What's a girl to do when she's faced with recurrent bouts of thrush? If you're Andrea Wren, it's time to diet!
Recurring thrush is no party. On every last-minute package I do to Spain I end up buying Canesten cream in bulk. Hardly a glamorous souvenir but I get through plenty of the stuff and it's cheaper than in the UK.
A constant low-level sinusitis infection isn't much fun either, with foggy headaches and a forehead pressure so bad I feel sick. Combine that and the thrush with bloating, flatulence (she blushes) and other digestive problems, not forgetting weight gain and sugar cravings, and you have a very disgruntled woman on your hands.
So what's going on? Such symptoms, say The National Candida Society, can be indicative of an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a yeast which normally lives in harmless amounts in the body but which can cause problems in larger amounts. Candida overgrowth can occur for a number of reasons but frequently happens after illness or stress, use of antibiotics, the contraceptive pill or other drugs, and through poor diet.
And while it isn't easy to manage, changing your diet really can help. But before going to drastic measures, you might want to check this is the root of your problems. Many GPs in the UK (mine included) don't take the issue seriously, so you may need to look elsewhere. Blood and saliva test kits, I discovered, are available to undertake at home, and you can send the sample to a lab for analysis.
I ordered a pin-prick blood test from Cambridge Nutritional Sciences Ltd (£55) which confirmed that I may have had or may currently have a Candida albicans infection, indicated by the levels of antibodies present in my blood. Saliva kits are also available from Individual WellBeing Diagnostic Laboratories (IWDL) at £70, but I chose not to take this as it seemed a little more complicated, requiring freezing of the sample and use of a next-day delivery service.
Many experts advise a multi-pronged approach to fighting Candida, which includes not only altering the diet, but also taking anti-fungal supplements (such as Dida, a product containing a high concentration of cinnamon oil; £19.95 from Boots) and probiotics, which introduce the healthy bacteria back into the gut (such as Holland & Barrett Potent Acidophilus; £5.99 for 100 from Holland & Barrett stores). But it is the diet that really does the trick, as tough as it may at first seem. So what does it comprise of?
'Eliminating foods and drinks high in added and natural sugars for a limited period of time can aid the rebalance of good bacteria and help to reduce symptoms,' says Tracy Blaxill, Nutritional Therapist at the National Nutrition Clinic.
'Pay particular attention to hidden sugars often found in processed food and follow recommendations for blood sugar balancing, eating foods with a low glycaemic load rating. Avoid excess white, refined starchy carbohydrates that are easily broken down into glucose and feed bad bacteria and yeasts.'
Foods that are mould-containing (mushrooms), fermented (most cheeses) or yeasty (bread), and alcohol (particularly wine and beer, rich in both yeast and sugar) must also go. In my case, ditching wine was tough, fond of New Zealand sauvignon blanc as I am. I started eating a diet consisting of natural, unrefined foods which included nuts, meat, fish, vegetables, oils, seeds and some low-sugar fruits (some anti-Candida advice suggests eliminating fruit altogether) but I ate no processed foods whatsoever.
Dietary advice varies. For example, some say no dairy or fruit at all, others allow it. You may need to gauge the severity of your symptoms and speak to a health practitioner about what might be right for you. I was extremely strict for an initial period and suffered incredible flu-like 'die-off' symptoms, with my sinusitis getting worse than ever. These symptoms continued for around four weeks but have gone now.
To make an impact, an anti-Candida diet will need to continue until your symptoms have cleared up, and then foods can be re-introduced slowly. While still maintaining a non-processed natural diet, I have relaxed a little now. I eat cheese most days, I just couldn't give it up for long, and I allow an occasional glass or two of wine, eat some dark chocolate, and have bread two or three times a week, indulging in other foods on special occasions.
While thrush can still rear its ugly head, the sinus pain has cleared up completely, I've lost 12lbs, and the digestive problems are gone. I have bags more energy and feel emotionally more stable because my blood sugar is steady. Persistence is paying off, though it has been no picnic. Particularly because most of the foods I'd have eaten at a picnic are off limits!