Cause of vaginal yeast infection

If 7 the acidity decreases, however, an infection can develop and the yeast will start growing out of control. When yeast begins to multiply, a yeast infection, or candidiasis, begins. There are many reasons why normal yeast may begin to multiply out of control—from moisture to lifestyle to disease to prescription drugs you may be taking to cause of vaginal yeast infection irritation—and we’ll get into those causes in greater detail in the next section. For now, however, just keep in mind that not all cause of vaginal yeast infection vulvar itches signal a yeast infection. Read through the “Symptoms” section of this guide carefully to determine if you have this condition; and if you are unsure, as always, consult a cause of vaginal yeast infection physician. If you do have a yeast infection, you’ll probably be experiencing any or all of the following: • White discharge that is thick and “cottage-cheesey” • Itching around the vaginal area • Swelling or inflammation of the area around the vagina • Pain during sex Perhaps this is your first time experiencing a yeast infection—but more likely it’s cause of vaginal yeast infection been an ongoing saga in your life. Many women will experience chronic yeast infections due to elements of their lifestyle that can trigger this nasty little condition. And even doctors are not always able to successful treat infections on the first go. Yeast is very hardy and can be difficult to get under control, especially if you don’t do cause of vaginal yeast infection your best to remove any external triggers. Thankfully, we know a lot more about yeast infections today than we used to, and we also know that prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines 8 (which don’t always work) are not our only options. The rest of this guide is devoted to helping you determine whether you’ve got an infection and, if cause of vaginal yeast infection so, how you can safely and effectively bring your body back to its healthy, energetic state. 9 What Causes a Yeast Infection? So now you know what differentiates a yeast infection from other vaginal infections—the presence of too much yeast! But you may be wondering: if it is normal to have some yeast in the body at all times, cause of vaginal yeast infection then why does the body get out of whack sometimes and let that yeast grow out of control? In this section we’ll discuss the main reasons why yeast is likely to grow too quickly.

As you may know from the countless TV commercials on this topic or from past experience, such medicine generally comes in the form of cause of vaginal yeast infection a cream that is inserted with an applicator into the vagina, or a suppository that you place in your vagina and that then dissolves inside your body. In certain cases, particularly for recurring infections that don’t respond to the treatments above, doctors may prescribe an oral treatment, in the form of a pill that you swallow. 21 To help cause of vaginal yeast infection relieve the symptoms that you are experiencing while waiting for those meds to kick in, you can also buy creams that are designed to help relieve the itching, burning, and inflammation. Option 2: Home and Traditional Remedies Now let’s talk briefly about the second route you can take, which involves bypassing most of the medical establishment’s prescriptions. We’re going cause of vaginal yeast infection to talk a lot more about this in the section on my multi-step home remedy, so for now let me just say that doctors often treat just the symptoms and ignore the root cause of diseases. Maybe this is why so few doctors are able to make their patients’ vaginal infections go away for good! As many women have cause of vaginal yeast infection discovered for themselves over the years, certain home remedies and lifestyle changes are actually vastly superior to prescriptions and OTC medicines when it comes to curing a yeast infection. In fact, in other parts of the world it is very common to use home remedies such as yogurt and tea tree oil to cure yeast infections. I personally find cause of vaginal yeast infection that yogurt is a fantastic treatment, but let’s say just for the sake of argument that the results of yogurt and, say, Monistat are just about equal. Now, which would you rather flood your body with: natural, organic, delicious probiotic yogurt, or the powerful and potentially dangerous drugs that make up natural cure for yeast infection Monistat? We’ll talk cause of vaginal yeast infection more about all of this later. Moreover, in the case of yeast infections, it’s not enough to inject a cream into your vagina and get the yeast under control there. It’s more important to understand why you developed a yeast infection in the first place. As I have discussed above, you should know that a yeast infection can be cause of vaginal yeast infection a systemic infection that affects your entire body and its functions, and not just 22 your vagina. So treating just the vagina is not necessarily the way to cure yourself for good! However you decide to treat yourself, it’s important to remember that you should avoid sex while you have an active infection. Penetration can drive the yeast cells cause of vaginal yeast infection deeper and deeper into the walls of the vagina, causing more irritation and prolonging the infection.

