Health Report - May 21, 2023

Candida

As I reported in Health Report - February 7, 2023, I started following the Candida diet and taking Nystatin in early February. I continued to follow that diet until April 10th, at which time I started relaxing the restrictions. Both my primary doctor Polina Liss and my nutritionist Beth McDonald thought that one month on the diet and taking Nystatin would be sufficient to eliminate the Candida overgrowth. Unfortunately the results of the stool test I did on April 2nd show continued overgrowth. When I received those results on April 21st, I immediately went back on the Candida diet. I had a consultation with Beth McDonald on April 26th in which she told me there was no longer any need for me to follow the Candida diet or take Nystatin because they made no noticeable difference. She recommended changing my probiotic to Klair Labs Therbiotic and including Pau D'Arco and Saccharomyces Boulardii among my daily supplements. She also recommended drinking 85 ounces of water every day (four of my water bottles) plus one cup per hour of cycling and adding 40,000 Volts! electrolyte concentrate to one bottle of water each day. I haven't always been able to drink that much water but I've substantially increased my intake. Especially on bike trips I will drink more water in order to avoid dehydration.

Candida Albicans

Inflammation and Stiffness

The inflammation and stiffness that plagued me from February through September of last year about which I wrote in Health Report - September 13, 2022 seems to be in the past. None of my doctors knows why it started or why it stopped. I think the weekly acupuncture sessions I've had (and continue to have) with Cynthia Hewett since last July might have contributed to my recovery.

As I reported in Health Report - February 7, 2023, in late January I did my first pushup in many months. Since then the number of pushups I can do has gradually increased to eight.

Toes

For several years (at least five), I have felt a thickening around the metatarsal-phalangeal joints (see the picture below) on both of my feet. Starting in early March I started to experience pain in the second and third toes of my right foot. I suspect the condition would be classified as Morton's neuroma.

I love the SIDI Genius 5 shoes I’ve worn for the last twelve years, but I think their narrow space for the toes has contributed to my trouble. In the picture below, note how my toes extend to both sides beyond the edges of the insoles from my SIDI Genius 5 shoes. Therefore the shoes squeeze my toes inward.

On March 16th I started wearing Correct Toes toe spacers at home under my socks (I have no shoes with a large enough toe box to accommodate Correct Toes), putting my toes in a more anatomically correct position (i.e., each toe lined up with its metatarsal). Note in the picture below how much more beyond the edges of the insoles my toes extend when I'm wearing Correct Toes.

I experienced no pain in my toes the morning of March 18th, just two days after starting to use the Correct Toes! I have continued to use them and find that my toes are becoming more and more comfortable. I even think that there has been a reduction of the thickening around my metatarsophalangeal joints that I mentioned above. Furthermore my toes feel less cramped even when wearing my cycling shoes.

In an attempt to further improve the health of my toes, I recently experimented with Catalyst pedals. These pedals are longer than regular flat pedals and so allow the full arch of the foot to be on the pedal, unlike cleated pedals or regular flat pedals that have the metatarsal-phalangeal joint over the axle.

Arch of the foot over the Catalyst pedal

I will write about my experience with Catalyst pedals in a forthcoming Gear Update.

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