Currently Viewing Posts Tagged Candida

IBS—Discovering Root Causes and Natural Treatments

ibs

Today I’m going to talk to you about IBS, which stands for irritable bowel syndrome, or in my opinion, It’s BS. And why would I say that? Because certainly millions of people have IBS. Well, I’ve been practicing for over 30 years and have seen over 100,000 patient visits, treating all sorts of conditions—pain, fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, thyroid, adrenal issues, autoimmune.

But the one thing though that almost all my patients have in common is digestive issues. I’ve seen it more so lately, and it seems like almost everyone comes in with some sort of gut symptoms. Many of my patients have been to other doctors and get labeled as having IBS.

IBS Traditional Treatment

So I want to talk about what you can do to find out what’s causing it and how to correct it. So, typical scenario, you go to the doctor saying you have symptoms such as gas, bloating, abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, diarrhea. Even mucus in the stool can feel miserable. 

And so you go in and your primary doctor says, all right, well why don’t you take this medication (usually acid-blocking drugs)? See if that works. 

You go back, still no better. All right, well, let’s send you to the GI doctor.

So you go to the GI doctor. What’s going on? 

Well, doc, I don’t know, I have some gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, just feel really irritable. My bowels feel irritable all the time. I don’t know what’s going on. 

All right, well, let’s do some tests. We’ll do a colonoscopy. 

Maybe they’ll do a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. So you get the results back and go in. 

So what is it? 

Oh, well you have IBS. 

Oh, what’s that Doc? 

That stands for irritable bowel syndrome.

Well, wait a minute isn’t that what I told you I had, irritable bowel? 

Right, you have irritable bowel syndrome, exactly. 

Well, what causes that? 

Well, no one really knows what causes it. 

What can I do about it? 

Well, you can get this medication for it. We have acid-blocking drugs. 

That’s the one that didn’t work.

Okay, we can do muscle relaxers or anti-anxiety pills, or you can do these pain meds or even anti-depressants. These are all common medications used for IBS. 

And that’s why I say It’s BS because IBS is not a condition, it’s simply a description of what’s going on. It would be like going to the orthopedist and you say, 

Doc, my neck hurts, it’s been really hurting a lot lately. 

They do some x-rays, maybe an MRI. 

Okay, well, you have something very serious. It’s called HNS. 

HNS, what’s that? 

Hurt neck syndrome. 

What do you mean?

You have HNS. 

Well, I know, my neck hurts. 

But this is an actual condition. Look it up online.

You go online, HNS, there are support groups. There are all kinds of blogs, websites all over the place. I’m making this up, by the way, maybe I’m not, maybe it does exist. But this is how it works. Anyway, that’s why I say it’s BS. 

Root Cause of IBS

However, IBS does exist. I know, I had it years ago, even as a kid I had all these symptoms. I was miserable. And as I got older, it even got worse. So I went through all this. I was able to get it cleared up and basically what it comes down to is finding out the root causes of IBS. 

Number one is pathogens (infections)—bacteria, yeast, parasites. And why don’t they ever test for this? It’s so rare that you can even get your doctor to order a stool test. I like to order these comprehensive stool tests, not just to check for parasites, but also yeast, bacteria, digestive enzymes, different markers of inflammation, immune health. So it gives a clear picture. 

So parasites, for instance, in one study I read almost half of the IBS patients had this parasite called Blastocystis hominis. I did other videos on that if you want to check that out. But 46% had blasto. and all the symptoms of IBS can be from this blastocystis and other parasites, the gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, constipation.

Yeast overgrowth is also a common cause of IBS symptoms, and bacterial overgrowth (dysbiosis) as well. And when I tested myself, these are just some of approximately 20 stool test parasite pictures and everything that I did years ago when I had these issues. I wanted to get to the underlying root cause. And it took me a while to figure out and get it cleared up. But you should do a comprehensive stool test if you want to find out and figure out what’s causing your gut symptoms. 

