The Dangers of Not Treating a Yeast Infection

Are there dangers in not treating a yeast infection?
It's a curious question: it presupposes that you know you have one. For the purposes of this article I will deal with vaginal yeast infections only.
So how do you know if you have a yeast infection? One way to know is if you have the same symptoms as before when you were correctly diagnosed by your doctor. However, other conditions can masquerade as a yeast infection, even in people who've had them previously. Urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and bacterial vaginosis are conditions often confused with infections due to yeast.
The most common symptoms of a yeast infection are vaginal itching (inside or outside) and vaginal discharge, which may be milky or have the consistency of cottage cheese. The most common reason women get these infections is from taking antibiotics for a different condition, such as a bladder or respiratory infection. Diabetes is also associated with frequent yeast infections: yeast likes sugar and grows especially well when your blood sugar is elevated.
If you've taken antibiotics and get a yeast infection, do you have to treat it?
Not necessarily. If you are otherwise healthy, your body can often heal itself. Antibiotics kill off bad germs and good germs as well. Once you discontinue the antibiotics and your normal "flora" (population of good germs) is re-established, the yeast lose their advantage, allowing your body to fight off the overgrowth of yeast. If you can tolerate the itch long enough for this to happen, that is perfectly acceptable.
However, if you must continue daily antibiotics for, say, a bad case of acne, your body may not have the chance to recuperate on its own. In that case, you may want to stop the antibiotics for awhile or forever, and ask your doctor about an alternate acne treatment.
Also, if you have a yeast infection that doesn't resolve on its own (or with treatment) you should be checked for diabetes. Occasionally, if your blood sugar is elevated, yeast can really take hold and make you so miserable that you couldn't possibly tolerate the symptoms.
Some people might not want to treat vaginal yeast due to concern about using chemicals in their bodies. This is a valid consideration. Pro-biotics may be useful in re-establishing the normal flora, which is really the essence of ridding your body of a yeast infection. There are always some yeast around - they normally inhabit the colon without bothering a person, along with billions of other germs. Our skin is covered with germs, our mouths are full of germs, and the vagina has its own set of normal germs. The key is keeping the right germs in the right place.
The danger of not treating a yeast infection lies primarily in having the wrong diagnosis. I've seen many patients who've assumed their symptoms are due to yeast, only to find they have a urinary infection or STD instead. Also, the irritation caused by vaginal yeast infections may predispose to acquiring an STD. Just like an open would on the hand is more likely to get infected than intact skin would be, so is the vagina more likely to get infected by a sexually transmitted disease if it is raw and sore.
STDs that may be confused with vaginal yeast infections include herpes, chlamydia, trichomonas, and gonorrhea. Bacterial vaginosis is not usually sexually transmitted, but may give similar symptoms.
Urinary tract infections, bacterial vaginosis, and sexually transmitted diseases all require different treatments than vaginal yeast infections, so it is vital to have the correct diagnosis.
If you have vaginal itching or discharge that doesn't resolve on its own or with treatment (such as over-the-counter clotrimazole vaginal cream, used according to package directions) see your doctor. You don't want to be suffering an STD unaware, nor spread it to your partner.
Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

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Cynthia J. Koelker MD (Doc Cindy) is a family physician of over twenty years, and holds degrees from MIT, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the University of Akron. She is the author of 101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare.

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Treating Yeast Infections in Infants

Yeast infection in infants is a tricky condition and parents should definitely pay attention towards treating it in infants as soon as they find it out. Parents can easily recognize yeast infections through its symptoms like oral thrush (white patches in the mouth), painful, bumpy, red diaper rashes among others. First of all, it is very important to avoid the causes of such infection in infants. To do so, one must know what are the causes of yeast infection in children?
Causes of Yeast Infections in Infants

• Infection through infected mother at the time of delivery.
• Antibiotics Intake
• Not keeping the vaginal area of female infants clean.
• Overused unchanged diaper.
• Inappropriate bathing of child with harsh soaps.

