Some Thoughts about Candida and the Liver

Recently, on an e-mail list for candida sufferers to which I subscribe, a lady expressed frustration at the number of different approaches one can take to candida. She felt confused as to which way to treat her own illness. Certainly, it can be very frustrating with any illnesswhen you start to try to figure out how to treat it. There will alwaysbe contradictions from all sides. I went through my own time of confusion, aswell. I think, however, that the key is to treat your quest in the same way that you would if you were doing a researchpaper: Look at a variety of different sources and of course, do alot of preliminary research before writing the paper. Then, when it istime to write, you take all the different perspectives, do yourown reasoning about what you have read, and come to your own conclusions.When searching for how to treat your illness, whether it is candida overgrowth or something else entirely, do your research before you "write"! I have learned that it is notgood enough to just absorb all the information and try variousapproaches as though you were sampling a buffet. You have to think about how all the information you aregathering relates. You have to ask yourself "why" all thetime. "Why do I have Candida?" Then when you think you have found ananswer, look harder. You may find what looks like an answer: "It'sbecause I took birth control pills, which messed up my immune function."(That was this lady's own perspective, by the way). Is that really the answer? Or is there anotherlayer of "why"? Ask yourself why the birth control pills did that andyou may find more answers to questions you hadn't thought to ask.I have come to the conclusion that the liver plays a big role in allillnesses and that cleaning the liver can be key to starting the healingprocess. I am very familiar with Chinese medicine, but apparently, it is veryfocused on treating the liver for any illness. All the other remedies, diets,and medicines may "work" to a degree, but your body has to be in a statethat makes it possible to heal. The liver is your body's filter and ifit is not functioning properly, then you cannot filter toxins, which are subsequently circulating in your body, making itharder to heal. Things such as birth control pills have a harmful affecton your liver. What one eats also affects liver function, and thusaffects candida and other illnesses that a person may have. If you eat a"candida diet" or any other special diet, how much it helps your candidais correlated to how much it helps your liver.A great book I highly recommend is The Liver Cleansing Diet by Dr.Sandra Cabot. She goes into these ideas deeper and has a great eatingplan for cleansing the liver. After doing that type of cleanse, the keyis to eat a healthy, liver-friendly diet. It is a diet that is well-balanced, full of fresh fruits and vegetables, and low in "bad" fats, while providing plenty of healthy fats. Itis a diet that most people would recognize as a practical, healthy diet.(Interestingly, before I read her book, I was already eating--or tryingto eat--a diet very similar to the one she proposes based on my ownconception of a healthy diet from other reading on various topics.)So, that is my own experience with researching various casues and treatment options for candida and the conclusions that I have come to based upon it. I hope you, too, will consider the role of the Liver in candida and other illnesses, and above all, do your own research before you draw conclusions!