Yeast Infection Review

A very common complaint among women, yeast infections often divide opinions when it comes to recommending a course of treatment. Traditional medical advice runs contrary to that of the supporters of home remedies. We took a look at the arguments on both sides. Here are a series of articles and other useful resources.

What is a yeast infection?

What are the signs and symptoms of a yeast infection?

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Do I need to go to the doctor every time I get a Yeast Infection?

How do doctors treat yeast infections?

Buy Yeast infection remedy products

What are the natural remedies for yeast infections?

Do natural yeast infection remedies really work?

Yeast infection remedy books

OTC treatments for yeast infection

How to avoid a recurring Candida infection

Male yeast infections -causes and treatments

Do partners need to be treated for yeast infection?

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What is a Yeast Infection?

The second most common infection in the western world in the yeast infection. The term yeast infection is normally taken to mean a yeast infection in the vaginal area of a women. There are other yeast infections that can and do occur frequently:

Thrush - In Europe the term is the same as yeast infection, whereas in the US it means a yeast infection that occurs in the mouth. Babies and children are common sufferers from this form of yeast infection.

Nail infection - yeast infections are common under hand and toe nails and they can be painful, uncomfortable, and quite difficult to shake off.

Skin infection - a yeast infection can occur on the skin. Intertrigo commonly occur in skin folds that are warm and moist, where the yeast bacteria can thrive and grow.

Candiasis - Under certain conditions, large parts of the digestive tract can be overrun by unhealthy levels of the Candida Albicans bacteria that cause yeast infections. This can be a very serious medical condition.

So the commonly understood meaning of a yeast infection, is an occurance in the vagina of an infection that can appear in several other parts of the body. The symptoms and seriousness of the yeast infection varies depending on where it occurs. The treatment used to eliminate the yeast infection also varies.

Where do Yeast Infections come from?

One reason why yeast infections are so common is that the Candida bacteria are already present in the body naturally. They primarily reside in the gut. The Candida population is kept to a manageable size by the natural defence mechanisms of the body and through competition with other bacteria.

When this balance is disrupted, the Candida population grows out of control and becomes more dominant than usual. This is normally when a yeast infection will strike. The vagina can be contaminated by bacteria at any time and there are yeast infection defence mechanisms in place to stop an infection. When these fail, the infection symptoms will appear.

VAGINAL YEAST INFECTIONS

Yeast Infection, (Thrush Vaginitis or Candidiasis ) is a very common vaginal infection in women worldwide and  is almost always recurring. More than 75% of women will experience a yeast infection at some point in their lives. The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection are both irritating and embarrassing but fortunately in most cases they are quite easy to treat.  It is sometimes difficult to pinpoint just how many women suffer from vaginal yeast infections because a large number of people do not seek medical attention and self medicate to treat the yeast infection and the symptoms of the vaginal yeast infection using natural and holistic methods which have proven track records and are easy to implement.  

Yeast infections are more common today than ever before. There are a number of reasons for this. People are living longer, and older people are more likely than younger people to have compromised immune systems, a major risk factor for yeast infection. Similarly, the widespread use of antibiotics has contributed to the growing infection rate (yeast infections are known to occur after antibiotic therapy, which has the effect of killing the beneficial bacteria that normally suppress fungi). Finally, the success in treating diseases like HIV/AIDS has created a subgroup of the population susceptible to yeast infections.

A yeast infection in the vagina normally only affects women who already menstruate (have monthly periods) and are rare in pre-pubescent girls and women who are already menopausal, (unless oestrogen supplements are being taken).   

Yeast infections are caused by a naturally occurring fungus, known as Candida albicans. This fungus is found in small amounts inside of your vagina, as well as in your mouth and digestive tract and ordinarily does no harm.  Candida yeast is usually kept in balance by the acidic environment inside of your vagina. However, sometimes this acidic environment can simply get ‘out of sync’, and conditions become ideal for the candida fungus to thrive, grow rapidly and cause a yeast infection.    

The conditions Candida likes best are warm, moist, airless parts of the body. This is why the vagina is the most common site for Candida infection. Other areas of the body which are prone to Candida infection include the groin, the mouth, and the nappy area in babies.

Despite sometimes being aggravated by sexual activity, a yeast infection is not a sexually transmitted disease. Yeast infections can affect anyone, and many woman who are not sexually active contract a yeast infection.. Some women suffer an attack once or twice in their lives, however a significant number of women suffer from a yeast infection more than 4 or 5 times a year and spend their lives in a constant battle against it. A yeast infection is not serious, but is extremely unpleasant and very uncomfortable. However, it is widely recognized that yeast infections can be controlled and kept at bay by taking a sensible approach to diet and health.

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