Internal Yeast Infections in Infants
Sometimes parents use OTC drugs to treat yeast infections in their infants. This generally treats the symptoms. However, sometimes internal yeast infection remains there and causes frequent recurrence of infections. Internal infections can result into whitish stools, diarrhea, etc. In fact, yeast is always present along with beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Both of them keep each other in balance. Problem begins when yeast overgrows and results into infection. Treating the symptoms will grant temporary relief and it is essential to treat the underlying imbalance between the intestinal yeast and bacteria in order to prevent recurring infection. Anti fungal drugs - pills, creams, suppositories, topical sprays, and oral liquid solutions can cure infections in adults but treating yeast infection in infants need much more than that.
How to Treat Yeast Infections in Infants

• Always keep the baby clean. Change wet and dirty diapers immediately as moist environment leads to growth of yeast.
• Do not use baby wipes on a yeast diaper rash- they feed the yeast. Instead rinse the diaper area with 1 tbsp white vinegar added to a cup of water.
• For treating yeast diaper rash, get an over-the-counter anti-fungal cream that contains clotrimazole or miconazole or get some anti fungal drug prescribed by a paediatrician.
• If you see thrush in your baby's mouth, go for oral medication. The anti fungal Nystatin liquid is generally prescribed to treat thrush. However, before administering any medicine, consult your doctor.
• Do not give too much sugar and refined carbohydrate if your baby has started taking solid food because they feed yeast.
• Give the baby meats, vegetables, unsweetened fruits and plain, unsweetened yogurt.
• If yours is a breast feeding baby, treatment should be given to both- mother and child- even if mother has no symptoms.
• Continue treating yeast infection in your infant by taking all the above precautions for 2 weeks even after symptoms are gone so that there is no chance of getting infection again.

Deepa Roy is an expert author having interest in varied fields including textile, health and fitness, alternative health, home decor & remodeling, movers and packers industry, furniture & handicrafts among others. She uses her practical experiences as well as acquired knowledge apart from facts and statistics gathered from research and industry reports to write her articles. You can connect with her on facebook Deepa Roy Chowdhury http://www.facebook.com/deeparoyc

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Treating Yeast Infection Effectively With Probiotics