So infections, pathogens are one. And what do you do about that? Well, depending on what it is, for parasites, there’s certain natural formulas we use and sometimes you need a prescription medication. For me, I use a series of products that I found really worked, and this was after I tried a few different prescription drugs for the parasites which did not work.

Natural Treatment for IBS

If it’s yeast, there are certain protocols for that. I use a product called Yeast Defeat™. If it’s a bacterial overgrowth, I use Microb-Balance™.  There are probiotics that I use that are effective and powerful called ProbioSupreme™SB or other of our probiotics depending on the findings. So, eliminating the cause of the infection is one thing.

Second, are deficiencies—nutrient and digestive enzyme deficiencies, so that has to be addressed and they are different types of enzyme supplements, such as GastricZyme™ or PanAbsorb™ that can be a huge help.

Third, are food allergies/sensitivities. Gluten is the most common one I see. There are other foods that are highly reactive as well. You have to find out which foods you are sensitive to. That’s a major cause of digestive issues. Two ways to do this are, you can test, there is a comprehensive gluten celiac test, food allergy and sensitivity tests. You can check upwards of 100 or more foods. 

So the typical tests doctors run for gluten, if you can get them to do that, is for just 2-3 markers for gluten sensitivity and celiac. But meanwhile, there is a particular lab test I use to check more than 20 different antibodies, which is a very comprehensive approach to find out if gluten is an issue. 

Testing Options for IBS

So another option besides testing for gluten are testing for others. A food allergy test if you can get your doctor to order that. Some of the major labs offer panels of 10 or 15 foods, and those are true allergies. Most people have sensitivities more so than allergies, so I like to test both in panels of about 100 foods or more. 

So aside from food testing, another option I came up with is a diet I call the FreeDiet® because it’s not only free of gluten but gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. And you go through that, phase one is typically four weeks where you are eliminating these potentially reactive foods. And most patients, usually within the first couple of weeks are doing so much better.

And then as everything clears up, we go onto phase two, we start adding foods back one at a time. So, this is what worked for me. Because I tested positive for gluten sensitivity, and I went gluten-free but was eating all the gluten-free grains, millet, rice, corn, gluten-free pasta and bagels, everything. 

I was not feeling any better because you must eliminate the bacteria, yeast, parasites, all of those things. All of those live on, they love sugar, grains, yeast, starches. So this diet, the FreeDiet® is free of all of those. 

It really helps your gut calm down. If you want a complimentary copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart, feel free to click here to check that out. So the FreeDiet® gives your gut a rest, calms down the inflammation, allows it to heal. If you have infections, pathogens, it also is the diet you would follow for that. So it’s all-encompassing as far as to help clear up gut issues and that’s what worked for me after I finally figured it out over many years of testing and tweaking and for many of my patients since then.

Contact Us

If you need help with your health, feel free to contact us and feel free to share this with someone you know, who is having gut or thyroid issues. We would be happy to help.

Candida Curse – Is Yeast Ruining Your Life and What You Can Do

Hi. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and today, I’m going to talk to you about candida curse: is yeast ruining your health? We’re going to go over some basic symptoms of yeast overgrowth, how to find out if you have it, and then some solutions for you to help you get better.

A Patient’s Symptoms

In my 30+ years of practicing chiropractic, nutrition, and functional medicine this is a typical patient I would see. A 38-year-old woman, came in complaining of a laundry list of issues: Fatigue, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, belching, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, eczema on most of her body, irritability, mood swings, PMS, headaches, dizziness, itchy eyes, dry skin and hair, easy bruising, chest pain, hyperactivity, sinus congestion, rashes, itching, food allergies, hair loss, frequent urination, recurring yeast infections, sugar, bread, alcohol cravings, insomnia, and brain fog. And she’s more of a typical patient that I see.

Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free

She had seen many doctors over the previous 10 to 15 years, many of them were specialists, and finally, she got her allergist to test her for Celiac disease. Sure enough, it was positive, and she went on a gluten-free diet and though she still had all her symptoms, she temporarily felt better. After a while, she still had all those other symptoms I mentioned and was back to just feeling terrible. That’s when she found our office and went through an initial evaluation and thorough testing. We found out there were several things going on, and typically, when someone has all these symptoms, it’s not just one thing.

Yeast Overgrowth – Candida and Antibiotic Use

One of the main things going on her was yeast overgrowth; Candida. Yeast is a type of fungus and candida albicans is the most popular type of yeast. We have a normal amount in our systems and in our gut, but when that gets out of balance and overgrown, that’s when you can get all these symptoms. One of the most common causes of this is antibiotic use. I mean, even a one week course of antibiotics can wipe out your healthy, good bacteria for months and months, which allows a yeast overgrowth and all the bad bacteria and yeast to overgrow and take over.

Acid-Blocking Drugs and Yeast Overgrowth

Another factor is antacids; one of the most prescribed drugs in the United States. If you look at their side effects, one of the primary ones is yeast overgrowth (candidiasis). By killing off acid in your stomach, that compromises one of the primary protective mechanisms your body has against yeast and bacteria- pathogenic bacteria. Yeast overgrowth, caused by acid-blocking drugs, birth control pills, and other drugs is a reason why women are more likely than men to have yeast overgrowth, although men have it too.

Yeast Symptoms and Autoimmune

Yeast overgrowth can affect many different areas in body and brain function, resulting in symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, headaches, dizziness, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, sinus congestion, and post nasal drip. If you ever feel like this mucous just keeps going down. Take chronic cough, for example, if you’re overly sensitive to perfumes and fragrances or car exhaust, and you’re overly sensitive to that with allergies or itchy ears. Although it’s most common in women, it’s something that I dealt with years ago. These are all symptoms that can be related to yeast.

Yeast overgrowth is also one of the more common causes of autoimmune conditions. I see so many patients over and over with Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions, and yeast overgrowth is one of the primary causes. And that is actually what caused my own autoimmune conditions which I was able to clear up almost 10 years ago.

Itchy Ears

So what caused mine? Well, my father was a medical doctor. So growing up, I was on a lot of antibiotics with every little sniffle. When I was like six or seven and had chronic sinus congestion, the answer was to take antibiotics. That  was just wreaking havoc on my system, and I ultimately got my tonsils removed. That set the stages for all of these yeast-related issues and a whole bunch of other things. Getting back to the sinus and the itchiness in my left ear, and for some reason, it was mostly my left, it would be triggered whenever I would have a glass of wine or have some bread or apple cider vinegar. You know, those things which were supposed to be so healthy for you, but my ear would start itching and that’s all yeast related.

Other Yeast-Related Symptoms

In addition to the itchy ear, I had abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Constipation is another symptom, though I didn’t really have that. Yeast is almost always involved with gut issues like IBS, and I certainly had plenty of food sensitivities. When you have yeast overgrowth, it can cause leaky gut, which then makes you more prone to, and increases the number of food reactions you have. And I had plenty of food reactions- gluten and many other foods.

Consider Genitourinary Symptoms

When it comes to genitourinary symptoms, the traditional medical person will only recognize yeast overgrowth as vaginal yeast infections, give you the topical prescription for that, and that’s pretty much the extent of it. They don’t really believe or don’t acknowledge, that yeast can affect you systemically, except in severe cases and hospitalized patients. But it’s really not on the radar and patients tell me if they even bring it up, they’re practically laughed out of the room. Traditional medicine is kind of run like in the military, with the old policy of ‘Don’t ask. Don’t tell.’ It’s like one symptom, one drug.

