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Don Wiss wrote: "My theory is that a gluten eating celiac has a
system that is weakened in various ways, making some women unable to fight
off yeast infections. Has anyone had this as a persistent problem and found
the GF diet cleared it up?"
 
As someone who has both very bad yeast overgrowth and CD, here is my
perspective:
 
My theory is that having yeast overgrowth (candida) so badly in the first
place weakened my body severely and was partly the catalyst for developing
fullblown CD. Going on the anti-candida diet (no sugar, yeast or dairy)
cleared up practically all my symptoms for a little while, even the CD ones
(at that time I didn't know I had CD) provbably because most goods cooked
with yeast or involving fermentation also include wheat in their ingredients
or processes.
 
However after a while the CD set in again and really badly, after eating a
quantity of yest-free buns and some pastry. I still didn't know it was CD.
When I found out a couple of months later and added the CD diet restrictions
to the candida diet restrictions, I thought I was going completely mad (such
a crazy diet!) but felt so much better for it, it was amazing. However the
candida (both vaginal and gut) has not cleared up yet, and I have noticed
that every time I have a gluten slip-up the yeast takes over again. Probably
because my gut, in its gluten-weakend condition, cannot fight it off, as Don
suspects.
 
However I do not think the candida will clear itself up just by following a
GF diet and I would be surprised to hear of anyone who this happened to. A
candida problem needs to be treated itself as well as the CD.  It is an
incredibly tenacious organism and needs to be attacked directly rather than
indirectly. Incidentally, a vaginal yeast infection usually is pointing to a
gut yeast overgrowth, whether the sufferer is aware of it or not, becasue
the yeast travels throughout the digestive system, from vagina to mouth and
back again. Once on the GF diet I stopped taking the acidophilos and
caprylic acid I take to fight the candida, to see if the candida could be
controlled to some extent due to the GF diet, (while maintaining the candida
diet jsut in case,) but the candida came back even with such a small
alteration. Admittedly I do have a bad case of candida but I mean, no, I do
not think that a GF diet is enough to clear it up.
 
I do however suspect that once I have the CD properly sussed out and under
control (hopefully in a few months - or at least by Christmas!!) it will be
a lot easier to get rid of the candida because my poor gut will not be
always under attack and being made vulnerable every time I react to
something I ate.
 
While I'm here, I just want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Don Wiss for
pointing me to this list and to CD in general, it was he who 'found' me
wandering lost and bewildered amongst the cfs newsgroup thinking (I was
SOOOOO ill!!!) I had cfs!!!   (you may not remember Don - it all started
with an anorexia thread) So thankyou to Don!
 
Sorry about the roundabout way I got to the point of my letter, but I hope
this helps, and any further questions anyone may have I will be happy to
answer, privately or whatever.
 
Nicola Baartse
 
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Mark Baartse [log in to unmask] ph 0956 965 494
"Was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions"
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