Candida Albicans infection causes nearly one hundred percent of all yeast infections. Not exactly either age or gender specific, Candidiasis infections flourish within most moist warm areas on the body like the oral cavity, penis, vagina, arm pits, fingernails and toenails.
This yeast is always within each of us however is only allowed to prosper when the body’s pH balance starts to rise in acidity. This pH imbalance may be caused by stress, diet, external forces and hormonal imbalances.
There are several terms for a yeast infection, Thrush, Candidiasis, Candida. They are all the same thing, caused by the multiplying of a fungus, Candida Albicans. Anyone can be affected, both genders and any age.
The genital area and in particular the vagina, is a perfect breeding ground for the fungus and that is why vaginal yeast infections are the most frequent type to occur. This means that though not limited to women, it is more usual for it to happen to a woman.
There are several causes or triggers that lead to the overgrowth, a few mentioned here are clothing, medication, pregnancy, improper drying after bathing, incorrect wiping after a bowel movement, not changing out of wet clothing, diabetes and diet.
Plenty of people may not realize it, but men can have yeast infection too. Unlike girls, majority of men with yeast infection don’t realize they are already infected.
Even some doctors misdiagnose the state as it isn’t properly inspected. The problem in determining yeast infection in males is primarily due to the difference in masculine and feminine biology.
By Sara Joanny
Vaginal itching, burning, irritation, and unpleasant urination. Those seem to be just some of the actual symptoms of candida infections. If it turns out you surely have these types of signs and symptoms, well then possibilities tend to be, you hold a yeast infection as well.
What’s even worse than a yeast infection are recurring yeast infections! Merely visualize this… You possess a yeast infection which unfortunately is without question constantly pestering you and getting you miserable. You go to the medical doctor, use most types of natural remedies, and quite a bit more. Your yeast infection leaves apart for a couple days, however then will come right back. In most cases, even tougher than it was prior to now. The following form of yeast infection is referred to as a recurring yeast infection.
Whenever we have health problems we usually look for a quick solution. It’s very easy to rush off to the chemist or drugstore and pick up a medicine that will do the trick. Although this may make you better for a short time the problem with pharmaceuticals is they they don’t get to the root of the problem. Garlic one of the oldest known medicinal plants is a natural antifungal so let’s have a look at how it can help fight off your yeast infection.
People have been eating garlic for thousands of years for its healing properties as well as its taste. Although some people tend to avoid garlic and because they don’t want garlic breath it is actually very good for you. Reliable scientific studies have proven it has a significant number of health benefits. Eating a fresh clove of garlic or two every day can have amazing effects on your health besides curing a yeast infection.
Here are some of its known benefits:
So, what is it about garlic that makes it such a boon to our health?
Garlic (Allium sativum) contains a large number of sulphur containing compounds that exhibit potent anti-fungal properties. Among the most studied are allicin, alliin, alliinase and S-allylcysteine. Some studies have found garlic to be at least as effective as Nystatin, an antifungal medicine, in killing Candida Albicans, one common type of yeast that causes a yeast infection when it gets out of control.
When cloves of garlic are chewed, crushed or cut, they release these sulfur-bearing compounds that have potent anti-fungal properties. One of them, known as allicin, is the chemical that gives garlic its pungent taste and smell. And it’s the allicin that scientists have discovered is the magic ingredient thought to be responsible for garlic’s therapeutic qualities.The finer the chopping and the more intensive the crushing, the more allicin is generated and the stronger the medicinal effect. Use garlic fresh for best results.
Eat it raw for best effect
Allicin starts to degrade immediately after it is produced and its effectiveness decreases over time. Cooking speeds up this degradation and microwaving will totally destroy allicin. So for the most powerful medicinal effect, crush raw garlic and combine with the cooked food shortly before serving.
For intestinal Candida you can add 6 cloves of raw garlic a day to your food. If you don’t like the taste try disguising it in a green smoothie with 1 teaspoon of powdered kelp added. Garlic can irritate your digestive system if have a very sensitive one so start with 1 clove a day and increase gradually.
Garlic for vaginal yeast
If you are dealing with a vaginal yeast infection, you may actually be able to give yourself a little bit of immediate relief by inserting a garlic capsule directly into the vagina. You would need to make sure that it is all natural because you would not want to irritate this sensitive area with chemicals. Most people experience immediate relief from the itching and burning of a yeast infection whenever they do this.
Combined with the usual anticandida diet garlic is a very useful natural health remedy for yeast infections. If you are searching for the truth about Candida and alternative health and are ready to make some lifestyle changes that are necessary to achieve freedom from yeast infections you will find “Yeast Infection No More” to be one of the best complete guides you ever saw.
Click here to learn more about Linda Allen’s “Yeast Infection No More”.
For many years candida sufferers have been religiously following anti-candida diets that restrict all sugar and foods containing it and taking natural antifungal remedies. Even milk is excluded as lactose, the milk sugar, feeds the candida. Fruit is often restricted as well because of fructose, the fruit sugar. Many people have struggled with the diet only to find that they never really get rid of candida yeast overgrowth.
But some raw food and natural hygeine proponents maintain that fat and not sugar is the culprit where candida is concerned. This theory suggests that excess fat rather than excess sugar causes overgrowth of candida.
The fat in the bloodstream coats the hormone insulin, reduces the cells sensitivity it so sugar (glucose) is not carried into the cell as it should be. The sugar then feeds the yeast that is naturally present in the blood stream.
Doug Graham, author, athlete, and a 27-year raw fooder, says that yeast, or candida, is a constant presence in the blood serving as a life preservation mechanism, blooming when there is an excess of sugar in the blood stream to bring blood sugar down to a non-threatening level. But when the glucose feeds the candida rather than your cells they are unable to produce energy so you feel tired and rundown.
