umeboshi, lactobacilli for stomach acidity caused by candida

[sua721]

Hello everyone!

I recently turned macrobiotic, (last april) and I really like the effects of this new diet on my body. Unfortunately, I still do experience healing crises every now and then, the more common is manifested by stomach acidity, causing severe gas and nausea. My macrobiotic counselor is overseas now and it's hard for me to contact her. She recommends that I take umeboshi plums every morning, and find lactobacillus because my symptoms are caused by my candida.

I have 2 questions.
1. umeboshi
I know that umeboshi should not be taken daily over a prolonged period. When do I know when to stop taking umeboshi?

2. lactobacillus
I've tried looking for lactobacillus but those commercially available are either milk-based or have other ingredients such as suger. Would you know of a macrobiotic 'natural' option? I've read about pressed vegetables. I"m not sure if any of the veggies will be harmful for my condition. FOr instance, with my acidity, my counselor told me to stay away from cabbage. ANy suggestions for 'home made' lactobacilli? btw, my counsellor says my acidity is due to my candida, after having drowned in antibiotics for more than 30 years (traditional medicine).

I hope you can help me.

[garymill]

Well in terms of umeboshi, what I used to hear years ago was that you did not want to exceed eating a few plums a week, so something like having half a plum every other day was a workable way to do it. Maybe this info is a bit out of date so anybody jump in to correct this if necessary.

There are dairy free probiotics on the market, a good one is by MegaFood, it is sugarfree too. Does your counselor have any opinion in taking a garlic supplement at the same time to aid in killing off the Candida? I know that often people take both a probiotic and the garlic at the same time to fight Candida. But at the same time consider the fact that some people in macrobiotics frown upon the use of garlic, so it would be interesting what your counselor thinks and advises?

Candida is can be difficult initally when starting in macrobiotics. Often you do need to avoid fremented foods at first. That is why it is good to have a experienced macrobiotic counselor in these matters.

Good luck,

Gary


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[Bruce Paine]

sua721,

Welcome to Cybermacro.

Did this person drop you or are they just on a trip (it may be possible to contact this counsellor in whatever country they are visiting)?

I recommend that you get in contact with this person, no matter where he or she is.

If you are having difficulty finding her or him, you can e-mail me privately and I will gladly aid you in finding this person.

This counsellor must know you and know the whole breadth of your history and condition and it is not wise to seek advice from others until you have either completed your relationship with this advisor or your condition has changed drastically.

Does that make any sense to you?

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

[Nancy]

Hi Sua, glad you found Cybermacro.

Bruce, I think Sua is a free agent capable of receiving help from her counselor who is traveling overseas (and might not be computer available), doing reading on her own, exploring macrobiotics locally, and seeking possible help from Cybermacro and other health resources. "In many counselors, there is safety," (Proverbs).

There are many great sources that do work to curb and eliminate candida. Two websites are: www.candidadoctor.com and www.candidasupport.org. Dr. William G. Crook has long been an authority on candida and has written an informative book called, "The Yeast Connection". One of my favorite yeast books is, "The Rainbow Diet" - the food guidelines set forth in this book, work to curb candida quickly.

An umeboshi plum every morning does sound much. However, ume plums are very alkalizing. When experiencing nausea, as you say, the ume plum can dispel nausea within minutes. I agree with Gary, 1-3 a week, when needed. Yet, nothing about an ume plum will hurt you, even if taken daily. Regarding when to stop daily usage, your intuition will tell you. Always remember, it is you that will heal your condition and your body. Another person can give you their best advice. A diet can offer healing guidelines, which are up to the individual to practice accurately.

You can purchase pure lactobaccilus in a health food store. It comes in a bottle and looks a little white and cloudy, sediment at the bottom is normal. Shake and take 1 tsp. or 2. Yes, by all means avoid acidophilus milk. You need to eliminate yin food products.
Any dairy foods whatsoever (including yogurt) are -not reccommended- for female problems such as myoma.

