frequently asked questions

My number one recommendation for my wellness clients and those on the yeast and bacterial overgrowth protocol is to have a Daily Nutritional Support smoothie with one cup of fruit, 1 cup of leafy greens (like spinach), and 1 tablespoon of healthy fats such as chia seeds, flax seeds, or coconut oil.

You should’ve received a two-page instruction guide on how to take your nutritional supplements. All of the herbal and enzyme-based formulas are taken on an empty stomach upon waking up and before bed. To get the most benefits from your probiotics, I recommend taking them away from your antibacterial or anti-fungal herbs that you take at breakfast and dinner. This allows the two different types of formulas to not have to compete with one another. However, if you do get nauseous you may take all of your Candida & Bacterial Optimizer (CBO) Protocol supplements at breakfast and dinner.

If you forget to take your supplements upon waking you may simply take them with breakfast. If you forget to take all of your a.m. supplements you do not need to double up at dinner/before bed.

This exclusive Candida & Bacterial Optimizer (CBO) Protocol was specifically created to work from gentlest to strongest over the course of 12 weeks. This allows for most individuals to never have any die off symptoms and thus it is just working in the background as you go about your day. You will begin to feel less bloating, gas, as well as digestion will become easier over the course of the protocol and beyond.

After you complete the 12 week protocol, it is highly recommended to use the CBO Finisher Protocol— consisting of the Daily Probiotic Support and the Healthy Gut Support powder. This is used to rebuild the gut by healing and sealing the gut lining while repopulating the microbiome with good bacteria. The Healthy Gut Support is simple to use, you can just add one scoop to your morning smoothie or consume it upon waking or before bed.

I recommend 90 days for the leaky gut, “heal and seal” protocol (Healthy Gut Support & Daily Probiotic Support) also known as the CBO Finisher. This allows enough time for the glutamine and zinc to do their job by rebuilding a nurse in the wall. You may continue on longer if you’d like. I myself still complete this protocol often for my own ongoing health, and love the extra chocolatey taste the Healthy Gut Support powder gives my morning smoothies!

If your symptoms have largely gone away and you no longer have gas, bloating, or digestive issues, you may assume you have limited the overgrowth. However, if you would like to verify the results, you may run a Candida Metabolic and Vitamins Test. This specific lab will show you if you have any additional yeast or bacterial overgrowth to remove. 

After you completed the full 12-week protocol, you may then decide to run the Candida, Metabolic and Vitamins Test to confirm you have eradicated the Candida and Bacterial Overgrowth.

You do not need to run a Candida, Metabolic and Vitamins Test to confirm your results if you choose not to. Not all of our wellness clients decide to spend the money on retesting if they are already feeling better and do not have any of the symptoms of the bloating, gas, or digestive issues like they had before they started. I personally love the idea if you can afford it to see the data and give you the peace of mind. If you prefer to confirm your results, send a quick email to support@hannaheddy.com and I’ll be happy to help you get that ordered!

No, do one at a time. Too much detoxing at once can overwhelm the body. Complete what you are on and then follow up with the other!

If you’re having any negative reactions to the nutritional supplements or protocol, simply stop products for three days, then begin by using just one nutritional supplement at a time. You may start with any supplement for that month and just use one capsule with breakfast. If that supplement does not give you any issues, you may then increase it to both breakfast and dinner at one capsule. If this works, you will then do two capsules at breakfast and two at dinner.

Once you confirm this supplement is not giving you any issues, you may then proceed with adding in the next two. Begin slowly and always just use one capsule of the new product. If you were someone that gets nauseous easily when taking nutritional supplements, always take them together mid-meal at breakfast and at dinner time.

Yes, you may take other supplements I have recommended during the CBO protocol.

However, we recommend avoiding other probiotics during the protocol as we have specifically selected certain strains to be used in a particular order to help repopulate the gut. Once finished, you may reintroduce the Daily Probiotic Support to your supplement regimen. 

Flora Film (2+2) > Flora Film (2+2) > Healthy Belly (1+1)

Orthoflora (2+2) > Candida Support (2+2) > Candida Complex (2+2)

Saccharomyces Boulardii (1+1) > Acidophilus (1+1) > Clean Gut Probtiotic (1) 

* See CBO instruction guide that was emailed to you at time of purchase for full supplement dosages.

Once you finish the 12 weeks of the CBO protocol, we recommend 30-60 days of sealing the gut lining by using the CBO Finisher which includes a product called Healthy Gut Support, as well as the Daily Probiotic Support.  We also recommend starting your day with the Daily Nutritional Support (shake powder), or Daily Foundational Protocol (Levels 1, 2, or 3) to bundle all of your daily essentials moving forward!