On the same note, steer clear of tampons and remember to keep the area as clean and as able to breathe as possible. That means changing feminine pads frequently (at least every 4 natural treatment for vaginitis hours), wearing clean cotton underwear, cause of vaginal yeast infection and avoiding tight pants that stifle the area. 23 Over-the-Counter Treatment Products: Pros and Cons Over-the-counter, or OTC, treatments for yeast infections are incredibly common and are available in just about every drugstore or grocery store you go into. They are relatively inexpensive and widely available, so it’s no wonder that most women who think they have a yeast cause of vaginal yeast infection infection run out and buy one of the many OTC options. It doesn’t help that the airwaves are inundated with television commercials of pretty women complaining about yeast infections, then holding up boxes of drugs for you to buy. And flip open the pages of any women’s magazine and you’ll see plenty of print ads, too. Those companies want cause of vaginal yeast infection your money pretty badly, it seems! But buying an over-the-counter treatment is not always a good idea. First of all, if you have a vaginal infection that is not actually a yeast infection, trying to treat it with a yeast infection cream or suppository is not going to do you much good. Moreover, you could actually be increasing your cause of vaginal yeast infection body’s resistance to these treatments, so that when you need them later on they won’t work as well. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you don’t actually have a yeast infection is, well, just no good for your body at all. Moreover, OTC medicines are not meant for every woman. If you are under the age of 12 cause of vaginal yeast infection or you are pregnant, avoid OTC medicines and consult your doctor about treatment options. The same goes if you are breastfeeding—drugs in your system may be secreted in your breast milk. This is true even if you are using a topic drug and not one that you take orally, because topical medicine is absorbed through the skin and into cause of vaginal yeast infection the bloodstream. 24 Fungicidal creams are perhaps the most readily available OTC treatment options. Monistat is the best-known name, and you’ve probably seen their commercials on TV or in magazines. Monistat and other similar creams contain an antifungal drug called tioconazole. When you insert this antifungal cream into the affected area, it will go to work attacking the yeast. cause of vaginal yeast infection Usually, creams come in a package with several applicators. You put the cream in the applicator and then insert the applicator into the vaginal area and apply the cream as directed. The cream will stay “up there” for some time. You must repeat this process anywhere from 1 to 10 times, depending on the kind of cream you buy cause of vaginal yeast infection (1-day treatment, 3-day treatment, or 7-10-day treatment).

Also, the hormonal changes brought on by diabetes may also be a factor in the incidence of yeast infection. Antibiotics and Other Prescription Drugs 11 Antibiotics are meant to kill off certain elements in the body that are causing disease or discomfort. While antibiotics may be recommended to you by a cause of vaginal yeast infection doctor, you should keep in mind that they kill off bacteria indiscriminantly, the good along with the bad. Since good bacteria actually help to keep yeast in check in a normal, healthy vagina, taking antibiotics can lead the way to a yeast infection. In fact, yeast infections are quite common in women who have recently had a round of cause of vaginal yeast infection antibiotics. Even if you took antibiotics as a child and you are now a young adult, your body could still be “out of whack” as a result! Feminine Hygiene Products As you can probably imagine, douching too often or leaving a tampon in place for too long can wreak havoc on the delicate PH level of the vaginal environment. cause of vaginal yeast infection chronic yeast infection The vagina has a natural acidity level that the body regulates on its own. You do not need to “clean” it out using douches or feminine sprays, and you should not do anything to compromise it. Remember, feminine hygiene companies are trying to make money by selling their products; don’t buy into the hype. Your vagina, cause of vaginal yeast infection when kept healthy, will regulate itself and does not require external “cleansers.” Tight Clothing “Choking” your crotch with a tight pair of jeans or a pair of nylon stockings is a surefire recipe for a yeast infection. This is because tight clothing suffocates the vaginal area and does not allow it to breathe. This in turn results in a cause of vaginal yeast infection change to the level of acidity “down there.” 12 On the same note, synthetic fabrics are not a good choice for underwear, because they trap the air against your body, not allowing it to circulate and breathe. Avoid synthetic underwear, nylons and pants, all of which can trigger an infection. If you must wear nylons on occasion, just try cause of vaginal yeast infection not to wear them every day. Give your body a chance to breathe. This is especially important in the summertime, when the hot, humid air can make the situation down there even worse.

