|
CANDIDA - INTESTINAL YEAST & FUNGAL DISORDER
What is Candida?
Yeast infections - sometimes called candidiasis, takes on many forms.
They often develop where a moist environment encourages fungal growth, especially on the webs of fingers and toes, nails, genitals and folds of skin.
TYPES OF YEAST INFECTIONS include:
• Oral thrush, a painless, often recurrent yeast infection of the mouth and throat. It is common in babies, young children and the elderly, but can affect all ages.
• Moniliasis, a painful vaginal yeast infection experienced by approximately 75% of women, most commonly during pregnancy or treatment with antibiotics.
• Balanitis, a less common but equally irritating infection of the penis.
• Intertrigo can occur on the skin, particularly in large skin folds in obese people.
• Systemic yeast infections can occur in cases of diabetes, AIDS, and other ailments or drug treatments that suppress the immune system.
WHAT CAUSES YEAST INFECTIONS?
Candida albicans is a fungal organism, or yeast, that thrives in your mouth, gastrointestinal tract and skin.
Your body generally produces bacteria that keep it in check.
When fungal growth exceeds the body's ability to control it, yeast infections develop.
This can happen when you are weakened by illness or upset by stress.
Modern antibiotics that treat many ailments can actually kill the bacteria
that otherwise control fungal outbreaks.
Yeast infections are common among dishwashers and people whose hands are often in water, in children who suck their thumbs or fingers, and in people whose clothing retains body moisture.
The diaper rash called Candidal dermatitis is caused by yeast growth in the folds of a baby's skin.
Diabetics and persons with High Blood Sugar Levels are especially prone to yeast infections because they have high levels of sugar in their blood and urine, and a low resistance to infection - conditions that encourage yeast growth.
Treatment
|