Yes, you may have coffee if well tolerated but we recommend limiting it to 1 cup of organic coffee per day (black or with nut milk), preferably before noon. Coffee can be irritating to the digestive system, as well as tax the liver, so you may want to consider eliminating for at least the first 21 days to help improve symptoms.

We recommend eliminating alcohol during the protocol as it can be very irritating/inflammatory to the digestive tract and liver and hinder the healing process. After the first 21 days, you may choose to have alcohol as part of your “cheat” meal but we recommend limiting this to 1x/week. 

For optimal digestion in general, we recommend spacing your meals at least 3-4 hours apart. If you find that you need to incorporate a mid-afternoon snack (3-4 hours after lunch and 2-3 hours before dinner) you can use the same approved food list to choose any snacks that you’d like. Making a shake or smoothie with the Daily Nutritional Support Powder is also a great snack option! (Especially pre or post workout).

Although fermented products are well-known for their health benefits due to the probiotics they contain, we do not include fermented products on the CBO food list. This is because in those with yeast, fungal, or bacterial overgrowth, these foods are fermented by gut bacteria and can actually worsen an already imbalanced microbiome, often worsening symptoms. You are welcome to add these back in slowly after the protocol to help increase microbial diversity.

The purpose of the food list is to provide the easiest to digest foods, to decrease inflammation and symptoms, as well as not feed pathogenic yeast and bacteria. Some “healthy” foods may not be listed because they are difficult to digest or because they can be fermented by gut bacteria. Stick to the food list as strictly as possible for the first 21 days, after that you may try adding things in sparingly as a cheat 1x/week (monitor for symptoms/reactions). After 6-8 weeks you may begin adding back in fruits and vegetables not on the CBO Protocol food list as long as your symptoms (bloating, gas, skin, etc.) have subsided. 

Onions and garlic contain a nutrient called allicin. This product kills yeast, fungus, and bacteria. However, it is typically used in a nutritional supplement form, which is an extract and not the whole food.
If someone with yeast or bacterial overgrowth uses the whole food, the prebiotic fibers can feed yeast and bacteria, causing symptoms such as gas or bloating. 

Yes, except onion and garlic (whole or powdered form)

Yes, you may add 8oz of nut milk to water in your smoothie (or with a coffee/tea), as long as you have not been told you have a food sensitivity or lectin based issue. It is best to first test the smoothie without nut milk before testing it. Also, it is important to find a nut milk without a lot of additives such as oils (canola, sunflower, or palm oil) or carrageenan.

You may use any vegan protein powder you’d like, but if you don’t use an All-In-One like the Daily Nutritional Support shake, it is recommended that you use the Daily Activated Multi-Vitamin (2 caps with breakfast + 2 caps with dinner). If you are using another type of vegan protein, do make sure you’re getting 15g of hypoallergenic protein and no added fillers such as chicory, inulin, or other foods not listed on the CBO Food guide.

Although it is not mandatory to use, the 2 products contained in the Gut Rebuilding Protocol will help to heal and seal the gut wall. This is helpful after removing the yeast and bacteria, since often times leaky gut goes hand in hand with gut overgrowth and dysbiosis.

We recommend simply adding 1 scoop of the Healthy Gut Support powder to your morning smoothie along with taking the Daily Probiotic Support to add back in additional healthy gut bacterial strains. This should be done for 2-3 months after the CBO Protocol.

You could do this either way, or even together— there is really no wrong way although many people like to do the 7, 14, or 21-day FM Detox first as it will lower your inflammation levels and get you into a healthier style of eating which will be extremely helpful when moving on to the CBO protocol in food shopping list. 

If you experience an adverse reaction that has significant impact on your ability to function, please follow these steps to help determine if it is due to one of the supplements, or something else:

1. Have you added in any new foods besides the supplements? If so, remove those for one week– even if they’re healthy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, hummus, etc.

2. If you are having a reaction to the supplements, remove all supplements and wait 3-5 days. If the symptoms dissipate add 1 new product back in every 3 days and see which one causes the reaction (if any). You can start at just 1 capsule of that product and then increase as able.

3. If on the CBO protocol and having a skin reaction, it’s possible the die off is being pushed through the skin. You can stop the CBO Protocol for 3-5 days and see if symptoms subside. If so, follow step 2 above and work up to a tolerable dosage.

We invite you to join the Facebook Group by Dr. Stephen Cabral who formulated these protocols! See the following link to join:

http://cabralsupportgroup.com

Please type into the search bar “recipe” to find over 70 Detox and CBO approved meals!

To make a recipe “CBO approved” – simply remove onions and garlic, if listed in ingredients.

You may try adding them back in after 4 weeks of the protocol.