Drug and Alcohol abuse and Candida

[Dawnie]

Hi Shelly ,
I would love your input..I am trying to help my son and his girlfriend who have had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. they are trying very hard to get their lives together and have been 'clean' for about 5 months They are very motivated to change the dietry habits, slow
ly theres improvements, still use coffee and tea and smoke but there being reduced....They take prescription drugs for depression and anxiety and these also have been reduced.My sons girlfriend has feelings of worthlessness and worries what people think of her all the time ( can't shut these thoughts off)..brain fog etc. Shes taken herself off wheat and there seemed to be a big improvment at first but has now gone backwards.
They both have all the Candida symptoms and I suspect leaky gut??They have mad sugar cravings..my son says he uses food to comfort himself.
Addictions are dreadful beasts!!!
I'm trying to inspire them and give them as much info that I can(but I'm only a learner myself !!)
What about introducing kefir, I have read that it produces alcohol,and that would be a worry. They want to try the fiber shake, at this stage what do you think?
I would be so pleased for any guidence and your thoughts.

[shelley]

Hi Dawnie!

Oh my they're going thru a lot. Be sure that they understand that if they eat right, the cravings and a lot of the whole obsessive-compulsions that pull them in two will be alleviated. It's not all a lack of mental discipline you know, when there are real dietary deficiencies we go crazy, literally, and when that is coupled with withdrawals and still taking in poisons/drugs it's quite the uphill battle. When we get all the minerals and such we need, our cravings for ciggies, coffee and black teas practically disappear.

Kefir doesn't produce alcohol. kefir is a fermented food, it can't chemically change any farther, the microbes have already done their good workon the milk sugars so there is no sugar left. It is an excellent addition to a diet for candida people. It should be raw, organic, unsweetend. It can be goat or cow kefir and may be flavored with vanilla.

They have to make sure to keep their paths of elimination clean, and to help their bodies shed the loads they've given them. That means lots and lots of potassium broth, cleansing drinks made with molasses or Stevia, Kichadi made with kale, spinach and carrots, in conjunction with thorough bowel, liver, lymph and kidney management, and lots of sweating. Guidelines in the FAQ.

I'd also recommend Garden of Life's Acid Defense, their blend of fiber for fiber shakes or my fiber shake recipe and not just plain psyllium, unsweetened cranberry juice (see the recipe for the Alternate Cleansing Drink), Dr. Cabot's Livatone Plus or Liv.52 to dredge the drugs out of their liver (that may be all they need to handle depression), 2-3 packets of Emergen-C a day to replace all the vitamins they lose to smoking and drugs, and CalMagFizz. They should also be sure to drink at least 60 ounces of fluids a day. A sudden onset of depression is often just a case of dehydration, lack of calcium and an overworked liver.

They should alternate high-protein days with near-fasting days for awhile. They have to try and nourish themselves without clogging themselves up further. That's what the broths, protein shakes and kichadi are good for.

Be sure to read the candida diet guidleines.

Hope that helps!

[Dawnie]

Hi Shelly,

Thats great, thanks so much, I can see they have a lot to read up on.
With the fiber shake, how often do they need to take it? My son took his first one about 8 hours ago and is feeling dreadful, so bad tempered and a headache I expect its all the toxins being stired up.He has had a yellow coated tongue from tip to back for a long time.
Dont know wether we can get hold of all the products mentioned,Dr Cabot's Livatone Plus will be available in Aus. But Emergen-C ? and CalMagfizz? I dont know these products can you explain what they are.

Thanks a million

[shelley]

Just one a day unless they've never had constipation issues, then they can do more. the main thing is to keep each dose to a small teaspoon and increase the frequecy without increasing the single dose amount, see what I mean? If they have weak colons you can't expect them to do a lot right away, give it a week before adding a second dose and at that point mild laxative like Triphala would be good.

Emergen-C is internationally distributed, it's a fizzy drink of easily absorbable vitamin C, B's, and electrolytes, the things that keep our blood alive.

CalMagFizz is another powder to make a fizzy drink of easily absorbable calcium, magnesium, D and a few B's. the two together are really the only vitamins you need. The rest should come from real food in a balanced manner or you overwhelm the liver and kidneys.

If you can't find calmagfizz, try to find a supplement with only calcium, magnesium, D and zinc.

Im not sure where the Aussies are buying their supplements but I usually check www.vitaminshoppe.com and e-bay before checking anywhere else.

[Dawnie]

Thanks Shelly ...I will check that web site out.