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Has anyone been tested for parasite infections or had any luck in the past with this? I am tempted to do some parasite testing, and frankly I'm surprised Dr. b doesn't do any kind of stool testing for us, I've never quite known why except that she says it wouldn't change the treatment, so why bother. But I wonder if certain parasites can be resistant to some of these herbs we are taking? I want to do the stool test but you have to be off any herbs and antifungals for a week beforehand. I have never missed a dose since beginning treat,ent 3.5 years ago so it's scary to think what might happen with my bladder if I missed a week. I will obviously ask her at our next appt if this is a feasible option for me. Thanks!
Parasites
Hi Sam,
My understanding of the literature (aka, the internet!) and also after speaking to Matia about this, is that parasites go hand-in-hand with candida imbalance. So, anyone with our symptoms, which indicate a candida overgrowth, will also inevitably have a parasite overgrowth/imbalance too. She has mentioned before that her plan is to stimulate/encourage our immune systems to fight the imbalance rather than to try and kill off any specific bacterium/parasite witha targeted 'herb', so to speak. There are many sites where people take 'Humaworm' etc. (ugh) but I think Dr. B is against this, just as she is against things like saunas, colonics etc. because these things force the body to perform over and above what it's wanting to do or ready to do at any specific moment. In other words, her treatment gently encourages the body to get rid of these things of its own accord rather than forcing it too quickly to do things it's not ready for. This is why there is such longevity to this treatment. You've mentioned before that you wonder if the .01 lack of adherence to the diet or water etc. is causing your symptoms - you should probably look at these things as, rather than causal, indicative of the fact that an imbalance is still preesnt (what Dr. B. said) and try to find other reasons that are driving this imbalance. People here have mentioned work stress (but you've responded to this). People on other boards talk about heavy metals toxicity, dental fillings, moulds in the home, chemicals in shower water, etc.. No idea if any of these apply but there may be something obvious that you are missing.
Thanks Vin, that is well-put
Thanks Vin, that is well-put and informative. Where does one begin with heavy metal testing? Does a naturopath handle that? That is definitely something else I've had on my mind. Had several fillings replaced over the years but still have some old ones in there. Matia never seems to be terribly concerned. Had a round of shots for my job back in 2005 before the onset of IC. Always been suspicious. But ultimately, the onset occurred 3 weeks after I went off birth control and Nuvaring (15 yers of it). So there is some kind of hormonal imbalance issue there too, as I'm sure there is for most of us. Thanks!