There are several common causes, and some of them are easier to deal with than others. The thing they all have in common is that cause of vaginal yeast infection they derive from a change in the acidity of the vagina. As I mentioned earlier, the acidic environment is what normally keeps the yeast in check. So if something happens that changes that healthy level of acidity, yeast can really have a field day, multiplying without a limit and therefore causing an infection to occur. Certain causes are natural cause of vaginal yeast infection events you have no control over. For example, menstruation, pregnancy, and diabetes can all lead to yeast infections. Steroids and birth control pills can also be a trigger; so can antibiotics, which disrupt the natural environment of the vagina by killing off good and bad cause of yeast infection bacteria. Other triggers have to do with things you could cause of vaginal yeast infection easily change in your everyday life. Wetness or irritation around the genitals is a major factor, so you should always avoid wearing too-tight underwear and wet bathing suits, or using vaginal products (douches, sprays, etc.) that irritate the delicate vaginal area (much more on this later). In fact, something as seemingly harmless as taking a bubble bath after a cause of vaginal yeast infection stressful day at work could actually be triggering your uncomfortable, itchy condition! 10 Now let’s discuss each of the major causes in greater detail. Pregnancy and Menstruation When your body goes through a massive change like pregnancy, or when it undergoes a monthly flux in hormone levels, your vagina does not escape unscathed! Pregnancy and your period can both cause of vaginal yeast infection cause the level of acidity in your vagina to change, and that, as I’ve explained above, can trigger an infection to occur. Stress Anything that stresses your body—from the everyday stresses of your job, for example, to a lack of sleep to a poor diet to that irritating relative who’s coming over for dinner—can raise your chances of developing cause of vaginal yeast infection an infection. This is because stress lowers the body’s resistance to infection and weakens the immune system. Therefore, getting plenty of sleep, having proper nutrition and staying calm can all help you avoid a yeast infection. Diabetes and Obesity There is some evidence to suggest that consuming foods high in sugar and drinking lots of alcohol can trigger yeast cause of vaginal yeast infection infections due to the high sugar content in the urine. (And yeast overgrowth can actually be a cause of weight gain!)

