Candida Treatment: Intro to my Personal Journey

I, being a licensed acupuncturist with 10 years clinical experience, have decided to follow a protocol for a natural (non pharmaceutical) treatment of what is likely a chronic candida infection. I intend to document my self-treatment in hope that doing so will 1) contribute to my understanding of the condition and its treatment,  2) provide information for others who may be suffering from yeast-related illnesses, and 3) benefit my own acupuncture clients with similar needs.

I probably will not describe gross aspects, but, if I do, I will try to be delicate about it--unless I think it is important, in which case, I may be blunt--so consider yourself warned.

Because of my training and experience as a healthcare professional, I feel comfortable treating myself.  The standard "Don't Try This At Home" applies, so seek guidance of a healthcare provider if you suspect you are suffering from symptoms of a chronic yeast infection.

The protocol I'm following was developed by S. Colet Lahoz, RN, MS, LAc., who offers phone consultations.

The Diagnosis

My primary reference source is Conquering Yeast Infections, by S. Colet Lahoz. In it is a reference to Dr. Crook's Yeast Questionnaire. The extensive questionnaire in Lahoz's book runs about 8 pages. I haven't finished that one yet, but I found the original questionnaire online:

From Flora-balance.com

I scored 230 (Yeast-connected health problems are almost certainly present in women with scores more than 180 , and in men with scores more than 140 .)

I will retake both questionnaires every 3 to 6 months as a way to quantify progress.

This should be an interesting journey. In the next couple of posts, I'll describe the first steps of the protocol, including the diet and supplements I'll be using. The supplements have been ordered. Once they arrive, I'll start the treatment. Until then, I'm drinking coffee (which will be eliminated from my diet), and eating the last bit of sweets, and breads and fruits that I will not be allowed for a least the next 3 months, maybe longer. I have a feeling this isn't going to be pretty.

Acupuncture after joint replacement surgery

During the past year I've seen several patient after total joint replacement surgery. Acupuncture  helped relieve pain and assisted their progress towards regaining strength and range of motion through better performance during physical therapy sessions. There were no cases of infections and the scars healed well.

A study was conducted by Raj K. Sinha, Deidre Braun,  and Robert Murphy and published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 90-B, Issue SUPP_I, 184. They concluded that acupuncture indeed "reduced narcotic usage and improve physical therapy after total joint replacement."  See the complete article:

POSTOPERATIVE ACUPUNCTURE DECREASES NARCOTIC REQUIREMENT AFTER TOTAL HIP AND KNEE REPLACEMENT

 More studies need to be done on this subject, but my experience has been so positive that I encourage those needing joint replacement to seek treatments from a licensed acupuncturist for help with pain relief and optimal healing.

Diet Guidelines for Menopausal Women

Eat the following vegetables in amounts that are moderate and satisfying; that portion should then be eaten regularly, perhaps 4 to 6 times a week.

- Asparagus: Helps cleanse arteries of cholesterol and is useful for vascular health. Too much can irritate the kidneys. It improves the feminine principle.

- Beets: strengthens the heart, sedates the spirit, improves circulation, purifies the blood, benefit’s the liver.

- Cabbage: Green and purple varieties. Helps mental depression and irritability.

- Food to build yin: wheat germ and its oil, mung bean, mung bean sprouts, string bean, seaweed, spirulina, millet, black bean, tofu, kidney bean, barley, and black sesame seed.

- Use restraint with alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, excessive and poor-quality meat.

- Important supplements: Vitamin E, B-complex, C, A and mineral calcium.

- Adequate magnesium and vitamin D from sunshine are necessary cofactors in calcium metabolism.

- Vitamin E stimulates production of estrogen. Wheat germ and wheat germ oil are especially good sources. Whole wheat also calms the spirit and strengthens the kidney-adrenal function. Take approximately 300 I.U of vitamin E three times a day at meal times if menopausal difficulties persist in spite of a good diet.

- For Chinese herbs, dang gui (angelica sinensis) brings relief from all symptoms. Also can use motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca).

- Aloe vera gel can be useful for those who don’t feel too cold. Use 2 teaspoons gel stirred into 1 cup of water 2 or 3 times a day.

- Royal jelly can notify  feminine hormonal system. A normal dosage is just 100-400 milligrams daily.

Source: Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

Back Pain Study

Brian Berman and colleagues of the University of Maryland School of Medicine published findings of a review of acupuncture for back pain in the July issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

From Psychology Today
 + Most people (70%) have experienced serious lower back pain; indeed, lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to a physician. Low-back pain can be disabling, but usually the pain responds to treatment. Unfortunately some people (7%) develop chronic low back pain that cannot be resolved with drugs or physical therapy. Many of these people turn to alternative therapies, including acupuncture, for relief.

+ A study of 6359 patients suffering chronic lower back pain compared the results of providing these patients with acupuncture, no treatment, or treating them with mock acupuncture. The results showed that both the patients receiving real acupuncture and the ones receiving mock acupuncture experienced significant pain relief compared to people who received no treatment.

Weight Loss & Sugar Cravings

 I've recently worked with several clients seeking help with weight loss. One in particular had sugar cravings, specifically, strong cravings for carbonated sodas. The sweeteners and artificial ingredients from the beverages created additional cravings for sugar as well as inflammation in her abdomen.

We decided to apply a acupuncture protocol often used for tobacco or drug addictions. It includes auricular needles with a small electric stimulation that is completely safe and comfortable. The result was amazing. My patient completely lost interest in sodas and sugar and is now happily drinking water with lemon. It was a natural transition from a state of imbalance to a more healthy state of harmony where the body craves what benefits it and dislikes that which is artificial or harmful.

I researched the topic and found this article to share.


I'm thrilled to help patients with their weight loss goals. The addiction protocol is simple, quick and effective and is certainly worth trying if you are struggling with unhealthy food or tobacco cravings.

Acupuncture for pain relief

A study published May 30, 2010 through the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York found that acupuncture stimulates the release of the naturally occurring chemical Adenosine faster than pain medication. Adenosine is a chemical  released to help increase blood flow and dull the sensation of pain.

 From an article in News by the Second:

"It’s an interesting contribution to our growing understanding of the complex intervention which is acupuncture” said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Rochester University.

Acupuncture for Eye Disorders

Acupuncture has been found to improve the eyesight of children suffering from lazy eye. Professor Dennis Shun-chiu Lam, who led the research, said the acupuncture accelerated the treatment response, improved the overall treatment results and shortened the total treatment duration. See details from the study here.