The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (10 page)

List of Foods to Avoid Entirely

Sugar

Refined sugar is thought to encourage the growth of Candida yeast.

Foods containing refined sugar include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, demerrara, amasake, rice syrup, sorghum.

Read labels carefully because there may be hidden forms of sugar. When reading the label, words to watch out for include sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glycogen, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, galactose, monosaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Fruit

Fruit contain natural sugars that are thought to support the growth of yeast. Fruit that are typically eliminated include fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruit and juice.

Yeast

Foods that contain yeast are typically eliminated. Yeast-containing foods include Baker's yeast, Brewer's yeast, Engevita, Torula, and any other types of nutritional yeast.

Baked goods raised with yeast such as breads, rolls, crackers, bagels, pastries, and muffins are not permitted.

Foods Containing Gluten

Gluten-containing foods include wheat, barley, and rye. This includes products made with these ingredients such as bread and pasta.

Vinegar

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White Vinegar

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Red Wine Vinegar

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Apple Cider Vinegar

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Rice Vinegar

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Balsamic Vinegar

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Any Food Made With Vinegage, such as Mayonnaise, Commercial Salad Dressing, Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Steak Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Shrimp Sauce, Soy Sauce, Mustard, Pickles, Pickled Vegetables, Green Olives, Relishes, Horseradish, Mincemeat, and Chili Sauce.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are typically not allowed on Candida diets.

List of Foods to Limit

Dairy Products and Eggs

Avoid eggs and all dairy products including:

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Milk

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Cheese

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Cottage Cheese

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Sour Cream

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Yogurt And Kefir

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Butter

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Ice Cream And Frozen Yogurt

Wheat

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Pasta

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Bread

Sweeteners

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Refined Sugar

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Any White Sugar

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Any Brown Sugar

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High-Fructose Corn Syrup

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Evaporated Cane Juice

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Artificial Sweeteners

Gluten

All gluten-containing grains, including wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut, couscous, bran, and farina

Soy

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Tofu

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Soy Milk

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Soy Yogurt

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Soy Sauce

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Soy Protein Powder

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Tempeh

Coffee and Caffeinated Beverages

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Coffee

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Tea

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Soft drinks

Animal Products

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Beef

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Pork

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Veal

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Sausages

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Hot Dogs

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Deli Meats And Cold Cuts

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Shellfish

Condiments

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Ketchup

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Relish

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Soy Sauce

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Teriyaki Sauce

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Non-Dairy Creamers

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Barbeque Or Steak Sauce

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Salad Dressings Not Made With Allowed Ingredients

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Mayonnaise

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Spreads Not Made With The Allowed Ingredients

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Similar Condiments

Other Foods to Avoid

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Yeast

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Alcohol

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Food Additives and Preservatives

Limit daily carbohydrate intake - Sugar feeds Candida, so it is important to minimize the total carbohydrate content of one's diet. During the first 2 to 3 weeks of the program, it is often recommended that carbohydrate intake be restricted to 20 to 60 grams per day, depending on age, health, activity level, and extent of grain sensitivities. As symptoms disappear, the carbohydrate total can gradually increase. Foods that are low carb include protein foods such as meat, chicken, turkey, shellfish, some nuts, and non-starchy vegetables.

Environmental/Lifestyle

Consider talking with your physician about substitute methods of birth control if you are using oral contraceptives.

Practitioners usually suggest avoiding alcohol and smoking. Both can impair the immune function.

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Dandruff is a common scalp condition characterized by white flakes on the scalp.

Dandruff is also known as seborrheic dermatitis. With dandruff, there is inflammation of the superficial layers of the skin, causing scales on the scalp and other parts of the body.

The mild scalp inflammation is caused by the body’s reaction to the Pityrosporum yeast and to products that break down oils.

Some holistic practitioners believe that dandruff is dependent on the health of the entire body, particularly the digestive system.

