Sure, there are times when you absolutely need antibiotics or other [...]]]> I have never liked taking medication. You don’t know what’s in them or what the long term effects are, and for me personally, I’m very sensitive to regular, western, medications and usually end up with most of the possible side effects listed, and then some.

Sure, there are times when you absolutely need antibiotics or other drugs, I’m not saying that western medicine is useless, but I really wish doctors would try natural alternatives first whenever possible, or at least mention the possibility to you so you can make an informed decision about how to treat an illness.

Since they don’t do that, I have experimented with natural remedies on my own, and through trial and error over the years, have found many alternative options that work great for me.

These are my top 9:

Sambucus (Black Elderberry)
We call this the magic potion, and it really is. Black Elderberry is a natural antioxidant, antiviral and immune booster, and many clinical studies show that taking it daily can prevent colds and flu, or if you’re already sick, shorten the duration by several days. A recent study also showed that it is 68.37% effective against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

My husband started taking it about a year ago, and he would come home with the beginning of a cold, drink lots of Sambucus and be fine. I was allergic to it at the time, so I couldn’t take it, and would end up getting all these horrible colds. Thankfully, I got rid of my allergy through NAET so now I take it too, and so far, I have not been sick once this season. We’ve tried a few different kinds, but we like Nature’s Way Sambucus the best. You mix 2 teaspoons with water, and it tastes like a juice drink, but not overly sweet. We get ours at drugstore.com – they’re $10 less/bottle there compared to Whole Foods. And you get free shipping. And sometimes they are on sale.

Gallium
Another great cold and flu fighter is Gallium, a liquid homeopathic remedy from Heel BHI that my husband’s acupuncturist turned us on to. When I feel like I’m coming down with something, I usually take this in addition to Sambucus to be on the safe side. You just take 10 drops under your tongue 3 times/day until you feel better. We buy ours at iHerb.com, and if you put in the code COY619 at checkout, you get $5 off your order.

Valerian
Valerian is a fantastic natural sleep aid. Whenever my brain is spinning at 7200 rpm and I just can’t seem to turn my mental to-do list off, I take Valerian before going to bed and always end up sleeping soundly through the night. It also makes me grind my teeth less. Again, we order ours from iHerb, and entering the code COY619 at checkout gives you $5 off.

Arnica
We use this both in pill and gel form from Boiron. Great for sprains, strains and sore muscles. Whenever I have lower back pain, I take the pills and put the arnica gel on my back and it’s almost instant relief. When our dog sprained a toe, her vet suggested we put some arnica pills in her water, and she was better within a few days. We get ours from drugstore.com

NOTE: Don’t buy the Arnicare Arnica Cream – it has several “bad” ingredients, including two types of parabens. Weleda’s version has all good ingredients, but we haven’t tried it because it has peanut oil and we’re both allergic to that.

ALSO: Check with your Dr. before using this. My Mother-in-Law said it’s not good for people with high blood pressure.

An alternative to Arnica is

Traumeel
Traumeel, by Heel BHI, is also for sprains and strains and come in both tablet and ointment form. It has a mix of ingredients (including Arnica) and sometimes works even better than Arnica. I’ve only tried it a couple of times, and it worked great, but I’m allergic to something in it and get a migraine every time I use it. It’s on my NAET treatment list, but we haven’t gotten to it yet. We buy ours at drugstore.com

Rescue Remedy
We keep bottles of this 5-flower essence blend from Dr. Bach everywhere – in the house, in my purse, in our cars. It’s great for settling your nerves and just calming you down in general when you (or your pet) is in a stressful situation, like going to the dentist (or vet), driving in Boston , funerals, anything that makes you stressed out and/or uneasy. I also use it in the water for my plants. I read that it’s great to give it to plants after they have been moved or fallen over, but since plants tend to not survive for very long in my care, I use it all the time (and I have several plants that have survived for years now!). Again, we get it at drugstore.com

Ignatia Homaccord
Not as fast acting as Rescue Remedy, but a great natural treatment for depression, PMS, and irritability. You need to take it for a few days to really notice the effects, but once it kicks in, it really works. iHerb.com (enter COY619 at checkout for $5 off).

Threelac
A few years ago, I suspected I had systemic Candida (Candida Albicans). So many of the symptoms described were there, and when I did the “saliva in water” test*, it came out positive. (To learn more, read my post about Candida Albicans.) After doing a bunch of research, I discovered Threelac, a probiotic powder you mix with water.

I started taking it and went through a 2-week detox of sorts, where I had flu like symptoms and was achy all over. But once I was through that phase, I felt great, I had so much energy, was focused and alert, my acid reflex was gone, and my whole body felt lighter (I don’t know how else to describe it). I’ve been taking it ever since, now I’m back down to 1 package/day (you work your way up to several packets/day while battling the Candida but can then cut back to a maintenance dose) and if I for some reason don’t take it for a few days, I notice the difference.

