How To Cleanse The Body Of Yeast Naturally

A systemic yeast infection may occur when Candida albicans, a type of yeast, flourishes in your body. It can cause symptoms such as thrush, conjunctivitis, athlete's foot, jock itch, diaper rash, vaginitis, bladder and kidney infections. A yeast infection can also cause irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms, including diarrhea, constipation, stomach cramps, gas, bloating or heartburn. According to EveryDayDiet.org, diabetes and depression may also be caused by candida. A yeast overgrowth may be cause by a poor diet, overuse of antibiotics, which kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria that keeps candida growth in check or a compromised immune system.

Step 1

Eliminate sugar from your diet. This includes all types of refined white sugars, brown sugar, honey, molasses and agave, as well as simple carbohydrates that your body quickly converts to sugar such as white flour, potatoes, alcohol, milk and fruit sugars. Yeast feed on sugar, so the first step in cleansing your body of a candida overgrowth is starving the yeast.

Step 2

Replenish good bacteria by taking a high-quality probiotic. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, of the Women to Women Clinic recommends you "repopulate your gut with friendly microbes that displace Candida and help to digest your food, rather than ferment it." It is especially important to increase your intake of probiotics after taking any type of antibiotic medication, which destroys all bacteria in your gut, good and bad. Candida grows very fast and can repopulate much more quickly than beneficial bacteria.

Step 3

Take an anti-fungal medication. Prescription medications such as Diflucan or Nystatin may be suggested by your doctor. Natural anti-fungals include garlic and oregano oil.

Step 4

Avoid eating yeast. Yeast is found in certain baked goods, as well as dried fruits, aged cheese and vinegar. Brewer's yeast and nutritional yeast are fine to eat, as they don't colonize in the intestine, according to EveryDayDiet.org.

Tips and Warnings

You may experience a yeast "die-off," known as the Herxheimer reaction, where symptoms intensify before improving. As the yeast die, they release toxins that may overwhelm your body, leading to acne, headaches, fatigue, muscle or joint pain and swollen glands. Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet, suggest you stay on the yeast cleanse and give your body time. It could take as little as a few days, or as long as a few months depending on the level of toxicity in your body.
MayoClinic.com warns about limited evidence to support the diagnosis of yeast syndrome and many practitioners doubt its validity. With no clinical trials documenting the efficacy of a candida cleanse diet for treating any recognized medical condition, check with your doctor before starting any kind of cleanse. Many people report feeling better after beginning a yeast cleansing diet, but it may be giving up sugar and other processed foods responsible for the change.