Some candida websites and articles suggest you do not need a doctor to help you get rid of candida. However, there are several good reasons why you should get a doctor's help.

1. A doctor can make sure that you don't have some other digestive disease or condition other than candida. There are other conditions that result in some symptoms that are similar to candida. For example, irritable bowel syndrome can cause stomach pain, belching, bloating, and gas.
2. If you have other on-going health conditions or are sensitive to medications and supplements then its especially good to have your primary physician be your gate keeper for your health concerns, including lab tests, medications, and supplements.
3. You will need a doctor to order the comprehensive stool analysis test if you want to have it done.  
4. You will need a doctor if you decide you want to go the route of using a prescription antifungal.
5. Your primary physician can advise you when you have other health issues come up during your treatment of candida.  For example, I had to have my wisdom teeth out and had to deal with the issue of whether to use an antibiotic or not for the surgery.  

I did go several months without a doctor because I doctors that I went to initially could not help me. But I was definitely better off once I found a doctor that could help me. (See my entry on How to Find a Doctor).

If you already have a doctor that understands your health condition and candida, then great!  If not, you should consider getting a doctor who can help you.  Heres how I found my doctor.

After going through my regular doctor, the city hospital, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Office, and a M.D. doctor that practiced alternative medicine, I was pretty frustrated.   I was getting no advice or direction.  I had had taken three prescription antifungals and my symptoms were worse than ever.  So I began asking people if they could recommend a doctor that they thought could help me.  I got to know the people at the local health food store because I went there to buy supplements that I hoped would help.  I found that everyone there was very friendly and had their own health related story to tell. They recommended  a doctor that they thought could help me.

This particular doctor was a D.O., a doctor of osteopathic medicine. I did a little research on D.O.'s and found that they tend to be more holistic as compared to a medical doctor because of their training.  I found that people I met that had difficult and chronic health conditions were all seeing D.O.'s as their primary physician.  I'm not saying to get a D.O. over an M.D. for your primary physician, but you may want to consider it.    

In February, 2012, I got candida.  My candidiasis symptoms were bloating, thrush, toenail fungus, and yeast infection. It took over a year to be cured of candida.  As of this writing, which is 5 months later, I have been adding back in foods and have had no candida symptoms (yeast infection, toenail fungus, white tongue, bloating, gas, belching, abdominal pain).  I was retested using the comprehensive stool analysis test and it showed my candida was cured.  Of course, the real test is not having symptoms and being able to eat a healthy diet.

This blog is not exactly done in chronological order.  Instead, I discuss key learnings, such as "How to Find a Doctor" and at the same time relate my experience with regards to that particular topic.  The blogs are tagged so you can open them according to topic if you want.  

I have found that one of the very best ways to know how to do something is to learn from someone else who has done it. So I hope that this blog, candida protocol, and website will help you get rid of your yeast infection or maybe even help somebody you know.