I used to think health was a battle of good vs bad. Kill the bad guys, and everything else would fall into place, including yeast, bacteria, parasites, and more.

I learned the hard way. It doesn't work like that.

I learnt this through biohacking my health, both as a client and while studying “functional” medicine…

And YET, if you follow IG and TikTok, they will tell and sell you a parasite cleanse with a visual of a colonic, and OH my GOSHHH…. What you're looking at is just mucoid plaque - a build-up of "non-functional intestinal mucosal tissue." But they’re all shortsighted. Lets dive into…

Why Killing Candida or Parasite Might Be Making You Sicker

Years ago, I found myself in a cycle of bloating, brain fog, skin flares, and wild sugar cravings. The internet told me it was Candida. So I followed the typical "anti-Candida protocol":

Zero sugar (candida and parasites can switch metabolic fuel sources, not just “sugar” - you being ketogenic makes little difference.
Grapefruit seed extract (has been found to contain a toxic synthetic ingredient - Benzethonium chloride)
Oregano oil (Super strong like an antibiotic)
Caprylic acid bombs can increase leaky gut if used excessively.
Weeks of “die-off” symptoms I was told were a good sign “it must be working”…..

I thought I was doing it right. But I just felt worse wired, puffy, foggy, and stuck.

I was fighting a fire without checking why the fire started in the first place. Candida wasn't the real issue it was a symptom of a larger systemic problem.

A system that wasn't digesting fat well, wasn't producing bile, wasn't regulating stress, wasn't protecting the gut lining, wasn't feeding the right bacteria. Here's what I wish I had known earlier:

Candida thrives in weak systems, not strong ones.

Let's break that down:

Low bile acids = ideal fungal environment
Bile is your natural antifungal. If your bile is sluggish (due to poor liver or gallbladder function), Candida becomes comfortable.
Candida hijacks your neuro-metabolic loop
That means more stress eating, unstable blood sugar, and fat storage. You think you're craving sugar, but the yeast might be pulling the strings.
It tears holes in your gut wall
Hello leaky gut, hello toxins. These endotoxins activate inflammation pathways (like TLR4 in fat cells), leading to leptin resistance and metabolic gridlock.
It crowds out key bacteria.
A healthy gut needs Akkermansia and butyrate producers to signal fat metabolism. Candida overgrowth? Say goodbye to both.

Candida's environment isn't just internal from consuming "sugar". In fact, Candida can adapt to ANY food source - protein, lactate, ketones and fat, and it's affected by:

Indoor mold/mycotoxins
Blue light at night
Inhaled VOCs
Plastics and estrogenic compounds
Refined carbs with no nutrient backup
Chronic stress - cortisol resistance
Biophysical issues

So… what happens if you just "kill" Candida?

A. You create resistance, driving it deeper

B. You release more toxins and feel worse

C. You fail to fix the terrain, so it comes right back with vengeance.

You're not weak. You're just missing the whole picture when connecting the dots.

Candida isn't just a bug, it's a response. To stress. To poor bile flow. To missing microbes. To low energy production.

So instead of dropping bombs on the body, what if we focused on:

Restoring bile flow
Supporting the gut lining
Feeding beneficial microbes
Building metabolic resilience
Getting sun, sleep, and stable rhythms

You don't need another "cleanse." You need a rebuild.

Candida’s not new.

It’s been part of the human ecosystem for millennia. It only becomes a problem when the system becomes weak, stressed, undernourished, or over-antibiotic-treated. Candida overgrowth isn’t random it’s a reflection of loss. Loss of bile flow. Loss of diversity. Loss of rhythm, structure and order.

Before you start another Candida cleanse, ask yourself:

Do I have daily, solid bowel movements?
Do I wake with energy and appetite?
Is my cortisol regulated and aligned with natural light cycles inside and outside?
Do I feel safe enough to rest and digest?
Am I feeding the microbes I want to grow?
Have I earned the right to detox? Redox before Detox.
Do I have sufficient nutrients on board?

Nutrient Deficiencies That Open the Door

Zinc (low = immune dysregulation, more Candida adhesion)
Vitamin A (low = poor mucosal defence)
Vitamin D regulates the immune system to defend and/or attack.
Copper (key for fungal balance, but depleted by stress)
Bile nutrients (taurine, choline, glycine)

Dont forget the emotional roots…

Candida often correlates with:

Repressed emotions
Chronic guilt or shame
Suppressed feminine/sexual energy
Patterns of self-abandonment ("I don't feel safe in my own body")
Chronic high cortisol patterns
Low or altered dopamine and serotonin activity

Summary:

We're drowning in health information from centralised protocols to esoteric rabbit holes to anyone with a PDF and a platform.

But real health isn't centralised. It's personalised. Decentralised.

Built on the basics and tuned to the individual.

If you've been stuck in the Candida war zone or done a parasite cleanse with no success, maybe it's time to shift your strategy.

Rebuild the terrain, and the unwanted guests will pack their bags.

If you want to take your health to the next level with clarity, empowerment and support every step of the way… Book a discovery consult with me today HERE.

Candida Die-Off or Parasite Cleanse: Why You're Feeling Worse, Not BettEr