My Anti-Candida Supplement Stack (And The Teas That Are Helping)
We've gone over the theory, and we've gone over the food I've been eating. Now let's talk about the supplements I'm implementing.
Before I fully committed to this journey, I gave myself a questionnaire through the platform I use with my clients, Whole Practice. The questionnaire is incredibly thorough and asks well over one hundred questions. It breaks it down by section: blood sugar, hormones, digestion, GI function, and more.
It then takes all of your answers and gives you a rough estimate of what you may be dealing with. Stomach inflammation, fungal or parasite overgrowth, blood sugar swings, hormones—the list goes on.
I went into the practitioner portal and read my results. The fungal overgrowth bar was pretty high. Not outrageously high, but high enough that it needed to be addressed ASAP.
So I looked at the recommendations that Whole Practice generated to see what supplements it would suggest. As a practitioner, I have a general idea of what to do, but I've never actually walked myself or a client through this protocol before. I definitely needed some direction.
Here's what it recommended and why, plus what I added on my own.
The Core Protocol
Ther-Biotic Interfase Plus — Biofilm Disruptor
This is a biofilm disruptor. When we have overgrowth, it's very common for that bacteria or fungus to form what's called a biofilm. It's this tough-to-break-through sludge that, even if you had antifungals, would be very hard to clear away because the biofilm is basically making itself Fort Knox.
We need assistance breaking down that biofilm so the antifungals have access to the fungus and can clear it out easily.
I want these disruptors to do their job undisrupted (ha!). So it's best to take them away from food and away from other supplements—about 2 hours post-meal, 1 hour prior to the next meal.
I take one around 2 hours after breakfast, 1 hour before lunch. Then I take my second one 2 hours after I'm done eating for the day, basically right before bed.
Caprin (Biotics Research) — Caprylic Acid
This is essentially caprylic acid, which is derived from coconut oil. It's a very powerful antifungal. Once we get that biofilm out of there, caprin can get in and clear away that excess fungus and escort it out of the system.
I take a total of 4 capsules per day—2 with lunch, 2 with dinner.
I won't lie, these supplements definitely taste like soap. But honestly, it could be much worse.
I'll take these until the bottle runs out. If I feel I had a more serious case than I realized and need to extend that supplemental help, I'll get another bottle. But these two supplements together (biofilm disruptor and caprylic acid) are very powerful and should get the job done as long as I'm upholding my end of the bargain and following my temporary diet restrictions to a T.
What I Added On My Own
Biotics Research Magnesium Glycinate
The only supplements actually recommended through Whole Practice were the previous two. Everything else I'm adding for myself.
I'm adding magnesium glycinate because I'm the type of person who's very easily stressed and struggles with anxiety. I also struggle with constipation, and I know that magnesium glycinate is great for that.
Most of the population is depleted in magnesium anyway, and we desperately need it. It's involved in over 300 processes in the whole body. If we're not getting it through our food (which we can't because our soil has been severely depleted over time, and it's no longer found in our water), it's no wonder our society is struggling so heavily with diseases of all kinds.
In addition, I know that my eczema is primarily stress-induced, so I really need something to help keep my nervous system in check and fill in the gaps that have been depleted. Magnesium glycinate seemed like a no-brainer.
I take between 1 to 2 capsules with my dinner every night.
Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D3 and K2
When mentally documenting my eczema over the past 3 years, I always noticed that it would become nearly dormant in the summer. I'd still get flares here and there, but they were incredibly mild compared to the ones I'd deal with in the fall and winter.
With that in mind, I'm thinking that maybe lack of sunlight and bioavailable vitamin D might have something to do with it? I don't have concrete evidence of a connection yet, as I'm still researching and trying to connect dots. But I thought it wouldn't be the worst idea to incorporate vitamin D3 into my supplement stack.
I made sure to get one with vitamin K2 so my body can actually absorb it, and I always make sure to take it with some sort of fat for the same reason—vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and won't be absorbed without fat present.
I take one capsule daily with breakfast, as that's usually my fattiest meal of the day.
Nature's Way Zinc
Honestly, I have no idea how reputable this brand is. I just found it in my cabinet and added it to the stack. This one is chelated, so it will be much better absorbed by the body.