Eat lots of leafy greens to keep your intestinal tract clean and in superior shape, and consume plenty of fruits and other veggies. Also, be sure to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, which is one cause of vaginal yeast infection of the easiest ways to maintain all of your body’s essential functions. 39 Foods to avoid: • Processed cereal, especially sweetened cereal • Soda and sweetened fruit drinks • Honey and sugar • Products containing white flour • Salted, cured meat (sausage, bacon, etc.) • White rice, pasta, white bread • Fermented foods, like pickles • “Moldy” food, like cause of vaginal yeast infection bananas and mushrooms • Coffee and caffeinated tea Step 3: Strengthen Your Immune System It’s not just what you eat or what you apply to your skin that can help stave off future infections. It also depends on your state of mind and whether or not you take the time to keep your whole body in good shape. Modern cause of vaginal yeast infection medicine so often fails to take into account the externals, such as whether you are getting enough sleep, how much stress is present in your daily life, whether you exercise regularly, and so on. Well, I’m here as proof that all of these factors play a huge role in how healthy your body is—and, therefore, how susceptible you are cause of vaginal yeast infection to vaginal infections and other diseases. Yeast infections, especially when they recur, are a sign of a weak immune system, so you should not stop at simply treating the symptoms. Instead, you have got to reassess your body’s health and its ability to ward off disease and further infections. You’ve got to make some changes so that you get cause of vaginal yeast infection your body yeast infection cure back into good shape. 40 Do yourself a favor and make your health a priority in your day to day schedule. It’s so easy to slack off and let your body go, but if you do so you are really compromising your health in many ways. Eating lots of sugar does not just result cause of vaginal yeast infection in obesity; it also lets the yeast run rampant throughout your system, causing depression, blurred vision, irritability, skin conditions, slow healing of cuts and scrapes, insomnia, and so on. Eat right, and exercise regularly, because these things will improve your health and reestablish a healthy, strong immune system. Establish a routine for yourself, and then stick to it. Pick cause of vaginal yeast infection a physical activity (or activities) that you truly love, so that you’ll feel inspired to do it. Vary things up to make it interesting: try yoga one day, jogging the next, cycling the third day, and so on. You will also need to eat right and introduce vitamins and supplements into your diet. Why? Because otherwise it is nearly cause of vaginal yeast infection impossible to get all the nutrients that your body needs for you to nurse yourself back to health. So pay attention to the following information about essential supplements. You can find them all at your local health food store: Essential fatty acids: One common misconception that lots of people have is that fats are bad for you and should cause of vaginal yeast infection be eliminated from a healthy diet. Not so! Certain fats are actually “lubricants” that keep the body’s systems functional, and so you’ve got to make sure you’re getting enough of the essential fatty acids. I’m not talking about the kind of fat that comes in a candy bar, of course—I’m talking about the fats you get from fish, avocados, cause of vaginal yeast infection and supplements.

My best recommendation is to take the bull by the horns and prevent the infection at its root cause—your diet. You need to change the way you eat in order to change the way your body is reacting. By eating healthy foods you will boost your body’s ability to stay healthy, and by avoiding “bad” foods cause of vaginal yeast infection you will be depriving yeast of the things they need to thrive and multiply. When you do that, voila—your infection will disappear! I’ve already explained how wonderful yogurt is as a topical treatment. Well, it works wonderfully as a part of your anti-candida diet, too! So don’t just apply the yogurt topically—eat it, too! The same acidophilus that will cause of vaginal yeast infection help in a topic application will also aid on recolonizing your GI tract and reestablishing a good balance of bacteria and yeast. You can also buy acidophilus in capsule form in health stores. If you don’t particularly like yogurt, it may be easier for you to swallow it in pill-form. Whichever vehicle you choose, rest assured that you are cause of vaginal yeast infection on your way to better health. In clinical trials, women who ate yogurt with acidophilus every day had a significantly lower incidence of recurring yeast infections and a lower amount of candida in the body. Try eating at least a cup a day and see how it works for you. Another duel-purpose treatment is garlic. I mentioned above that cause of vaginal yeast infection garlic may be used as a suppository, but it’s also practically a miracle food and you should consume lots of it. Chop it up in your salad, bake it and smear it into a veggie “dip,” eat it raw, make garlic soup—however you like to eat it, just eat it! 38 This tiny bulb is packed with so much cause of vaginal yeast infection great stuff, and it works amazingly well to stave off infection and fight fungi. If you suffer from frequent infections, make garlic part of your regular diet and I guarantee that you will start to feel better. So now you see, you can actually eat your way to better health! Aside from yogurt, there are plenty of delicious, nutritious cause of vaginal yeast infection foods that will help your body get back to an optimal state of health and prevent the recurrence of disease. Foods to eat regularly: • Cranberries • Onions • Oats • Fish • Lentils • Cottage cheese and unsweetened yogurt • Unsalted nuts • Brown rice • Brussel sprouts • Chicken • Eggs • Soy milk • Herbal teas cause of vaginal yeast infection and pure water Make these a part of your regular diet! Eat organically vaginal yeast infection whenever you can. In general, to beat your infection you must maintain a healthy diet that is low in sugary food (which yeast thrives on) and low in breads (again, anything “yeasty” is a feast for the yeast in your body).