Hyponatremia (severe blood sodium deficiency) and self treatment

Long story short I was taking an anti fungal supplement called Threelac for a little over 3 months (for an intestinal candida overgrowth) and for an overwhelming majority of the time I was on Threelac I was unable to eat anything other than turkey, chicken, and broccoli. It made my digestive system extra sensitive to pretty much every food and I would have terrible reactions when I would try introducing new foods. Me being stubborn and determined to eliminate candida, I just toughed it out. For those 3+ months, unbeknownst to me at the time until I started thinking back, I was only getting about 20% daily recommended sodium, along with drink 3 or 3.5 gallons (yes gallons) of water a day, which surely washed out what little sodium I was getting (I was urinating about 12 to 15 times a day). On Sunday May 15th I decided to stop taking Threelac because I was losing too much weight, my skin color was getting pale and slightly yellowish, and also because I realized it was very likely my inability to handle anything other than those 3 foods I mentioned was because of the Threelac. The next day (May 16th) I began introducing new candida diet safe foods such as granny smith apples, blueberries, a few vegetables, nuts, etc and I didn't have any negative reaction.

On Monday May 18th, I went to the doctor. I weighed 133.8 pounds (in January I was 173 pounds) and my blood tests came back showing high liver function. Now I've done probably 10 or 15 hours of research on all this, tell me if you think my analysis/diagnosis is correct...

Temporary adrenal insufficiency caused by severe sodium deficiency.

Adrenal insufficiency can cause high liver function.

On Thursday and Friday (May 19th and 20th) my symptoms began to take a turn for the worse. I was experiencing severe bloating and constipation, as well as dramatically decreased brain function, minor hallucinations, and poor balance. I experienced my first panic attack, and also seemed like I was having symptoms of hypoglycemia. As soon as I started consuming more sodium on the 21st these symptoms disappeared within a few hours or about 48 hours, depending on the specific symptom. This was because a severe lack of sodium inhibits proper bowel mobility and the brain needs proper blood sodium levels to function at a normal level.

From approximately the 16th through the 26th I was only able to sleep 2, 3, or if I was lucky 4 hours a night, yet still felt completely energized. This is because adrenal function directly impacts thyroid function, and thyroid function controls the hormones secreted to help humans sleep. Specifically on the 27th I consumed approximately 400% daily recommended sodium and that night I slept like a baby for 6.5 hours, while the next day I only consumed 200% daily recommended sodium and only got 2 hours sleep.

Within 48 hours of adding increased sodium to diet on 21st I gained 15 pounds.

For over 2 months I was unable to get an erection. On the 26th I discovered I was able to get an erection again after being on the high sodium diet for 5 days. This inability to get an erection was caused by the low adrenal function which directly impacts thyroid function and the thyroid secretes the needed hormones for proper sexual function.

When I introduced dramatically higher sodium into my diet on the 21st the mid back pain has slowly become less frequent and intense to the point it's now pretty much gone. After looking at a body diagram, I discovered the adrenals are the precise area where I was experiencing the back pain.

Hypoglycemic symptoms and excessive thirst are both symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, and both symptoms disappeared within about 24 hours of adding more sodium to diet.

BTW the way I get my salt is through Celtic sea salt which is incredibly healthy, I do not consume any table salt.

I want to print this out (perhaps adding more detail) and show my doctor when I go back on June 2nd. But I'm sure she'll just scoff at it, as I've already analyzed her through her demeanor and what she's said and can tell she's heavily brainwashed by her medical school training (for some reason Middle Easterners have a higher propensity for medical school brainwashing where they are incapable of thinking outside the box). For example she said candida can only be caused by HIV/AIDS and antibiotics lol, missing about 5 or 6 other reasons.

Dear God.

I'm not terribly pro-doctor as I had so many bad ones before I was diagnosed (Celiac), but you could be doing real damage to your body.

8 years of medical school STILL trumps 15 hours of internet research. Please get offline and look for a better doc. I know they are out there.

PLEASE find a real doctor you trust, who will help you with these things.

Originally posted by Schkeptick
Dear God.

I'm not terribly pro-doctor as I had so many bad ones before I was diagnosed (Celiac), but you could be doing real damage to your body.

8 years of medical school STILL trumps 15 hours of internet research. Please get offline and look for a better doc. I know they are out there.

PLEASE find a real doctor you trust, who will help you with these things.

Lol how can I be doing damage when I feel absolutely amazing compared to how I felt just a week ago, all bodily functions are almost back to normal, and I'm experiencing no pain? I'm not damaging anything by consuming 300%+ daily sodium content. I'm getting it ALL from organic sea salt which again is incredibly healthy, and since getting off threelac my diet is incredibly healthy and diverse, all organic. A lot of Americans consume 300% daily sodium daily from fast food, frozen food, microwave dinners, canned soups, etc. If there is any damage it has been done in the past. And if you're worried about my blood pressure, don't, it's absolutely perfect, always has been always will be.

Everything I posted in the original post is not my opinion, it's medical fact based on about 15 hours of research and cross referencing multiple websites, many of which were very reputable.

I probably will end up dumping this doctor but I'm going to go back on June 2nd and update her, tell her about the whole sodium thing and see what she has to say. Also going to lecture her how she's wrong candida can only be caused by HIV/AIDS and antibiotics. She actually tested me for HIV, didn't have it. And I haven't been on antibiotics in many, many years and when I was on them it was only a low dosage for a very short period of time. Here's a more complete list of causes of candida.

Antibiotics [x]
Chemical poisoning [x]
Diets rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates [x]
Heavy metal poisoning e.g. lead [x]
Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, or menopause
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Immuno-suppressive drugs
Mercury amalgam poisoning from dental fillings
Oral Contraceptives
Progesterone cream
Steroids [x]
Stress [x]

(I put an x next to what applies to me)

And back in February I talked with an MD/homeopath Dr. Peter Prociuk, he's the one who diagnosed me with candida - www.drpeterprociuk.com...