Most of the time when people struggle with skin issues, they tend to be deficient in zinc—which my questionnaire showed as a very high possibility.
I take a 30 milligram dose, only 1 per day, also with breakfast.
Paleo Valley Organ Complex
I've actually been taking this for a little while, but kind of off and on. I decided to keep it up during this protocol to get in some bioavailable vitamin A (aka real retinol) which helps with skin repair, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and copper.
It's a great overall multivitamin to have on hand, and Paleo Valley is a very reputable brand with high quality products. Definitely recommend this one!
Nexabiotic Probiotic — The Game Changer
Here's the actual goldmine that's moving the needle.
We're clearing out the excess fungus and yeast, but we want to make sure it stays in check over time so this doesn't happen again. This is where probiotics come in. But it matters which ones, because just going to the store and picking up a random probiotic isn't going to cut it.
There are so many to choose from that all have differing responsibilities, and we want the ones that will keep the fungus in check and strengthen the lining of the intestines primarily.
To be 100% honest, I checked in with ChatGPT on this one because I didn't know where to turn without digging on the internet for hours. I told it I wanted probiotics to help keep the fungus in place, prevent new overgrowth, and repair and strengthen the intestinal lining.
It gave me 3 different options. Two of them had really high CFUs (which we love to see) and were made to withstand the acidity of the stomach so the probiotic reaches its destination completely intact. However, they were missing one or two other things and I would have needed to get a separate probiotic to cover those bases, which I'd rather not do.
But it also recommended Nexabiotic, which has absolutely everything I need—and then some! The only downside is that the CFUs aren't quite as high as the others, but it's still a fairly decent amount. And this way I'm getting such a wide array of good bacteria in my gut that will stave off fungus, strengthen the intestinal lining, and even help with digestion of dairy and constipation.
It was also the least expensive of the 3, so it felt like a win all around.
How I'm taking it:
The bottle says to take it on an empty stomach before bed, but I wanted to make sure my inoculation transition was as painless as possible. So I started with the first 2 days splitting one capsule in half and having it with breakfast.
Currently (November 19, 2024), I'm on week 5 of my protocol. This Friday will be the third week I've taken probiotics and I'm still only on one capsule with breakfast.
The results?
I honestly feel like these probiotics have been working really well because the patches on my arms right now are looking a lot better than they were! They're still not beautiful and fully healed yet, but they're definitely moving in the right direction—getting flatter, much less weepy (to even hardly weepy at all), and the itchiness feels much more under control and bearable than it was.
I think it has to do with most of these things together, but I believe the probiotics have played a crucial role, for sure.
Honorary Supplements: Herbal Teas
Some of the teas I've been drinking are also a strategic choice in this protocol.
Pau D'Arco Tea
This is a very powerful antifungal—and we want to make sure we're getting all of that fungus out of here!
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea
I've always loved this one because of the flavor, but what's great is that this tea will actually help repair the intestinal lining due to the specific herbs: marshmallow and slippery elm.
These two herbs are demulcents (or mucilaginous herbs), which help to coat and soothe the intestinal lining and aid in its repair. This tea also contains licorice, which promotes mucus production to aid in the same.
These teas are all-around winners.
Ginger Tea
I also love a good ginger tea for the anti-inflammatory benefits. And I honestly just love ginger as a whole. Maybe a little too much.
The Progress
Well, there you have it! That's my supplement stack with specific brands and when I'm taking them.
Like I said under the Nexabiotic paragraph, my eczema is definitely improving. There are some setbacks some days just due to stress or poor sleep some nights, but I'm not completely regressing. It's still going in the right direction.
And either way, healing is not linear. I would love it to be, as I'm sure you would also love it to be. But the fact of the matter is that most of the time things are going to get worse before they get better. Then you'll think you're reaching the finish line and it comes back around like, "and another thing!"
I have to remind myself literally daily that this protocol is working and that I need to stay the course because full healing is on the horizon, even if there are days where it still feels like I'm in the pit of despair.
I can do this. You can do this. We can do this.
This is not a lifetime sentence and I refuse for it to be. And I won't let it be for you either.
Next week: I'll go over my lifestyle adjustments to support my healing phase.
***THIS INFORMATION IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL DIAGNOSES OR PRESCRIPTION***
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.