Most people have heard of and even used antibiotics plenty of times. While the discovery of antibiotics was a major breakthrough in medicine and helped treat many conditions, the downside is that it killed off good bacteria needed by the body in addition to the disease causing bad bacteria. Research into probiotics and its benefits for treating yeast infection effectively as well as other conditions is one of the best responses for antibiotic overuse.
The gastrointestinal tract is the primary area that yeast or candida dwell though they do find their way to other parts of the body such as the mouth, skin, blood, vaginal area, etc. All these areas are interconnected anyway. The body features different parts that work together.
Also found in the gastrointestinal tract are billions of bacteria. When most people think of bacteria, they think bad disease causing bacteria that should be eliminated from the body and these may be present in the body just waiting for their chance to bring sickness and disease to the body.
Antibiotics help to get rid of these bad bacteria quite effectively, but alas, they also get rid of good or friendly bacteria. Yes, there is such a thing as good or friendly bacteria in the body.
There are billions of friendly bacteria that are essential for the body's health and wellbeing. The body contains more bacteria than cells if you can imagine that so you need to stop thinking of bacteria as all bad. The good or friendly bacteria help to prevent disease and fight viral infections and other ailments.
A yeast infection arises from the overgrowth of a fungus known as candida albicans that normally occurs all over the body. Fighting yeast infections does not mean eliminating all candida from the body. No, curing yeast infections and preventing recurrence means learning to control the population of candida in the body and not letting it excessively grow beyond the normal levels in the body.
One of the best ways to control excessive yeast or candida growth is with these friendly bacteria. When the body has sufficient good bacteria, they will not only be effective at treating yeast infection but will also prevent future recurrence by controlling their growth.
When the population of the friendly bacteria is decreased or eliminated especially through the use of antibiotics, there will be nothing to keep candida growth in check. With excessive candida growth comes yeast infections as well as a weakening of the immune system as the excessive candida starts releasing toxins into the body.
If seeking a natural way of treating yeast infection, preventing recurrence and improving your immune system, the use of probiotics is one of the best ways to do so.
Probiotics for Treating Yeast Infection
The friendly bacteria that are necessary for overall health and wellbeing include Bifidum bacterium and Lactobacillus acidophilus. These friendly bacteria have been found to be very effective for curing candidiasis (yeast infection).
These are all naturally occurring organisms in yogurt but can also be found in other foods, powders, tablets, drinks, etc. You can find them in sour milk, sauerkraut, many pickles, etc. Research has shown that Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidum bacterium produce substances that can stop the growth of candida.
While yogurt is easily accessible, unfortunately many if not most found in grocery stores do not contain enough of the live cultures that are required to benefit the body.
In order to make a difference in the body, the yogurt or other product or supplements used should contain at least 1 billion organisms per serving. In addition to getting an adequate amount of live cultures, these healthy bacteria should be resistant to bile in the body and able to attach themselves to the gastrointestinal lining so that they can start to form a colony of good bacteria.
It is a waste of time and money if the product you buy containing live cultures passes through the body without disintegrating before it is eliminated by the body. It should also be able to survive the passage through the stomach by avoiding bile produced by the liver to prevent it from turning it into something else.
If you do decide to repopulate friendly bacteria through the use of yogurt, avoid the fancy yogurt. Go for simple plain yogurt with live cultures. Since bacteria are destroyed by heat, eat it cold.
Also make sure that it is fresh as it will usually contain at least 100 million bacteria per gram. Time on the shelf will destroy most of these bacteria.
Refrigerated yogurt is best for most of the live cultures to be able to survive. If at all possible, try to buy yogurt that is less than a week old which is the freshest and still contains most of the live cultures. The most beneficial yogurt will usually be found at health stores.
Probibiotic Supplements
Many people dislike the taste of yogurt or other foods containing probiotics such as sour milk, sauerkraut, etc, so probiotic supplements are the next best thing if not the best thing. Be sure that you purchase the supplements from a reputable retailer. Important tips for purchasing and using probiotic supplements include;
a. Getting the best quality involves ensuring that the supplements come in a dark glass container with a guarantee that the organisms are potent up to a certain expiration date clearly marked on the label. The label should also state that refrigeration is required in order to keep the live cultures potent and in great quantities.
b. Try to avoid probiotic supplements that contain other lives cultures besides Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidum bacterium unless you know what additional live cultures you need. These additional cultures may just be a waste of money in addition to making the product one of lower quality.
c. Try to stick to powdered supplements or capsules and avoid tablets or liquid probiotics as the manufacturing process destroys or reduces the ability of the live cultures that can colonize.
d. If you have a sensitivity to dairy, ensure that the live cultures were not grown anywhere near dairy.
e. In order to treat a particular condition, it is important to obtain specific strains of the live cultures. Simply purchasing a product that contains Lactobacillus could mean that it contains any strain such as L. rhamnosus GG, L. acidophilus, etc.
In order for your body to benefit from probiotics, you need to find a strain or combination of strains that will work for you such as Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 which is great for improving the immune system and the digestive system, Lactobacillus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri which work great for fighting vaginal infection and promoting the health of the vaginal environment and so on and so forth.
f. Try to ensure that if you purchase more than one live culture, that they are separated as they may not be compatible with each other if they are placed in the same container unless the manufacturing process used a special process to keep them in the same container but separate.
g. You can start using probiotics immediately when you start an anti-candida regimen as they can help speed up the detoxification of yeast waste products as the candida starts to die off while also re-colonizing the body with friendly bacteria.
h. Read the instructions on the label very carefully and monitor how you react to the products after you first start taking them. You may suffer from some bloating or gas which should go away after a few days.
i. Use steady doses daily for at least a week if you want to see any benefits from probiotics.
j. Before starting an anti-candida regimen, you need to ensure that you stop using or doing anything that may be creating the perfect yeast growth environment such as antibiotic use, chronic stress, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, etc.
k. While probiotics pose few risks, do avoid them if you have a weakened immune system or are critically ill.

Probiotics are definitely a strategy to consider if you are looking for effective natural ways for treating yeast infection and preventing recurrence. Do remember that since these are live cultures, they can die off if not properly cared for. For more on yeast infection treatment, visit http://curing-yeast-infections-naturally.com/.

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