When Tara Abbott was feeling sluggish and tired, she temporarilydropped sugar, carbs and wheat from her diet in an effort to killthe candida yeast she thought was overrunning her system.

After three weeks of living on protein and vegetables, the TwinFalls massage therapist had more energy.

The candida diet — a sugar-free, fungus-free, dairy-free,low-carb eating plan meant to kill yeast in the body — isincreasing in popularity, say Magic Valley alternative healthpractitioners. but as more people are giving the diet a try, themedical community remains skeptical in the face of a lack ofresearch.

So if the science isn’t there, why does the diet help peoplefeel better?

The idea behind the diet is this: An overgrowth of candidayeast, which occurs naturally in everyone’s bodies, can make theintestine more permeable, resulting in what the alternativemedicine community calls leaky gut syndrome. when proteins andother particles enter the blood stream from the gut, a person feelsfatigued, irritable and achy.

The problem? Those symptoms are non-specific, said Dr. SeanWheeler of St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center’sgastroenterology clinic. Any number of ailments cause fatigue andirritability. There are also no controlled studies to prove thatcandida overgrowth is a widespread problem.

“We go by a lot of scientific studies,” Wheeler said.“Everything we do, we try to have some sort of proof to it.”

Candida feeds on sugars and fungus, so a diet low on carbs andsugar and high in vegetables and protein will starve the yeast,alternative practitioners claim.

Mary Ordway, owner of Sta-Well Health Food Store in Twin Falls,has seen an increase in candida inquiries in the past year.Customers have come back and told her how much better they feelafter following the diet. Ordway also sells supplements, like YeastAway and Syntol, that hasten the death of yeast. The supplementsalso have enzymes that Ordway says move the dead yeast cells out ofthe system, preventing them from fermenting and emitting toxinsinto the blood.

“You can starve (the yeast), but it’s going to take a lot longerto get the same effects as it would if you were using supplementsthat were going to kill off the cell,” Ordway said. Ordway has alsotried the candida diet after fighting a chronic rash. Not only didthe rash clear up, but she had more energy and an easier timedigesting food. other Sta-Well customers have seen weight loss anda boost in energy, she said.

Besides the diet and supplements, Opal Mortensen of AlternativeTimes — a Twin Falls massage and colon hydrotherapy business —recommends colon hydrotherapy to combat candida.

“You need the flush,” Mortensen said. “You gotta clean thatcolon out.”

Mortensen made it clear that she isn’t a doctor and can’tdiagnose a candida overgrowth, but she said many clients haveapproached her for colon cleanses specifically for candida.

How do you know if you have too much candida? Spit into a cupfull of water when you first wake up, Ordway said. if the salivaturns stringy and sinks to the bottom, you have a candidaproblem.

That diagnosis has no scientific backing, Wheeler said.

“They have this diagnosis, this pseudo-diagnosis of candida, butthere’s really no way to actually prove it,” Wheeler said.

Candida overgrowth can occur in immunosuppressed patients, likethose who are undergoing chemotherapy or people with HIV or AIDS,Wheeler said. but there is no research that suggests this is awidespread problem among people who don’t have compromised immunesystems.

So why does the diet help people feel better?

“When you go on that diet, number one, you are eliminating a lotof junk food,” Wheeler said. With empty calories and sugar-heavyfoods off the plate, “that by itself will make people feelbetter.”

The gluten and wheat avoidance that goes hand-in-hand with thelow-carb aspect of the diet also helps with digestion, Wheelersaid, even if the patient doesn’t have a gluten intolerance orceliac disease.

“That effect is usually temporary,” he added.

So if you’re feeling sluggish but are wary of the candida diet,what should you do?

Wheeler doesn’t want to make a blanket recommendation foreverybody, especially because the symptoms aren’t specific, butexercising and eating right are usually the first steps to feelingbetter.

“Just like everybody else,” he said.

But scientific studies — or lack thereof — don’t mean much toAbbott, who isn’t feeling as fatigued as she did before.

“It went really well,” she said.

Melissa Davlin may be reached at 735-3234 ormdavlin@magicvalley.com.

Some Idahoans swear by candida diet, but science doesn’t support it

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