The cure for candida then is to go to the root of the problem and reduce the fat rather than try to kill the candida. Of course eating refined sugar and foods containing it is never good but this model does not insist on the long term elimination of fruit stipulated by many anti-candida diets.
There is no doubt that excess saturated, trans and damaged fats in the diet is a cause of the cell’s resistance to insulin. The answer then is to go on a really low-fat diet for a few weeks, avoiding all animal products, oil, nuts, seeds, avocado and coconuts.
Many people have turned to raw food diets in attempt to cure candida and allergies only to binge on nuts, seeds, avocados and desserts made from nuts, seeds, dried fruit and coconut perpetuating their problem of candida overgrowth.
Johanna Zee, natural hygienist practitioner advises a water fast followed by a cleansing diet of easily digested blended salads, raw soups, green smoothies, and fresh whole fruit. Sounds good to me!
Doug Graham proposes the 80/10/10 diet where 80% of the diet is carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables and 10% or less of calories each from fat and protein. Conventional nutrition recommends that no more than 30% of the diet should be fat and only 11% of that saturated.
For someone on a 1500 – 2000 calorie diet 10% fat equates to about 1oz nuts, 1-2 tsp oil or half a small avocado a day. Starchy vegetables and grains are automatically excluded on a raw food diet. Graham claims success with many health conditions using this approach.
Although I was skeptical of this theory it seems that many people who have been battling with candida problems for years apparently get almost instant relief from following this low-fat diet. I suspect the truth is that there are a number of factors involved in persistant candida overgrowth but the fat theory deserves serious consideration.
If you have been thinking about turning to a more raw food diet then you might be interested in Frederic Patenaude’s Monthly Raw Food Mentor Club. You get a monthly printed newsletter featuring the best information on the raw food diet and monthly raw food menu planners and more. He also subscribes to this fat theory of candida and has coached many people to health with the same low fat principles.
If you have been struggling with a candida yeast problem then this change of approach might just be the answer you have been looking for.
Yogurt for Yeast Infection
Yeast infections, also called thrush or monilia, can often be cured naturally by eating live yogurt daily and applying it topically for vaginal infections. Many natural health practitioners believe that vaginal yeast infections in women are related to an overgrowth of yeast in the bowel and that the digestive system should be treated as well for the vaginal symptoms to improve long term.
There are many hundreds of different strains of organisms that live harmoniously in the digestive system and on mucous membranes such as the mouth, throat, urinary system and vagina. It is when the balance of these organisms gets disrupted through various factors like antibiotics, steroid use, the contraceptive pill, high estrogen levels, stress and high sugar diets that yeast like candida albicans gets out of control and causes gut fermentation and vaginal yeast infections.
Treating yeast infections with yogurt makes a lot of sense. A good live yogurt contains lactobacillus acidophilus, a beneficial organism, that helps keep candida and other yeasts in check. Many commercially made yogurts are made with other cultures that are not so hardy in the digestive tract so be sure to find a live or bio-yogurt.
Research has shown that eating 8oz of live yogurt or kefir daily helps to crowd out any overgrowth of yeast in the digestive system. 1 tablespoonful inserted into the vagina at night for 3 – 7 nights or applied several times a day can often bring about a huge improvement to burning or itching symptoms. A tampon coated in yogurt is quite a convenient way to apply it. if you don’t mind the cold you can try freezing some in a plastic tampon applicator or in the fingers of a disposable glove until solid making it easier to insert. This can be very soothing.
Some women have found that douching with live yoghurt diluted with filtered or pure water can help. The yogurt must be live and plain and not contain any sugar or fruit or it will cause the yeast to flourish as sugar is its favorite food.
For hard to treat or persistent yeast infections a high potency, multistrain probiotic can be taken orally in place of the yogurt and one or two capsule inserted in the vagina at night. A good supplement will contain more hardy strains of acidophilus.
Frequent douching at other times is not recommended as this can alter the natural balance of the organisms in the vagina. Washing the groin area with scented soaps or soaking in baths with bubble bath or scented bath salts can alter the pH of the vagina leading to alteration in the natural balance of the bacteria and yeasts that normally thrive there.
If you are prone to frequent yeast infections you should pay attention to and take steps to rectify the underlying factors that can promote yeast such as antibiotic use, a high sugar or refined carbohydrate diet, use of the contraceptive pill, sponges, diaphragm or cervical cap, lowered immunity through stress, diabetes and steroid use.
Many women have successfully treated vaginal yeast infections with yogurt or other natural methods because of the high costs of over the counter medicines or simply because they prefer natural methods.
To learn more about how to cure your yeast infection naturally
Yeast infections, also know as thrush or candida are not just a woman’s problem. Men and women of all ages, babies and children can be affected by yeast infections.
Besides the familiar vaginal yeast infections that women often get yeast infections can occur as:
Yeasts normally live on and in your body. It is when they overgrow and get out of balance with the other bacteria that they cause symptoms and are referred to as an infection. Your body’s immune system and the good bacteria that live on the skin and in the digestive system normally keep the yeasts in check.
The things that cause yeast to overgrow are:
Symptoms
When the yeast levels in your body increases you may get all sorts of symptoms. Here are some of them: Nail Fungus, vaginal yeast, itchy skin, abdominal bloating, excess gas and wind, cravings for sweet foods, fatigue, brain fog, depression, heart burn, low libido and vaginitis.
Conventional medicine treats yeast infections with anti-fungal medicines however when people get recurrent lowgrade infections the drugs do nothing to prevent the infection returning. You have to alter the conditions in your body that allowed the infection to flourish and recurr:
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