Sunday, January 18, 2009

Yeast Infections in Women

Yeast infections are very prevalent among women. Recently, studies have shown that almost 75 percent of the female population will contract yeast infection at least once in their lifetimes. And about 45 percent of all women will develop recurrent yeast infection throughout their lives.

Symptoms of yeast infection

The following may be experienced when you have a yeast infection:

· irritation, itching or soreness of the vaginal lips
· vaginal discharge (whitish to yellowish which looks like cheese)
· burning sensation during urination or sexual intercourse
· rash
· copious foul smelling discharge

What to do when you have a yeast infection

It is imperative that you seek medical consultation whenever you notice something any of the symptoms described above, especially so if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have a yeast infection, the doctor can diagnose it and can give you the most appropriate and effective treatment.

Unfortunately though, a lot of women engage in self medication when they believe they have contracted a yeast infection. However, it has been observed that most of these women are actually not suffering from a yeast infection. Thus, self treatment of a misconceived condition may put them at higher risk of developing more severe infections and may even aggravate their condition.

How yeast infection is diagnosed

Your doctor or gynecologist usually performs a wet prep test. This procedure involves taking a swab from your vaginal area and putting the specimen under a microscope to determine the causal organism. A yeast culture may also be done by your doctor. This entails culturing a specimen sample taken from your vagina to confirm the presence of yeast.

Recurrent infections - is it normal?

If you are suffering from frequent yeast infections, you need to be monitored closely by your doctor, as these can indicate a more serious underlying condition like diabetes or any immunodeficiency syndrome. Proper diagnosis or treatment of this underlying medical condition can prevent yeast infection from occurring recurrently.

How to treat yeast infections
Yeast infections may be treated topically (creams) or orally (pills). Your doctor can recommend the best form of treatment for you.

Creams that are applied topically may give lesser adverse effects and minimized drug interaction potential as compared to oral medications. You may also be able to readily purchase over the counter most of these topical therapies unlike oral medications which can only be bought with a doctor’s prescription. Although less convenient to apply, topical medications tend to alleviate symptoms rather faster than the oral forms do.
Susan Driscal is dedicated to helping people find solutions for all health related problems. To learn more about her solutions for yeast infections, thrush and candida visit::
Remedy For A Yeast Infection

Yeast infections from bread Is It Possible

Yeasts are fungal organisms that play a significant role in the history and culture of humanity. They are responsible for producing several common worldwide commodities such as beer, wine, bread and a lot more. Can you imagine a world without those products? Yeasts indeed have a great commercial value as they produce alcoholic drinks through a process called fermentation (using grain products like wheat, barley, etc.). Brewer’s yeast is taken as a food supplement as it contains substantial amount of B vitamins, niacin, folic acid and protein.

However, you need to consider that although it is great to have these yeast-produced commodities, it is hard to be thankful to these microorganisms when they are allowed to overgrow and cause havoc in your body.

Causes of yeast overgrowth

Yeasts can rapidly grow when the following conditions occur: (a) drop in the useful bacterial population, and (b) impaired immune system function. Thus, yeasts can grow and multiply more quickly especially in the large intestines.

Can diet cause yeast infections
There are several factors leading to the overgrowth of the yeast population in your body. These include hormonal imbalances, use of antibiotics, presence of infections, exposure to environmental toxins, physical contact (i.e. sexual intercourse), and diet.
Whereas it is true that you can contract yeast infections through the foods you eat, it does not necessarily mean that you’ll get infected because you eat bread or drink beer because these products contain yeast.
Stale bread may harbor fungal toxins called mycotoxins or mold that can lead to disease, but that is a very rare occurrence. It has also been noted in a few cases that beer-drinking men can accumulate Candida species in the creases of their sexual organ without even knowing. As a result, they can transmit these microorganisms to their partners during sexual intercourse. And in the process, these men can get infected in return when the species are passed back to them and are lodged in the more susceptible prostate gland. Although rare, yeast infections are actually suggested to be one of the causes of prostate cancer in men.
The main concept of diet-related yeast infections however, lies in the fact that antibiotics and hormones included in livestock feed may be passed on to you when you eat the meats and eggs of these farm animals. These antibiotics and hormones tend to kill the good bacteria thus, allowing the yeast to overgrow.
Carbohydrate rich diets may also provide a rich medium for the yeast to grow and ferment. Furthermore, the present American diet mostly contains low biotin and other essential nutrients that prevent the benign yeast form to assume the invasive form called hypha.
Susan Driscal is dedicated to helping people find solutions for all health related problems. To learn more about her solutions for yeast infections, thrush and candida visit::
Remedy For A Yeast Infection