UNDERSTANDING YEAST INFECTION – WHAT IS A YEAST INFECTION?

Yeast infections can range from uncomfortable to down right painful. Regardless of where you fall in this range when you have a yeast infection all you want to do it get rid of it. Understanding yeast infections, what causes them and how to prevent them, is one of the best ways to start treating them.

The yeast that causes the infection is actually a naturally occurring part of your body and under normal circumstances doesn’t cause trouble. This is because yeast found on and in your body appears with its natural competitor. Besides this yeast there is also a bacteria in and on your body that is competing with the yeast for the same space and food that the yeast needs to survive. When these two natural competitors live side by side they keep each other in check. Neither is allowed to produce a large enough population to even

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be noticeable. But when one or the other dies or is forced into dormancy the other will flourish. In other words, yeast infections occur when yeast’s competitor, bacteria, stops competing with it. Without having to vie for food and space with bacteria, yeast is allowed to take over and that’s when the trouble begins. If you’ve ever baked bread you know how quickly yeast can blossom when it’s placed in the right conditions. In only a matter of an hour or so bakers yeast can make a loaf of bread double in size. The yeast in your body works in much the same way although it is a completely different kind of yeast. Under optimum conditions it can flourish. The environment that produces the best conditions is one that is dark, warm and moist. So when the conditions are right and yeast’s natural competitor isn’t competing a yeast infection, which is simply a population explosion of naturally occurring yeast, is likely to occur. Treatment of Yeast Infection The best ways to prevent yeast infections are really methods to maintain a healthy balance of the yeast and bacteria already on and in your body. The best way to cure a yeast infection is to return that balance to normal. Easier said than done, right? Everyone’s body is different. Some women have a very delicate balance and find themselves with a yeast infection fairly regularly. Others have never had a yeast infection in their life. Prevention and cure works the same way. Some methods work for some women and not at all for others. Unfortunately it’s impossible to know if something will work unless you’ve tried it. Now, let’s look at ways to treat and prevent yeast infections.