Happy Spring Heidi! I'm wearing shorts! Sometimes... Finally warming up here in Fargo.

Have done a LOT of reading. I think I have finally found the core problem I've been having... Bloating, TERRIBLE gas, brain fog, constipation, inability to completley evacuate or empty my bladder, swollen abdomen, slight pain in the abdominal area as well. All of these are indeed related to the foods I'm eating... I should have seen this before.

For a full year I was on assorted antibiotics and drinking heavily, (had just turned 21 and was not on the BTD.) Obviously this lead to SEVERE CANDADIASIS! Now, anytime I eat ANY sugar or carb laden foods... I get insane gas! This is where I really need your help!

I've been reading pages and pages of info on this form all different sources. None of them are into the BTD though. They all give foods to avoid and foods to focus on, many of wich contradict the type A diet. Was wondering if you could give me a sample diet to follow with major avoids, focuses, and supplements to cure me of this.

I firmly believe that it is beyond the yeast stage. I'm pretty sure it has gone mycelial and is causing what is known as leaky gut syndrome. Hence the jaundice in my hands, face and feet, the terribly dry skin, and the ICE cold hands.

I feel great that I finally found out what is causing all of this, (I've had NO libido whatsoever for almost a yaer too!) Just need some serious help on conquering it!

So far I've found that pretty much any fruit/dried/juice will aggravate it, carrots, any grains, blackstrap mollases, brown rice milk, etc. I'm not sure if nuts or soy are really a cause or a factor, but many of the sights say they are.

I just got the 2 bottles of polyflora A, and am half done with the first. I am also going to eat 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic a day... Do I really have to give up wine!? Please advise! And bless you! Jim

Sunshine back at ya, Jim! Hoorah for those shorts! although, erm, I haven't seen you in them, but I'm going to believe the best! ~;-D

OK, now help me out here by backing up a bit (because I'm confused).

First: How is the stress-relief programme going? I'm emphasizing that point because every responsible practitioner who works with candida / leaky gut is going to query you on it, early and often. A profound stress-reduction practice done daily is the keystone of leaky gut treatment.

Next ~ Did you have any tests done at all, or did you self-diagnose based on the (utterly terrifying, I know, I've seen it) material you've been reading? Try to step back from it a bit, and remember that this BTD thing is VERY powerful. You're already 90% ahead of where most folks find themselves when they need guidance with a health problem.

When you visited your uncle, and were juicing, the bloating disappeared and you felt wonderful. Then you began juicing at home. How is that going now?

About the antibiotics, yes, they're bad news -- but the effects are provably correctable through the diet and deep relaxation. By "drinking heavily," how much per week are we talking about? A half-bottle of booze per night? Fri/Sat night over-indulgence? Let me know what you mean, cuz I'm not sure what level of alcohol consumption was involved. What's the usual for you these days?

Here's what I suggest for the next week ~ put this into play and let me know the results (and the answers to the Qs above, please? so that I can figure out where we are with it, OK?).

Keep taking that probiotic, and make sure you're getting an extra 25 mg daily of zinc, 10,000 IU of A, 1000-2000mg of Astragalus and 500 mg C daily. Add, if possible, Stinging Nettle root Urtica dioica 500mg twice daily, Elecampane (Inula helenium) 1000 mg divided with meals, and caprylic acid 350 mg 2x/day away from meals.

The only things to eliminate from your A diet are the following: all sugar stuff, including honey and syrups of any kind; all REFINED ("white") flours; all dried fruit; all pesticides and preservatives. Focus on WHOLE foods only, be sure to get adequate protein from fish and fowl each day, and add a tablespoon of fresh flax oil or organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil every day.

As the candida re-balances, you will feel horrible for a time and worse before you are better; but this is the healing your body must perform.

During this time, it will greatly speed your progress to do yoga or meditate at the beginning and end of every day.

It isn't complicated, and you can do it!! OK, I'll await your experiences with this, and the As to me Qs, darlin! Bless you, and remember we're all thinking of you! :-)

Hi Mom, For Charlotte and all BTD'ers up-nord: in Canada our ABO supplier of NAP products is our good friend Francois Oullette. She operates out of Sherbrooke, Quebec and so runs a bi-lingual operation. En francais it is called www.abovie.com ; in English this same site is www.abolife.com . A finer person to deal with is hard to find ... so it's a great site for us Anglo-Canucks too! Take care, John

Thank you, sweetness! Françoise Ouellet is indeed a great friend to us all ~ her work has benefited thousands of BTD'ers ~ and not only in the Frozen North. ;-> The reminder is much appreciated! For Charlotte and anyone else who's looking to purchase offline (in a retail shop for example), I do think dropping a note to John Harris is a good idea, as well! Warmest wishes, and a long-distance HUG to you, John! :-D