Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could take a pill to erase the laundry list of problems we have discussed in this blog? But I don't need to tell you there are no magic pills.
You can begin to overcome some of your symptoms when you change your diet, get rid of chemical pollutants in your home and start on antifungal medications.
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| Womens Yeast Infection |
There are also many other things you'll need to do. You'll need to take charge of your health and say to yourself, "If it's going to be, it's up to me."
I think Dr. George Miller, a Pennsylvania gynecologist, passed on these thoughts about patients who complain of feeling "sick all over":
Chances are good - even excellent - that you can regain your health and get your life back on track, and I will help you. I'd like to tell you about the 70/30 rule that I go by. This means that 70% of what needs to be done will be your responsibility and 30% will be mine.
Several of the books have casually mentioned "lifestyle changes," including exercise, stopping smoking, spending less time in front of the TV and more time outdoors.
ADDRESS YOUR FEELINGS OF ISOLATION
There are probably millions of women with candidiasis in the United States alone. I think it is important for people with serious chronic illnesses like candidiasis to have contact with other people who understand the stresses of such life-altering health problems and to draw on the understanding of friends and family.
Feelings of isolation are not at all unusual, but isolation in itself can be very harmful to your health, because, among other things, it is stressful, and stress has been found to be an underlying cause in many disease conditions.
Dean Omish, M.D., the well-known California holistic physician and author of Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, suggests that people who deliberately isolate themselves from others are likely to suffer even worse health problems. Among the scientific studies he cites supporting this view is an Ohio State University study that connected loneliness with poor immune function. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that men who had survived heart attacks but remained socially isolated had more than four times the risk of dying of heart disease than those who have supportive networks of family and friends. Another study from Stanford University showed that women with advanced breast cancer doubled their survival rate if they attended weekly support group meetings.
Dr. Ornish says isolation can take many forms, including isolation from other people, isolation from our own thoughts and feelings, and isolation from a higher power.
"Isolation can lead to illness where intimacy can lead to healing." Decrease your sense of "apartness" by joining a support group, an exercise group, a yoga class or any course at your local college. Learn to meditate and relax.
In his 1998 book Power Healing, Dr. Leo Galland discussed "the four pillars of healing." These pillars include diet, exercise and getting rid of internal toxins that play a part in making people sick. His fourth focuses on interpersonal relationships and how they play a part in enabling people to get well.
I especially like his discussion of the qualifies of a caring doctor, including the ability to listen, willingness to acknowledge the patients' ideas and feelings about their illnesses, ability to show empathy and willingness to offer encouragement, hope and assurance.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
Seek support at this difficult time. Hopefully, you've found a kind and caring physician who is willing to listen and cares for your emotional well-being. If not, you might want to broaden your search for the right doctor.
The support of family and friends is essential when you are faced with multiple symptoms. If that support isn't as great as you would hope, you might want to give them copies of the book to help increase their understanding.
Other support sources include support groups in the larger cities, online support groups and, of course, the assistance of your spiritual leader. Make use of them. They'll help ease your burdens.
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
Depression, stress and extreme fatigue can contribute to a negative attitude. Dozens of studies have shown that illness can have psychological causes. The illnesses are real, they're not in your head, but this underscores the power of the human mind to affect the body's wellness process.
If you're suffering from candidiasis, this is an excellent reason to deliberately encourage a positive mental attitude in the mode of Norman Cousins, editor of Saturday Review, who changed himself and recovered from a life-threatening illness, at least in part through the power of laughter. Cousins' experience, documented in Anatomy of an Illness and The Healing Heart makes fascinating reading.
Recall the story I told earlier about how Norman Cousins used humor to relieve pain.
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| Womens Yeast Infection |
In her book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, Dr. Christiane Northrup offers ways for women to heal their bodies by listening to their bodies' own wisdom:
- Respect and release your emotions.
- Learn to listen to your body.
- Gather information.
- Forgive.
- Acknowledge a higher power or inner wisdom.