Karen, UK

I had my cough for a very long time. It was a dry cough which, once started, was very difficult to stop. I used to dread having to go anywhere like the theatre, cinema, out for meals etc because it could come on at any time with no warning. Sometimes even a tiny breath of air would trigger it and other times it seemed that nothing had triggered it at all.

About eighteen months ago I decided enough was enough and started to research 'persistent dry cough' . After about three months I'd looked at a lot of information, both from websites and health discussion noticeboards. During this time I had lung xrays (all clear) and had been given an inhaler. The inhaler was to 'eliminate' asthma from the list of possible causes ie if it worked then I had asthma! The inhaler actually triggered the cough, so I only used it a couple of times.

Eventually I found that a persistent cough was a symptom of candidiasis (there are many strains of candida with different names). I found a questionnaire on the net and had a very high score on it. I then looked up ways of curing it with drugs and diet.

I should point out that I'm not really a believer in alternative 'medicine' and that there an awful lot of 'remedies' on the net and in health shops which purport to 'cure' candida, but people commenting in forums stated that they didn't work. In the main they seem to be a money making scheme.

After more research into what others did to cure candidiasis I decided to try the anti-candida diet and combine that with taking a month's supply of flucanazole. I had to get the flucanazole on the net from India via New Zealand, self-prescription I know, but by this time I was getting desperate. The diet is strict (no sugar at all, including natural fruit sugars and nothing else that encourages yeast growth) and is supposed to be followed for a minimum of three months. I also took apple cider vinegar (one or two teaspoons before each meal) which I read other people had used to combat candida. I also used Xylitol, a natural sugar (as I have a very sweet tooth). Xylitol is known to boost the immune system and the chewing gum also cures ear problems and mend tooth cavities. I also bought Xylitol nasal spray which is natural too and can be used as many times as you like to clear and moisturise ears, sinuses and throat. Re the diet, if you try it there is a range of yeast free foods in Tesco which are good - soda bread etc.

The information I looked up stated that the anti-candida diet and the drugs had to be used together as neither of them would work on their own. I followed the diet as closely as I could for three months and took the flucanazole for one month (two tablets on day one and one a day after that). I had read that usually people felt initially worse and after about two weeks I did feel pretty awful - terrible itching mainly and headaches plus a bad stomach. However, I found those symptoms stopped and then I began to feel much better and continued to do so until the end of the three months when my cough had disappeared and I felt miles healthier than I had done for a long time. I gradually introduced all foods back into my diet, but am still wary of getting too much sugar into my system (still using the Xylitol). The cough hasn't returned.