After many years of overuse of antibiotics, there are two ways to replace intestinal flora. Lactobacillus, or the live enzymatic bacteria found in traditionally fermented soybean products such as miso (soybean paste) and shoyu (traditionally brewed tamari soy sauce), plus other fermented soy products such as natto. Barley miso, aged over 2 years is recommended for healing. 1 tsp. per cup of soup on a daily basis will replace intestinal flora. Candida is a yin condition, so stay away from yin (acid) foods: fruits, tomatoes, green pepppers, potaoes (see Cybermacro article on Nightshades), raw foods, foods pickled in vinegar, alcohol, wine, coffee, sweets, candy, etc.

Begin reading about macrobiotics, if you haven't already. A good book to start with is Michio Kushi's, The Macrobiotic Way. You should also have a copy of the pamphlet book, "The Standard Macrobiotic Diet", which lists the range of foods for regular use, ocassional, and infrequent use.

Plain cooked, (steamed or other) cabbage is okay. Raw cabbage is not. Sauerkraut in excess should also be avoided. In your condition no raw foods are recommended (will form an acid blood condition).

For the myoma, avoid ALL dairy foods.

It's a learning process. Be patient and learn all you can, from as many sources as you can.

Welcome to the Macrobiotic Way!

Nancy

[Bruce Paine]

Sua,

Lino Stanchich in his book MACROBIOTIC HEALING SECRETS, VOL. I http://www.macrobioticconsultation.c...Products.shtml says

"...One of the most miraculous pickles and digestive aids is the umeboshi..."

"If you have a digestive problem, pull off one quarter to one half of the umeboshi flesh and place in a cup of (bancha twig) tea. Drink the tea and eat the piece of plum.If the problem still persists after a half an hour, chew another portion and if needed, take a third time. Avoid overeating any salted foods. Limit your total intake to one small umeboshi (the size of a large grape).....The Japanese believe that one umeboshi per day is the best defense against all kinds of infection.That quantity might be too much for us Westerners, who should eat about two per week to strengthen digestion and the intestines as well as increase the stomach's digestive juices..".

Besides the seasonings and condiments that Nancy mentioned, there is one souce of lactobacili that many longtime macro counselors and visitors from the Far East have found lacking at macrobiotic pot lucks that otherwise offered delicious, creative and made from high qualty ingredients and that is pickles and sauerkraut.

Lino says that " ..Pickles are the digestive aids of the macrobiotic diet..and that a macrobiotic pickle is fermented with (sea) salt or with fermented sauce such as shoyu/soy sauce, miso or ume vinegar. There are short term pickles and long term pickles. Commercial pickles we buy in the store are often made with vinegar and sweeteners and are heated when packed. Therefore they have lost their ability to promote intestinal flora which helps digestion. Homemade pickles are generally of higher quality and effectiveness. Pickles improve assimilation, prevent and treat heartburn, reduce flatulence, and diminish the bloated and lethargic feeling one may experience after a meal."


According to Klaus Kauffmann and Anneles Schoneck in their The Cultured Cabbage:Rediscovering the Art of Making Sauerkraut http://goldminenaturalfood.com/catalog/PDFcatalog.pdf, "SauerKraut eliminates disease causing "bad" bacteria and reintroduces friendly "good" bacteria (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus)."

Some recipes are introducedf in an earlier archived post: http://www.cybermacro.com/forum/arch...php/t-284.html in many macrobiotic cookbooks, in another of Kauffmann and Schoneck's books: Making Sauerkraut and pickled vegetables at home http://www.discountnaturalfoods.com/...erkrautbo.html, and here:

http://www.discountnaturalfoods.com/.../harsch30.html .

You can eat properly pickled vegetables with every meal and derive great benefits.

I hope that helps.

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

[sua721]

Thank you very much everyone for responding to my query. Indeed these are very useful. My arrangement with my macrobiotic counselor is open, ie she actually would prefer me to call her her student. She encourages me to read and ask around to further my knoweldge.

I would like to post a reply to each of you, probably when I log in again. It's quite hard for me to do so at this time. But I remain very appreciative.