Dear heidi, hope things are well with you, I continue to enjoy and gain so much benefit from your column, thank you so much for all your hard work.

Struggling somewhat at present, had major dental work in january plus organizing and hosting my oldest daughters wedding. Had an aha! moment when you linked amalgam with candida in a recent column. Worst candida of my life!

following BTD of course but no fruit for 8 weeks ,plus extra supps as prescribed by my natural health therapist. Well, for an O nonnie you can imagine how I feel not having the few allowable sweet things in my life.

What i'm getting to in this ramble is this - any update on xylitol? Saw it for the first time today in health store- very tempting. Noticed your post for September last had it as not yet on database. Yours in (semi) desparation, Angela

Hey there, Angela!

Tell me more about your dental work ~ did you have amalgam removed, or was more put in? Candida overgrowth can occur as a side-effect of mercury overload. The critters are trying to clean up the damage, you might say.

Does your therapist have you on a mercury-detox plan? If not, I suggest you might want to discuss with her a strategy for eliminating the mercury first, and dealing with the candida once the heavy metal overload has been relieved.

The cravings you're having are a common experience on candida-reduction diets, as we all know so well. Pretty annoying, eh? ;->

Can you obtain vegetable glycerine there in New Zealand? It's a great item for candida sufferers -- you can use it as a sugar substitute (1/2 T veg gly = 1 T sugar), and it actively promotes blood sugar balance.

If glutamine is available there, that's a standard nostrum for the sugar monster. A teaspoon in a glass of water is effective in staving off cravings.

Sweet-tasting foods like sweet potatoes are good to settle cravings, too. Surprisingly, I've found that a tablespoon of nutbutter mixed with a few whole nuts accomplishes the same thing.

While you're going through this process, be sure to get more than enough minerals through your food and supplements, and stroll through the Liver and Metabolic protocols for type O. One or two supplements from each will support your detox work.

Thanks for writing, Angela, and let me know how it goes for you! :-)