Yeast Infection

Yeast infection is often called yeast vaginitis, vaginal thrush, or vaginal candidiasis or candida after the bacteria that causes most of the infection. These are all simply different names for the same complaint.

If you find all these names confusing, check out what is candida.

The urogenital microflora is made up of organisms from over fifty species.¹ They exist in biofilms which adhere to cells and mucus in the vagina. It's a busy old place down there and it isn't surprising if every now and then, one or two species get a taste for power and upset the smooth running of the neighborhood for a while.

This is what happens when you get a yeast infection - there are simply too many yeast living in the vagina.

Yeast can also colonize the mouth and the skin, particularly places like armpits.

The symptoms of yeast are often similar to the symptoms for other types of vaginal infection. Check that you know what you're looking for. Two thirds of women that treat themselves for yeast infections do not actually have it!²

Find out what causes yeast infections and discover what other lifestyle factors increase your risk of getting yeast vaginitis.

Remove the food source. Keep your sugar intake right down. Try some of the "candida diets" that abound on the net.

Remove the out-of-control fungi with yeast infection treatment.

Replace immediately with probiotic bacteria. Fem Dophilus contains the two probiotics that most of the research has been conducted on. And most importantly - in the right strength. Not all probiotics do the same thing - these two are the best for vaginal health.

Find out which active ingredient is preferred by medical authorities like the World Health Organization and The Centers for Disease Control for vaginal thrush.

Need relief fast? Check out how Diflucan stacks up against Gynazole as far as fast relief of symptoms goes.

Does taking antibiotics give you yeast infection every time? Find out what you need to do after taking antibiotics to stop chronic vaginal thrush.

One cause of chronic infection that you might not have considered is sex. Yeast infection, or at least your chances of getting it, can be affected by what you do with your partner.

Heard conflicting stories about the usefulness of boric acid capsules? Find out the facts.

Are you looking for a ready made boric acid capsule? Yeast Arrest is a good product name.

Like to learn a little more about Diflucan side effects before you take it?

Check out just what HAS been discovered living in the healthy vaginal microflora. Despite popular opinion, research has shown that it isn't wall-to-wall Lactobacillus species down there!

If you have recurrent infection look outside the square for a possible reason. Inflamed, irritated skin in the vaginal area will make the site more appealing to yeast, so be sure you aren't reacting to any of the chemicals and other substances in your environment.

Unfortunately, many women self-diagnose and get it wrong. This isn't really surprising when you see how often even doctors can't always tell what is a yeast infection and what isn't. If you use/take an anti-fungal and your vaginal infection is not caused by yeast, then anti-fungal treatments won't work.

Worse, you're possibly breeding those Candida fungi that were living quite peacefully into a resistant strain. Then treatment won't work if later you do get a yeast type infection. So far, the Candida strains found in the vagina have shown very little sign of becoming resistant,³ but many of the strains found in oral yeast infections have³ so it is probably only a matter of time.

Probiotics for vaginal thrush

Probiotics will work much more effectively if they have a clean playing field to start their good work. Most experts suggest that you eliminate the current infection with standard treatment and then use probiotic bacteria to quickly recolonize the vagina. This has given the best results.

Most of the strains of probiotic bacteria that you want are not yet being put into products like yogurt. A supplement such as Fem Dophilus really is the best way to tackle this.

The RIGHT STRAIN OF PROBIOTIC BACTERIA is critical for success when attempting to colonize the vagina with good bacteria to halt the return of vaginal thrush.

If you have chronic yeast you've probably already tried the yogurt remedy.

And if you have questions about how to get the yogurt IN there, check out the innovative answers that other women have come up with.

Does Lactobacillus work as a home treatment for yeast vaginitis? There are around 145 different strains of Lactobacillus - a few are very suitable for women's urogenital complaints such as yeast infection - most of them are not! (This is not to say that they don't play a useful role in our bodies in some other way, but we're talking women's undercarriage here!)

Vulvovaginal disease cover several different infections, all of them annoying, irritating and sometimes difficult to treat. It is estimated that over one billion women around the world suffer from non-sexually transmitted urogenital infections such as yeast infection.⁴



REFERENCES

1. Reid G, Habash M. Urogenital microflora and urinary tract infections. In: Tannock GW,ed.Medical importance of the normal microfora. London,Kluwer, 1998: 423-40

2. Ferris DG, Nyirjesy P, Sobel JD, Soper D, Pavleti c A, Litaker MS. Over-the-counter antifungal drug misuse associated with patient-diagnosed vulvovaginal candidiasis. Obstet Gynecol 2002;99:419-25.

3. J. D. Sobel, M. Zervos, B. D. Reed, T. Hooton,4 D. Soper, P. Nyirjesy, M. W. Heine, J. Willems, and H. Panzer. Fluconazole Susceptibility of Vaginal Isolates Obtained from Women with Complicated Candida Vaginitis: Clinical Implications. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2003, p. 34-38, Vol. 47, No. 1, 0066-4804/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.47.1.34-38.2003.

4. Reid G, Bruce AW. Could probiotics be an option for treating and preventing urogenital infections. Medscape General Medicine 3 (4),2001

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