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What could diet and candida have to do with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia?

Written by Erin Porter

chronic fatigue

Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia : 

I could tell you exactly where I was when I felt the first inkling that something was very wrong.  I was 20 years old and I was standing at the corner bus stop waiting for my bus to take me into Manhattan where I was employed. A feeling I didn’t recognize, nor did I have a name for, came over me. FATIGUE.  Only people who have or have had chronic fatigue can understand this next part.  It’s an odd feeling of such deep exhaustion that you barely have enough energy for even the most menial tasks (like standing and waiting for a bus). I can remember a time when even speaking required more energy than what I felt I had.

Prior to this foreign feeling of absolute loss of all energy, I had been fighting a sinus infection ever since moving into my new apartment in Brooklyn one year earlier. By this time I had been on round after round of antibiotics trying to fight the infection, and to the bewilderment of even Manhattans best ear, nose and throat doctors, it wasn’t clearing up.  This should have been an exciting time in my life, after-all I did have the most exciting city at my fingertips! Instead, my health was about to take an unexpected nosedive, and if I thought the chronic fatigue and one full year of sinus infections were suffering enough,  fibromyalgia was about to enter the picture to prove me wrong.  Dragging me further and further into this hole where there was seemingly no escape.  This marked the beginning of a new journey for me, not a journey to set out and explore an exciting city filled with new experiences, but a journey of running from doctor to doctor trying desperately to find out what was single handedly trying to steal my life out from under me. Little did I know I had a long road ahead of me as it would take almost two decades to find out the cause and finally start to regain my health.

If you are diagnosed today with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, you may consider yourself better off than those suffering 20 years ago.  Today the internet provides us with a wealth of information on the subject, when years ago there was no where to turn. Also, twenty years ago this disease was not something doctor’s necessarily even believed existed. These days, although they say they still don’t know the cause or the cure, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia are taken seriously and there is even medication commonly prescribed that is helping some people. But read on as there are many other routes you can take that may just lead you to the root cause!

Now let’s talk about potential causes.  Did you know there are very strong links between candida (fungus) and chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia? Did you also know that one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia besides pain is sinus infections and heart palpitations? I had grown up in a house that had mold issues which caused me first to develop asthma and allergies. Then, at 19, I moved into an apartment that had visible mold.  Back in the 90’s not too many people were talking about the health effects of mold, or candida destroying our health because of antibiotics, poor diet, and birth control pills.  When I moved in the mold was unsightly and a bit gross but I cleaned it with some bleach and forgot about it.  This mold exposure unknowingly caused me to develop a FUNGAL sinus infection. And as we know, bacteria are opportunistic, so to doctors treating me, it looked as if bacteria were the only culprit, which is where the endless rounds of antibiotics come in.  Antibiotics are mycotoxins so they only fuel fungal infections making them worse. (For information on Mayo Clinic findings from 1999 stating fungus is responsible for over 90% of all sinus infections click here). For someone with a fungal infection I was doing everything wrong. I was exposing myself daily to mold in my environment, I was taking endless courses of antibiotics, and I was eating a horrendous diet of sugar and carbs, the very foods which help fungus thrive! I was the perfect host.  Never underestimate the power of fungus and the havoc it can wreak in your body.

Not sure if your chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia could be fungal related? There are a few ways to tell.

Test your environment for mold– you can buy mold plates for a little over $5 each and test your house, car, furniture, etc.

Have you taken more than a few courses of antibiotics in your lifetime?  Antibiotics are mycotoxins.  They leave you susceptible to fungal/candida infections. If so, you will need to get busy healing your gut.  80% of our immune system lies in our gut and as we know now antibiotics deplete our good bacteria letting fungal infections take hold.  Colostrum is proven to help heal the gut… colostrum (sovereign laboratories is the one I use), colostrum is also a great way to repair your gut if you have any auto immune disease.  After taking colostrum for 6 weeks, I started to add probiotics as well to further balance the microbiome.  Natural anti-fungals such as oil of oregano can also go a long way!

Don’t believe any doctor who tells you once you have this disease you will have it for life. I am proof this is not true. Never lose hope. Proverbs 13:12 – Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is the tree of life!

UPDATE – my book Eat Pray Get Well – A Journey from Chronic Illness, Brokenness & Junk Food Junkie to Wholeness & Wellness has been released!

About the book:  If you suffer from Chronic Fatigue, Sinus Infections, Fibromyalgia, Food Allergies, Auto Immune Disease, Acid Reflux, Candida, Depression – this book is an eye opener. Whether you are running from doctor to doctor in search of the “cause” of your unexplained illness, or simply desire to stay healthy by consuming a diet free of gluten, yeast, corn, wheat, peanuts, and refined sugar, this book will help you on your journey with vibrant whole food recipes. The Eat Pray Get Well book addresses more than just physical health. Erin invites you into her journey of recovering from a difficult childhood, to chronic illness in her adult years as well as recovering from being a junk food junkie. This is not your grandmother’s cook book. Be prepared to be entertained, inspired and most of all, gain the tools needed to help heal your body and soul. Erin has been featured on national television including PBS Health Journal and Know The Cause, Christian Television Network, as well as many radio programs. Her passion is to help people become their own best health advocate.

For more information on the fungal link to fibromyalgia, the website Know the Cause is a great resource. Adhere to his suggestions and phase 1 diet and you may just be shocked at how much better you feel.

 

Disclaimer – I am not a doctor, I can not recommend any supplement or treatment plan, I can only share what works for me.  Also, I was not compensated in any way for this post.  My opinions are all my own. Check with your doctor before starting any new diet or supplement. I was not compensated for this post, but there are affiliate links in which I get a percentage on sales.  Opinions are all my own, and I would never recommend any supplement or brand I didn’t personally love and benefit from.


Erin Porter
Erin Porter
I have been fortunate to be featured on national Television including PBS American Health Journal, Know the Cause, CTN, ABC, NBC, CBS and more. I was sick for decades, endured many surgeries, took over 100 courses of antibiotics, and then I changed everything and everything changed.

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Eat Pray Get Well Book

If you suffer from Chronic Fatigue, Sinus Infections, Fibromyalgia, Food Allergies, Auto Immune Disease, Acid Reflux, Candida, Depression – this book is for you.

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About Erin

I have been fortunate to be featured on national Television including PBS American Health Journal, Know the Cause, CTN, ABC, NBC, CBS and more. I was sick for decades, endured many surgeries, took over 100 courses of antibiotics, and then I changed everything and everything changed. My book Eat Pray Get Well is about overcoming a tumultuous childhood, decades of chronic illness, and finding God in the process. Includes exclusive interviews with renowned Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Supermodel Carol Alt, Doug Kaufmann, and many more. Plus 55 gluten free recipes woven throughout. 

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