Top Videos and Slideshows

What Is Candida?

There are many kinds of fungusthat live in the human body. One type is called candida. It’s a type of yeast that normally lives in small amounts in places like your mouth and belly, or on your skinwithout causing any problems. But when the environment is right, the yeast can multiply and grow out of control. The infection it causes is called candidiasis. There are several different types of it. Most can be easily treated with prescription medications.

Symptoms

When someone has Candida, they often appear to look very healthy on the outside. Therefore, most people are totally unaware that a serious infection lies deep within. The symptoms of Candida often mimic other illnesses, so it can be difficult to diagnose without testing.

Please note these common Candida symptoms are also associated with many other disorders — making diagnosing this problem even more difficult:

Causes

The good news is that the healthy bacteria in your gut typically keep your levels in check. However, a few factors can cause the population to grow out of control:

  • Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar
  • Consuming a lot of alcohol
  • Eating a diet high in beneficial fermented foods (like Kombucha, sauerkraut, and pickles)
  • Living a high-stress lifestyle
  • Taking a round of antibiotics that killed too many of those friendly bacteria

Home Remedies and Other Treatments for a Yeast Infection

There are many ways in which a yeast infection can be treated. There are many medicated creams and treatments that are available over the counter in a pharmacy. Typically those are the items that will handle most yeast infections. However, there are also many other yeast infection remedies which are available with household items. Here are some great options:

  • Yogurt - Yogurt has good strains of bacteria in it that will counter the yeast bacteria. For surface infections, it should just be spread out over the area. For vaginal yeast infections, it needs to be inserted via a coated tampon for a couple of hours twice per day.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar - The vinegar should be diluted and ingested. Also, taking a long bath with diluted vinegar in the water will help with the itching and irritation.
  • Cranberries - The power of cran is known well for people who suffer from urinary tract infections. They have excellent antibacterial properties.

Candida Related Complex is such a difficult condition to diagnose because it tends to affect each sufferer in a different way. Candida symptoms can occur on different parts of their body, in ways that may be unique to that particular person. For this and other reasons, Candida is often misdiagnosed. If you have a doctor who is unaware of the importance of gut health, he or she may treat the symptoms rather than the cause. Fatigue might be written off as depression, and digestive problems might be blamed on IBS. The underlying cause, an imbalance in the gut flora, might not be recognized or treated yet.So, make sure to spot symptoms on time in order to make the treatment process more bearable.