Compounding Symptoms

Sometimes you get past that one symptom and then don’t hear anything from a patient. Or patients are more like the woman who had 38 different symptoms, and doctors may try to give them 38 different drugs for those. Well, that one patient did go to dozens of specialist though. But anyway, skin issues, acne, sunspots and are treatable. This is something I had when I was in college. They call them sunspots, white spots on your back, neck, and shoulders. Those are related to yeast — internal yeast overgrowth — and you can absolutely get rid of those when you get this yeast under control. Other symptoms, like fungal infections on your nails, white coating on your tongue, eczema, psoriasis, skin rashes, and itchy eyes, ears, or skin.

One of those common things with patients is itchiness all over their body, at night especially, and it’s just driving them crazy. Then we put them on the diet we’re going to talk about with some of the supplements, it clears up within a matter of a few weeks. Numbness and tingling (something I had plenty of), joint pain, muscle aches, fibromyalgia type symptoms, autoimmune conditions, and then cravings for sugar, alcohol, or bread, difficulty losing weight, PMS, and there’s even more, but those are the basic, and that’s enough for today.

What’s the Solution?

There are so many symptoms, but what’s the solution? It basically comes down to: How do you even know if you have those? With our seven-step functional free program, my step one is a thorough evaluation; a whole body health analysis that includes lab testing and testing for yeast, if we suspect that, and stool testing, which is very important because it can determine the parasites, yeast, and types of bacteria. Knowing what type can help clear it up. A thorough evaluation and symptom profile is important.

As far as treatment goes, It’s pretty straightforward. The Free Diet which is free of the most common allergens; gluten, grains, yeast, sugar, soy, legumes, dairy, etc. And within this Free Diet, is the candida diet. There’s also a bunch of other diets within this, all in one. You don’t have to do a candida diet, a gluten-free diet, or a Paleo diet; this encompasses all of that by taking the best of each and putting it into one diet.

A Quick Summary

If you want to a copy of phase one of the Free Diet, just click here. Phase one involves avoiding starches, sugar and even most fruit because you’re really cutting down the sugar intake. Starches and sugars really thrive on yeast. Instead, you’re eating plenty of healthy proteins, vegetables, and healthy fats. Take one serving of fruit a day, and its outlined in there, but the diet is intended to starve off the yeast, so skipping anything with sugar or yeast, so no wine, beer, vinegar, or mushrooms, even cutting out fermented foods.

Supplements

In addition to this diet is the nutritional supplement. The one I’ve found over the years to work the best is natural medicine formulas. A product called Yeast Defeat that has different ingredients, herbs in it and other ingredients that help kill off excess yeast. And then we have our probiotic line. ProbioSupreme™ 30– that’s so vitally important to getting the normal but healthy bacteria to increase in your gut. So between the Free Diet, the supplements and there are almost always other things involved as well besides that, because these can wreak havoc on your system.

Start With the Diet and Move Forward

We address getting these other things under control, but if you just start and follow the diet it will help you feel better. Later you can add these antifungal, supportive digestive supplements, which can help dramatically. Let me know if you have any questions or any other things you want me to cover.

I know a lot of patients that come in, and a lot of you out there, have chronic health issues and you’re feeling terrible inside and out. But really, if you can get to the underlying cause and start addressing these and come up with some permanent solutions, then you can come up with solutions to help get things cleared up. And your body does have an amazing ability to heal so you can get better.

Yeast Overgrowth & Sensitivity – Candida Solutions

Can you believe this is typical of the type of patient we see in our clinic?  A 38-year-old woman came in complaining of fatigue, abdominal pain,  bloating, gas, belching, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, eczema on most of body,  irritability, mood swings, PMS, headaches, dizziness, itchy eyes, dry skin and hair, easy bruising, chest pain, hyperactivity, sinus congestion, rashes, itching, food allergies, hair loss, frequent urination, recurring yeast infections, sugar, bread and alcohol cravings, insomnia and brain fog.

After seeing many doctors over 10-15 years, she had urged her allergist to test her for Celiac disease and sure enough, it was positive. She temporarily felt a little better on a gluten-free diet, but she still had all those symptoms.

What is going on here?  I thought gluten-free was supposed to cure everything!