Dr. Prociuk said candida can also be caused by recreational drug abuse, something I went through back in 2008. Many other sources say candida can also be an immune system response to mercury laden vaccines through the preservative thermisol, and I was heavily vaccinated as a child. This is why I checked chemical poisoning above.

It will also be interesting to hear about the results from my second blood test from May 26th. She tested me for hepatitis???

I have waged a battle for 3 years against Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, without medical help.
I realised that I had candida overgrowth when I was detoxing and had a herxheimers reaction which revealed the symptoms of -
vaginal thrush, cystitis, and sinusisis - all at the same time!

When candida has migrated beyond the gut it is a hard battle to kill it.
I did a rigourous diet for 4 months, then slowly have eased some foods back into my diet.
At no time did I reduce or eliminate salt. (Himalayan)

It has to be a three pronged attack - starve - kill - 'outnumber'

1- starve the little blighters!
The diet eliminated all sucrose, glucose, lactose, fructose, yeast, funghi.
That is drastic when you consider the implications -
eg....no milk, no fruit, no (yeast) bread, no alcohol, no cheese(other than cottage cheese), severely limiting carbohydrates(especially no carrots).

2- kill
At the same time as I was starving the candida(as above), I was using herbal fungicides -
Wild Oregano oil, Goldenseal, coconut oil, and intermittant use of Lugols iodine.

3 - 'outnumber'
Copious amounts of live yogurt (unsweetened of course)

I survived on a diet of meat, fish, olive oil, (limited)butter, green veg. I still avoid all sucrose, fructose, and limit lactose and carbohydrates.

It has been the hardest medical challenge I ever faced, but I am now feeling the benefits of my perseverance.

Doctor's knowledge about candida appears limited to treatment of thrush, and involves pharmacutical fungicides to attack it just at the site of the symptoms.
I didn't have symptoms until I detoxed and the 'die-off' of candida released its toxins.

It takes a 'whole body' approach to get rid.

Originally posted by margaretr
I have waged a battle for 3 years against Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, without medical help.
I realised that I had candida overgrowth when I was detoxing and had a herxheimers reaction which revealed the symptoms of -
vaginal thrush, cystitis, and sinusisis - all at the same time!

When candida has migrated beyond the gut it is a hard battle to kill it.
I did a rigourous diet for 4 months, then slowly have eased some foods back into my diet.
At no time did I reduce or eliminate salt. (Himalayan)

It has to be a three pronged attack - starve - kill - 'outnumber'

1- starve the little blighters!
The diet eliminated all sucrose, glucose, lactose, fructose, yeast, funghi.
That is drastic when you consider the implications -
eg....no milk, no fruit, no (yeast) bread, no alcohol, no cheese(other than cottage cheese), severely limiting carbohydrates(especially no carrots).

2- kill
At the same time as I was starving the candida(as above), I was using herbal fungicides -
Wild Oregano oil, Goldenseal, coconut oil, and intermittant use of Lugols iodine.

3 - 'outnumber'
Copious amounts of live yogurt (unsweetened of course)

I survived on a diet of meat, fish, olive oil, (limited)butter, green veg. I still avoid all sucrose, fructose, and limit lactose and carbohydrates.

It has been the hardest medical challenge I ever faced, but I am now feeling the benefits of my perseverance.

Doctor's knowledge about candida appears limited to treatment of thrush, and involves pharmacutical fungicides to attack it just at the site of the symptoms.
I didn't have symptoms until I detoxed and the 'die-off' of candida released its toxins.

It takes a 'whole body' approach to get rid.

Besides organic raw honey, 99.6% pure stevia, and the sugar content from a few antifungal fruits I have not consumed any sugar in 4 months. No yeast. No mold. No starch (well sort of, last week I had a flare up with corn, I was getting a rash on the outside of my elbows whenever I would eat unsalted popcorn, corn on the cob, blue corn chips, etc. so I stopped eating them)

Right now I'm just consuming a lot of natural antifungals. Organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic ground flax seed, garlic, onions, cinnamon, blueberries, organic raw honey, etc. Stevia is actually antifungal too. Been cooking with extra virgin olive oil a lot. Also using a lot of organic herbs which are antifungal. I'm taking a few natural antifungal supplements...

www.thefinchleyclinic.com...
www.thefinchleyclinic.com...

Along with a multivitamin and a vitamin C supplement, as well as a magnesium supplement, supposed to be good for fighting candida.

I eat cottage cheese and I don't think milk is bad as long as you get it lactose free. I don't have any problems with Lactaid. I'd assume raw organic milk would be okay too. I don't think it has lactose, I just need to find some place around here that sells it.

I guarantee my doctor will want to put me on Difulcan or Nystatin. Fool.

Hey margaretr try this antifungal smoothie recipe I designed out. It's delicious. But you'll need a good blender that can crush ice, puree, liquify, etc. No 1 button on/off blenders lol

- 8 ice cubes
- ½ cup lactose free milk
- 6 medium sized strawberries (low sugar content)
- 25 blueberries (antifungal) (low sugar content and recommended on many candida diets)
- 2 tbsp pre ground organic flax seed (antifungal)
- 1 tbsp organic extra virgin coconut oil (very antifungal)
- 2 packets NuNaturals stevia (antifungal)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (antifungal)
- 1/6th tsp pure vanilla extract

I have a bunch of other tasty recipes I've designed.

Sodium intake and sleep chart
5/27 - 400% - slept 6 and 1/4 hours
5/28 - 200% - slept 2 hours
5/29 - 370% - slept 5 and 3/4 hours