I think the jury is still out on these "anti-fungal" diets. I think diets high in refined carbohydrates can have all kinds of health side effects, (weight gain, high cholesterol, and as mentioned, diabetes or pre-diabetes, allergies, etc.) and one would be wise to limit them, if not cut them out all together. However, I don't recommend going without grains all together, since I personally need the fiber. Lack of fiber, IMHO, is another thing that causes health problems in people who eat high sugar/refined carb diets. I personally don't believe it is just "yeast" that is the culprit. There are approximately 6 billion little bacteria that live on you and in you. You are an ecosystem, and you can get out of whack. Good stewardship of one's body can help. No cure all, but neither are all the creams and pills, which often do not cure at all either. I followed a no-gluten diet for months to curb menstrual cramps, and it had no effect. Exercise on the other hand, goes a long way for me in helping that problem. However, following a diet high in fiber and with a good balance of carbs and protein helps with a whole lot of systemic health problems. Good fuel keeps the body running well, and that in turn helps the immune system fight off yeast infections. Also may help good bacteria establish themselves in your gut and also on your skin. That's a whole other aspect to the story. Modern vinegar is a far cry from the original fermented product. We're using all kinds of weird bacteria and doing all kinds of things that cause bacteria to mutate, not just "yeast." People are getting mutated e-coli establishing itself in their guts too. I have persistent urinary tract infections that are hard as heck to control too, and I've tried all the suggestions of conventional and alternative medicines, and spent THOUSANDS on tests that showed NOTHING. Here's is a recipe Web site that I like. I am no purist when it comes to anti-yeast dieting, but I think the recipes here are very good and very healthy. Oh, and then there's the issue of all the pesticides and hormonal mimics, and food grown on unnatural fertilizers, etc. It is no wonder that many of us are feeling unwell. We're stressing the earth's immune system and then wondering why our own immune systems are having a tough time. Trying to find good wholesome food, fresh air and pure water and time to de-stress and exercise are quite the luxuries nowdays. I have to balance the cost of healthy food vs the benefits, which is hard to do. I also recommend coconut oil, it is a great food. Not a panacea, but worth including in one's diet. Don't know about yeast issues, but oatmeal is a godsend for helping me with my IBS. But not the instant stuff, that's very refined, the old style rolled oats or oat groats. Modern yogurt, dairy and cheese is a far cry from the old style stuff with natural bacteria in it. One of the worst substances for health is this ultra pasteurized milk that is on the market too. They even sell "organic" versions but ultra-pasteurizing things is not a good idea as a substitute for good hygiene in the processing of food. Here is a link that might be useful: Candida diet recipes

Hi, I have had very normal periods until September 2008. In my very early forties I was told I had 5 fibroids. I am writing this because the blood is bright red these days. These are outgrowth of the uterus in different areas. The periods are very heavy and sometimes very painful. I had never heard of fibroids and I am an avid reader so I am hoping this information helps someone. The typical recommendation is hysterectomy. I was considered old. I don't consider myself old at all and since I am very healthy except for this one month I researched other venues. I don't look it, I am very fit and eat very healthy so the fact that someone was eager to open me up and "practice" medicine light up a bulb in my brain. I needed to find out more info as this women GYN was trying to scare me with all the complications of having fibroids while I was still under the influence of pain killers from the day before. I schedule a D&C which is a cleaning of the uterus for the next few days. But the next day I found out a lot of info. So I called the office and cancelled everything. I wanted to be better informed before doing anything to this one only body of mine that could be irreversible. First there is something called Focused Ultrasound (FU). It is minimally invasive in you are back to work in 1-2 days. It shrinks the tumors with sound. It is use for prostate cancer. So i figured if testes are ok then the Uterus should be too. Another thing I was not told is that this is not an emergency surgery. The pain can be treated and diet can improve it. I also found several things one can take to reduce the size and maybe eliminate them. Like fibrovan and Fibrovera. There is also a site of a woman who cured them naturally. There is also UFE or embollization of the fibroids simply they cut the blood supply with pellets that are laparoscopically inserted. This is done by radiologists so most GYN do not tell you. The issue with this one is that it is a procedure where, statistically, results are not know. i.e. It looks very good but noone knows what happens to the pellets. It is minimally invasive but you are down 3-4 weeks. Hysterectomy you are down up to 6 months and it might leave you incontinent. Some GYN suggest being incontinent is better than having to go to the bathroom more often if one of the fibroids is pressing against your bladder. I rather control my urine that not. Of the 600K hysterectomies a year only 10% are needed (because of cancer or life threatening issues). That is only 60k are needed. Compare this number to the number of the diagnosed breast cancer 200K/yr and smoking related deaths is 400K/yr. If having breast cancer compels people to run for a cure what about hysterectomies. This is a tragedy, a living massacre that is making a lot of money for GYN. But women are starting to reclaim the importance of their body and going to other GYNs that support alternative methods. Compare this with enlargement of the prostate it happens to men over 50 mostly. That is older than early 40's. They have alternative methods for this illness. The doctors do not immediately recommend to them to take out the testes because they will not use them again since they are old. (This is what GYN tell women) Another argument GYN use is well if it presses against your bladder you might be better off taking the uterus out. Yet the same happens to men the enlarged prostate makes them go to the bathroom more often. It is rare to tell them well take the prostate out to cure this. There is a lack of care and compassion for women that is mindblowing. I hope the following information gives all the superwomen out there more choices and a better outlook for their future. (One thing I forgot, if the hysterectomy is radical (ovaries are taken out) then the sex drive disappears, one has to take hormones and these hormones cause breast cancer - what a way to become a patient for the rest of your life. btw I think radical is the uterus alone it is much bigger than the ovaries!) A Book - Healing Fibroids: A Doctor's Guide to A Natural Cure by Allan Warshowsky, MD and Elena Oumano, PhD Simon & Schuster, Inc. Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10020 USA Paperback, 2002, $14 US ($21.50 CAN) 281 pp. http://www.curefibroidsnaturally.com/ - Woman who cured them naturally - I am doing this one http://www.fibrovan.com/index.html - pills - I am doing this http://www.fibromedica.com/uterine-fibroids - pills http://focusus.net/ - FU http://www.uterine-fibroids.org/index.html - info http://www.nohysterectomy.com/index.php - alternative http://www.fibroidsecondopinion.com/index.htm - info http://www.myuterinefibroids.com/home.php - FU

Thank you everyone for your kindness and for understanding. Here's some photos of my beautiful Siamese boy, Saki. He was my very first rescue cat. He was a kitten from a pregnant cat I found and took care of. When I saw those blue eyes of his, I just couldn't give him up. I have a 'former' pregnant feral cat/rescue, Savannah, who is now a full-time tamed house cat. She really attached herself to Saki and he was instrumental in socializing her. She has been walking around meowing looking for him since last night. It's so sad to watch. Here's my Saki:

Hi Monica, I'm am a similar diet, but a bit more restrictive. You should seriously look into using Stevia or Medjool dates for sweetness in recipes, snacks, and drinks. Dates are rather high is sucrose and have some glucose, but are so rich you really can't eat that many at once anyway. Stevia is a tropical herb which has been throughly tested and no adverse reactions observed. Purified Stevia extracts, available at most health food stores, is 200-400X sweeter than the same amount of refined sugar (but there is no sugar in Stevia). I use both to flavor teas, make non-bake form cakes, and raw as afternoon snacks. If you want any info, just email me :o) Stephen