After antibiotics for Crohn's my 13 yo has Candida and needs help!

Q: My 13 year old daughter has Crohn's and Candida after a 3 week antibiotic treatment and diagnosis via colonoscopy. Please help!

A. I'm sorry to hear that your daughter had to have a colonoscopy! Candida is common after being on antibiotics for so long, and Crohn's disease also can come about from antibiotic exposure. The numbers of Crohn's cases were relatively uncommon until the 1950's when antibiotics became more prevalent to treat infections.

We do have a small section on: Supplements for Crohn's, underneath the pictures is a bit of helpful information. I would suggest these supplements:

• HMF Intensive - 1 cap, 3 times a day with meals for 10 days to begin to recolonize the intestinal tract.
• Allysin Garlic - 1 cap, 2 times a day with meals for 30 days to continue to kill pathogenic bacteria and yeast that may still be a problem.
• Bromelain Papain - Acute pain, Inflammation episodes: One tablet every two to three hours away from meals until pain subsides, for a maximum of 24 hours.
• Then 1-2 hours before each meal (empty stomach):
  2 capsules Bromelain Papain+ three times daily for 4 weeks, then reduce down to 1 caps three times daily for 3-6 months.
• BioEnzymes - these are chewable enzymes, have her chew 1-2 with each meal, these will help her break down her food better. I recommend 2 with larger meals.
• Fish oil - Berry EFA Plus Liquid - 2 tsp a day with or after a meal, can also mix in with a smoothie. This is one kids like because of the berry/fruit flavors. This helps reduce inflammation and supports her immune function.
• Liquid Multi Vite Min - her nutrient status is important, she probably isn't absorbing her nutrients well, so I would recommend this, 1 Tbsp a day. Liquid Multi Vite Min is great tasting and it provides the cells and tissues with an optimal amount of nutrients necessary for the maintenance of a healthy immune system.
• Zinc by Genestra - Zinc deficiency is common with Crohn's patients. This can make her immune function weakened and more likely to have skin problems or lesions. I would recommend additional zinc, this would be a good zinc for her. I would suggest 2 a day for a few weeks to help get her stores up, then drop down to one a day. She may need more if her stores are very low, but without testing we don't know.

For Crohn's and Candida it is important to limit her sugar intake, so focus on whole grains, and avoid anything with refined flours or white rice. Her diet needs to be high in protein, legumes, vegetables, low-sugar fruits, nuts and nut butters, healthy fats like avocado and olive oil.

It can also be helpful to identify possible food allergies/sensitivities and avoid those foods. You may need to work with an allergy specialist, or if you'd like, I can offer guidance on doing a food allergy elimination diet, this would have to be a paid consult because of the time it takes to go over. Please keep me posted!