Posted 4/16/2016 9:19 AM (GMT -8)
Hi afiya4health -
Good info so far. I think we can all agree on a holistic approach because there are MANY different aspects of addressing an existing yeast/fungal overgrowth, prevention and maintenance. In a healthy state, we all have a "normal" amount of y/f everywhere in/on our bodies but an imbalance can be horrible to deal with, often dangerous if left unchecked and VERY difficult to eradicate. So that's where my opinion differs from others.
I'm not an expert - but lived through a y/f crisis of sorts. I'm not sure how/why but I developed chronic sinusitis that dropped into bronchitis--for 13 months. I was in/out of ER, MD's offices and urgent care and prescribed abx and steroids over and over --maybe 9 courses of different drugs. No one ever thought to culture the infection and I was too uniformed to ask for it. I became so ill I thought I might stop breathing (my nephew died of asphyxiation due to phlegm in his chest) and somehow had the strength to do the research online, at least enough to suspect fungus. Within 3 days of taking basic antifungals I was nearly fully recovered.
I've had experience with just about every area and opportunity for overgrowth that people can experience... eyes, ears, sinuses, nose, mouth, face, throat, GI---the entire alimentary canal all the way down south, vaginal, nipples, bellybutton, nails... you name it.
I've learned in my investigation that some people are more susceptible (me - I was born with a naturally "low" level of good gut bacteria) and a few other DNA mutations that I think challenge my body's ability to metabolize sugars/carbs. I know some people have taken abx successfully w/out any intervention for y/f overgrowth--and while I think it's rare, some people do naturally have less of a risk. As with many other things, we're all different and the following might not apply to everyone but in all of my research, I think it covers most people.
Overgrowth vs. prevention/maintenance
Also, there is a difference in approach to overgrowth vs. maintenance and prevention. For most people, they are measurably different.
Time is of the essence
With an existing overgrowth you will want to it it fast and hard with an anti fungal Rx. Yeast/fungus grow within hours--most of us here know that one abx dose can wipe out your entire intestinal flora, and the good bacteria (also wiped out) are what keep the y/f in balance. So, within hours of your abx doses you could easily develop an overgrowth. Y/f can also quickly morph into hyphae stage.
GI & immune damage
Also, if left unchecked, y/f can do a lot of damage to the GI - yeast grow "roots" into the mucosal lining, creating holes which allow fecal matter, toxins, debris and y/f to seep through and into the blood stream, which carries this junk throughout your body. This is known as "leaky gut" and is the likely cause of food sensitivities/allergies and many immune overreactions--it doesn't recognize that junk and starts producing antibodies against it. Next thing you know, you've developed an immune response to all the food you eat. Since 70% of our GI IS our immune system, gut health is critical to our healing and it is VERY difficult to heal your GI after this kind of damage - takes years if you know what you're doing.
Resistance
And, y/f can develop resistance to antifungals so these are a few of the reasons why you want to hit it hard and fast and why I usually recommend people jump directly to an Rx until it's been managed and then can wean themselves off and onto a natural maintenance approach. But not all Rx are created equal.
Diagnosis
You didn't provide much info on the type of overgrowth you have - is it in your mouth? GI? skin? do you know if it is systemic?
The best approach (but certainly not foolproof) is to do a stool test (Doctor's Data stool tests also show you a graph that indicates the level of efficacy of say, 10 or so common Rx and natural antifungals to the specific y/f strains found in your stool---other labs may also do this but I know for sure the DD's does). Not all y/f shows up in stool or blood tests, however but if it does it's important to know how to target it.
Systemic antifungals
Or, you can skip tests and experiment w/ different antifungals - Diflucan (Fluconazole) and Ketoconazole are common systemic Rx.
A systemic anti fungal, taken orally, crosses the mucosal barrier of the GI and gets into the blood stream, which takes it throughout your body (hence, "systemic") and it kills the target fungi on contact. This medication is also flushed through the liver, which can be tough for it to process so if you have a known liver issue--you need MD support with this. For the rest of us, it's critical to have your enzymes checked monthly and it's a good idea to take liver support while you're on it (regardless of your enzyme levels) like milk thistle seed and/or burdock root.
Local anti fungal
A common local Rx that does not cross the mucosal barrier and therefore treats the GI and alimentary canal more specifically is Nystatin--but I would skip the Nystatin pills and get an MD to prescribe PURE Nystatin powder 500,000 units (can be filled at most compounding pharmacies). The great thing about the powder is it's derived naturally from the earth and safe to take for awhile (although you could eventually develop a resistance but I've read it's uncommon) and no enzyme issues. Also, since it's a powder, you add it to a little water, swish it around your mouth and swallow it--and it coats everything from your mouth all the way down through the alimentary canal, killing everything on contact.
Naturals
There are several natural antifungals that work really well for prevention and maintenance but I don't recommend them for an existing overgrowth. These also should be cycled in/out of rotation to prevent resistance - I'd take two at a time and cycle to new ones after a month.
Detox
Regardless of what you take you're now killing another "infection" and creating additional debris and toxins that need to be flushed out of your system, so detoxing is as important as killing the overgrowth.
Diet
Diet is non-negotiable. Regardless of what you take, as long as you're on abx and are at risk for a y/f overgrowth, you absolutely have to limit sugars and simple carbs in your diet. The more you feed the y/f the more it will grow, which also puts you at a higher risk for developing resistance. Also, y/f have been shown to feed on other types of foods if it's strong enough so that's also why it's important to hit it hard and fast.
Probiotics
And, regardless of what you take, you're going to be more successful in eliminating overgrowth and keeping it from reoccurring if you replace the good bacteria while you're on abx. 100 billion/day of high quality, multi-strain is best and rotating different products helps too.
Again, with an existing overgrowth you probably need an Rx but an Rx will not be successful without ALSO replacing good bacteria, avoiding all sugars and simple carbs and incorporating a robust detox program.
Hope this helps - please let me know if you have more q's. Tried to keep my post to the basics.
-p