At 3:06 +1000 9/3/1999, Richard Keene wrote:

>If someone has Candidis (s.i.c?) are they usualy highly addictied to
>carbs?

People with untreated Candidiasis will usually tend to eat high-carb
diets, and especially consuming lots of sugar in sweets and soft drinks.

I doubt whether the candidiasis is the cause of the high-carb diet.
I think rather the diet increases the susceptibility to candidiasis, as
the yeast thrives in the environment created by a high-carb diet.

There are better indicators of candidiasis than being carb-addicted.
Typical problems include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating (especially
2-8 hours after a high-carb meal), irregular bowel movements, skin rashes
which respond to anti-fungal cream and recurring vaginal yeast infections.
There will also usually be a medical history which includes an intensive
or prolonged treatment with antibiotics.

I believe the other problems often attributed to candidiasis are more
likely to be caused by the high-carb diet than the yeast. These include
chronic fatigue, headaches, muscular aches, joint pain and allergies.

But be aware that my experience with candidiasis is second-hand and
limited to a sample size of one (although I've read a _lot_ about it).


>My wife has tried all last week to get on an Atkins diet and failed
>every day.

Jumping straight from a high-carb diet to an Atkins diet is a pretty
extreme change in eating habits. Perhaps your wife would find it easier
to slowly change her diet, migrating to a low-carb diet over the course
of several weeks or even months.

Am I correct in recalling some posts to this list theorizing that sugar
breaks down into opiate-like molecules, and is thus highly addictive?
If this is the case, reducing the amount of sugar in the diet gradually
is probably necessary to avoid intense cravings.

Yours sincerely,
Richard Archer.