The Real Causes of Yeast Infection
It is Candida species that cause yeast infections. There are over 100 naturally occurring species, but only a quarter of them are considered recognized causes of yeast infection, or Candiasis in humans. The most abundant one is Candida albicans, then Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis.
Strangely enough, the main cause of yeast infection is not yeast organisms, although these are usually present in small amounts in most areas of the body. For healthy individuals, it is the beneficial gastrointestinal bacterial flora that protects the intestines from the multiplication of Candida. Candida is usually kept under control when the natural equilibrium between Candida and the gastrointestinal bacterial flora exists. When this usual equilibrium is impacted, Candida species can reproduce rapidly and provoke a multitude of symptoms of yeast infection.
Several internal elements, several external factors and their inter-relationship create a yeast infection environment. Yeast infection, like many other recurring health diseases, is caused by several factors.
Candida overgrowth is favored by contributions from internal factors that provoke yeast multiplication, such as inherited traits (which we do not control) and lifestyle and psychological factors. Internal causes of yeast infection include: poor choices in diet (i. e. sugar rich products, white flour products, refined carbohydrates, caffeine, alcohol and other yeast fostering foods), fragile immune system and reduction in friendly probiotic bacteria.
Several more external factors and circumstances contribute to candida multiplication and infection. The yeast infection environment comes about because of these factors and associated internal co-factors.
The principal external agents of vaginal yeast infection are: (1) wearing tight clothes or clothes made of synthetic fibers; (2) wiping “the wrong way” from rectum to vagina after using the toilet, encouraging the spread of bacteria; (3) douching or applying female hygiene sprays to the intimate area; (4) the use of colored or perfumed toilet paper, deodorant sanitary towels, tampons, or bubble bath.
The main external agents of oral yeast infection (thrush) are: (1) wearing orthodontic appliances or dentures with a poor fit; (2) treatment by badly disinfected medical equipment catering for multiuse; (3) introducing dirty objects into one’s mouth (especially for babies).
The main external agents of baby yeast infection (diaper rash) are: (1) lipid-eliminating soaps that increase the permeability of the skin, putting it more at risk for diaper dermatitis; (2) folds in the skin from obesity, with added moisture and friction due to insufficient air circulation; (3) skin in excessive contact with urine and feces because of diapers are kept on for too long; (4) allergy reactions coming from the dye in training pants and disposable diapers, as well as the effects of wipes, lotions and creams, etc.
The external vectors of candida balanitis ar: (1) intimate relations with a partner already subject to a yeast infection; (2) using glycerin based lubricants or colored or perfumed soaps; (3) not observing basic male personal hygiene.
The external vectors of paronychia (nail bed infections) are: (1) the nail plate can be lifted up off the nail bed after soaking hands in water for a long time (this means that bacteria and yeasts easily penetrate and multiply in the space under the nail); (2) use of clothing and shoes where air does not circulate.
Because medicine in developed countries focuses on dealing with the manifestation of candida in the parts that are infected, conventional yeast infection treatments are short term measures. Although the external agents of yeast infection are well described, the basic contributing factors are less so. The holistic program, addressing the internal as well as the external contributing aspects, eliminates the deeper causes of yeast infection, using specific supplements of herbs and vitamins, and following a full group of dietary principles and protocols to control Candida and thus the multitude of disagreeable symptoms and its recurrence. This alternative of holistic medicine looks at the body as a whole and aims to establish an internal balance, reinforcing the immune system and improving mental strength.
Linda Allen is a health consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book Yeast Infection No More . To Learn More About Linda Allen’s Unique Holistic Yeast Infection Cure System Visit: Vaginal Yeast Infection
