Yeast Infection Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Yeast infection is one of the most common forms of fungal infection around the world with some causes, symptoms, and the treatments. Yeast is one of the fungi that if having too much of a particular type of yeast can cause a yeast infection. The medical term for this disease is Candidiasis which is taken from Candida, the species of yeast responsible for the infection. Candida is harmless and can live in your skin and digestive tract. Yeast infection mostly found in the damp or warm area. This disease also can cause itching, swelling, and irritation of the skin, mouth lining, anus, and genital area. Yeast infection continuously can be a sign of more serious diseases such as leukemia, diabetes or AIDS.
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Yeast Infection Causes
Candida is the most notable type because it is responsible for candidiasis or commonly known as yeast infection. The most common candida that responsible for yeast infection are candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C.parapslosis, and C. glabrata. One of the most common causes of fungal infections in women is vaginal itching, burning, and discharge. Candida normally lives in small, harmless numbers in your vagina but medications such as antibiotics can lower the causing yeast to spread.
Diabetes and obesity have been shown to be a factor of yeast infection, especially if your blood sugar levels are high because the fuel source of yeast is sugar. Other factors include hyperestrogenemia, a condition that indicates high levels of estrogen such as during pregnancy, the hormonal imbalance, and use of high-dose birth control pills. Clothing also plays a role in yeast infection such as earing tight-fitting and nonabsorbent pants. Candidiasis can spread via sexual intercourse, but it is not considered to be a sexually transmitted infection like HIV or AIDS.
Yeast Infection Symptoms
Yeast infection occurs when the Candida fungi that live in your body suddenly overpower the good bacteria. The following are the symptoms based on the location.
- Vaginal Yeast Infection. The infection causes swelling, rashes, pain or soreness, burning sensation or pain during sexual intercourse, pain during urination, vaginal discharge that is odorless and white-gray in color.
- Oral Candidiasis. Oral candidiasis can affect both genders and commonly seen in the elderly. The symptoms are white spots inside the mouth and tongue, difficulty swallowing and sore throat, redness or discomfort in the mouth area, cracking at the corners of the mouth, and loss of taste.
- Yeast Infection in Males. The yeast infection in males refers to inflammation of a circumcised penis and to an uncircumcised penis. The common symptoms are Redness and swelling, burning and itching around the glans, rash-like bumps that may contain pus, shiny and white patches of skin on the glans, irritation, and soreness.
- Invasive Candidiasis. In rare cases, the Candida overgrowth can enter your bloodstream and potentially become life-threatening. If left untreated, the disease can affect your heart, brain, eyes, bones or joints
Yeast Infection Treatment
The treatment of yeast infection can use antifungal creams that are applied on the rashes until the infection clears or home remedies. For women, the remedy can by creating own vaginal suppository that made with boric acid powder and a gelatin capsule. The boric acid powder put inside in the capsule then insert in vagina twice a day. According to Dr. Kendra Pearsall, boric acid suppositories are effective for yeast infection.
Home Remedies
The following are several home remedies have been found to be effective in treating yeast infection for both men and women.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Vinegar is well known for treating fungal infection. Soak the cotton balls in apple cider vinegar and apply it directly to your rashes continuously until the infection gone.
- Tea Tree Oil. Mix 3 drops of tea tree oil and 1 drop of carrier oil then apply the mixture to the infected areas before sleep continuously until the infection gone.
- Coconut Oil. Coconut oil contains lauric acid. It is a compound that has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. Adding 3 to 5 tablespoons of coconut oil to your daily diet may help treat infections.
- Garlic. Garlic has powerful antifungal properties because of allicin compound. Create a paste made of crushed garlic cloves and apply it directly to the infection.