The Alternative Health Gazette

Vaginal Yeast Infections Overview

Vaginal yeast infections affect almost all adult women at least once in their lifetimes. Some women get them very frequently though, while others rarely get them. Yeast infections can happen for a number of reasons, but they’re fairly easy to both prevent and treat.

Candida yeast bacteria lives in our bodies at all times. It’s normally balanced and kept under control by other friendly bacteria that also lives in our bodies, but sometimes that balance can be upset and this is when the yeast growth can get out of control. The number one cause of vaginal yeast infections is the use of broad spectrum antibiotics for some other infection in the body.

The prescription antibiotics kill all the friendly flora in the body, leaving it wide open for yeast to flourish once the antibiotic is finished. Yeast have become fairly resistent to most of the commonly used antibiotic medications because they’ve been used for so many things over the years. So they generally just lie in wait quietly while the antibiotic is being used, then jump into overtime production as soon as it’s finished.

Yeast thrive in warm, moist environments too, and this is why vaginal yeast infections are so common in women. This is also why many other things can cause a vaginal yeast infection to occur. Wearing tight fitting clothing that does not let air circulate for instance, can cause yeast infections - particularly in women who have poor hygeine habits. Yeast infections can also be caused by poor dietary habits and nutrition, latex condom sensitivities and allergies, the use of certain spermicides, and yeast infections can be transmitted sexually too.

The sexual transmission is one method many women and men aren’t aware of. Men can get penile yeast infections from a woman who has a vaginal yeast infection. Since the symptoms in men sometimes never show up even when the infection is present, the woman is treated and then reinfected when she has intercourse with her partner again.

Yeast infections can be treated with over the counter antifungal creams and ointments, though these are not always strong enough to cure the problem. Prescriptions are available to treat the fungus infection too, but there are many completely natural ways to treat yeast infections which don’t have the side effects that prescriptions do.

Some of these natural remedies include eating yogurt, using yogurt as a vaginal suppository or douche, using a garlic douche, and taking herbal antibiotics by mouth.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

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