Background

Yeast infection, which is also known as Candidiasis, Candida infection or thrush is a very unpleasant infection caused by Candida albicans bacteria.

In a normal healthy person Candida albicans are present all over the surface of the body but particularly in the genital area, the mouth and the gastrointestinal tract. The Candida bacteria are essential to keep unhealthy bacteria in check and they themselves are normally kept in check by friendly pro-biotic bacteria.

Unfortunately, there are various situations that can damage our body’s ability to maintain the internal balance as it should be and when this happens the Candida can multiply out of control.

This is when we might see localised yeast infection symptoms and potentially, if not treated correctly, the infection could become systemic.

Factors that can cause yeast infection

The use of certain antibiotics can damage our normal internal balance by killing not only whatever the antibiotics were intended to treat but also our friendly bacteria which would normally keep the Candida in check.

Hormonal changes during the monthly cycle or during pregnancy.

Increased blood sugar levels in poorly controlled or uncontrolled diabetes can cause yeast infection as the yeast love to feed on sugar.

Candidiasis can be transferred through sexual intercourse with an infected partner.

A weakened immune system, perhaps due to recent illness, can mean that our normal internal processes may not be as effective at controlling yeast as they normally would be.

Stress can also be a factor contributing to a weakening of the immune system.

Poor diet can be a significant factor, particularly if this means a relatively high sugar content and low content of vitamins and nutrients.

What can happen to us internally?

The big issue for our health is that when Candida bacteria are able to multiply out of control in our intestines for the reasons described above (among others) they can change from a yeast form into a fungal form.

The fungal form creates root-like structures which penetrate the walls of our intestines. This can cause what is called "leaky gut syndrome" when yeast and partially digested or undigested food are able to enter our blood stream.

This is when the yeast infection could be described as systemic. The yeast is now able to travel around the body and infect many areas and organs. In this situation the yeast infection can become very intense and difficult to eradicate. Many of our organs and various regions of the skin and other parts of our body can become infected.

Our digestive system can find it difficult to function properly and this, in turn, can cause us to feel very run down, fatigued and short of energy, with possible dizziness and generally feeling weak and tired.

In extreme cases systemic Candidiasis can even be fatal.

How should this be treated?

There are various over-the-counter and natural treatments that can help to relieve the symptoms but I would recommend tackling the root cause with a comprehensive holistic treatment. For more information please visit my website.