from the naturopath with the title “smoking gun!!”. I excitedly opened the email to see my test results. There were two components that stood out. First, I had dysbiotic flora, or dysbiosis in my gut. This basically means that the bad bugs in your stomach outweigh the good. Secondly, I had an overgrowth of yeast, or more commonly called Candida.

I finally had something that showed up on testing that proved it wasn’t all in my head. At this point I didn’t know anything about Candida, but in my mind I finally had figured out what was wrong with me. In reality, this was only the beginning.

What Is Candida Overgrowth?

Candida is a type of yeast that naturally lives in the body, primarily in the gut, mouth, and skin. In a healthy system, Candida plays a minor role in digestion and is kept in check by beneficial bacteria and the immune system. However, when this delicate balance is disrupted, Candida overgrowth can occur, leading to a wide range of digestive issues, food sensitivities, brain fog, and fatigue.

Several factors can contribute to Candida overgrowth, including:

• A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, which feeds yeast
• Antibiotic use, which wipes out beneficial bacteria that keep Candida in check
• Chronic stress, which weakens immune function and gut health
• Weakened digestion or low stomach acid, allowing Candida to thrive
• Hormonal imbalances and medications like birth control pills or steroids

When Candida overgrowth occurs, it can lead to widespread symptoms beyond the gut. Many people experience bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea, while others struggle with skin rashes, yeast infections, sinus issues, and even mood changes. This is because Candida releases toxins that can overwhelm the liver and contribute to systemic inflammation.

While Candida is often overlooked in conventional medicine, it plays a significant role in gut health and overall well-being. Recognizing the signs of Candida overgrowth is the first step toward regaining balance and addressing the root cause of persistent health issues.

My First Attempts at Healing Candida

After getting my test results, things kind of made sense. I had many of the tell-tale symptoms including bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea, skin issues and a white coating on my tongue.

I began a protocol for dealing with Candida immediately. It started with changing my diet and using antifungals (herbs) to kill the overgrowth. The idea is to starve the Candida with your diet and eradicate them with antifungals.

The Diet Changes I Made

Candida feeds on sugar, so you need to completely remove sugar from your diet, and other gut-harmful foods. The anti-candida diet is generally as follows:

• Eliminate gluten, sugar and alcohol
• Focus on lean proteins, healthful fats, non-starchy vegetables, and probiotics
• Limit high-sugar fruits and processed or refined fats and oils
• Include non-glutinous grains and fermented foods

My Experience with Diet and Antifungals

The protocol lasted for 2 months initially. After the first 4-5 days I started to experience die off symptoms such as headaches, fever and fatigue, which is typical when your body is trying to get rid of toxins.

This was the first time I had seriously tried a diet in my life, and I found it difficult to get started. On the anti-candida diet there really wasn’t a option to cheat, I had to plan everything in advance. This meant meal planning and prepping food in advance, so I wasn’t tempted to quickly grab something else. Once I got the hang of it, the diet became simple. Adhering to the diet made it much more difficult going out with friends, but I just kept reminding myself it wasn’t for long.

Taking the antifungal pills a few times a day, was the easy part. The only difficult thing was remembering to take them on your schedule.

Throughout the cycle, I started to feel slightly better. I had more energy and focus. My stomach issues and skin began to improve. This was the solution I was missing and needed for years. Or was it?

The Ups and Downs – Why Candida Treatment Wasn’t Enough

At the end of my first cycle for Candida I felt 80% better. I was told that the dysbiosis in my stomach was substantial and would take time to fully heal. I continued to be patient as I remained on the anti-candida diet. In reality what I experienced was the Candida coming back shortly after coming off of the antifungals or having more than minimal amounts of sugar or carbs. At that point I thought I was doing something wrong. I was feeling defeated as I thought I had finally figured things out. I tried multiple cycles of the diet and antifungals, but kept having the same result. Frustrated and disappointed, I had nothing to show for all my effort and roughly 6 months of my life and hundreds of dollars spent on supplements.

Key Takeaways from My Candida Journey

While Candida wasn’t the silver bullet I was hoping for, it gave me hope. First of all, I finally had a diagnosis that showed things were not normal. Working with a naturopath I learned that there are alternatives to care, and that there are a variety of tests to help diagnose things that regular doctors don’t understand. Candida also forced me to learn about nutrition and diets at a much deeper level. I always thought I understood food and eating healthy, but I was very wrong.

I also had a eye opening experience about root cause vs symptom. Previously I viewed the medical field as cause and effect. You feel bad, take a pill. You get sick, have medicine. My experience with Candida showed me that there was a much deeper interconnectedness with your body, foods and health issues. I was simply trying to fix a symptom, which is why the Candida kept coming back. Uncovering your root cause is very difficult, but once you do, you will unlock your healing.

The biggest takeaway I had, was that access to the right expert is so important. While I am happy that I was able to find someone that got me started, they weren’t equipped to fully help me. I needed someone else to continue the journey with. I can only imagine how things would have been different if I had access to some that was fully able to support me.

What I Would Do Differently If I Had to Start Over

Knowing everything I know now, here are the things I would do differently:

1. Research the functional medical practitioners and naturopaths to determine which could best help me. This can be extremely daunting and we are going to be putting together an inventory of great options, but for now you can see our practitioner guide.
2. Understanding the difference between root cause and symptom
3. Understand the different types of functional tests available and what would have been appropriate for me.

What’s Next?

In the next article I will share the next step on my healing journey and what helped me improve.

Have you struggled with Candida? What worked for you? Share your experience in the comments!