Diet

Fried foods should be avoided. Reduce intake of fats, dairy products, sugars, chocolate, seafood, and peanuts. Increase green leafy vegetables and raw foods. Eat a whole foods diet.

Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins

Biotin

Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps to break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is sold in supplement form and is found naturally in foods too. Food sources of biotin include brewer's yeast, nutritional yeast, whole grains, nuts, egg yolks, sardines, liver, cauliflower, bananas, and mushrooms.

Other nutritional supplements used for dandruff are:

• Vitamin B complex, especially vitamin B1 and B2
  
• Vitamin A
  
• Omega fatty acids, especially omega-6
  
• Zinc
  

Topical Remedies

Grapefruit seed extract
– A few drops of grapefruit seed extract can be added to shampoo.

Tea tree oil
– Look for a tea tree oil shampoo or add a few drops of tea tree oil to shampoo.
Apple cider vinegar
– Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water. Pour into spray bottle and spritz it onto your hair and scalp.  Make sure to avoid the eyes and wrap your head in a towel. Remove after 15 minutes to one hour and wash hair.  Use once to twice a week. This is a popular home remedy for dandruff.

Selenium-based shampoo
– Selenium acts as an anti-fungal agent.

Flaxseed oil or vitamin E oil
– Apply these oils to the scalp nightly and wash off in the morning. They can soothe and nourish the scalp. Use an old sheet or towel to protect your pillow.

Symptoms

Dandruff develops gradually. White or yellow (greasy) flakes appear on the hair and scalp, which may be accompanied by itching and redness. There is no hair loss.

People with the severe form of this condition may have yellow or red scaling pimples on the hairline, behind the ears, in the ear, or in the creases beside the nose.
Factors that worsen dandruff are:

• Genetics: Dandruff tends to run in families
  
• Stress, emotional and physical
  
• Climate (worse in the winter)
  

Dandruff may proceed or be associated with development of psoriasis. People with neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, or HIV may have severe dandruff or other forms of seborrheic dermatitis.

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Most people with depression do not seek treatment, although the majority can be helped by a combination of medication, therapy, and natural remedies.

The first step is to talk with your doctor. Depression is a serious illness that should not be self-treated. Depression can also be a symptom of another condition, such as hypothyroidism or anemia. If you are currently taking medication for depression, do not stop without consulting your doctor.

St. John's Wort

The herb St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has long been used in folk medicine for sadness, worry, nervousness, and poor sleep.

Today, the results of over 20 clinical trials suggest that St. John's Wort works better than a placebo and is as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression, with fewer side effects. Studies suggest that St. John's wort is not effective for major depression.

Available:

It is available at health food stores, drug stores, and online in the form of capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, or tea.

Precautions:

St. John's wort may take 4 to 6 weeks to notice the full effects. Side effects may include dizziness, dry mouth, indigestion, and fatigue. St. John's Wort increases photosensitivity, so extra caution should be taken to protect skin and eyes from sunlight.
Although St. John's Wort appears to be reasonably safe when taken alone, it can interfere with the effectiveness of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as antidepressants, drugs to treat HIV infections and AIDs, drugs to prevent organ rejection for transplant patients, and oral contraceptives.

St. John's wort is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with bipolar disorder, liver or kidney disease. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of good fat needed for normal brain function. Our bodies cannot make omega-3s on their own, so we must obtain them through our diet.

Studies have linked depression with low dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids. In countries with higher fish consumption, such as Japan and Taiwan, the depression rate is 10 times lower than in North American. Postpartum depression is also less common.

Studies suggest that omega-3's together with antidepressants may be more effective than antidepressants alone.

Cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, and anchovies are the richest food source of omega-3 fatty acids. Instead of eating more fish, which contains mercury, PCBs, and other chemicals, try fish oil capsules because they are considered a cleaner source of omega-3 fatty acids. Many companies filter their fish oil so that these chemicals are removed.