Well it turns out that you can have sensitivities or allergies to many different foods and one of the most common is yeast.

Most every new patient that comes in with a multitude of chronic symptoms not only tests positive for a gluten or wheat sensitivity but also has a food sensitivity to Brewer’s and/or Baker’s yeast.

Related to this is a condition called yeast overgrowth or Candida in the body.  It is normal to have a certain level of yeast in our bodies and Candida Albicans is the most common type of yeast or fungus.

But when it gets out of balance and yeast overgrowth occurs, that’s when it can cause problems.

Yeast overgrowth is usually caused by medications such as antibiotics, prednisone, birth-control pills or antacids.

Just some of the symptoms of yeast overgrowth or sensitivity include:

  • abdominal pain, gas and bloating
  • diarrhea or constipation
  • IBS, Crohn’s and Colitis
  • fatigue
  • headaches
  • dizziness
  • sinus congestion
  • chronic cough
  • acne
  • numbness and tingling
  • brain fog- poor memory and concentration
  • fungal infection on nails
  • white film or spots on throat or tongue
  • irritability
  • mood swings
  • anxiety and/or depression
  • muscle or joint aches
  • eczema, psoriasis  and skin rashes
  • itchy eyes, ears or skin
  • difficulty losing weight
  • food sensitivities
  • sensitivities to perfumes, fragrances and chemicals
  • allergies
  • autoimmune conditions
  • sugar, alcohol or bread cravings
  • vaginal yeast infections
  • PMS
  • frequent urinary tract infections

How do you determine if you have yeast overgrowth or sensitivity?
The first and most important thing we do is a thorough history and evaluation. There are also different lab tests that can be performed to identify if yeast is part of the problem.

And usually this is just one important piece of the puzzle.  There are other factors involved also.

So what’s the solution?  Although it is much more detailed than this, here is a summary:

1.  Diet:
a.  Avoid sugar, grains and starches. That includes bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, cake; and yes, even gluten-free ones.
b.  Avoid yeast containing foods such as beer and wine, vinegar, soy sauce, aged cheeses.
c.  Eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables
d.  Eat a moderate amount of proteins such as wild fish, beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb.
d.  Consume an abundance of healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and clarified butter.

2.  Nutritional supplements with herbs that have antifungal properties can be very effective. One of the products I have found most effective is called Yeast Defeat.  Sometimes antifungal medications are needed.

3. Take Probiotics for digestive and immune support.  I’ve used many different brands over the years with thousands of patients.  I finally found one that has provided the best results, which is called ProbioSupreme.

By the way, about the patient above who was feeling terrible? After placing her on what I call The FreeDiet™ and some nutritional supplements to enhance healing, she did get better.

Yes, all of her symptoms cleared up and she was feeling good for the first time in many years!  If you want to see her video, click here.

So remember, gluten-free can be part of the solution, but it is not the answer to everything. There can be many other factors involved, and yeast overgrowth/sensitivity is just one of them

If you want to Transform Your Health and Feel Good Again, feel free to contact us at info@nmcwellness.com  or call 561-627-5800.  We would love to help.

Yours for Optimal Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

PS. Look for more on The FreeDiet™ in future blogposts.

  • Schedule An
    Appointment

    We can help you look and feel the best you have in years!

    Natural Medicine Clinic

    Chiropractor Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    2401 PGA Boulevard Ste 132
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
    561-627-5800

    Serving the Florida communities of:

    Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach,
    Jupiter, Tequesta, Singer Island
    and West Palm Beach.

    Content on this website is based upon the opinions of Thomas Rofrano, D.C. and is not considered medical advice. It is designed to be a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Rofrano and his community. Dr. Rofrano encourages you to make your health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Dr. Rofrano is a chiropractic physician and offers physical and nutritional support and guidance to those seeking alternative or complementary care to traditional medicine. His care is not meant to replace that from your primary doctor and specialists but rather to help you on your path to achieving life-long vibrant health.

    Regarding any supplements mentioned: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.