If you have issues with chronic yeast infections, definitely give this a try. It has made a world of difference for me.

You can take Threelac even if you don’t have Candida problems, it’s great for the digestion and probiotics are so important for your immune system and overall health.

Flora Five
Another probiotic. I have tried several other kinds, but they have either been difficult to swallow (I have a hard time swallowing capsules) or they make my stomach very upset (Pearls really did a number on me). This one, however, comes in tiny pills and make me feel great. They calm my stomach down and I have never had any stomach upset when taking them. When I take both these and Threelac daily, my stomach feels great.

Threelac and Flora Five are distributed by a company called Global Health Trax and I get mine straight from them.

Remember to always check with your doctor before taking a new medication, regardless of whether it’s natural or not.

you [...]]]> All of these conditions could be candida albicans symptoms:

• Chronic fatigue and a “foggy feeling”

• Recurring yeast infections

• Recurring sinus infections

• Recurring urinary tract infections

• Painful and bloated stomac, gas

• Heart burn and acid reflux

• Eczema

• Acne

• Stinging eyes

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Arthritis-like joint pain

• PMS

• Depression

• ”Leaky gut” syndrome

• Food allergies

• Lactose intolerance

• Alcohol intolerance

you could be suffering from Candida albicans (the list could be several pages long, but these are the most common symptoms).

Candida Albicans is a harmless yeast fungus which normally exists in and on our bodies. However, hormone changes and a compromised immune system can cause it to grow out of control and cause an endless list of diseases.

It’s a sneaky little fungus too, it can remain “hidden” in the body for many years before you start feeling ill, and once you do, it’s often not bad enough that you seek help. Who doesn’t feel tired and down every now and then?

It is estimated that around 70% of the US population are suffering from Candida Albicans to some degree, but it is not something that is diagnosed and treated in western medicine. Usually, the only give you something for the symptom you seek help for (sinus infection, UTI, etc.) instead of curing the underlying problem. And antibiotics only make things worse, they cure the infection but they also kill the good bacteria in the gut, making it easier for the Candida to grow

How Do You Get Candida?

Why do you get Candida Albicans? Well, if you have ever:

• Taken antibiotics for an extended period (for acne for example)

• Taken broad-spectrum antibiotics (which kills even more types of bacteria) for more than a month

• Taken steroids

• Had your immune system compromised (from illness or chemotherapy for example)

• Been pregnant

• Taken birth control pills for a long time

you could have Candida Albicans to some degree.

How Do I Know If I Have It?

Doctors and alternative healers (such as naturopaths or homeopaths) can diagnose it, but there is a simple test you can do at home, the “Saliva in Water” test:

1. First thing in the morning, put some bottled water (Poland Spring for example) in a glass.

2. Spit in the glass and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

3. Then look through the glass from the side. If strings of saliva are hanging down in the water, or cloudy specks of saliva floating in the water, or there is a layer of cloudy saliva on the bottom of the glass, you may have a Candida problem.

Treatment

There is no known Candida cure, but you can get it under control enough that a lot of the symptoms disappear. Candida lives on sugar, carbohydrates and yeast, so the first step is to change your diet a little bit. Ideally, you need to avoid all sugar including honey, fructose and maple syrup. I have a friend whose sister has such a bad case of Candida that she can’t even eat carrots because of their high sugar content!

If you follow a strict Candida albicans diet you can’t eat a whole lot except raw vegetables and brown rice, which gets boring really fast.

When I discovered I had Candida, I cut way back on sugar, carbohydrates and baked goods at the same time as I started taking Threelac (more on that further down). It made a big difference, and as a bonus, I lost quite a bit of weight, which I wasn’t even trying to do!

Another thing that has helped me enormously is ThreeLac, a powder with a blend of three probiotics. It tastes vaguely of lemon and you mix it with a little bit of water and drink it before eating. After I had been taking it for about a month, I started feeling amazing. Full of energy, the brain fog and acid reflux was gone, and I felt lighter and more alive than I had in years.

You start by taking 1 package/day for about a month, then take 2/day for a while and slowly work your way up to 4-5/day. You need to stay on the high dose for a few months to get the Candida under control, but after that, you can slowly go back down to 1/day and keep taking that as a maintenance dose.

In the beginning, increase the dosage carefully. I went up to 2/day too fast and felt horrible for a few days (nauseous and like I was coming down with the flu) before I realized it was the too rapid detox that was causing it. When the Candida yeasts die, they produce toxins and if you kill too many of them at the same time, it’s more than your body can handle and you end up feeling ill. It’s not dangerous, but you feel terrible. So go slowly and pay attention to what your body is telling you.

It has been a few years since I discovered Threelac and did the whole cure, and still take it once a day. It makes a world of difference for me, and whenever I skip a few days for some reason, I notice it in my body.

If you think you have Candida Albicans, give Threelac a shot. It’s completely natural, also helps with your digestion, and is easy to take. I highly recommend it and you really have nothing to lose.