Candida and Liver Function
Hi Cynthia,Hi Matthew,
I was curious to know your opinion on how to treat Candida if the liver is weak.
Unfortunately I’ve found antifungals, and therefore die off, too potent for my body to handle, especially as its taxing on the liver.
How would you proceed in this instance? Matthew
Yes, unfortunately, this is a common struggle and a frequent roadblock for recovery in people with severe Candida overgrowth and there isn’t an easy answer. The toxins Candida emits on a daily basis overload the liver, which is why it is weak. When one is going through die off, the amount of toxins can be, and often are, overwhelming.
Some people say you should push through it and force yourself to endure, but I disagree. Too much die off and overwhelming an already overtaxed liver is not a good thing. It will hinder your progress, damage the liver further and can completely incapacitate you. Most people are not able to permit themselves to be so non-functional as they must be able to perform daily commitments and responsibilities.
I recommend a couple of things. First, I suggest either cutting back on the dosage of the current antifungal and see if that provides enough relief to continue forward. If not, then try switching to a less aggressive antifungal. Each person responds differently to each antifungal, so it takes some trial and error to find what works for you.
Some people find significant relief by taking high doses of vitamin C, charcoal tablets and/or bentonite clay. These either help the body detox the toxins better or absorb them. One of the most effective and quick ways to find relief is with an enema. This will clean the toxins out right away. Other helpful steps are getting regular exercise like walking or rebounding.
Additionally, the primary factor that needs to be addressed is to try and support the liver and enhance liver functioning. Two nutrients I have found very helpful for my liver are pantethine and molybdenum. These nutrients help the liver to process acetaldehyde, one of the primary toxins from Candida, thus alleviating some of the congestion in the liver. This didn’t provide me with a complete answer, but very noticeable improvements.
Other crucial nutrients that are needed for enhancing detoxification of the liver are alpha-lipoic acid, glutathione, and milk thistle. Each of these assist the functioning of the liver’s detoxification pathways.
The brand and formula of glutathione one takes is very important. Most forms are not absorbed very effectively. Here is the one I recommend because it is believed to be the most absorbable on the market:
Learn more about glutathione
Some practitioners feel it is best to take n-acetyl cysteine instead of glutathione, because of the inabsorbability factor of glutathione. N-acetyl cysteine is metabolized by the body into glutathione more quickly and easily than glutathione itself. It is recommended that two to three times the amount of Vitamin C should be taken with n-acetyl cysteine
It’s important to keep in mind that overcoming Candida is a journey. There are many different factors that contribute to overgrowth and it takes time to put the puzzle together. Not everyone’s puzzle is the same. There are many “nails in the shoe,” so to speak, and they must be pulled out one at a time. A long-term and comprehensive approach, like Ive outlined in Candida Secrets, is usually required.
I always encourage people to listen to their body, be kind to themselves, and not push too hard or too fast.
Best regards,
Cynthia
Excellent advice thanks. A lot of the changes I have made recently tie in with your thoughts so that’s good.
I added Molybdenum (200ug twice a day) about a week ago along with 1200mg of NAC (600mg twice a day) and 450mg of pantethine. I already take about 6g daily of vitamin C to help the adrenals so this no doubt doubles up as liver support.
I’m not doing too much in the way of antifungals at the moment. The only antifungal I am taking is coconut oil, about 1tsp daily for cooking, which I’ve done for a while now. The probiotics I take are quite potent at 50 billion per capsule, so I do one of these every other day in the morning. Hopefully I can build up steadily like you suggest with careful monitoring of what my body is telling me.
Apologies if I’m being a little cheeky asking another question. Would you have any advice on treating post nasal drip? This was one of my earliest symptoms and has been persistent for a few years. Whether it is as a result of candida, or a contributory cause (fungas/infection dripping down the throat into the stomach and destroying the gut flora) I’m not sure. I’ve had a regular ENT look up there a few times and I’m not in the slightest bit confident of his suggestion of sinus surgery, especially as he hasn’t considered my symptoms as a whole. Considering the above concerns about my liver and the rate of die of, would you be cautious of using some sort of anti-fungal rinse?
Many thanks
You’re welcome.
I wouldn’t consider the surgery for the post nasal drip. That’s ridiculous advice. As we know, it is probably caused by the yeast. That’s a pretty common symptom for Candida.
You probably won’t have die off from using something locally in the nasal passages. Sniffing Nystatin powder or putting it in water and rubbing it inside the nose is often recommended by Candida physicians and is pretty effective. Nystatin requires a prescription from a doctor. Diluted food grade hydrogen peroxide sniffed or rubbed inside the nose would also work. Some people also find a simple salt water solution to be helpful.
On the other hand, another good possibility for the cause of the post nasal drip is a food allergy or sensitivity. That’s an extremely common symptom from that as well. You may want to look into that. Food sensitivities usually go hand in hand with Candida. Here’s some info it:
http://www.holistichelp.net/food-allergies.html
http://www.holistichelp.net/alcat-test.html
Best
Cynthia
This situation is too complex to address in a blog comment. I have hundreds of pages on Candida on my site and blog. Please use the search function to find them and read them all. Alternatively, you can get a copy of my book, Candida Secrets. It covers everything you need to know. Becoming debilitated by Candida is not uncommon. However, some of your symptoms sound like they may be the result of something else. The gagging, vomiting and severe gut pain could be H pylori or some type of parasite or other bacterial overgrowth. A stool test called GI Effects from Metametrix would probably be a good idea to identify these things. Parasites and other bacteria often occur in conjunction with Candida.
Best
Cynthia
I am glad I found this post. Reading through it was helpful. I am one of those people who need to take candida treatment very slowly as the die off happens immediately and quite intense. I usually have to start somewhere then back down. I agree my liver needs major support. I do distilled water with lemon, and have considered ACV. But I remember a few years back Glutathione supplementation helped so I am going to do that again. My question is…I would like to add Vitamin C for immune support and regularity. I am a little “C” sensitive, so I was advised to try buffered C powder. However, I do not know if one brand is better, etc. I was advised to try Perque, but some are less expensive. Do you have any thoughts on a good buffered C? Thank you!
My preferred brand of vitamin C is – Thorne Buffered Vitamin C Powder. It has good absorption abilities, is kind on the stomach and is balanced with potassium, magnesium and calcium, which is important with high doses of vitamin C.
Best
Cynthia